The Big TNA Wrestling Thread

[timster]

Joshua Elliot sent along the following:

I don?t know if anyone noticed or not, but TNA had a few production mistakes last night on Impact. The most notable one was when Mike Tenay announced that thanks to Dixie Carter and Spike TV that they will be staying with this main event until it?s conclusion, and a few seconds afterwards they cut to a commercial.

Also, during the ODB vs. Tara match for the Knockouts title, while ODB was pinning Tara, she pulled down her pants a little bit showing her crack. TNA tried to switch camera views, but instead switched to a still frame of the Steel Asylum for a short second or two before returning to the match and the pinfall was already over and ODB had won the match.

There were two more mistakes. Hogan is viewed for almost a full hour riding in his limo to the impact zone for his ?FIRST TIME EVER?. When Hogan was in the ring, he stated that ?He has been in the back all night long talking to the guys backstage.? I thought that was a funny mess up.

Lastly, I think it was when Bischoff was backstage talking, the Crowd was chanting a curse word. TNA production kept attempting to bleep out the curse word. While doing so, they were also cutting out on Bischoff talking. So every 2 seconds, EVERYTHING was bleeped out, including what ever Bischoff was talking about, which took away from that segment. There were actual a couple moments during the show where cussword chants in the crowd effecting the audio in a negative fashion.

Just thought I would pass this along.

[SolidSapphire]

Time for TNA to get another show on the air weekly. Looks like Xplosion will compete with another WWE show.

[Loso]

what the hell is xplosion anyways? is it a show? a web-show or is it on tv?

the set of impact kind of resembles the wcw thunder set. is it just me who thinks that?

[Rappy Veteran]

what the hell is xplosion anyways? is it a show? a web-show or is it on tv?

the set of impact kind of resembles the wcw thunder set. is it just me who thinks that?

no :rofl: it does remind me of the secondary WCW show set, they need to start again and move away from Orlando and use a bad ass set!

[LOC Veteran]

It was really weird switching back and forth from WWE to TNA. Brought back those great RAW/Nitro memories :)

[Rappy Veteran]

yeah it is a great time for wrestling fans :D but I think seasoned wrestling fans can see through the smoke and mirrors :p

[Victor Rambo]

Hulk hogan looked so young last night in TNA. :shifty:

[timster]

by Nick Paglino

I spoke to a high level source within TNA earlier tonight who informed me that the wrestler debuts seen on this past Monday night's Impact special are not the last of the planned talent surprises.

According to the source, you can expect at least two major wrestling names to debut with TNA either at the upcoming Genesis PPV or at the TV taping following the PPV. Eric Bischoff is currently negotiating with talent, and although there might be more names to appear in TNA in the coming weeks, the source I spoke with confirmed that there will be at least 2, and both are big name stars.

oh, on another note. Panda Energy is owned by Bob Carter, Dixie's father and majority shareholder for TNA Wrestling

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panda_Energy_...ction_Wrestling

[Rappy Veteran]

no wonder Panda stays around then :rofl:

[Rappy Veteran]

I see Tyson Tomko debuted at Impact Tapings and Sean Morley aka Val Venis made his debut.

[LOC Veteran]

I see Tyson Tomko debuted at Impact Tapings and Sean Morley aka Val Venis made his debut.

I just call him towel man.

[Rappy Veteran]

I just call him towel man.

:rofl: better name for him!

---

Contrary to earlier reports, Jeff Jarrett did not go off script Monday night. The idea was for Jarrett to do a face promo because Jarrett, Mick Foley, Dixie Carter, and Hulk Hogan were all supposed to be face entities. Hogan's plan was to "out-face" Jarrett, so he ended up surprised when he got booed. Hogan is not supposed to be a heel at this point.

[LOC Veteran]

Uh, I thought Foley was supposed to be part of the "heel" entity going against Hogan and Dixie?

And is it just me, or anytime I see Dixie on TV or she talks, I instantly think of Linda McMahon...

[Rappy Veteran]

she looked a bit of alright on monday but I googled searched her and found some pictures where she isn't that nice looking :rofl:

[Rappy Veteran]

Hulk Hogan was said to be very stressed backstage at iMPACT on Monday, and feels the company has organizational issues. TNA was still filming pre-tapes late in the day, and it was said to be a very chaotic atmosphere for Hulk compared to the treatment he was used to in WCW and WWE.

Hogan held a meeting with the TNA roster prior to the show, which was described as a basic pep talk meeting. Hulk told the wrestlers that he?s looking forward to getting to know them all. He told them his door is always open, and gave the impression that he and Bischoff are running the show, although Vince Russo is still handling his usual backstage duties.

Some backstage sources say Russo came across as withdrawn, and after the show was telling people he had no idea what the storyline direction will be going forward.

[MightyJordan]

I was expecting the Hogan episode to be a total flop, but it's been a complete shock to me; it got TNA's highest ever viewing figures in America: 2.2 million, and most of the American critics are saying TNA had the better show on the night! :o

Critics give first blood to TNA

TNA have won the first battle of the new wrestling war, according to America's critics.

Their flagship programme Impact went head to head with WWE Raw last night in the United States, pitting Hulk Hogan's debut against the return of Bret Hart. And those reviewing the shows mostly agreed that while both had good and bad points, TNA seemed fresher with more surprises.

Impact saw Jeff Hardy, Ric Flair, Sean Waltman, Scott Hall, Eric Bischoff, Val Venis, The Nasty Boys, Orlando Jordan and Shannon Moore join TNA ? and an outstanding Kurt Angle v AJ Styles main event.

Raw featured the long-awaited confrontations between Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels and The Hitman and Vince McMahon, as well as Michaels and Triple H retaining their tag titles against Chris Jericho and Big Show.

Mike Shannon of PWMania wrote: "Well, in the first shot of TNA v WWE, the winner was DEFINITELY Total Nonstop Action wrestling. Not only was their show more entertaining but the wrestling blew the WWE's right out of the water. WWE's handling of Hart's return was extremely disappointing, while TNA made sure to give themselves a much-needed facelift and showcase their stars. I really think this will get the company some new viewers and might show Vince that wrestling geared towards adults actually works."

Writing for the Wrestling Observer website, Todd Martin said: "TNA is a promotion with some serious and obvious flaws, but watching Impact and Raw tonight, it felt like TNA is the hot promotion and WWE is the stale one. WWE is so fixed to its narrow formula vision of sports entertainment that it feels like you know everything that's coming. The music openings for all WWE shows are the same. The fireworks are the same. The backstage segments are the same. The matches are the same. The comedy is the same. There isn't the feel of unpredictability. Everything feels sanitised and aimed at a young and unsophisticated audience.

If TNA tonight showed WWE that it needs to be more unpredictable and varied, watching WWE and TNA also sends the message that TNA needs to be much clearer with its storylines. WWE is always very careful to explain what's going on ? and that's a good thing. You get video packages explaining the angles and they try to tie everything together. Impact, by contrast, was full of inside references and rapid-fire references to all sorts of things happening all at the same time. TNA needs to make sure their product is available to more than just the most hardcore wrestling fans. I'm not sure that tonight's show was, even if I found it more enjoyable than Raw."

However, the reviewers at Hit The Ropes Radio did rate Raw as better, saying: "WWE proved tonight that they didn't need shock value and returns to get momentum over TNA." Their writer Shane Howard added: "As the supposed alternative, I thought TNA would be a bit different from the WWE with the three hours. Unfortunately, there was still a whole lot of talking and backstage segments. Granted, there were some bright spots. I enjoyed the Knockouts tag team championship match, the Pope/Wolfe encounter and the main event. My question is: Can you live on only counting on Styles, Angle, Wolfe, Kong and Hamada to give great matches? For fans who haven't kept up with TNA, this might have been a great night. For those who actually watch the product, I was expecting more."

[Rappy Veteran]

There is now serious discussion within TNA of putting on a weekly Monday night show head-to-head with WWE's RAW. The most likely scenario we've heard would be TNA iMPACT! running from 8-10pm ET, only going head-to-head with RAW for 1 hour.

[MightyJordan]

There is now serious discussion within TNA of putting on a weekly Monday night show head-to-head with WWE's RAW. The most likely scenario we've heard would be TNA iMPACT! running from 8-10pm ET, only going head-to-head with RAW for 1 hour.

Even if they only went head-to-head for an hour, it'd still be an interesting battle, and frankly, I'd love to see iMPACT! go Monday nights full-time, as it might mean Bravo will show it earlier in the week.

[Rappy Veteran]

Former WWE & ECW champion Rob Van Dam has a new blog up on his MySpace, talking about the Monday Night War from this week between WWE and TNA. Here's what he wrote:

Monday night wrestling, let?s talk about it. Many people have called,texted or emailed me to get my opinion of the live wrestling shows that competed for our viewership earlier this week. I can critique just like you, but let?s talk about what we liked. I switched back and forth between both shows, just like you did. It was cool seeing the crowd reaction for Brett the Hitman Hart. I know he has wanted to step back in the ring for a long time and I have no doubt that the ?welcome back? felt like a warm blanket in Canada. On the other show, the NWO appearing was a nice surprise, as was Jeff hardy in a big way. I was a little concerned since all the pre-Monday advertisements just said ?We got Hogan?. They had a lot of ex-WWE?ers-whether money drawers or not-so the element of change and hope was in the air. I thought that was nice. They also had some good matches. fans like that. I?m still confused on the schedule for TNA?s Monday night shows.

I thought this was going to be an every-Monday night thing but I?ve heard I?m wrong on that. Anyone else confused with me? Anyone know what they?re doing?

Do we tune in again next week or next quarter or WTF?

I?m sure that wrestling had it?s highest ratings in awhile so that?s good and TNA must?ve had their largest viewing audience. Many people have told me that they were glad I wasn?t on Monday night. I don?t think that I feel more inspired to return than I did before Monday, for that matter. I do hope that public interest in wrestling does grow as it would be good for everybody...except that guy that tried to blow up that airplane in Detroit. He?s ****ed!

I probably feel the same way that you do about Monday night. It intrigued me to watch, which I normally don?t, and I believe I?ll watch again next week...if it?s on.

[Rappy Veteran]

There had been rumors for some time, but it appears as if TNA will finally be adding a radio show to the website, similar to the old WCW Live show. Jeremy Borash had the following to say on his Twitter (http://twitter.com/JeremyBorash)?

Very big news. Time to fire up this machine again. Look for an announcement about "TNA LIVE" coming next week to TNAWrestling.com!

According to a source, there will be several hosts for the show including Don West and SoCal Val. They will be doing live streaming video pre-game and post-game shows for TNA iMPACT!.

[Rappy Veteran]

TNA creative team member Vince Russo a new blog on his Facebook page discussing Monday's iMPACT!, working with Hogan & Bischoff and more. Visit Facebook.com to read the full blog.

"We learned a lot, on Monday night as a company--a lot We hit some home runs, but also struck out once, or twice--but that's OK. What really mattered is that we took risks. We gave you everything we had--and didn't play it safe.

"That's what Eric Bischoff and Russo/Ferrara both did back in the mid-to late 90's. Nothing was safe--NOTHING. The programming, whether it was WWF, or WCW was DANGEROUS. Never one time, no matter how hot we got--did Eric or I EVER rest on our laurels--NEVER. I can't tell you how long Vince has been resting on his . . . I honestly can't.

"I sat in the production truck and I wanted our show, side-by-side to Vince Monday night. It was great to see Bret --I love the guy--always have. But as our show went on, and as I watched his, I just kept asking myself--'where's the effort?'"

"Does Vince think that little of TNA that he felt that he could just produce 'another show' on Monday night? I mean, you take away that first segment and that last segment, and you had a wrestling show that wasn't even mediocre at best. Again--going back to the 90's--that NEVER, would have happened if Eric, or I were in Vince's shoes--NEVER. Resting on your laurels is the worst mistake that anyone can ever make--no matter what type of business you are in."

[RageOfFury]

Jim Cornette comments on TNA vs WWE last Monday night.

*Warning: Strong explicit language*

Part 1:

Part 2:

[Rappy Veteran]

Jim Cornette was always the dude imo :D

in other frightening news...

TNA Teams With Twilight Star

Next week, TNAwrestling.com will debut a new interview-based column to be written by Booboo Stewart, one of the stars of the popular "Twilight" movie sagas. The 15 year old teen sensation is taking Hollywood by storm and was recently named as the star to watch in 2010 by Twist Magazine. We are excited to have Booboo aboard as he is said to be the next big thing and is also a huge fan of professional wrestling.

Since he was 3, Booboo has always been one who loves action as he began training in karate and several years later, he and his two of his sisters (Maegan and Fivel) went on to be inducted in to the Jr. Black Belt Hall of Fame as well as all three winning World championships in all Divisions two successive years.

Booboo found his love for wrestling when at the age of 5 he would accompany his father, former pro wrestler Nils Stewart, to a wrestling training center in Mission Viejo, CA. He was doing backdrops off the ropes by the age of 6.

Booboo started in the film industry at the age of 9 with a small part in a film his father and sister Maegan were working on called Skeleton Man. In a short time he was working steadily landing such roles as a recurring character on Everybody Hates Chris, working as a stunt double for the character Beowulf in the hit film "Beowulf" and became the most working young male model in the business. At the age of 12, Booboo expanded his career by receiving a record deal with Walt Disney Records and toured with Miley Cyrus, The Jonas Brothers, The Cheetah Girls and others.

In 2009, Booboo won the most coveted role available to young men -- playing Seth Clearwater in the incredibly successful Twilight Saga. His first movie in the series (The Twilight Saga: Eclipse) comes out this summer. In recent months, he has been gracing the pages of all the teen magazines and 2010 looks to be an incredible year for this rising superstar.

This past October, Booboo attended TNA Bound for Glory in Irvine, California, his first live TNA Wrestling event, and was hooked. He enjoyed the show so much that he wanted to find a way to become more involved with TNA and thus, 15 Minutes with Booboo Stewart was born. His first interview will be with TNA World Heavyweight Champion "The Phenomenal" AJ Styles.

Check back this coming week for the debut of Booboo's column!

:|

[timster]

Check back this coming week for the debut of Booboo's column!

i'd rather check myself into rehab

[Rappy Veteran]

Hulk Hogan's TNA entrance theme is actually not a new song as it can be heard on the WCW Nitro and WCW/nWo Thunder video games released on Playstation in the late nineties. At the time, a sound-alike was created because THQ didn't own the rights to the actual New World Order song.

Jeremy Borash said this morning during an appearance on the Pain Clinic radio show that TNA is expected to debut a big-name wrestler at the Genesis pay-per-view, which takes place on Jan. 17. He indicated it would be a "big surprise."