Random thoughts about NXT

I haven't watched NXT in about a year.  I was flipping channels and saw it was on tonight and thought I've got nothing better to do.

So this is where all the tag teams are.  And the talent it would seem in the WWE.

I'm liking the tag team Ascension.  Connor O'Brian and Kenneth Cameron. (I believe as I've never seen the dude with the hair before)  They have that werewolf-demon-vampire thing happening.  Werewolves.  These two are who should be holding the tag belts.

And Seth Rollins... I'm sorry, he's still Tyler Black in my mind... was wicked. Okay, so he lost, but he looked damned good doing so. 

I liked the atmosphere of the show. It's dark, gritty and intimate.  There aren't any distractions in the way the show is presented.  Which I like.
It's the complete opposite of Raw, which I've always found to be too much. 

Random wrestling thoughts July 20th 2012

By now, wrestling fans have heard that the big programming issues in the US which blocked so many from seeing TNA Impact for the last two weeks, has been settled.
And for once I have to say, it did not just affect the fans in America, it affected those of us in Canada too. 
Fans finally have the show back on the air.  And it would seem just in time for the entrance of Chavo Guerrero.

All I have to say is what took TNA so damned long to bring him over?

This I think is something that will really help to boost the ratings right now, specially given it's summer.  I've always believed that Chavo's style and skill set has been better suited to TNA then it was over in WWE.

All TNA needs now to help push the X-Division once again is Joey Ryan on Impact.  Just saying, how could 87%  of the Spudguns be wrong?

-Love your favourite Professionally Outraged Wrestling Fan,  Ardeth Blood.

Random wrestling thoughts July 11th 2012

It's been one of those crazy days.  Nothing has gone right at all, and for some reason everything has circled back to wrestling in different ways.

You might remember, my lovely Spudguns, that a few posts back I made my comments on the first two episodes of TNA Gut Check.  I'm not really digging that whole idea much at all.

Anyways, if you're following the whole situation, you know that after Joey Ryan was turned down, he showed up on the live show.

Good for him!

Seriously, I know that half the fans think it's an angle and half think it's the real deal.   Personally, I have no clue anymore.  I used to be able to tell when something was scripted and when it wasn't,but with the fact many wrestlers have gotten acting classes and the whole world of "reality tv stars"  line have gotten so blurred.

So real deal or scripted bit you have to check this dude out.  If he's marking out on us fans, then let him mark me with a bullseye because I'm loving what he's got going on over on his youtube.

As a fan who has been loved and hated myself by other fans and even some members of the industry, sometimes you have to just roll with it.

-Love your favourite Professionally Outraged Wrestling Fan,  Ardeth Blood

My Ideal Roster

This is the time of season that most of the wrestling companies are re-thinking contracts.
Just the last month we've seen more then a few new faces starting to show up in both of the two major companies, and a few old faces returning.

If I were in charge of doing contracts for any company, or for that matter if I ever were in the means of starting up my own company (deep sigh dreams man dreams)  I know who my top six would be.
Some you might not expect me to think to add to my dream list.

1. Alex Shelley. 

2. Chris Sabin

3. Austin Aries

Seriously, my first three choices would be no brainers. Everyone and their dog's grandmother have heard me praise those three men for the last few years.

4. Robbie E

5. Wade Barrett

6. Vampiro

Now, my other choices, some people might scratch their head over, but not if you know me or some of my favourites over the years.

I dig Robbie E.  Just not his gimmick.  I think he's a wrestler who will be having major titles in the next few years, he just needs to freshen up the image. He's beyond skilled, but let's face it, how long can his Jersey image carry?

Wade Barrett. I've been very vocal about how good I think he is.  This is a guy who can carry a company.  And he's good to listen to.  Ever a day comes that he's unable to compete he'll make one wicked commentator.

Vampiro.  Dude!  I have nothing to say for myself other then I have been a fan of his since the mid-90's.   Why isn't he in one of the major companies doing GM stuff or commentary or something? 

I know I said my top 6 when I started this post, but dude, I have to add a 7th.   Steve Corino.   Steve Corino.   Don't even make me explain myself. Plus, he's Canadian.

Not a lot of heavy-heavy weights in my list, I've always liked the X-Division and cruiser weight divisions more.

-love Ardeth Blood

My thoughts on TNA Impact for the month of June 2012

I used screen capture for this post

I just caught up with the three episodes of TNA Impact that I've been avoiding.  So, episodes for June 7th, 14th and 21st.

Shall I start by saying I hope Chris Sabin has a smooth recovery from his latest injury.  Dude, it totally sucks what happened, and I speak from experience when I say it's never easy getting over something like that.  And I don't just mean the injury itself but the irony of the situation.



Gut Check... I still think it's a bad idea so moving on... No wait, I have to say, after seeing that one splash of package on the removal of Joey Ryan, I can't help but wonder if my comments were heard?  I still think the whole Gut Check idea is only a band-aid and not a solution.

The X-Division title.  Austin Aries,  I do love that wrestler and what he's able to do in the ring and on the mic.  I love the fact that he's getting the chance to prove that he's just as wicked as some of the other hefty-bags that are in line for the TNA title, but I don't like the idea that he's willing to give up the X-title that easily.
Even with this new condition he spoke about, giving whomever is holding the X-belt to be able to get an instant pass at the TNA title every year at the Destination X ppv... it just doesn't vibe out for me.
I just can't help but think bad negative on that, my zombie eaten brain just seems to be screaming at me that the most important title in the industry right now will be phased off.  I can't get out the bad negative thoughts that the higher ups are doing their damnedest to phase off and out the whole division.  
I do hope for once my paranoia and general dislike of the world is just messing with me, and all will be fine for TNA and the X-Division.  So, prove me wrong on this please.

With my rant said,  it also makes sense at the moment to fit Mr. Aries into the heavy weight division, as there seems to be not much competition at the moment for him in the X-Division, with Alex Shelley having parted from TNA (I'm still digesting that information and it doesn't go with my coffee) and Chris Sabin having injured himself again... again get well soon dude!

The Bound For Glory series.  It was a good idea, and still is.  Anderson calling out Daniels, very nice, love it when a man comes to the ring with his cocktail in hand... I mean that literally this time, as he had a martini in hand.
The Bound For Glory series is something that puts many of the guys on even ground.  This I like.  It lets some of the guys get a leg up who might not otherwise.

The A.J. Styles and Dixie Carter affair... hate it. Just really hate it. And I'm guessing that the fans just didn't want to buy it.  I think the idea of Styles as anything other then perfect white knight right now is asking a bit much from the fans.
Had this storyline been introduced back when Styles was part of Angle's group few years back along with Karen, yeah it would have been easier to sit through.  But, there are just a few wrestlers that no matter what, just seem better off suited to being the "teen idol" and A. J. Styles is that. 
I don't know, when I hear the name A.J. Styles, I just think Prince Charming in a fairy tale sweetness. I get that's a very tall image to hold up to, but dude, that's the price for being the "Face" of the company for so many years.

I would love to see Robbie E change his style.  Get rid of the gimmick, loose the tan and just wrestle.

Magnus, shut him up please.  Just slap some duct tape on him please.

Have I mentioned how NOT a fan of the Hogans I am in this post?  In case you've missed it,  I have never been a fan of Hogan, and now his daughter is crapping up my screen.  How long will that fly before she dunks the KnockOuts division into the crap?
I've never been very quiet with what I think about women divisions in wrestling in general, but I have to say that when TNA really brought the women's division to the front; few years ago, it was a strong division. And compared to the other company it is still head and shoulders above; but I think in the last year and a half, even TNA's women's division has gotten a bit plugged.  Before they bring in anyone else, they should rethink what they have already.
And as much as I have always adored Eric Young and ODB, I really dislike the idea of them being the KnockOut Champs.  It's just foolish.

Love your Professionally Outraged Wrestling Fan,  Ardeth Blood.

Is Gut Check in TNA a good idea?

So the last few weeks TNA Impact has had a segment called Gut Check  where a new wrestler has a chance to audition live for the crowd and then is judged.   Sounds much like what the other company has been doing in the last few years doesn't it...

Anyways, is this really a good concept?

And I've been questioning this on my personal blog a bit, as I have with many of the items that has been introduced in the last two months.
If you look at it from the idea that now they are a live show for the time being, everything is well LIVE. There is no chance for the editors to package up anyone to make them look better or worse. What you see is fairly well what you will be getting.

So in the plus side.

But it's also an audition.  How many of these guys are too nervous for their own good?  Maybe their gimmicks were rock solid in the  indie companies they came from but how does it stack up against the long standing gimmicks of guys like the grade of TNA?

So in the minus side.

I understand that this is contract time for many of the guys to begin with. And as some of the wrestlers are ending their contracts TNA might also be in a small scramble to replace them.  The pressure might be on and a snap decision also might be made.

So in the minus side.

Then there is Twitter.  By all means, the fans should have a say in who they would like to see. But take it from me {a self titled Professionally Outraged Wrestling Fan, or POWF for short} sometimes we need a second look.  Or third for that matter.   With the whole world on instant now now now mode, is taking a round of tweets for gospel really a good thing?  Sometimes yes, sometimes no.

So in the minus side.

At the time of this posting, there have been two wrestlers given a pass or ticket with Gut Check, Alex Sliva and Joey Ryan.
Alex Sliva got in,  Joey Ryan did not.

When I watched those episodes, I wasn't very impressed by either men but for very different reasons.

Alex Silva just fell short as far as the match went.  They had him go up against Robbie E and Silva lost.  Look at it from this point of view, Robbie E might have one of the silliest gimmicks going right now, but he's one frealing hell of a wrestler.  He might not be #1 on anyone's list but he's damn sure in the top 7. 
But yet, TNA ended up giving Alex Silva a contract in the end.  I would not have.

Joey Ryan has a gimmick that makes you wonder what the hell the boy was thinking.  But I thought he held up a bit better in the match. And given he was up against Austin Aries, the deck was stacked against him in every corner.  But the judges felt that Joey Ryan wasn't there yet, and might not ever be.
Dude, anyone who can get into the ring with Austin Aries and survive, let alone put in even one or two good moves should have been signed. To quote myself "had this Joey Ryan gone up against someone  a bit less then Aries,  he might have looked impressive."
But yet TNA passed on Joey Ryan.   I would have given him a contract.

So far, the concept of Gut Check hasn't been a positive one from where I am sitting.

Last year however, when there was the X-Division tournament to see who would win the contract, we got to see many of the wrestlers in more then one match.  Of course that worked out to everyone's advantage as it was indeed Austin Aries who came up on top. But then again, there really wasn't a doubt on that one.

-love Ardeth Blood. 

Highlights for WWE Raw for May 28th 2012

We open with Big Show coming to the ring. It's official, he's gone Heel.
He ranted for the whole time he was out there about Cena and how he's got him in his view finder.
 
First match was between Albert Del Rio and Santino.  This has more to do with getting the ring announcer out of that role and into the role of an active wrestler.   This was over in thirty seconds, with Del Rio slapping on his arm breaker.

We then went backstage and saw Alex Riley for the first time in months. Too bad he got shoved into the brick wall by Big Show.

The second match of the night was a tag team match for the belts.  Kofi/R-Truth vs Swagger/Ziggler.  This wasn't much of a match either, R-Truth got the pin over Swagger and got the win, keeping the belts.
Could this be the long awaited end of Ziggler and Swagger?

Then more of Big Show beating up the guys in the back...

Then Laranutis Lauranitus Larunatis John what's his face was trying to say he has become the most popular wrestler in the company now.  CM Punk then came out to inform the crowd he's the new face of the WWE 13 videogame.
Punk had a match against Daniel Byran. and in the middle of it, Daniels' ex girlfriend came out to the ring dressed in Punk's gear... oh god do they really need to write that storyline?  Bryan got the win sort of with a bit of a cheat because he used the exposed turnbuckle.  Then Kane came down and used a steel chair on Bryan. Then Punk got his hands on a chair and used it on Kane.

Next match, Christian vs Miz.  Cody Rhodes was on commentary for this. Christian got the win.
Miz was still standing in the ring nearly five minutes later after the commercial break, ranting about how he's been dumbed down from A-Card to D-Card, but was interrupted by Orton who took him out with one hit.

Then to Dolph Ziggler and Vickie in the backstage area watching Orton on the monitor saying he wants out of the tag division.

The next match was Otunga vs Sheamus. You know, I've said more then once over the last three and a half years, that Sheamus has a great smile that just brightens up the room. Sheamus got the win.

The main event was Brodus Clay vs Big Show.  Now, I would have thought that either Sheamus or Punk whom are the two title holders would have been the main event, but that would make sense. Big Show made the comments about how Clay's gimmick being crap then speared Clay outside of the ring. I don't think the bell even rang, as they never got into the ring.  R-Truth and Kofi came to the ring to help Clay but Big Show just swatted them away like flys before destroying the announce booth. He used the side of the booth as a weapon then.