tisdag 27 november 2012

The Hogan complaints...

I feel like discussing something that has been on my mind for a while now. I think you already guessed what I was referring to, and that's Hulk Hogan being in TNA. Now, let me just say that I'm not the biggest fan of this guy, and I certainly don't agree with everything he has done in Impact Wrestling. If we are gonna compile a list of all the wrong things he has done, it would likely be a long one. From taking away the 6-sided ring to firing Jay Lethal, it's pretty easy to hate them. But I do want to remind all of the TNA fans and critics alike that are calling to for Hogans resignation to hear me out. I'm gonna explain WHY a company like TNA are smart in keeping Hogan as a GM and somewhat of a representative of this company.

1. His name is recognizable all around the world. Even people who don't watch wrestling know who Hogan is. He has that charisma and that starpower that makes people wanna watch Impact Wrestling, even if the ratings doesn't reflect on that. I agree that he has thrown his name in the mud a little bit with the sex scandal and the affair issues, but the fact remains that he can draw people in. Only thing he needs to do is to promote Impact a bit more when he's being interviewed and not talk so much about his legendary matches with Andre The Giant and people are gonna watch TNA a lot more.

2. Almost all the young indy wrestlers that are working hard trying to get somewhere big look at Hulk Hogan as their inspiration. He is one of the biggest icons in wrestling history and to say that most of the up and coming young wrestlers try to reach the heights he reached is an understatement. The fact is, TNA are aiming for younger wrestlers now and with the likes of Zema Ion, Jesse Sorensen and Magnus, it only shows this trend is gonna continue in the future, and part of that is thanks to Hulk Hogan.

3. He has the experience and that know-how in pro wrestling. Now you might all remember the Bobby Roode case, where Roode was being pushed to the moon and was supposed to face Kurt Angle at Bound For Glory and win, but Hogan said he wasn't ready? I'm sure most of you remember this moment. Everyone were so mad at Hogan for speaking his mind, but ironically Roode turned out to be a great heel and was the longest World Heavyweight Champion in TNA history. So to say that Hogan doesn't know a thing about booking is foolish, he may have a reputation of being one of the biggest jerks in wrestling history, but there is no denying that he knows his stuff. I could go on, but I want people to really read this with open eyes and understand where I'm coming from. Hulk Hogan may be expensive, but in the long term, it's actually worth the investment.





torsdag 22 november 2012

Attention...

First off I have to apologize for all of you people waiting for me to write another column. I have been on an extremly busy scheduele and it's been hard to write as of late. Now I am back though and you can expect more from me over time.

Now, as you may have noticed over the last few weeks, there have been a lot of copying of TNA by the WWE. The John Cena-AJ Lee love affair is one of them, and there might be a reason for that. It's being said that the WWE employees have been assigned to watch TNA and ROH and see what exactly makes their product work. So they then take their report to Vince Mcmahon and use it for their show? Folks, I knew they are lacking a creative mind here but this is just embarrassing. The fact that they steal other companies ideas is not surprising either. The majority of their creative team are a bunch of people with no previous wrestling knowledge, I guess you could call them the ''Hollywood writers'', since the whole show revolves more around talking than wrestling.

But if you think about it, this has been going on for much longer than these past few weeks. There are a few wrestlers in the WWE resembling current or former TNA wrestlers. Hernandez and Homicide, the group known as LAX, a former tag team in TNA with a great entrance but labeled with the typical Mexican stereotype, the thugs and the gangsters. Now you look at Hunico and Camacho, you got the same type of entrance, only they added the lowrider to their entrance.

The WWE have been known for copying off other companies, that is not something that should be in doubt. The Attitude Era was a recreation of the harcore style of ECW. And now they are copying TNA. If that doesn't tell you that they are afraid of the competition, then you are sadly mistaken. TNA is on everyone's radar, and it will only be a matter of time before everyone turn on Spike TV and watch the likes of Austin Aries, Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, Kurt Angle and the rest of the TNA roster raising that bar and becoming the #1 company in the world. With the state of the WWE right now and the rise of Impact Wrestling, things are only gonna get better for TNA.

Before I conclude this column, I would like all the fans reading this blog to do me a favor. Tell all your friends and family to read my blog, as I believe the wrestling fans need someone to convince them that TNA is the company to watch. If you are using Facebook, you can join the Impact Enforcer group right here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/275324855920332/ and read new columns from there too while discussing wrestling with other fans. Once again, thank you for being patient, I try to bring you something worthwhile to read whenever I can and I appreciate all the support. Thank you.

lördag 10 november 2012

Turning Point predictions...

With the final card for Turning Point being in place, it looks like it's gonna be a very entertaining PPV. Are we gonna see someone unmask? Is Joseph Park gonna turn into Abyss? Who's gonna win or lose? I'm gonna break it down for you. Let's start shall we...

Doc from Aces & 8s vs. Joseph Park

2 weeks ago we finally got to find out the identity of one the masked men. It was speculated that Luke Gallows, now known as the Director of Chaos, was the man that also ''broke'' Austin Aries arm a while  back. Now we have the lawyer Joseph Park, started out as a nervous wreck but eventually got more and more courageous each week. Now, he's facing DOC in a match, and I feel that there is a chance there is gonna be an interference, seeing how the Aces & 8s are sticking up for their men. He might even turn to his alter-ego, Abyss. It would be a nice moment as it furthers Parks character.  So I say this will be a DQ victory to Joseph Park.  

Winner: Joseph Park by DQ


Tara & Jesse vs. ODB & Eric Young

I must say I very much disliked Tara's Hollywood character at first. I have however grown to enjoy her partnership with Jesse. He seems to be able to carry himself well in the ring, so I give him a point for that. Now for ODB and her husband EY, it's a whole different ballgame. Don't get me wrong, I like both of them but in my opinion, it's time they broke up. It might be something you don't want to see, but it's quite needed. With Eric Young in limbo over his status with TNA, we might see Eric Young for the last time on Sunday. If we do see him on Sunday, I expect Tara & Jesse picking up the win, with ODB leaving EY in the ring, and demanding a divorce. 

Winners: Tara & Jesse


Joey Ryan vs. RVD for the X-division Championship

This is a match I'm very much looking forward to. Since Ryan and Morgans alliance, they have looked pretty good together. He's got the charisma, the look and he can go toe-to-toe with Rob Van Dam. I for one however do not see Ryan picking up the win on Sunday. I expect the feud between these two to continue for a while, with Joey winning the title after Turning Point, but my choice is RVD.


Devon vs. Kurt Angle

If I'm to be honest, don't expect this to be excellent wrestling match. Kurt Angle will probably not put on a wrestling clinic, having been dealing with injuries for a while. They will have a good match but I expect there to be an interference once again by the Aces & 8s with Bully Ray in pursuit of Devon. So this match is a NO CONTEST.

Winner: No winner


Samoa Joe vs. Magnus for the TV title

This has been a very exciting feud between these two. They have put on great matches between each other and I expect no less on Sunday. With Magnus quickly getting over as a heel, I expect him to win the TV title, with Joe putting him over. It serves no real purpose if Joe keeps the title at this point in time. Giving the belt to Magnus we will finally see him do great things with the title and make the midcard division relevant again, even if Joe has done very well.

Winner: Magnus


Christopher Daniels & Kazarian vs. Chavo Guerrero & Hernandez for the Tag Titles

With this feud, the rivalry between these two teams have made the Tag Titles mean something again. I can see them feuding until Final Resolution, simply because there is a need to put these teams in the card. I see the champs retaining for now, with one or two tag teams in the mix in the coming weeks as we head to Final Resolution.

Winners: Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez


James Storm vs. AJ Styles vs. Bobby Roode in a Number 1 Contenders match

This match is so unique simply because of the stipulation. Whoever gets pinned cannot be involved in the World Title picture until Bound For Glory next year. Now, here's the hard part. Who gets pinned? Well, in my mind that man is AJ Styles. I can see James Storm pinning him to get the World Title shot. HOWEVER, it does not mean that we can't see all three of these men at Bound For Glory for the World Heavyweight Championship. I can see them being involved in a triple threat match, with AJ Styles winning the title. Seeing him win the title at BFG would be massive, no question about that. But in THIS match, James Storm is the winner.

Winner: James Storm


Austin Aries vs. Jeff Hardy for the World Heavyweight Championship

This match is the one I'm absolutely stoked to see. There will be chaos, anarchy and there will be high flying action. TNA giving the title to Hardy was to show faith in him but there is also another reason. I believe that they put the belt on him to keep him as happy as possible. With his contract expiring in February, it's understandable why they would put the strap on him. But then again, TNA will likely do everything they can to keep him and keep him in the main event, but not as the World Champ. Hardy himself has said that he's fine with just wrestling and that one of his biggest goals is to just stay healthy. So I can see Austin Aries regaining the belt, with Bobby Roode once again in the title picture.

Winner: Austin Aries

These are my predictions, they might seem off and you might disagree with me. Whatever the case, I believe Turning Point will be a great PPV. We might see a big reveal of sorts, or we might not. TNA have been doing great all year long and they have been shutting up the critics for quite a while now.

I will do my Turning Point review soon, where I will discuss the likely finishes, the match up and the overall PPV quality. THAT is for my next column.



onsdag 7 november 2012

A final goodbye?

It's been reported that TNA star Eric Young is hinting of leaving the organization. He tweeted that he has a few shows left to perform and that it might be over for him after that. Now, upon hearing the news, I started to speculate if he was being true to his word or if he was pulling a 'Devon' and working the fans. I wrote a previous column about Eric Young being in a position where he is forced to be someone the crowd can laugh at, a Santino Marella of TNA. 

This man has always been underrated. Having been a comedy character for the majority of his career, he only recieved a fresh start in 2009 as the leader of World Elite. But here is the interesting part. He can take on a character and turn it into gold. After the break up of the heel stable, Eric Young eventually became a TV champion, had Kevin Nash as a bodyguard of sorts and was basically a edgy face. But then he turned into a clown AGAIN. And has been that way since. I want to show you a few clips to diffrentiate between the comedy character and the ferocious leader...





As you can all see, there is a huge difference between when Eric Young is goofing around and when he is the serious leader. The man is very versatile and can do both characters very well, but enough is enough. He is 32 and has so much more to offer than being a laughing stock of pro wrestling. Eric Young said about a month ago that Eric Bischoff spoke to him and said that he could do so much better with a serious gimmick. I couldn't agree more. I would LOVE to see him be revealed as one of the Aces and Eights members, possibly the leader. But for that to happen, he needs to split up with ODB, lose the Knockouts Title and assert dominance. Until then, he's just a joke.

måndag 5 november 2012

A cause for concern?

It seems like we might have just found a reason as to why John Cena has been placed in this current storyline with AJ Lee. It's been reported that he's the top WWE star that came up to Vince Mcmahon and told him he ''was out of touch with the product and the audience''. If this is true, then it's easy to understand as to why Cena has been put in such a discomforting position. 

Cena has never been the type to complain. He is known for being an extremly hard worker, is loved by the kids and is seemingly a likeable guy outside of the ring. It does beg the question though. Did Vince Mcmahon place John Cena in this kind of storyline as to punish him for his opinon? One would think not. If we go back to the Summer of Punk, alot of things that was wrong with the company was being talked about. CM Punk said many things about the company and Vince in particular. From claiming that WWE would fare better after Vince's death to calling his family incompetent, he wasn't punished for his opinions. As a matter of fact, he was rewarded for it and is one of the top guys in the company. So why is it different for John Cena? 

I can understand why he would speak up against Mcmahon. He is a veteran and has been with the company since 2002. He loves the wrestling business and the WWE in general but feels like Vince is starting to misunderstand what the fans want. WWE have never been known for listening to the fans and is a major reason why the product is sorely lacking the excitement they used to possess for years. In my mind, if Cena is being punished for speaking his mind, then I think he needs to cross the line. 

Some of you who are reading this might think, ''Oh come on, he's never gonna go to TNA''. I have news for you my friends. When Scott Hall was a huge star in WWF at the time, what did he do? He jumped ship to WCW. What about Hulk Hogan? After reaching superstardom, he went to WCW. How many of you would have thought that Christian would go to TNA? People didn't believe it for a second, yet it happened. What about Kurt Angle? Arguably one of the biggest signings in TNA history competing in a company that had existed for only 4 years. I could go on and on, but I think I have proven my point. If Vince Mcmahon and John Cenas relationship gets even more strained, or Cena decides it's time to think of his well being, then you can expect him to join Impact Wrestling. In this business, never say never.

lördag 3 november 2012

Revelations...

After watching Impact Wrestling this week, we finally got to find out atleast one of the members behind the mask. It was none other than Luke Gallows, also known as Festus, formerly from the WWE. The man that played as the masked Kane, was a part of the Straight Edge Society with CM Punk, and I don't think I need to tell you the other gimmick he played. You all know what I mean. Now, he is in TNA and is a member of the biker gang known as Aces and Eights. It may hurt alot of the WWE fanboys feelings, but the fact is WWE just lost a major player. He has the size, the look and is in good hands with TNA. Even the WWE Champion himself said that releasing Gallows was a big mistake. I couldn't agree more.


Since the Indian based promotion, Ring Ka King was produced by Jeff Jarrett, Gallows played as Isaiah Cash, a big man that wants to hurt people and cause havoc. If I'm not mistaken, he would play this character in TNA as well, since he already is portraying the role of a biker member. Without further ado, here is Isaiah Cash...

Now, I know what you might be thinking. If you are a fan of the ruthless agression era, you would probably think of the Undertaker when seeing Gallows. That's not an issue, but if you believe that nobody can use a rehashed gimmick, then you are wrong. What gimmick does John Cenas supposed to resemble? Hulk Hogan. What gimmick did Bobby Lashley's entrance resemble? Brock Lesnar. And what does David Otunga represent? Chris Masters. So people, if you are gonna bash TNA for giving Gallows a gimmick like this, just take a look at WWE and their actions.

Here is a preview of what  Gallows will be bringing to the ring once the dust settles and the Aces and Eights storyline is over...



torsdag 1 november 2012

The man pulling the strings...

I've been quite intrigued as to who the leader of Aces and Eights is. Here we have a group of bikers that want to destroy the TNA roster and siege control of the company. But the question is, why? What's in it for them? I've been thinking of some possible names, both shocking and also questionable. But in my mind, TNA management are not fools, they want to keep the fans guessing as to keep this storyline exciting and full of questions. Now I have decided not to put the obvious names on my list such as Eric Bischoff and Jeff Jarrett. The reasons are far too obvious and it would be a huge letdown if either of these men were revealed as the leaders. Not to mention the fact that TNA would recieve massive criticism for the lack of creative ideas. 

Now, let me reveal my list of possible suspects...

1) Bully Ray 

This one might have been one your minds but hear me out. In my estimation, just about the majority of the wrestling fans were expecting Bully Ray to turn on Sting at Bound For Glory and reveal himself as the leader of the group. But TNA didn't play that card. Instead they surprised alot of people and kept him face while Devon was revealed as a member of Aces and Eights. Now however, it seems they are trying to convince the wrestling fans that he's indeed a face and against the biker gang. I for one, do not believe so. In my mind, Bully Ray is gonna reveal himself as the mastermind behind all of this and cause havoc in TNA. 

2) Scott Steiner 

This one is a bit of a surprise, as we haven't seen Scott Steiner since he was released in May of this year. He has gone on Twitter and called out Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff and Bruce Prichard and basically called them, well, alot of things. He has also revealed private information about Bischoff, such as a female stripper having lesbian sex with Bischoffs wife. He also revealed how he appeared in court for tipping the stripper too little and going to court for it. As of now, he is reportedly fighting TNA in a court battle over money that he should have recieved while he was still wrestling with the organization. I admit to siding with Steiner when he went on his mad Twitter rampage, but a part of me tells me this is a work. Since Bischoff is a firm believer in the term ''Controversy creates cash'', he might have planned this with Steiner in order to make it seem like they are at odds. If I'm correct, they might reveal him at Lockdown, since they decided to continue with the storyline for another 6 months. 

3) Vince Russo

Yes. That Russo. The same Russo that booked David Arquette to win the WCW title, turned Goldberg heel, and basically was the major reason why WCW closed down could be the leader of Aces and Eights. While he is no longer writing for TNA, he is only a consultant. I for one, believe they might even bring him out there at Lockdown and as the crowd are getting goosebumps to see who the leader is, Vince Russo takes off the mask and smiles at the crowd with a huge grin while the arena erupts with boos. This has to possibly be one of the most shocking reveals in TNA history. The amount of heat Russo would get would be unimaginable. It would be THE highlight that would possibly put TNA on the map. This man is arguably one of the most hated personas in wrestling history. From the fans, to the wrestlers, he is even more hated than Hulk Hogan. This reveal would get everyone talking and the critics wouldn't be able to predict this one. 

These are the people I believe are possibly involved with Aces and Eights. One thing I am sure of is that once the mask comes off, it better be a big name. If Bischoff or Jarrett's the leader, then this entire plot is nothing more than a huge flop.