Sept Wrestling Jibber Jabber Thread

[cool arrow]

Hogan got more eyes on them initially. Unfortunately all those eyes saw a terrible show. At least Hulk killed that stupid six sided ring. "Oh but it makes TNA look unique."

 

But the fact is that it did, and anything that differentiates TNA from WWE is ipso facto a good thing.

[Victator]

Not if its bad and turns people off which it did.

[jaedmc]

I really don't like watching them work in a six-sided ring. I think some of the guys just looked awkward in it.

 

Besides, a six-sided ring is only an aesthetic difference, at the end of the day they're just trying to do the same shit as the WWE which is a huge problem. Because if I'm so turned off with WWE's shit and I go to TNA as an alternative and I see the same type of horseshit and in some instances worse horseshit...it's kind of like kicking a man when he's down, you know?

[caley]

I've never understood why TNA doesn't go full Attitude Era/ECW.  Move it to later in the night, have blood, and sexiness, and lots of swearing.  It's not like Spike doesn't have shows with those things (They show some bloody movies, they have lots of fake blood in something like 1000 ways to die; their commercials have lots of scantily clad women; and 'Bar Rescue' is wall-to-wall swearing (albeit bleeped)) so I can't imagine that Spike would have too much of a problem with it.  And then you could rightly book it as "an alternative to that kiddie wrestling".  It wouldn't necessarily be a better show, but you'd have all kinds of people talking about how awesome it was and defending it because "At least it's not G-rated wrestling."

[odessasteps]

To me, PG rated wrestling doesnt have to mean G rated wrestling.

To me, i dont see how you can have the violence inherent in wrestling and have it be "G"

I also doubt you could have a wrestling company owned by a corporation (Panda, Sinclair, ...) go full-on Attitude Era/ECW without complaints from a vocal portion of the audience and we know corporations don't want that attention.

[ben.]

I've never understood why TNA doesn't go full Attitude Era/ECW.  Move it to later in the night, have blood, and sexiness, and lots of swearing.  It's not like Spike doesn't have shows with those things (They show some bloody movies, they have lots of fake blood in something like 1000 ways to die; their commercials have lots of scantily clad women; and 'Bar Rescue' is wall-to-wall swearing (albeit bleeped)) so I can't imagine that Spike would have too much of a problem with it.  And then you could rightly book it as "an alternative to that kiddie wrestling".  It wouldn't necessarily be a better show, but you'd have all kinds of people talking about how awesome it was and defending it because "At least it's not G-rated wrestling."

 

I think TNA should really look at ECW and try to mimmick it. The real ECW has been gone so long that they could take a lot of their storylines, style, and retrofit it to make some compelling television. Hell, bring in some deathmatch guys for an awe-factor and I think you have something. Put on a Necro Vs. Joe match and I guarantee people will tune in for some old school blood and guts.

[jaedmc]

I've never understood why TNA doesn't go full Attitude Era/ECW.  Move it to later in the night, have blood, and sexiness, and lots of swearing.  It's not like Spike doesn't have shows with those things (They show some bloody movies, they have lots of fake blood in something like 1000 ways to die; their commercials have lots of scantily clad women; and 'Bar Rescue' is wall-to-wall swearing (albeit bleeped)) so I can't imagine that Spike would have too much of a problem with it.  And then you could rightly book it as "an alternative to that kiddie wrestling".  It wouldn't necessarily be a better show, but you'd have all kinds of people talking about how awesome it was and defending it because "At least it's not G-rated wrestling."

Don't they already do this? They had a camera guy outside interviewing fans and they were yelling "This is better because chairshots to the head! It's NOT PG" At least that's how it was when Ric Flair was there sneezing and bleeding every week. Didn't Abyss have a bat with nails sticking out of it buried into his back once? And he died but didn't die?

 

Either WWE talks to me like I'm an idiot child, or TNA talks to me like I'm a braindead 13 year old, who needs close ups of women's camel toes while they bend over the ropes in order to stay interested, because I haven't found my old man's Penthouse stash yet.

[ben.]

 

I've never understood why TNA doesn't go full Attitude Era/ECW.  Move it to later in the night, have blood, and sexiness, and lots of swearing.  It's not like Spike doesn't have shows with those things (They show some bloody movies, they have lots of fake blood in something like 1000 ways to die; their commercials have lots of scantily clad women; and 'Bar Rescue' is wall-to-wall swearing (albeit bleeped)) so I can't imagine that Spike would have too much of a problem with it.  And then you could rightly book it as "an alternative to that kiddie wrestling".  It wouldn't necessarily be a better show, but you'd have all kinds of people talking about how awesome it was and defending it because "At least it's not G-rated wrestling."

Don't they already do this? They had a camera guy outside interviewing fans and they were yelling "This is better because chairshots to the head! It's NOT PG" At least that's how it was when Ric Flair was there sneezing and bleeding every week. Didn't Abyss have a bat with nails sticking out of it buried into his back once? And he died but didn't die?

 

Either WWE talks to me like I'm an idiot child, or TNA talks to me like I'm a braindead 13 year old, who needs close ups of women's camel toes while they bend over the ropes in order to stay interested, because I haven't found my old man's Penthouse stash yet.

 

 

Honestly I have felt like a lot of TNA's hardcore stuff came off as gaudy but I guess you're right, they tried and failed at hardcore too, maybe they should just give up haha.

[Victator]

I really don't like watching them work in a six-sided ring. I think some of the guys just looked awkward in it.

 

Besides, a six-sided ring is only an aesthetic difference, at the end of the day they're just trying to do the same shit as the WWE which is a huge problem. Because if I'm so turned off with WWE's shit and I go to TNA as an alternative and I see the same type of horseshit and in some instances worse horseshit...it's kind of like kicking a man when he's down, you know?

I think using the six sided ring every once in awhile as a gimmick would be fine. But all the time it becomes a hindrance., The worse thing is they did not do angle with the ring getting destroyed. 

[Matt D]

 

I've never understood why TNA doesn't go full Attitude Era/ECW.  Move it to later in the night, have blood, and sexiness, and lots of swearing.  It's not like Spike doesn't have shows with those things (They show some bloody movies, they have lots of fake blood in something like 1000 ways to die; their commercials have lots of scantily clad women; and 'Bar Rescue' is wall-to-wall swearing (albeit bleeped)) so I can't imagine that Spike would have too much of a problem with it.  And then you could rightly book it as "an alternative to that kiddie wrestling".  It wouldn't necessarily be a better show, but you'd have all kinds of people talking about how awesome it was and defending it because "At least it's not G-rated wrestling."

Don't they already do this? They had a camera guy outside interviewing fans and they were yelling "This is better because chairshots to the head! It's NOT PG" At least that's how it was when Ric Flair was there sneezing and bleeding every week. Didn't Abyss have a bat with nails sticking out of it buried into his back once? And he died but didn't die?

 

Either WWE talks to me like I'm an idiot child, or TNA talks to me like I'm a braindead 13 year old, who needs close ups of women's camel toes while they bend over the ropes in order to stay interested, because I haven't found my old man's Penthouse stash yet.

 

 

There's always how CHIKARA talks to you.

[odessasteps]

as a forty year-old nerd explaining DC's pre-Crisis multiverse?

[Diabeetus]

Question for those who have worked in various sized rings: How much does it throw you off when you work, say, a 16x16 one night and a 12x12 the next? Does the additional/lessened space from one ring to another throw off your spacing and timing, and how conscious are you of it when you work a match? 

[SirSmUgly]

See, I would have rather had TNA try to copy JCP or Memphis and do some form of old-school "southern rasslin'." Hell, even 1992-1993 SMW rip-off/tribute would have been awesome.

[Brian Fowler]

I think the six-sided ring was a very good start on a road TNA stopped trying to travel.  That being "something that looks different than any pro wrestling that has been on U.S. tv. before."

 

Abandoning it, and going with their undefined, constantly shifting blend of WWE, ECW, and WCW doomed what little chance they had to take off, imo.  And dropping the six-sided ring was a symptom of that.

[Big Fresh]

Not if its bad and turns people off which it did.

How in the hell would a 6 sided ring turn anyone off who wasn't gonna be turned off by TNA anyway?

[Big Fresh]

Question for those who have worked in various sized rings: How much does it throw you off when you work, say, a 16x16 one night and a 12x12 the next? Does the additional/lessened space from one ring to another throw off your spacing and timing, and how conscious are you of it when you work a match?

When this happened to me, I always would spend a few minutes running the ropes before the shows, and by then I was ok.

[ben.]

 

Question for those who have worked in various sized rings: How much does it throw you off when you work, say, a 16x16 one night and a 12x12 the next? Does the additional/lessened space from one ring to another throw off your spacing and timing, and how conscious are you of it when you work a match?

When this happened to me, I always would spend a few minutes running the ropes before the shows, and by then I was ok.

 

 

The biggest thing to throw me off during a match isn't so much size or rope style but how much spring it has. I've been in some rings where I went to run across and damn near did a tope out of the ring.

[Marty Sugar]

I really don't like watching them work in a six-sided ring. I think some of the guys just looked awkward in it.

The only guy that ever seemed comfortable was Monty Brown, because that guy could hit the POOOUNCE!!! from any angle.

 

Also: there's "news" online that Rob Conway (the current revamped, re-watered-down version of the NWA World Champion), has decided to turn down a WWE Contract.  Head-scratching on many levels.

[Ace]

 

Samoa Joe was recently on Stone Cold's podcast. I think you need to go listen to that. I won't spoil anything.  Good show

You lied to me! None of my questions were answered. Great show though, it blew my mind how Kobashi thought no one would know him and wanted to work a evil foreign japanese match with Joe. I totally had to go back and watch his entrance for that match.

 

KOBASHI! KOBASHI! KOBASHI!

 

 

Mutoh had a similar reaction, IIRC.

[Victator]

 

Not if its bad and turns people off which it did.

How in the hell would a 6 sided ring turn anyone off who wasn't gonna be turned off by TNA anyway?

 

Someone who wants good wrestling. "Geez they can't even get the ring right."If they used it on the occasional PPV like in No Holds Barred. It would have worked better. Instead it was just an eyesore that made tag wrestling problematic at best. 

[SovietShooter]

I think the six-sided ring was a very good start on a road TNA stopped trying to travel.  That being "something that looks different than any pro wrestling that has been on U.S. tv. before."

 

Abandoning it, and going with their undefined, constantly shifting blend of WWE, ECW, and WCW doomed what little chance they had to take off, imo.  And dropping the six-sided ring was a symptom of that.

 

EXACTLY!  The six-sided ring was a great way to distinguish themselves, and show that they are different than what people are used to.  Saying that people would be turned off by it is stupid, because no one ever complained the action in UFC was too hard to follow because it was in an Octagon, and not a boxing ring like PRIDE/boxing.  TNA never used the ring as a trademark like UFC did, so it just ended up being a cosmetic difference that they pretty much ignored.  They never did things like having six-way tag matches or something to bring the ring into play.  In a way the six-sided ring was a Chekov's Gun - they either had to ditch it, or showcase it. 

 

 

 

Question for those who have worked in various sized rings: How much does it throw you off when you work, say, a 16x16 one night and a 12x12 the next? Does the additional/lessened space from one ring to another throw off your spacing and timing, and how conscious are you of it when you work a match?

When this happened to me, I always would spend a few minutes running the ropes before the shows, and by then I was ok.

 

 

The biggest thing to throw me off during a match isn't so much size or rope style but how much spring it has. I've been in some rings where I went to run across and damn near did a tope out of the ring.

 

 

I always made sure to arrive at shows as early as possible, for the sole purpose of familiarizing myself with the ring.  I always looked to see what the suspension system was (plywood/planks/spring/wood/metal), and what kind of ropes there were.  I climbed in and ran a few simple drills, took bumps, and ran the ropes. 

 

There is actually a technique to running the ropes, and once you familiarize yourself with a ring, it is easy to adapt. I always found it harder to adapt to a bigger ring, than a smaller.  There were a few times where I worked in a 20x20, and that was funkier than going from a 16x16 to a 14x14. 

 

I was never a guy that did a lot of stuff with the ropes (was heavyweight, not a flippy) so ropes didn't really bother me, unless they were just shitty.  Loose cable ropes suck.  I was always able to adapt to smaller rings by working more corner-to-corner, rather than side-to-side.  You always want to take a bump as close to the center as possible, so sometimes it is hard to do that in a smaller ring without going corner to corner.

 

I always had more trouble working in venues with low ceilings, despite not being a flyer.  I worked a fair amount of shows at bars/nightclubs that had maybe 8ft of clearance from the mat to the ceiling.  Some promoters that regularly ran venues like that built or rented shorter rings. 

[Fat Spanish Waiter]

Conway was a favourite of mine. First, they used to announce him as Ro-bear during his La Res days. Then he had the Randy Newman entrance theme!

[odessasteps]

I think the six-sided ring was a very good start on a road TNA stopped trying to travel.  That being "something that looks different than any pro wrestling that has been on U.S. tv. before." Abandoning it, and going with their undefined, constantly shifting blend of WWE, ECW, and WCW doomed what little chance they had to take off, imo.  And dropping the six-sided ring was a symptom of that.

 EXACTLY!  The six-sided ring was a great way to distinguish themselves, and show that they are different than what people are used to.  Saying that people would be turned off by it is stupid, because no one ever complained the action in UFC was too hard to follow because it was in an Octagon, and not a boxing ring like PRIDE/boxing.  TNA never used the ring as a trademark like UFC did, so it just ended up being a cosmetic difference that they pretty much ignored.  They never did things like having six-way tag matches or something to bring the ring into play.  In a way the six-sided ring was a Chekov's Gun - they either had to ditch it, or showcase it.  

Question for those who have worked in various sized rings: How much does it throw you off when you work, say, a 16x16 one night and a 12x12 the next? Does the additional/lessened space from one ring to another throw off your spacing and timing, and how conscious are you of it when you work a match?

When this happened to me, I always would spend a few minutes running the ropes before the shows, and by then I was ok.

 The biggest thing to throw me off during a match isn't so much size or rope style but how much spring it has. I've been in some rings where I went to run across and damn near did a tope out of the ring.

 I always made sure to arrive at shows as early as possible, for the sole purpose of familiarizing myself with the ring.  I always looked to see what the suspension system was (plywood/planks/spring/wood/metal), and what kind of ropes there were.  I climbed in and ran a few simple drills, took bumps, and ran the ropes.  There is actually a technique to running the ropes, and once you familiarize yourself with a ring, it is easy to adapt. I always found it harder to adapt to a bigger ring, than a smaller.  There were a few times where I worked in a 20x20, and that was funkier than going from a 16x16 to a 14x14.  I was never a guy that did a lot of stuff with the ropes (was heavyweight, not a flippy) so ropes didn't really bother me, unless they were just shitty.  Loose cable ropes suck.  I was always able to adapt to smaller rings by working more corner-to-corner, rather than side-to-side.  You always want to take a bump as close to the center as possible, so sometimes it is hard to do that in a smaller ring without going corner to corner. I always had more trouble working in venues with low ceilings, despite not being a flyer.  I worked a fair amount of shows at bars/nightclubs that had maybe 8ft of clearance from the mat to the ceiling.  Some promoters that regularly ran venues like that built or rented shorter rings.

MCW used to run a fire hall with low ceilings, but folks like Christian York and Joey Matthews still did their top rope spots, often bumping their heads on the ceiling when standing on the top turnbuckle.

[SovietShooter]

Honestly, if a guy can stand on the top rope and have about a foot of clearance above their head, then you can do virtually anything.  The only things really out are top rope super-plexes, and maybe certain types of springboard type moves. 

[Niners Fan in CT]

See, I would have rather had TNA try to copy JCP.

 

See: WWE 2013