There have been a few interesting items of note floating around as of late. I figured I’d tackle them all at once with a single post.
Vince Russo Willing to Step Aside?
There have been reports going around saying that Vince Russo is willing to leave the creative team if a suitable replacement, such as Jim Ross or Paul Heyman, is brought in to take his place. It wasn’t too long ago that Russo stated he was burnt out on the creative process, but he would like to stay in TNA and possibly take on another role, such as one of an executive producer.
As much as I’d love to see JR or Heyman take over the reigns of the creative team, I would be shocked to see either of them come to TNA any time soon. I feel that Ross has a loyalty to WWE and wouldn’t “cross the line” so to speak and jump over to TNA. Heyman would also be a long shot as he has been very critical of TNA’s product over the past several years. However, with RVD in the fold, anything could be possible, but still unlikely.
As for Russo, maybe he should be given a different role in the company and give the creative team a fresh face with new ideas. Who that new person should be is anyone’s guess, but fans can only take so many rehashed ideas and meaningless swerves before interest in their product diminishes.
Scott Hall Arrested
One half (or is that one third) of the TNA Tag Team Champions was arrested in Chuluota, FL, on charges of disorderly conduct and resisting an officer. Not surprisingly, Hall was at a bar and was intoxicated.
The bartender at the Hitching Post Bar stated that Hall was drinking heavily and became aggressive with a bar patron who was arguing with a female bartender. The bartender called for a ride to pick Hall up, but Hall punched out the window before pushing two females in the parking lot. Once police arrived, Hall refused to be handcuffed and had to be forced into them and placed under arrest.
This incident comes at a bad time for TNA as Hall is currently a champion in their promotion. There is no quick way for them to remove Hall from their programming or take the titles off of the Band as they recently completed all of their TV tapings leading up to Slammiversary on June 13th. TNA also has yet to publically announce if Hall’s actions will have any sort of recourse.
The phrase “Scott Hall walks into a bar…” should seem like the beginning of a sick joke, but in all seriousness, Hall has a problem that needs to be taken care of and should have been taken care of a long time ago.
Jeremy Borash on Focus Groups
Jeremy Borash was recently a guest on the “Right After Wrestling” radio show on Sirius 98 and had some interesting things to say about TNA and their focus groups. Borash stated that the move to Monday nights was an inconvenience for their fans and the research from the focus groups wanted Impact to move back to Thursday nights.
Borash also stated that character development is another way TNA uses focus groups. The research shows that people want to see compelling characters, such as Orlando Jordan, and TNA will judge fans reactions and will make adjustments accordingly as to who is or who isn’t pushed and how the talent is used.
I really want to know more about these focus groups and how I can be a part of them. Judging from my own personal thoughts and the thoughts from several other fans that have voiced their opinions online, people like Jordan or Rob Terry wouldn’t see a single second of air time, yet they are both in a meaningless feud that is being pushed down our throats.
If what Borash is saying has any truth to it, it is unfortunate that TNA has moved back to a taped television schedule. Usually Impact tapes two episodes in consecutive days with the first taping airing that week and the second airing the week after. If TNA were to judge fans reactions outside of those who attended the tapings in Orlando, they will have to wait at least a week to make any adjustments.
On an interesting side note, former WWE referee and co-host of the show, Jimmy Korderas, stated that he understands that WWE decided to change the ring ropes and ring posts on Raw to white to differentiate themselves from TNA who uses the red ring ropes and black ring posts that Raw traditionally used. WWE is said to have done this so the WWE Universe does not mistake them from TNA.
Borash also gave his own take on the differences between WWE and TNA and doesn’t see TNA moving to a more PG -style product in the future. Borash made a good point by saying WWE has corporate sponsors and shareholders to answer to, which gives TNA more freedom to present a different product to a different target audience and use that to their advantage.
I have been recapping Raw for the past couple of weeks on Gerweck.net and I have noticed the white ring ropes used during the show. I can’t say that I am a big fan of them, but in time they will start to grow on me to the point that I don’t even notice them anymore. Why WWE would change just because TNA is beyond me and I think they should give their “universe” more credit as to know how to tell the difference.
It is also good to hear that TNA has no plans to change their product and take WWE’s lead in presenting a more family friendly product. I feel that the PG-style programming has had an affect on WWE’s product (just look at Stone Cold Steve Austin’s time as guest host) and is starting to alienate some of their die-hard fans. Borash’s take on it makes sense and I hope TNA takes full advantage over it.
