Slammiversary XI Thoughts

By Chad Smart

@chadsmart & @my123cents on Twitter

On Friday, I wrote a blog detailing some of the “issues” I felt TNA needs to address to improve the company. After watching Slammiversary XI, I am still concerned most of those issues will continue to be problems going forward. Because of these issues, I have decided to hold off on purchasing tickets for Bound For Glory as I want to see how TNA proceeds before throwing down a chunk of change for a show that might possibly be equally parts entertaining wrestling and annoying booking. With that said here are my thoughts on what went down in Boston.

I mentioned in the blog on Friday how I have little interest in Aces and Eights because they do nothing but lose. Instead of having a solid showing at Slammiversary, they turned out to be the “pu***es in leather” Hulk Hogan referred to them as early in the show. Garrett Bischoff/Wes Brisco/Mr. Anderson lost a six-man tag match to Magnus/Samoa Joe and Jeff Hardy. D-Von lost the TV title to Abyss. Bully Ray retained the World Title only after Bischoff, Doc, D-Von and Brisco ran in and got beat down by Sting allowing Mr. Anderson to hand Bully a hammer which he used to hit Sting in the head knocking Sting out for an easy three count.

Bully Ray wins with Aces & Eights
Photo by Impact Wrestling

Again I ask, am I really supposed to care about Aces and Eights? If so, what have they done to make me interested? I’m not asking for complete dominance. That would be too extreme in the opposite direction. But is it too much to ask that any member of Aces and Eights get a victory that means something? 

If Aces and Eights really want to win a match, I recommend they take at least a couple of months off from wrestling. In Friday’s blog, I talked about how wrestlers disappear for months at a time. Usually it’s mid-card wrestlers who fans forget all about, then when they reappear fans are in a stunned silence trying to figure out who is in the ring. When a popular wrestler disappears and reappears the TNA playbook is to have the wrestler get the big win.

Chris Sabin wins gold
Photo by Impact Wrestling

At Slammiversary, Chris Sabin won the X-Division title after returning in the past month from being on the injured list for almost a year. Abyss’s return to TV was capped off by winning the TV title. James Storm hasn’t been gone but his tag-team partner last night, Gunner, hadn’t been seen in God knows how long. In their first title match StormGunners won the Tag Team Titles. I don’t know what long term plans TNA has in place so I may be being typical internet wrestling fan nitpicking for the sake of complaining, but none of these title changes seemed necessary. 

Being X-Division champion allows Chris Sabin to challenge for the World Title at some point over the summer. I can see why TNA would rather have a Sabin/Bully Ray match instead of a Kenny King/Bully Ray match but it still feels like Sabin’s victory was done simply because he returned from a serious injury. Abyss’ win was bad storytelling. Abyss replaced his brother Joseph Park after Park was attacked backstage by Aces and Eights. Joseph had been counted out so the match was over. The D-Von/Abyss match never should have happened. Trying to remember why James Storm was inserted into tag match since from what I recall he had been calling out AJ Styles and dealing with Aces and Eights. Putting the tag straps on a new makeshift team instead of an established makeshift team seems shortsighted. We’ll see where it goes.

Taryn vs. Gail Kim
Photo by Impact Wrestling

Since I’ve been negative so far let me dish out some praise. The match of the night and surprise of the night had to be the Gail Kim/Taryn Terrell Last Knockout Standing Match. Anyone who’s followed Gail Kim’s career knows she can bring it when allowed to actually showcase her wrestling talent but who knew Taryn was as good as she is before this match? Either she greatly improved since joining TNA or WWE really doesn’t know how to utilize Divas. This was a more brutal and entertaining match than expected and it was given the right amount of time to tell the story.  If you didn’t see Slammiversary, I highly recommend you track down this match.

Soon-to-be-Hall of Famer Kurt Angle with Kevin & Chad
Photo by My 1-2-3 Cents

Kurt Angle was announced as this year’s TNA Hall of Fame inductee. I am of the belief active wrestlers shouldn’t be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Last year when Sting was announced, I questioned the reasoning. After the Hall of Fame ceremony was over it made sense why TNA inducted him and doing so on the tenth anniversary of the company was meaningful. I understand the significance of Kurt Angle leaving WWE for TNA however I don’t t feel this is the right time for his induction. Not only because Kurt is still wrestling but also in terms of historical importance I feel Jeff and/or Jerry Jarrett should be inducted before anyone else. Kurt going in now also looks like another example of TNA putting ex-WWE/WCW guys over their homegrown talent. AJ Styles, James Storm, Christopher Daniels and even Abyss have been in TNA longer than Angle. Why is Angle being inducted before guys who helped found the company?

I briefly touched on the main event when talking about Aces and Eights. Sting losing means he can never challenge for the World Title again. I don’t know how much longer Sting will be wrestling. I do know this stipulation is a good thing as now TNA might push some new contenders into the World Title scene. If memory serves right, Sting has challenged for the World Title at either Bound For Glory or Slammiversary every year since 2006. Time to mix it up. Now I ask TNA to layout a world title match that doesn’t involve ref bumps and run-ins. I won’t hold my breath.

After reading this you might be thinking Slammiversary wasn’t a good show. To be honest, Slammiversary was a perfectly fine wrestling show hindered only by TNA’s standard booking practices. I am not disappointed I paid for the show. I’m only sad that after 11 years, TNA continues to make the same decisions over and over and over. The TNA locker room is full of talent. If TNA wants to grow they have to stop being TNA.  I forgot to mention this earlier so I’m going to briefly throw it in here. Jay Bradley won a spot in the Bound For Glory series. I’m not saying he should win the series but he should be in the final four. This is a chance to build a new star. Will TNA seize the opportunity or will Jay be the Jobber To The Stars in the tournament? Time will tell. 

Time to Take a New Look at TNA

By Chad Smart

@chadsmart & @my123cents on Twitter

Last week on From the Rafter’s radio (past episodes available on iTunes) a question was asked whether TNA would get four straight weeks of a rating of at least 1.5 or higher by the end of 2013. Today on the My123 Cents Facebook page, I asked what does TNA need to do to get more people watching. Based on the answers received, I got the feeling a lot of people haven’t watched Impact much in the past 6-9 months as a lot of the criticisms don’t apply to the current product. Being a fan of TNA and wanting to see them succeed, I felt I should address some of the answers and try to clear up some misconceptions about TNA.

GET RID OF ANYONE FANS ASSOCIATE WITH WWE/WCW/ECW: Two years ago I would have agreed with this assessment. Back in 2007 when I was living with my cousin, after watching the Victory Road pay per view, he thought Vince McMahon owned TNA because of all the ex-WWE guys who were on the show. Today, while there are still several ex-WWE/ECW/WCW guys on the roster, I feel for the most part they are being better utilized.

Of all the ex-guys, Mr. Anderson is the only person I can think of that I would cut due to just not being a fan. I also think Kurt Angle needs to freshen up his act as he’s very repetitive these days. Sting is being used in a way that helps elevate younger talent. Bully Ray has reinvented himself and created a completely different persona separate from Bubba Ray Dudley. Devon has been used to help mentor newer talent. Jeff Hardy is arguably the most popular guy on the roster and seems to be motivated and trying to re-establish his reputation after a couple of down years. Chavo Guerrero is still relatively new to TNA but after the way he was used for the last couple years in WWE, I’m hoping he wants to show what he’s capable of inside the ring. Rob Van Dam, while a step slower than he was in his prime is still popular and can put on good matches.

I do wish TNA would not relay on putting titles on ex-WWE guys as soon as they come into the company. For the most part though, established guys are being used to help establish the next generation. That is something I think a lot of fans overlook. If TNA didn’t use any established stars, a lot of fans wouldn’t see the homegrown talent as being very good because they haven’t been in the ring with anyone of note. I once had a friend ask me why he should care about Jerry Lynn appearing on a local indy show because “Lynn didn’t do anything important when he was in WWE.”  While I think wrestlers should be able to cement their stature based on their work, there is a section of the fan base that doesn’t care how good a match guys have, if they haven’t heard of at least one of the wrestlers in the match, even though they’re on TV the wrestlers are on the same level as the local indy wrestlers who wrestle on the weekend in front of 30 people.

In a perfect world, TNA’s roster could exist of only guys they’ve made but this isn’t a perfect world. So TNA uses ex-WWE who fans know as a way to draw an audience and bring in wrestlers who may have wrestled in WWE but didn’t achieve much success and (hopefully) uses them in a way to make them bigger names.

DITCH HOGAN AND ALL THE GUYS OVER 50. FOCUS ON THE YOUNG GUYS:  I believe Sting is the only other TNA roster member who is over 50. I just looked up Stings age and was surprised to find out he’s 53. Sting is definitely no spring chicken but he’s also not a broken down relic. To repeat myself from the last section, Sting has been used to help elevate newer talent and he’s not embarrassing himself in matches. Hogan if the General Manager but what separates him from a WWE GM is rarely does he get 20 minutes of in-ring talk time. I feel TNA has done a good job of relegating Hogan to backstage segments, which help propel the storytelling aspect of the show. Even though I wasn’t crazy about Hogan taking out three Aces and Eights members at Bound For Glory, the reaction from the crowd showed fans still like seeing him do his act. Hogan isn’t dominating the show and, say it with me, he is being used to help put over new talent. When he says Matt Morgan, Joey Ryan or Austin Aries are the new generation that tells fan to pay attention to these guys.

I also wonder how many of the fans who complain about the use of ex-WWE guys are the same ones clamoring for Steve Austin to come back to fight CM Punk or cheer every time The Rock and Mick Foley show up on WWE TV.

GET RID OF THE DUMB STORYLINES: I don’t think that’s TNA specific. I’m trying to think of all the ongoing storylines in TNA and the only one I would throw into the dumb category is the ODB/Eric Young story. The main reason I think it’s dumb is because once Vince Russo was fired, I was hoping the Knockout division would regain some focus and importance. Instead Eric Young is one half of the Knockout Tag Champions. Other than that, since the Claire Lynch story was ended all the stories in TNA make sense, are logical and put an emphasis on either being champion, wanting to be champion or wanting to be in TNA. Even though I don’t understand why TNA has a camera in the Aces and Eights hideout, the story being told is the A&8s want to be in TNA and will do whatever they need to to get a spot on the roster. 

Compare TNA to what’s going on in WWE. If fans aren’t watching TNA because of dumb storylines yet continue to tune into RAW every week, well maybe it’s not the storylines that are dumb.

THEY NEED TO CHANGE THEIR BOOKING STYLE: Again, anyone who has watched TNA in the last 6-9 months should have seen a change in booking style. Stories have logical advancement and a focus. 90% of what happens on Impact has a reason for happening. Instead of throwing random guys into a match or having the same match week after week, there is purpose and story advancement to the majority of each segment on Impact.

HIRE YOUNGER GUYS. SIGN MORE INDY TALENT: There are several wrestlers on the Independent level I would like to see get a shot at national exposure. However, there are several factors into bringing them into TNA. First off, TNA can’t just sign every talent that’s out there and have them appear on Impact. That roster should remain at a level where everyone can be properly utilized and honestly, that’s one of TNA’s problems. There are several wrestlers already on the roster who don’t get airtime for weeks or month at a time. Bringing in more wrestlers would only add to the problem unless TNA cuts several talents. In which case fans would probably complain TNA cut the wrong people.

Even if TNA is interested in talent, the talent may not be interested in TNA. If talent as heard WWE may be interested in signing them in the future, they will be less likely to take a TNA offer and not being available when WWE calls. If they are top-level indy talent, being able to control when and where they work could be more enticing then having a company dictate where you’re going. Money could also be factor. Someone who works every weekend could potentially make more money working indies and selling merchandise than a TNA position pays. Would it be worth bigger exposure to take a pay cut?

FINAL WORD:  After looking at the reasons fans seem to not like TNA, I think a lot of people need to take another look at TNA. And I don’t mean tune in for ten minutes and as soon as you see someone you don’t like change the channels. I mean actually watch an entire show for a few weeks. Learn the story lines and see the action in the ring. I will make a challenge to anyone. Watch TNA for a month. If after a month, you think WWE is better than TNA, well, I don’t know what I’ll do. Plus, I’m still skeptical that with the Thanksgiving episode of Impact next week that we’ll see AJ Styles in a turkey costume again. Seriously though, today’s TNA is not the same TNA that a lot of fans claim to hate. I honestly believe that if you are a wrestling fan, I said wrestling fan not WWE fan, and you can’t enjoy Impact, then the problem isn’t with TNA.

Bound for Glory: A Fan's Perspective

Jeff Hardy: New TNA Champion
Bound for Glory '12
Photo by My 1-2-3 Cents

By Chad Smart
@chadsmart & @my123cents on Twitter

After the experiences on Saturday at the Fan Fest and Hall of Fame dinner, I was eagerly anticipating Bound For Glory. I thought the card was a decent line up. Granted I would have preferred to see a Knockout 4-Way with Madison Rayne and Gail Kim added to the match instead of a straight rematch from No Surrender with Tara vs. Miss Tessmacher, That match notwithstanding, there wasn’t any match I saw as a “bathroom break” match. My biggest concern, as I wrote about last week, was whether or not there would be any significant story development with the Aces and Eights angle.

Inside the arena
By My 1-2-3 Cents

I got into the Arena around 4:30. I was somewhat disappointed there was no dark match or anything to hype up the live crowd prior to the show. Around 4:50, Jeremy Borash and Hulk Hogan appeared on the video screen and talked about Aces and Eights. Shortly after that Austin Aries came out to cut a heel-esque promo on the crowd saying he knew his name so he didn’t need the crowd to chant. I don’t know if TNA expected such a vocal supportive crowd for A Double and his promo was done to try and get them to cheer Jeff Hardy or not, but even with Aries heeling the crowd, the majority of the crowd stayed supportive of the TNA World Champion.

I’m not going to do a match-by-match review as there are enough of those floating around the web and since this review is getting posted two days after the fact, I doubt anyone reading doesn’t know what happened. Instead I’m going to offer up my personal Pros and Cons about the show.

CONS

Since I have more positive to say and want to end the blog on a high note, I’ll start with the things I didn’t like.

When I got to my seat, I had fourth row on the floor, three seats from the ramp. As I took my seat this guy came over and stood in front of me. At first I was thinking maybe he was a my123cents fan and I was going to have my first fan interaction. Instead he said his girlfriend was sitting next to me. They had bought their tickets separately and he was in the same row eight seats down. He asked if I would be willing to change seats so he and his girl could be together. I was hesitant to switch due to how good the seat was but decided it wasn’t like he was sitting in the cheap seats. I was only moving about 10 feet. It wouldn’t be that big of a move so I agreed. While the new seat was still a great view there were two issues I had to deal with throughout the show that I wouldn’t have had to deal with in my original seat.

First up was the group of four guys sitting in the third row.  They were the type of fans who got excited over every little move and would stand for the slightest punch or kick and would remain standing for a good 30-45 seconds. That wouldn’t have been so bad except for the fact the guy directly in front of me was about 6’4” and 350 pounds.  Definitely made a better door than window. I hate to nit pick on their standing because I’m all for fans enjoying themselves and having excitable fans makes for good television. However, I also think fans should be aware of their surrounding and realize when no one else is standing, be courteous try to not obscure other’s view.  Plus, they were in the third row. It isn’t like they were getting a better view by standing than they were by sitting.

Samoa Joe wins!
Photo by My 1-2-3 Cents

The second nit pick is the loud female fan behind him. Again, I’m all for cheering and expressing your support or who you want to win the match. I only ask that if you’re going to be yelling throughout the entire match, please have more than one cheer.  This girl would just repeat the name of whomever she was cheering for. Hearing, “lets go Joe” at the beginning of a match is fine. Hearing “lets go Joe” every 15 seconds for 10 minutes straight is torture. Maybe I’m getting old and cranky. Or maybe I’m used to Chikara crowds who are creative with their cheers and taunts.

Speaking of Chikara, one of the events of the night reminded why I enjoy Chikara (and Chikara fans) as much as I do. During the Aces and Eights match, one of the masked wrestlers maybe perhaps was Luke Gallows. Because he has been rumored to be part of the group and the crowd was a “smart” crowd, the fans around me were chanting “Luke Gallows” and “Festus” over and over. Contrast that with Chikara where Archibald Peck has resurfaced under a mask as the Mysterious and Handsome Stranger. When the M&HS comes to the ring the fans don’t chant for Archie, instead they play into the story and chant “we don’t know you,” or “who are you.”  Again, a small thing that means nothing in the grand scheme of things but at the same time helps to sell the story being told in the ring. OK, that’s it for small complaints. Onto the actual things I think could have been done differently.

My biggest complaint of the show is how underused the video screen was used. There were several times when I turned to look at the screen to get a better visual of what was happening in the ring and would be greeted with the Bound For Glory graphic. Only during selects moments when the action spilled out onto the floor did the director feel obligated to put the action up on the screen. Yes it was a small venue and there weren’t any “bad” seats so the crowd didn’t need to watch the action on a giant monitor for 95% of the show. It still would have been nice to have the monitor available to see what the audience at home was seeing.

New tag team champions
Hernandez & Chavo Guerrero
Photo by My 1-2-3 Cents

The outcome of half of the matches were outcomes I mentioned on From the Rafter’s Radio as being the least productive outcomes for future stories.  Rob Van Dam, Chavo/Hernandez, Tara and Jeff Hardy all winning not only cut the legs out from rising TNA stars. With the exception of Hernandez, all are former WWE talents and their wins, to the cynical fan, re-enforces the belief TNA wrestlers are inferior to anyone who’s wrestled in WWE. 

Rob Van Dam is and will be super over with crowd based on his history. Zema Ion is a rising star that hasn’t been featured on a regular basis since winning the X-Division title. This match could have been used to give Ion a major victory and some momentum in the X-Division. Speaking of the X-Division, where’s Kenny King, Sonjay Dutt, Rubix or any other potential rising star?

Chavo Guerrero has only been in TNA for about three months and is now one half of the Tag-Team Champions. Much like when Gail Kim returned to TNA, after a couple years of doing nothing in WWE, and quickly won both the Knockouts and Knockout Tag-Team titles, the impression being sent is if a wrestler jumps ship to TNA they will be rewarded with a championship. I like the team of Chavo and Hernandez, I just don’t see a reason for switching the tag-titles at this point in time.

Tara & Mr. Pectacular
Photo by My 1-2-3 Cents

Tara winning the title from Miss Tessmacher felt like less of a situation built around a title and more about giving Tara a stage to introduce some ex-reality star that most of the crowd didn’t know. I have been impressed by Miss Tessmacher this year and believe she could be a cornerstone for the Knockout division. Not discrediting Tara, as she’s a very talented wrestler in her own right. Simply stating the title change felt overshadowed. A quick note about Jessie (I think that’s his name), Tara’s Hollywood boyfriend, after he came out, I texted a friend and asked if Tara called him her “boo” so when the crowd booed him Mike Tenay and Taz could claim the crowd was actually cheering for him. I was saying boo-urns.

Jeff Hardy winning the World Title made sense from a storyline perspective. The year of redemption paid off for the Charismatic Enigma. I’m guessing no one in TNA expected Austin Aries to have the breakout year he’s had either. Otherwise why put the title on Aries only to quickly move it to Hardy?  

The video screen and the results are really the only negatives I had with the show.

Bonus Miss Tessmacher pic because Kevin's a fan...
Photo by My 1-2-3 Cents

PROS

During the Fan Fest, I spoke with a TNA employee who expressed concern with the crowd since Phoenix wasn’t a major television market for the company. At 5:05pm those concerns were put to rest. This was probably one of the loudest, rowdiest crowds I’ve witnessed live. They really didn’t get quiet for anything. Even the cool down matches had a frenzied crowd cheering almost every move. I’m guessing TNA wishes every crowd was like the Phoenix crowd.

Even though I don’t agree with the outcomes of most of the matches, that didn’t stop me from enjoying the show. As a wrestling fan first and sports entertainment fan second, I was pleased with the action on the show. All the wrestlers went out there and gave 100%. The matches weren’t cookie cutter matches going through the motions working in the wrestler’s signature spots. On the biggest show of the year, everyone delivered.

Joey Ryan gets Head
Photo by My 1-2-3 Cents

The stories being told were logical.  It’s a little thing, but in wrestling logic is seen about as often as Billy Kidman actually getting power bombed. Yes, I just made a reference from 1998. At first I was disappointed in the Joey Ryan/Al Snow match because I felt Joey should have came in and dominated Al proving Joey belonged in TNA. Then I took a step back and looked at the story being told. Joey took a beating, making Al believe Joey wasn’t that good of a wrestler. Then when Al figured he had Joey ripe for the pickings, Joey had Matt Morgan ready to run in and destroy Al. At least I hope that’s the story TNA was telling. I think the pairing of Joey and Matt could be interesting and hope there’s a plan in place for the duo.

Devon revealed!
Photo by My 1-2-3 Cents

My questions about Aces and Eights were answered in a way I didn’t expect. I don’t know if it was because I was expecting Bully Ray to turn on Sting, or because of all the names I’ve heard rumored to be a members of the gang, whatever the reason, the reveal of Devon was a shocking surprise. Not only was it a surprise, it made sense. Here’s one half of the most decorated tag team in wrestling history who has watched his partner become one of the most popular guys on the roster. A guy who was Television Champion when his contract expired and who the company said “don’t let the door hit you on the way out” instead of offering a raise. Why wouldn’t he want to cause havoc and seek revenge? The reveal was a shot of energy into a story I felt was spinning its wheels for the past month. I am curious to watch Impact this week and see what the fallout will be from Devon’s involvement and how TNA handles Aces and Eights being allowed access to the Impact Zone.

Storm vs. Roode
Photo by My 1-2-3 Cents

What can I say about the Bobby Roode/James Storm match that wouldn’t sound like exaggerated hyperbole?  The blow off match to a yearlong feud was just as brutal and intense as one could have hoped for. Two of TNA’s originals went out and bled for the company they helped put on the map. One thing I really liked was how little King Mo was involved in the match. Usually when there’s a special enforcer or referee the person ends up having some effect on the outcome of the match. Other than protecting Earl Hebner from Bobby Roode at one point in the match, King Mo was kept more as a bystander. With Mo coming into wrestle in TNA, the match gave him a front row seat to let him know if he expects to make it big he better be willing to bust his ass.

A Double vs. Jeff Hardy
Super Hurricarana
Photo by My 1-2-3 Cents

Overall, I had a great time at Bound for Glory.  TNA has made some serious improvements over the past 4-5 months. It seems like they have plans for the next 6-12 months. Hopefully they will stick to the plan and continue to build on the entertaining and intriguing product they have going.  In doing so hopefully they forge their own identity. Also, hopefully they will quickly get the Knockout Tag Title off of Eric Young and put them on an actual Knockout Tag Team or get rid of the titles all together. Thanks to everyone at TNA for a great weekend of wrestling and for treating fans like they mean more than just money in your pocket.

Do you like the direction TNA is headed? What would you like to see them do differently? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.

Bully Ray Will Stay

Bully Ray has signed a two year deal with TNA
Photo courtesy: TNA

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

I recently speculated on the future of Bully Ray and Devon and their futures with TNA Impact Wrestling.  Rumors on the web hinted that both might be leaving the company which of course fueled speculation that they were heading to the WWE.

Thanks to Greg DeMarco from the Bleacher Report for posting earlier today that Bully Ray has resigned with Impact for what appears to be a two year deal.  Devon still claim via social media that he's no longer with TNA, despite being the company's TV champion.

Personally, I think Bully Ray has made the right decision.  I think it's fair to say he's becoming a big fish in a small pond.  Going back to the WWE and pairing with Devon again would be a great boost for the tag team division.  But I think it's a move that would have benefited the WWE more so than Bully Ray himself.  He's clearly in the best shape of his career, I enjoy his character now, and I think he'd lose  a lot of that heading back north.

The Dudleys & Stacy
Courtesy: WWE

Obviously I don't know what motivated the decision to stay, and six months ago I probably wouldn't have said this (as I was very critical of many TNA decisions) but I'm glad he is staying.  I look forward to seeing the development of his character and actually wouldn't mind seeing him win the Bound for Glory series.

As for Devon, I'm not sure what's next for him.  I'm afraid if he heads to the WWE he'll end up lost in the shuffle.  One thing that has been reported is that he and Bully will continue running their wrestling school in Florida.

Get the Table

The Dudleys
Photo from WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

Regular readers know that we don't like to write blogs based on rumors and things unconfirmed on the Internet.  But recently I've seen a lot of talk about Devon and Bully Ray both being near the end of their contracts with Impact Wrestling.  And whenever rumors like that are posted, people jump the gun and make the assumption that they'll head back to the WWE.

So this begs the question, IF the two are finished with TNA, and IF they sign with WWE again, should they reunite as the Dudley Boyz or continue to pursue separate careers as singles stars.

IF (and I'm going to keep emphasizing that) the two are indeed leaving, I think bringing them back in as a tag team would be an ideal situation for the company.  After reading online (again, not necessarily a viable resource) Triple H is interested in revamping the tag team division.  In the last few weeks there have been indicators to support those claims.  Boom Truth (I don't know if that's their official name, but it's what we've dubbed them here at My 1-2-3 Cents), The Usos, The Prime Time Players, and now Justin Gabriel and Tyson Kidd are back too.

1987 Survivor Series
Tag team mania
Courtesy: WWE

Granted four teams (all mostly newly established) aren't nearly enough to have a solid division, it's a start.  They're getting more screen time, which will hopefully lead to the future development of some long term tag teams.  Remember, I grew up in an era where the first two Survivor Series events featured 5 on 5 tag team elimination matches.  These weren't just fly-by-night teams either, they were all legit tag teams.

Signing Devon and Bubba Ray as the Dudley Boyz again would bring a lot of legitimacy to the division.  Typically I don't to see older guys come back and get pushed to the moon, but I think Bully Ray and Devon are in the best shapes of their career.  TNA was the right decision for them years ago, and now I think the younger teams in WWE could benefit from the rub of working with such a good duo.

Bully Ray vs. Devon
Photo from Impact Wrestling

So IF the rumors are true and IF the Dudley's are looking for something in their future, I would support a reunion.  It could help get the momentum moving for a solid tag team division.  As of this writing on September 1, both Devon and Bully Ray are listed on the Impact Wrestling roster.  Devon in fact is still the company's TV champion.