VIDEO: Ask My 1-2-3 Cents: nWo in HOF

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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It's time for a new feature on the My 1-2-3 Cents YouTube Channel. It's called Ask My 1-2-3 Cents. I will be answering questions there as they come in.

The first one is about the nWo going into the WWE Hall of Fame this year. Be sure to check out the video and don't forget to subscribe. Ask your questions here or on the My 1-2-3 Cents Facebook page. 

Take a look:

10 signs Conrad Thompson is influencing your life

Meeting Conrad Thompson & Bruce Prichard

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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I'm no David Letterman, but the iconic talk show host has inspired me in more ways than one. I'm borrowing his popular Top 10 list and if this goes well I may do future posts like it.

'Podcast Row'

Today, it's the Top 10 signs Conrad Thompson is influencing your life. Conrad is the popular co-host of three of pro wrestling's biggest podcasts: Something to Wrestle with Bruce Prichard, What Happened When with Tony Schiavone and 83 Weeks with Eric Bischoff. I love all three of these shows and the common denominator is Conrad. Kudos to him for the brands he is building and the influence he as a fan is having on the wrestling business. I truly aspire to be more like him. Okay, I'm putting down the chapstick now and getting to our list, from our home office in Huntsville, Alabama...

10. Everything you know about mesothelioma, erectile dysfunction and low-key big hogs has come to you in the last two years.

9. You go out of your way to get the ham cubes at your local Shoney's. 

8. The phrase 'glass bottom boat rides' makes you sick to your stomach.

7. Most of your summer wardrobe comes from Lois Rules, Box of Gimmicks and Eric Bischoff.com. 

6. You know Twitch has nothing to do with a convulsive movement.

5.  Instead of barbecue sauce, you now associate Jim Ross with sassafras. 

4. Whenever it's on the menu, you order chicken salad, because, well, you know...

3. Online shopping activities include looking for Ric Flair robes and championship belts. 

2. You affectionately refer to all your friends as 'Slap Dicks'.

Stacy Kiebler
Courtesy: WWE

1. 'Roll Tide' becomes a regular part of your vocabulary, even though you live hundreds of miles away from Alabama and know nothing about football.

Click to shop

The Conrad Effect

Conrad, Kevin, Bruce

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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If you're a wrestling fan there's a very good chance you've heard of Conrad Thompson. I first heard of Conrad when he served as co-host of Wooooo! Nation with Ric Flair. I enjoyed his role on the show, asking questions of some of wrestling's greatest legends. I flash back to October 2015 when I ran my first marathon and had Ric and Conrad along with me as they chatted with Kevin Von Erich. 

Created by Dave Silva

When it was announced Conrad would be starting a new show with Bruce Prichard I was intrigued. As I mentioned, I liked Conrad's style on the Flair shows and Brother Love was one of my favorite pro wrestling talk show hosts of all-time (second only to Roddy Piper). After the first show about Dusty Rhodes' run in WWE, I was hooked. My only critique of the show was it wasn't long enough. But that problem was soon solved as Conrad and Bruce started digging deeper into subjects on Something to Wrestle with Bruce Prichard. 

Not to discredit what Bruce adds to the show. But Conrad does the heavy lifting, conducting research on the topic at hand and providing a detailed timeline leading up to said event. That dedication and attention to detail paid off as a spinoff podcast was created with What Happened When with former NWA and WCW commentator Tony Schiavone. 

Created by Dave Silva

With that show, I've enjoyed the humor and the progression Tony has made. When things started in January 2017, I think it's safe to say Tony lacked confidence. I credit Conrad with bringing Tony out of his shell and making him a hot commodity in the wrestling world. That to me is the best part about what Conrad does. He gets shit done and I believe helped reinvent one of the greatest voices in pro wrestling. Tony had given up on himself, but Conrad believed and so do millions of listeners.

Conrad is working his magic again, this time with Eric Bischoff. I've been a lifelong pro wrestling fan, but a WWE loyalist. So the Monday Night Wars left a bitter taste in my mouth during the 83 weeks WCW dominated. However, the new show, 83 Weeks, has been very interesting. I've enjoyed getting to know more about the decisions and what was going on behind the scenes as it comes straight from the horse's mouth. I have a new found respect Bischoff that I didn't have 20+ years ago.

St. Louis live show

I've had the pleasure of meeting Conrad and Bruce last summer at a live show prior to Money in the Bank in St. Louis. Conrad was also a guest on the My 1-2-3 Cents podcast weeks after Something to Wrestle With Bruce Prichard started. I value both of the opportunities. 

The Mortage Guy and Brother Love
Courtesy: WWE

I spend hours each week enjoying the works of Conrad Thompson. His name may not be 'attached' to the title of each show, but he is the heart and soul. I love his hustle and strive to be more like him. That hard work has landed him a gig on WWE Network with Bruce. He's a wrestling fan providing entertainment for fellow fans. And he's created a fan base of his own along with some amazing brands. Kudos, Conrad.

Click here to hear from Conrad

Who will induct Goldberg?

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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I typically do not report rumors on My 1-2-3 Cents. In fact, I don't do much 'reporting' at all. But I do share links from time to time on the Facebook page. This blog was set up seven years ago to be a platform for me to share my thoughts on the world of pro wrestling. Instead of my 2 cents, it's my 1-2-3 cents. Get it?

Courtesy: WWE

Anyway, I've seen several sites resharing the rumor that Paul Heyman is going to be the man to induct Goldberg into the WWE Hall of Fame. I guess I can see the connection in that Goldberg's two (short) WWE runs featured feuds with the biggest 'Paul Heyman guy' on the planet, Brock Lesnar. But honestly, I figured Paul would be the man to induct The Dudley Boyz into the Hall of Fame.

So who would be a suitable Goldberg inductor? My first thought was Eric Bischoff. He seemingly makes the most sense, being the man who helped create the Legend we know today. Other candidates would be Hulk Hogan (I know), The Rock (he 'brought' Goldberg to WWE) or Triple H.

Don't get me wrong though, Heyman is a great speaker and will do the duty justice, assuming the rumor mill is right on this. After all, they got the Double J going into the Hall of Fame right... 

REJECTED: The podcast guests that could have been

Ric Flair has an invitation here
Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
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For nearly two years I've been doing a wrestling podcast on iTunes and the Jittery Monkey Podcasting Network. It's given me an opportunity to interview a variety of wrestling legends, current Superstars and indy talents around the world.

Here are just a few of the greats I've had the chance to interview: WWE Hall of Famers like Mick Foley, Bushwhacker Luke, "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan and "Cowboy" Bob Orton. The legends including Honky Tonk Man, Jeff Jarrett, Kamala, Terri Runnels and "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton. Current Superstars like Sheamus, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods have all be on too. Indy favorites Heath Hatton, Farmer Billy Hills and "Golden Boy" Greg Anthony are friends of the show as well. It's an impressive lineup if I do say so myself. 

But for all the luck I've had securing guests (and I can thank a variety of friends in the business for hooking me up), there have been plenty of rejections. I typically email or tweet potential guests and ask if they're up for doing a show. Here's a few that either declined or never responded. I hold out hope that these men and women will one day be a part of 
My 1-2-3 Cents The Podcast.

Roddy Piper (prior to his death obviously) - No response

Victoria - Not doing interviews at this time.

Elvira (she was a WrestleMania celebrity I wanted for the Halloween show) - Booked through the rest of the year.

Mr. Pectacular - When busy schedule slows down.

Eric Bischoff - No response

Dutch Mantell (aka Zeb Colter) - No response

Vader - No response
Bruce Prichard - No response 

Ric Flair - I aimed really high with this one. Holding out hope he'll join me one day. Woo!

Raw Memories: #4 Vince Buys WCW

Raw Moment #4:
The Monday Night Wars End

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

No doubt that March 21, 2001 changed the course of history forever.  It's the night that WCW, a wrestling company rich in history, was bought by its competitor, Vincent Kennedy McMahon.  I had been in Dallas for the week and was away from the computer and had no idea this was going down.  We arrived back home Monday afternoon and I logged in to the usual wrestling sites I frequented.  They were all reporting that Vince had bought WCW.  I couldn't believe it.  I knew the company was likely going to be sold, but the last I'd heard Eric Bischoff and some investors were interested.

I must admit I marked out a bit when Monday Nitro opened and fans were greeted by McMahon who made the announcement that he'd bought the company.  It was one of the most surreal moments in wrestling history.  What would this mean for the future of the business?  Were the WCW guys and gals going to all go to the WWF?  No one knew for sure.

As both shows chugged along and WCW put on matches like Scott Steiner vs. Booker T for the heavyweight title and Ric Flair vs. Sting the anticipation grew.  It all came to ahead when Shane McMahon showed up in Panama City Beach where Nitro was broadcasting from.  He and Vince sparred via satellite and Shane laid it out that WCW had been sold to a McMahon, but Not Vince.  Shane had somehow bought the company out from under Vince's nose.

This immediately took the focus off the pending WCW vs. WWF war in my opinion and became more about the McMahon family feud.  Things escalated when ECW returned only under the ownership of Stephanie McMahon.  So while the initial announcement and Vince appearing on Nitro was an awesome memory, the rest of the booking for the invasion angle feel flat.  It had some moments as you can go back and read in some of the other Raw Memories blogs.

Honorable mention:
The kid is good!
Photo courtesy: WWE

Honorable Mention:  I'm not sure how I let this one slip under my radar, but I did.  I had forgotten about the Lightning Kid's match on Raw that made him a house hold name until Chad brought it up on a recent From the Rafters Radio show.  Lightning Kid (aka Sean Waltman) had been a star in Global Wrestling Federation and was now wrestling in the WWF.  Kid looked just like a kid.  He was about 21 years old at the time and looked like he weighed about 160 pounds soaking wet.  To say he was not the a typical WWF meat head wrestler would be the understatement of the year.

But out of no where the Kid pinned a cocky and confident Razor Ramon.  It was a huge upset; one that earned the Kid a new moniker.  He became the 1-2-3 Kid and soon gained confidence and started climbing the ranks of the WWF.  Of course he would eventually become Syxx in WCW and X-Pac when he returned to the WWF and joined Degeneration X.  Had it not been for that initial match back in 1993 in the early days of Raw, who knows what would have become of the Lightning Kid...

Tweet, Tweet. Enough with Twitter

What's trending?

By Chad Smart
@chadsmart on Twitter

I sat down to watch the Impact Wrestling/TNA pay per view, “Victory Road” last night. I haven’t regularly watched TNA since “Bound for Glory” but I have tried to keep up with results and have a general idea of what’s going on with company. I knew James Storm had a title shot at next month’s “Lockdown” so Robert Roode was taking on Sting in a non-title match and AJ Styles was still feuding with ex-stable mates Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian. Other than that, I didn’t know what to expect other than online reviews of recent Impacts have been mostly positive and TNA was allegedly on an upswing. I went into the show with an open mind ready to be entertained. After 3 minutes I was ready to turn off the show.

Within seconds of the show, Mike Tenay and Taz started hitting the Twitter promotion hard and heavy. The Twitter pimping has taken the wrestling world by storm in the last six months. WWE announcers have been promoting Twitter and spending more time talking about what’s trending than actual matches for several months. As I wrote about in the Ring of Honor Ippv blog, Kevin Kelly kept asking for fans to tweet, then would read the tweets during the matches. TNA took it to the next step during the pay per view when Austin Aries actually stepped out of the ring during his match, grabbed a phone and tweeted before returning to the match. Yes, for some reason, 140 characters on a webpage are more important than the product actually being sold to customers.

What’s even more frustrating is these are the same companies (WWE and TNA) who, whenever online fans criticize the shows or wrestlers, continually say the online fans are a small portion of fans and thus their opinions should be ignored. So when critical of the product, fans are meaningless. When fans can help show the slightest bit of popularity, they are important. Another reason why this annoys me is because have you ever looked at the list of trending topics? Usually it’s lame phrases or borderline racist topics. How often do you look at the trending now list and actually click on one of the items? I know some people get paid to send endorsement tweets but do companies make money from having trending topics related to their brand? I don’t know. All I know is when I’m watching wrestling I want the focus to be on the wrestling.

If you take out the Twitter mentions, (which in a 45-50 minute span I counted 21 references) the wrestling at Victory Road was entertaining. My only complaint with the show was the tag team champions are a thrown together team. They faced another makeshift team who haven’t really gotten along since becoming a team yet was still together. I say were, because during the match Crimson walked out on his partner, Matt Morgan. Two matches later the Knockout title was defended in a match between former partners. Add to that the Lockdown main event of Robert Roode vs. James Storm is yet another match between former tag team partners. Dear TNA writers/bookers/whatever you call yourselves, can you please come up with a new way to build a feud?

The ending of the show was also baffling. Robert Roode has Sting down, and drags Dixie Carter into the ring as well. Then he proceeds to threaten to beat Sting with the chair while Dixie covers Sting to protect him. And then,… that’s it. Where was James Storm? Why didn’t he come down to stop Roode and start the build to their title match next month? Did the rest of the TNA roster leave the building before the end of the match? Was no one watching the events backstage? Does no one care about the owner or authority figure of the company? And why is Eric Bischoff still on camera? Didn’t he lose power at Bound for Glory?

I know I’m focusing more on the negatives of the show while there were several positives. I think I’ve reached by breaking point when it comes to the little things in the wrestling world. If you watched Victory Road with the mute button activated, it was a solid pay per view outing.

Now with all that said, be sure to follow @my123cents on Twitter.

TNA: Russo's Departure

By Chad Smart
@chadsmart on Twitter

The news of Vince Russo leaving TNA is a few days old, I know. I was waiting for more solid information to be released before writing. My123Cents is more of a commentary on wrestling blog than a news blog.  Since Kevin and I have no insider access to WWE or TNA, any news we “report” comes from other more legitimate wrestling web pages. Because of that, we prefer to offer opinions on what’s happening in the wrestling world instead of breaking stories that you can read on any other site. If we simply repeat what we read elsewhere, what’s the point of you reading our blog instead of going directly to the sources we’re copying?  That’s why we do series like Kevin’s on-going Black History Month spotlight or the “What If” posts. So today, I’m not going to simply comment on Russo’s departure and speculate what may have happened behind the scenes. Rather, I’m going to give my take on how his departure is a microcosm of what’s plagued TNA in a viewer’s opinion since TNA began.

I’m no fan of Vince Russo’s. While I feel he was part of the catalyst that triggered the Attitude Era, I’ve felt he’s a legend in his own mind. The opinion I formed of him from reading interviews and his book is he’s a man who is above criticism and fails to accept his limitations when it comes to creative ideas. I have often wondered why Vince was hired by TNA, and how he managed to stay employed for nearly ten years. It’s no secret Vince and Jeff Jarrett are good friends and without Russo going to bat for Double J in both the WWF and WCW, Jarrett probably wouldn’t have become the main event star he was during WCW’s final years. When Jarrett decided to start TNA, it was understandable he’d enlist an old friend to help create an identity for the new company.

After Dixie Carter took over control of TNA, somehow she became a supporter of Vince and has defended him from critics going so far as telling the staff, “the next time I hear a Fire Russo chant, someone else is getting fired.”  (Paraphrased from her YouShoot interview)  

While on one hand I commend Dixie for being loyal to a fault to an employee, her naivety shows a major problem with TNA. Instead of looking at a problem and making changes to fix the problem, TNA has chugged along the same path almost saying to fans, your opinions don’t matter.

In the same video clip, Dixie stated Vince has a polarizing reputation and as a wrestling company that’s what you want in a member of your team. If she honestly believes that and doesn’t understand the difference between a wrestler who fans love or hate, thus evoking a reaction from the crowd, and a writer who fans hate more than they like, then clearly Dixie needs to not be in charge of the company.  Vince Russo is the M. Night Shyamalan of the wrestling world. Vince had a few months of hits because what he was doing was relatively new and different at the time. After that initial success he has relied on the same characters, gimmicks and swerves much like Shyamalan has relied on twists in his film’s plots. The problem is in both cases, the stories being told aren’t good and the swerves and twists are there simply to be there and make little to no sense.  They’re there because they’re trademarks of the writers, and the writers feel they have to be there instead of creating a logical story with a beginning, middle and definite ending. If you’re interested in looking at numerous examples of poor storytelling in TNA, creators of this link have compiled a year by year listing of senseless turns, angles that disappeared and other nonsense over TNA’s first nine years.

Now, is all the bad storytelling solely because of Vince Russo? I don’t know. Maybe he is a better writer than he’s given credit for and all the horribleness is the result of his scripts being tweaked with by management. Either way, my argument here is if TNA truly wants to succeed, Vince Russo should have been shown the door a long time ago.

A company can fail or succeed based on the reputation of the people involved. Vince Russo is probably the most hated person associated with wrestling. That hatred, despite what Dixie may claim, doesn’t entice fans to watch Impact. It has the opposite effect. Over the last nine years, when fans complained about Russo, instead of trying to understand why fans were upset, TNA stuck their fingers in their ears and screamed LA LA LA LA.

With Russo now being gone from the company does that mean TNA will become the best wrestling company on the planet? No.  While TNA has reportedly been on an upswing in terms of storytelling, there are still factors that need to be addressed.  Along with Russo, the hiring of Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan brought about some more fan backlash due to the duos own reputation inside the wrestling world.

In their time with TNA, there has been very little benefit in terms of increased ratings or show attendance.  Whenever Hulk Hogan is doing publicity for any of his other business ventures, rarely if ever does he mention TNA unless directly asked. A few times when he’s been asked about what’s going on in TNA, Hogan has given away upcoming pay per view results. Not exactly a good business strategy. In addition to Impact, Eric Bischoff has a few other TV shows in the works with his BHE company.  If TNA were a bigger company, Bischoff being distracted by other business ventures may not be a big deal, but with TNA having had very little noticeable growth in then years, if it were my company, I’d want someone who was fully dedicated to improving and growing TNA. Not to discredit Eric, as I’m sure he’s a good multi-tasker, simply saying TNA should be staffed by people who are 100 percent committed to TNA.

What does the future hold for TNA? Is the departure of Vince Russo the first step in a positive direction? Time will tell.  Fans on our Facebook page commented that Russo’s being off the creative team would increase their interest in watching TNA. If TNA continues to focus on homegrown talent, put an emphasis of titles and learn to have main events that don’t include ref bumps, I still believe they can become a major player in the wrestling world.

Do you feel Vince Russo’s departure will have a positive or negative effect on how entertaining Impact is in the coming weeks? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.

Christmas Wish List: Impact Wrestling

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger on Twitter

I will be honest, I haven't watched much TNA/Impact Wrestling, so I'm not going to be overly critical with this post.  Some of the positive things I've seen in recent months is the crowning of Bobby Roode as the TNA heavyweight champion.  This was a move that needed to be made.

I really like the fact that they've decided to go with a TNA superstar here.  By that I mean Roode never competed in the WWE.  It's refreshing that a non-WWE star is now representing the company.  So naturally the wish here is that trend will continue in the new year.

Roode has a title defense against former friend AJ Styles at Final Resolution.  So even if Roode loses the title, the belt will still be with another non WWE performer.  The same can't be said for all the titles right now, but with so many former stars from WWE on the roster, that's hard to control.

The last time I really watched the show, they were pushing a Garrett Bischoff vs. Eric Bischoff feud.  I'm not even sure if that ever happened, but for the sake of the fans, I hope it didn't and doesn't.  If Garrett wants to wrestle that's fine, but I'm really over Eric being in any kind of program.  Make him a manager, but please keep him out of the ring.

I said I wasn't going to rant too much on this, and I'm going to keep my word.  I will close by saying Jeff Hardy is in another high profile matchup on the PPV.  I really hope for his sake (and our's) that he is clean and sober and will stay that way.  It's not fair to the fans, the company, or the other performers if he is still making the same mistakes he made earlier this year.

So let's applaud the move of making Roode champion.  Let's hope the company will look at some of the other hidden talents on their roster and start using them the right way too.

Even More TNA Fallout

By Chad Smart

@ChadSmart on Twitter

This is being written before Impact airs on 10/20/11. Thoughts are culled from results from the taping being posted online message boards and Twitter. Saved the posting until after Impact aired to avoid posting spoilers.

At TNA’s biggest show of the year, Bound For Glory, Robert Roode failed to capture the TNA World Title from Kurt Angle. At the Impact taping two days later, Roode’s tag team partner James Storm defeated Kurt to become the new TNA Champion. Rumored events surrounding this title change are indicative of some of the major problems surrounding TNA.

Robert Roode won the right to face Kurt Angle at Bound for Glory by winning the BFG Series tournament, a series of matches over the past five months. The BFG Series came down to a final four of Roode, James Storm, Gunner and Bully Ray. After clinching the victory at No Surrender, Roode was built up to be a credible threat to Angle’s championship. The way the story played out with Roode having to face his Fortune stable mates on the path to Angle, along with video packages giving an insight into Roode’s personal life and the sacrifices he’s made to achieve his dream of being a professional wrestler, the logical and most satisfying outcome was for Roode to capture his first World Championship. Anyone who’s been reading this blog for a while knows we rarely use the words “logic” and “TNA” in the same sentence.

Angle pins Roode (Impact Wrestling)

Two days before Bound For Glory, Hulk Hogan made comments in an interview that Roode wasn’t ready to be the next guy and Hogan would have chosen James Storm to be the one to challenge Angle. Allegedly, on the day of the show, Hogan convinced those in power to have Angle retain the title instead of crowning Roode the new champion. Again, this was the main event of TNA’s biggest show of the year and the planned outcome (which had been building for months) was changed a few hours before the show. Also keep in mind Kurt Angle was suffering from a hamstring injury that he admitted would keep him out of the ring for a couple of weeks. I simply don’t understand the reasoning behind cutting the legs out from Roode.

Now Hogan and Eric Bischoff have made comments online about “marks” getting upset and not being able to see the big picture. I would almost agree with them to a point except in typical TNA fashion the story told between Bound for Glory and Impact doesn’t make much sense. If they had planned on James Storm winning the title, why not have Storm win the BFG Series? I mean, he was one of the final four and could have easily won the tournament instead of Robert Roode. Keep the same story in place and have Storm win the title at Bound For Glory. Simple.

Roode in shock (Impact Wrestling)

Even if Storm winning was an audible, there was a better way to have the story play out. As lame as it would have been to do a bait and switch for the biggest show of the year, they could have started BFG with Angle (or Immortal) beating down Roode in the back. After the opening match, Mike Tenay could have announced the doctors were declaring Roode unfit to compete. Cut to an interview with James Storm vowing revenge for his Beer Money partner and petitioning to be able to take Roode’s place. Kurt Angle could at first reject the offer but Storm could eventually goad Angle into accepting. The match happens and Storm wins.  I’m willing to bet that fans initially upset over Roode’s injury would have bought into the finish and left Bound For Glory happy and excited for the new champion. Perhaps it’s because it’s my idea, but sometimes these scenarios seem like they write themselves.

Now, with what happened recapped and re-imagined, allow me to explain why I feel this is another example of TNA shooting themselves in the foot and why they will never grow bigger than their current place in the wrestling world.

Have I mentioned Bound For Glory is, in their words, TNA’s biggest show of the year? So theoretically this should be the show with the most set of eyes on it and the one to entice possible new fans to continue watching Impact and PPVs. Instead, fans that spent money on the show were basically told, “you’re a fool for spending money on our shows. We’re going to give away the big title change on free TV.” 

Storm gets the pin

Given the alleged buy rates of TNA PPVs, I can understand putting major events (title changes, returns, etc.) on Impact. At the same time, failing to capitalize on momentum on the biggest show of the year (I know I’m slipping into wrestling announcer cliché with the constant repeating. Just trying to stress how big of a bad decision the title switch was the way it was done.) makes PPV look trivial. Kevin and I have both stated many times the current PPV landscape is too crowded and both TNA and WWE should scale back the number of PPVs they do each year. Not having Robert Roode win the title coupled with Jeff Hardy’s disastrous performance at Victory Road (btw, Hogan thinks Jeff Hardy should be the next man in TNA) and this hasn’t been too stellar of a year for TNA on pay per view.

Notwithstanding the disappointment of Roode failing to capture the title and Storm winning the title on television, the comments by Hogan and Bischoff infuriate me, as they seem to not understand the role of the fans in keeping a promotion alive. Then again, since TNA tapes Impact in front of non-paying fans maybe they don’t care about alienating any fans. If I’m a fan of TNA and I’m constantly not only having my intelligence insulted by the writing of the show, but the two biggest persons in the company are also writing insulting comments and degrading fans online, why would I want to continue to support the company?

 

Kevin has posted a couple blogs and a video about how Hogan and Bischoff’s comments are insulting to any fan that is simply trying to express disappointment of dissatisfaction with TNA. I’ll agree there are some people online who exist solely to constantly make ignorant comments or be a jackass for the sake of trying to get a rise out of someone famous. If you read enough comments on message boards or youtube videos, it becomes pretty clear which comments can be dismissed as trolling. However there is a portion of the fans that want to see TNA succeed and want it to be an alternative to WWE not just a mere copycat.

I’ve said it before and I’ll repeat it here, I was a fan of TNA from the moment I read the first press release announcing the formation of the company. I bought all the weekly pay per views. When the monthly pay per views started, I bought all them up until January 2007 when I moved to California. Sure I wasn’t excited at the random ex-WWE guys showing up from time to time, but in the early days I got to see fresh new talent. Guys like AJ Styles, America’s Most Wanted, Sonny Siaki, Slim J. and others. In addition to fresh talent, I got to see a company that treated their titles as something worth fighting for and each title was just as prestigious as the next. It wasn’t uncommon to one week see a main event for the World Title, then the next week the main event was for the tag titles. A couple weeks later the X Division title would get the spotlight. Now the titles are seen as little more than props with all the titles besides the World title often treated like an afterthought. When was the last time a X Division wasn’t the first or second match on a pay per view?

I miss the original TNA. I’m kind of getting off track here. That’s fine. I need to rant. I am frustrated by what TNA has become over the last 5 or so years. The Hulkster and Easy E can call me a mark. I don’t care. Sometimes I wish I were a pure mark. Maybe then I could enjoy the piss poor shows TNA and WWE put out more. I wouldn’t care that the attention is on authority figures or people who run the company and who don’t wrestle instead of on the actual wrestlers. I don’t expect every match to be a 30-minute mat based catch as catch can display of technical prowess. I simply want to be entertained and not have my intelligence insulted on a weekly basis.  

Part of me wants to give TNA the “Stone Cold Salute” and walk away from even reading recaps of their shows because I’m tired of constantly being frustrated. But if every fan that felt that way walked away, who would be hurt the most? Hogan has made his money and can always find some new lame product to hock on TV. Bischoff has his production company that can pitch another show to VH1. Scott Baio is 50 and has a Hernia, anyone? Dixie Carter can go back to working for Panda Energy. No, the people hurt the most by TNA failing are the guys who are busting their back trying to make it worth watching. AJ Styles, James Storm, Robert Roode, Austin Aries, Motor City Machine Guns, etc. All the guys on the roster who no matter how many people are in the crowd always give 110%.

I’m trying to think of one other company whose management insults the people who buy their product as much as TNA’s executives insult their fans. If someone posted something online about Microsoft being better than Apple, would Steve Jobs have blasted him or her as stupid Bill Gates fanboys?

I have just one request/question for anyone in TNA. How many complaints will it take before you start to rethink the direction the company is headed? I won’t hold my breath for an answer.

What are your feelings on TNA? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page. I am really curious to hear what you think.  

Does Hogan Know Best?

Does Hogan know best?

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger on Twitter

I've already posted a video on this subject, but I didn't really get all my thoughts on tape.  I hate when I do that, so I'm adding some more thoughts, and summarizing what I said on YouTube.  Lucky you, right?

Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff have been using their social media to make snippy comments towards fans. I find this very annoying for a number of reasons.  One being, just because a wrestling fan has an opinion or expresses dislike toward a particular company's (in this case TNA) storylines, it doesn't make them a hater or a mark.  You can see the pics I've posted from Hogan's Twitter page in regards to the outcome of Bound for Glory.

There's a rumor out there that Bobby Roode was in fact supposed to win the TNA Impact title from Kurt Angle on the night of the pay per view.  Allegedly (because I don't know for sure, it's just been reported on line) Hogan said Roode wasn't ready for a run at the top.  Hogan is referring to what happened at the October 17 Impact tapings.  The show airs on the 20th, and my policy is to not post spoilers for those of you who don't know what's going to happen.  Yes, things have changed, but for how long, we'll have to just wait and see.

Bischoff's words of wisdom

Part of me wonders if these changes were made as a result of the backlash from fans after Bound for Glory ended Sunday night.  Hogan, Bischoff, Vince Russo, and Bruce Pritchard would have had plenty of time to rework the storyline and the tapings.  But maybe I'm wrong and just being a cynical hater.

At Basebrawl with Kurt Angle (and Chad)

Here's the other thing that rubs me the wrong way about Hogan and Bischoff.  They are insulting to fans.  I'm a fan, I have been for 30 years.  Do I have to love everything about the WWE or TNA?  Of course not.  I am a consume of their product.  When I watch a pay per view, I pay for it.  When I attend a house show (Basebrawl in the summer of 2011), I pay for it.  And in may cases, pay dearly.  Being a wrestling fan isn't cheap.  So when I see something that I don't like and offer some constructive criticism, I don't think it's fair to be called a hater or a mark.

Of course I'm probably reading way too much into Hogan and Bischoff's comments.  I know they're not directly talking to me, but they are speaking of other fans who express their opinions just like Chad and I do.  And I realize there are those fans who are truly haters and get down right nasty with the talent in their comments.  I understand that and agree they cross the line when they make those types of comments.

I'm a Hulkamanic (or I was)

My final thoughts are this.  Notice that Vince McMahon, Triple H, Stephanie McMahon (all the power players in the WWE) have no Twitter or Facebook accounts.  They're not insulting the fans.  Sure maybe they feel the same way Hogan and Bischoff do, I don't know, but at least they're not putting it out there.  In the off chance that anyone with any kind of clout in the wrestling in addition to not insulting the fans (who help pay your salary) grow thicker skin.  You're in the public eye, expect to hear from the public from them from time to time.