Stupid TNA Fans

[Joe]

Let me preface this by saying I think it is very cool that Gail Kim and Awesome Kong got to main event a prime time wrestling program, even if it is just Impact. It is a testament to how apparently over both women, as well as the surprisingly good booking of the feud by TNA's usually inept writers.

As I found myself actually rooting (as in, "Kick out! Kick out!") for Kim, it occurred to me one of the reasons TNA will never be really successful: The idiotic fans that fill the Impact Zone.

Seriously, what does it say about the stupidity of fans that they go through dueling chants during a match between 125-pounder Gail Kim and her 275-pound challenger, Awesome Kong.

I know, cheer who you want and boo who you want. But how in the hell can half a crowd be so smarky, or whatever the hell its called, that they would cheer for the monster challenger in a match like this?

If nothing else, it proves TNA really needs to get out of the Impact Zone for weekly shows.

And dump the six-sided ring.

And get rid of Vince Russo.

And get has-beens like the Dudleys, VKM and Scott Steiner the hell away from the key story lines.

And please, if nothing else, give AJ Styles some sense again. They should not have made the only homegrown guy to ever draw a dime (meaning people, myself included,actually bought the weekly PPVs solely because of him) into a bumbling imbecile.

On the upside, about a quarter of each episode is now actually watchable.

[daytondave]

I think they have done a nice job building up the Knockouts.

If I never see Scott Steiner again, it will be too soon.

And you are ABSOLUTELY right about Styles, or as I refer to him, "Lord Alfred Styles".

[MikeMcKinney]

Joe is 100% right with these comments.

[wakigatame]

You know, it is possible for people to like heels, right? People can cheer for Kong because, simply put, she's fucking great. So is Gail, but Kong is one of the best female wrestlers going. What do the dueling chants say about a match like that? It shows that both females have a fan following, and both females had the crowd backing them. Did you also find a problem back in WCW when people cheered for Vader (and they did, watch the tapes. There's not many, but there were people backing Vader) when he fought Sting?

Scott Steiner isn't as bad as people make him out to be, but Team 3D and the New Age Outlaws? Yeah, they are. And you know Russo isn't in charge of booking, right? Dutch Mantell has more control over it than he does.

And I've said it for a while now (not on here, but elsewhere) that AJ has been fucked by TNA Management and the bookers so badly that he's almost unrepairable.

[dvdmorse]

I find it no harder to understand why people cheer for Kong than why they cheer for Randy Orton, Edge, or Kennedy (or if you want to include TNA, Christian and Angle). In fact, I find it much easier. Kong is portrayed as an animal, almost without personality. She just beats people up, but in a very impersonal way. Characters like Orton and Edge are jerks. They do more than beat people up; they insult, demean, and try to injure others. And yes, I know that is their character, but that's the point. If TNA fans are bad for cheering Kong, how much worse are those fans who cheer real villains?

On the other hand, I agree with you about being very happy to see a women's match in the main event. As I was saying in another thread, compare it to the pillow fight on RAW on Monday, and it shows the status of women's wrestling in the two organizations.

I don't have a problem with the six-sided ring, but I do agree about firing Russo and pushing aside most of the old-timers.

[JamieOD]

I like the six-sided ring. It's not as eye-catching now as it was when it first came along but it's a signature of TNA.

[squire]

wakigatame said:

And I've said it for a while now (not on here, but elsewhere) that AJ has been [censored] by TNA Management and the bookers so badly that he's almost unrepairable.

I somewhat agree with this. The only way for them to repair it is for him to grow a set and turn on angle. Next week is a perfect opportunity but I don't see him winning the match and taking the title shot.

[behindthebook]

jamieod said:

I like the six-sided ring. It's not as eye-catching now as it was when it first came along but it's a signature of TNA.

I agree with you here. I hated the hexagonal ring the first time I ever saw it, but now actually prefer it.

[BDS]

joe said:

If nothing else, it proves TNA really needs to get out of the Impact Zone for weekly shows.

And get rid of Vince Russo.

And get has-beens like the Dudleys, VKM and Scott Steiner the hell away from the key story lines.

And please, if nothing else, give AJ Styles some sense again. They should not have made the only homegrown guy to ever draw a dime (meaning people, myself included,actually bought the weekly PPVs solely because of him) into a bumbling imbecile.

I agree with all of the above quoted statements.

[Joe]

wakigatame said:

You know, it is possible for people to like heels, right? People can cheer for Kong because, simply put, she's [censored] great. So is Gail, but Kong is one of the best female wrestlers going. What do the dueling chants say about a match like that? It shows that both females have a fan following, and both females had the crowd backing them. Did you also find a problem back in WCW when people cheered for Vader (and they did, watch the tapes. There's not many, but there were people backing Vader) when he fought Sting?

People are entitled to like whoever they want. Many of the fans in the Impact Zone, as displayed over the past couple years, make noise just to be making it. They have done the dueling chant thing to death.

I do remember hearing a smattering of people cheer Vader during various feuds, Sting included. I don't need to watch the tapes, as I am actually old enough to remember their feuds.

I don't have a problem with anyone doing anything, but I do think that it is stupid to have people audibly cheering for a monster heel like Amazing Kong against Gail Kim on a taped show.

But, yes, I do question the sense of the Impact Zone fans because of things like this. More than likely, those cheering the heel Kong for her awesome workrate are the same fans who spend hours on the Internet clamoring for a return to the return to a territory system and bitching about the death of kayfabe.

wakigatame said:

Scott Steiner isn't as bad as people make him out to be, but Team 3D and the New Age Outlaws? Yeah, they are. And you know Russo isn't in charge of booking, right? Dutch Mantell has more control over it than he does.

Yeah, Steiner is as bad as people make him out to be. Since becoming a freakishly built beast and dying his hair blonde, the only thing he had going for him was the ability to cut a scary-as-hell unscripted promo. Well, ten years later, the only thing he can do is cut the same type of promo, only now it's just more of the same old thing.

wakigatame said:

And I've said it for a while now (not on here, but elsewhere) that AJ has been [censored] by TNA Management and the bookers so badly that he's almost unrepairable.

You're right about this statement. I know people have different tastes, but it is insane when I hear people say they love the depth of character AJ has been given and the personality he has shown over the past few months.

[Aquinas]

bigdaddyswank said:

joe said:

If nothing else, it proves TNA really needs to get out of the Impact Zone for weekly shows.

And get rid of Vince Russo.

And get has-beens like the Dudleys, VKM and Scott Steiner the hell away from the key story lines.

And please, if nothing else, give AJ Styles some sense again. They should not have made the only homegrown guy to ever draw a dime (meaning people, myself included,actually bought the weekly PPVs solely because of him) into a bumbling imbecile.

I agree with all of the above quoted statements.

As do I.

It is a crime what they've done with AJ Styles. An absolute crime. I wish he wasn't so loyal to TNA -- there is no doubt WWE could and would use him much better.

The has-beens have gotten so tiresome that I never watch matches involving them anymore. VKM, Dudleys -- absolutely zero value.

I actually haven't watched a full TNA in like 3 weeks.....it's becoming painful to get through one. Which is a real shame, because it doesn't take a whole heck of a lot to sit down and watch DVRed wrestling.

[Mark 138]

Scott Steiner IS the Big, Bad, Booty Daddy. Freakzilla! Come on, Big Poppa Pump IS your hook-up!

Seriously, I've always liked Steiner, since he first hit WCW as Rick's little brother. He can't do the amazing things in the ring that he used to do as part of the Steiner Brothers, but I still love the personality. It's sad that many newer and younger fans will only know him in the ring from his recent days.

AJ Styles....he's got some nice moves, but I've never been sold on him as a money-making talent. With that said, Eric Young is already doing that gimmick and I do think he could be utulized better. I just have a hard time believing that he suddenly turned into a naive moron. Maybe it's too many blows to the head (perhaps congress should investigate. Uh-oh....).

Awesome Kong? Why don't the fans boo the crap out of her for stealing Xena's outfit and stretching it all to hell? I can't have sweet dreams about that awesome Warrior Princess the same way again ever since Kong stole her wardrobe. I just hope she didn't sit on Gabrielle and squash her (or worse).

While I'm on the subject of gimmick infringement, let's talk about Jay Leathal. That's bush-league, low-rung indy garbage, what he's doing. And his references are all from the 80's, but he dresses like Macho from the 90s. Come one, on TNA this past Thursday he was talking about Moolah and Richter. That was before Savage was even in the WWF! If a guy is going to do a lame impersonation, the least he could do is do it right!

[JED-SE]

I didn't see Impact last night, but there is a difference between cheering for the heel, and the lame double chants in the impact zone. It's one thing to double chant in a Christopher Daniels vs. AJ Styles, but now they do it in almost every match, it gets really annoying when I'm watching. If you like the heel, then cheer for the heel. Don't cheer for the heel and the face at the same time.

At WM X-8, while Hogan was clearly the heel against the Rock, everyone in the crowd cheered for Hogan and boo'ed The Rock. It wasn't because they hated The Rock, it was because they loved Hogan. I didn't hear any " Lets go Hogan, lets go Rocky" chants.

When Hogan faced The Ultimate Warrior in Toronto at WM VI, as Edge said, 1/2 the crowd was pro Hogan, and the other half was pro-Warrior. After watching it, I didn't hear Hogan and Warrior fans going "Let's go Hogan, Let's go Warrior." They cheered for who they were rooting for, and after the match, everyone cheered for an exciting match.

I enjoy watching the wrestling on TNA. However, I'm ready to start muting my TV during the matches it so I don't have to hear these annoying double chants. They can really really ruin the matches. (That and Don West's commentating)

[Wildfire]

I think the bookers in TNA have totally failed as far as Gail Kim goes if they can't get their fans to root for her in such an obvious 'face underdog' scenario.


Totally agree with the comments of others on AJ Styles and Jay Lethal.. I actually think Lethal really showed some potential back when he was Samoa Joe's sidekick (and with his subsequent heel turn)

[Joe]

wildfire said:

I think the bookers in TNA have totally failed as far as Gail Kim goes if they can't get their fans to root for her in such an obvious 'face underdog' scenario.


Totally agree with the comments of others on AJ Styles and Jay Lethal.. I actually think Lethal really showed some potential back when he was Samoa Joe's sidekick (and with his subsequent heel turn)

This is why I say it is the stupid Impact Zone fans, and not the bookers' fault. At least in this situation.

Fans in the Impact Zone are like ECW fans on crack. Well, many of the original ECW fans were on crack, but the point is that fans in the Impact Zone seem to be obsessed with displaying how smart they are, and dueling chants in such a stupid situation are proof of that.

[victoryroll84]

I enjoyed Impact last night.Besides Big Poppa Pump the show was good. Did anyone catch Kaz's interview. Having a new pet mouse he named.......MARLENA! I wonder how this will play out.

[Hyde]

Of course, anyone is allowed to cheer for who they want. However, some of the Impact Zone fans who cheer for Kong were probably the same people crying for Cena to turn heel.

Is Kong going to turn face, now?

[Pete]

victoryroll84 said:

I enjoyed Impact last night.Besides Big Poppa Pump the show was good. Did anyone catch Kaz's interview. Having a new pet mouse he named.......MARLENA! I wonder how this will play out.

"Marlena!" GET IT??! Russo strikes with yet another brilliant inside bon mot. Oscar Wilde would have sooner cut his own wrists rather than dare to match the rapier wit of Vinnie Ru and the TNA writing staff.

The Kim/Kong feud is one that I've actually been following, a first for me for TNA...it might be the single best feud they've ever run, which isn't saying much. I honestly think it's because they don't really give much of a crap about either person in the abstract, and just tell them, "Go out there and wrestle for ten minutes."

And what do you know: two wrestlers allowed to do their thing, tell the "underdog vs. monster" story on their terms without being bogged down by absurd gimmick matches and imbecilic backstage segments...and it gets over. Will wonders never cease.

[Vidtek]

Oh Pete, where would we be without your high class insite into the wonderfull world of pro wrestling.

It's on TNA...it doesn't matter. It sucks. Period. Stop even trying. I did.

[Pete]

adamsmasher said:

Oh Pete, where would we be without your high class insite into the wonderfull world of pro wrestling.

It's on TNA...it doesn't matter. It sucks. Period. Stop even trying. I did.

So you're here because...?