DynamiteKidd posted:

So we're just forgetting the "Spike did NOTHING" concept (which to be fair isn't inaccurate, they never had ads for Impact on any of their other programming) and want to go crawling back?

DynamiteKidd posted:

So we're just forgetting the "Spike did NOTHING" concept (which to be fair isn't inaccurate, they never had ads for Impact on any of their other programming) and want to go crawling back?

Tato posted:

I love Mecca. So, TNA is either broke as poo poo and about to go under while lying their asses off, or have more money that they did on Spike but don't pay their employees or production people. Either scenario, they are an awful promotion, yet there imbeciles support them.

DynamiteKidd posted:

(which to be fair isn't inaccurate, they never had ads for Impact on any of their other programming)

Yuriy posted:

yes they did, bellator constantly had promos and tie ins with TNA

DynamiteKidd posted:

So we're just forgetting the "Spike did NOTHING" concept (which to be fair isn't inaccurate, they never had ads for Impact on any of their other programming) and want to go crawling back?

MassRafTer posted:

It's extremely inaccurate, Spike did everything for TNA. They subsidized contracts, bought them Times Square billboards, always tried to get UFC to cross promote (only succeeded once when Hogan came in because Dana didn't want to be associated with TNA) and a million other things.

MassRafTer posted:

It's extremely inaccurate, Spike did everything for TNA. They subsidized contracts, bought them Times Square billboards, always tried to get UFC to cross promote (only succeeded once when Hogan came in because Dana didn't want to be associated with TNA) and a million other things.

HulkaMatt posted:

The Mecca crew doesn't want you to remember that they blamed Spike for everything and thought DA had a bigger audience.

quote:

16 August 2015
The Other Side of the Squared Circle - Aug 12, 2015

Ring the bell, Ladies and Gentlemen and welcome to the debut edition of The Other Side of the Squared Circle, I am your tour guide taking you on a voyage through my mind to help you understand my thoughts on this week's edition of TNA Impact. I cannot promise the same quality as Shakespeare or even more experienced writers but I will be honest so there's that. Now these thoughts and opinions are only shared by myself and do not represent TNAMecca as a whole, then again that's a good thing, if we shared the same exact opinions this site would be boring as hell.

Variety is the spice of life and it's through meeting and talking with people who think differently about things is how we grow. With that said, let's get to it. This is for the August 12th edition of TNA Impact. As what I believe will be the format from here on out, I will begin with what I liked then move on to what I did not like and finish up with what just felt blah, wasn't right and it wasn't wrong, it was just there, like a Chavo Guerrero Jr. promo. With that being said, let's get the column going.

1-Count: Things I loved

GFW in the house: As an avid wrestling fan I get excited when I have the opportunity to see new talent on TV for the first time. I think it's drat cool that we have two wrestling companies working together and I hope ROH makes it a trio, but I digress. Some of the talent I had seen before in WWE like Brian Myers though I hope to God he has that haircut because he lost a bet, the former Masterpiece Chris Mordetzky, and PJ Black aka Justin Gabriel, 2 of whom I am a fan of and I also thought PJ had been wasted during his WWE run. It was also good to see Sonjay back on TNA TV though strange to not see his shoulder taped up. I loved that immediately we got GFW and TNA having a showdown at the start of the show.

It Factor gets Roode: Hell yes, Bobby is back to being his drat Roode self again. I missed this ruthless side of him that helped him remain the longest TNA world champion in the company's history. While he had been entertaining, he also seemed to be missing something that gave him the appeal he had to me for so long. Either way I hope this is the start of a return to glory for the It Factor of Professional Wrestling.

KOTM goes Primetime, baby: I really didn't know what to expect for the first ever live KOTM match on TV but I was pleasantly surprised. It did surprise me that they put 2 GFW guys in the match considering Jarrett was running the show since part of me expected him to fill the ranks with them. That Lashley spear off the top rope was insane. All in all it was a great match, though I can't help but feel like the wrong person won.

Sadly no event is perfect there are going to be flaws I mean this is wrestling not anime. TNA Impact did have its issues. I don't point out flaws to be cruel or to hate on TNA as most seem to think about WWE fans or like most WWE fans seem to do. Benjamin Franklin said "Our critics are our friends; for they make known to us our flaws." With that said, let's rip this Band-Aid off quickly as there are 3 things to make the 2-count list tonight.

2-Count: C'mon almost had it.

Kong vs Tapa, no snarky comment because these women could beat my rear end: I know that sometimes wrestlers have off nights and on occasion a bad style matchup can ruin an entire match. There was no major botch that killed the match but it just came off as bad, like when Lei'd was trying to "block" Kong's clotheslines. I know neither woman is used to being in the ring with someone their size so I can be forgiving however it is clear that they do not need to wrestle 1 on 1 again anytime soon.

PJ Black the Douchewolf: I understand he is supposed to have this Devil May Care attitude and be reckless, but the guy just seemed less like a daredevil and more like a douchebag. He acted like that guy you meet on the Beach who thinks he's extreme because he rides his high dollar motorcycle his parents bought him and will never shut up about how extreme he is. Not to mention Black drat near crushing Lashley's chest and head with that 450. It is bizarre to write PJ Black and blown 450 together because in the entire time he was with WWE he never botched it. He had the most crisp and on target 450 splash I've ever seen. Maybe with time it'll come off better but for now, I am just not feeling it.

Too many backstage interviews and promos: It seemed like every time Impact came back from commercial break they had to go backstage for an interview or show some promo for next week. I know this is a minor gripe but I hate it when WWE does it and I hate it when TNA does it, especially the latter of the two because WWE has 15 hours or however the hell how many hours of wrestling to fill every night and TNA only has these 2. I get that some interview segments are necessary for storylines but correct me if I am wrong, this GFW thing is not a one off event, we do not need to meet the entire roster tonight.

Ah Band-Aid is off, and the tears have almost stopped. You know, I think Kevin Nash put it best when he said something along the lines of "It's good if they love you, it's great if they hate you but the worst reaction is none at all." These are the segments of Impact that gave me no reaction. I hate feeling that way because the people involved are busting their rear end and some of them I really like but I can't fake being supportive, I just don't have the acting ability.

3-Count: That's it?

Bobby Lashley has the touch of death: Lashley's first match of the evening was against Mr. Pec-tactular Jessie Godderz. These two suffered an issue that seemed to run throughout the entire night in that some matches, I could not put my finger on it but something felt off. I am not saying they were outright bad, but they just felt weird. I'll excuse some of them like The Wolves vs Lee and Myers for being new to one another, however this just felt odd to watch and Jessie Godderz has officially won the award for Worst Spear sell ever. Lashley hit him with a spear and he sold it like he had either been shot by a sniper or super kicked by the Young Bucks.

Welcome Back Sonjay: as I said earlier it was great to see Sonjay Dutt back on Impact and even better was him going head to head against the current X-division Champion Tigre Uno, however that same feeling that I had throughout the night seemed to be at its worst here. Again I am giving them a pass because they are probably working with each other for the first time however this cannot be the norm. I know both of them are capable of better flowing matches. It is nice to see heel Sonjay though.

Pope says this about Pope, Josh: I know that commentary has fallen off in years since the 90s with Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler in the Attitude Era, but this team is hard to listen to. I actually thought Josh was a drat good commentator during his WWE days and I don't know what the heck happened since then. Maybe because the commentary isn't done live it just feels hollow and forced like Keanu Reeves' acting ability? Whatever the reason is it needs to be fixed, perhaps it's switching Matthews out with Tenay or something but this team has had long enough time to gel and it hasn't. I don't hate the commentary but Josh's work gives that same hollow vibe that Michael Cole's does.

Well there you have my 3 count for this week's TNA Impact. Now before I go I want to leave you with some parting thoughts. I call this part of the column

After the Bell

Oh My God you killed Kenny...'s Push: In my opinion the person who is losing out the most because of the whole Hernandez situation is the Pretty Boy Pitbull, Kenny King. He was on a roll possibly going to take back his X-Division title and then the Hernandez situation caved in on his head. Now let's take a look at the BDC. Currently this is the state of the BDC as it stands: 3 members are no longer with the company since Low Ki was let go (presumably because TNA management thought they had Hernandez to replace him). MVP quit or was fired depending on what you read and what you believe because he insisted on Hernandez being brought in, and Hernandez who knowingly and illegally went on TNA TV and as a result nearly got TNA sued by Lucha Underground.

Because of 1 man's greed 3 careers were drastically changed. And now as a result Kenny King is left holding the bag as the only BDC member left standing and for the fans of TNA who don't read the news on the internet and keep up to date on behind the scenes circumstances they are going to have some serious questions. I would imagine quite a few will feel confused as hell as to where the BDC has been and why Kenny is by himself all of a sudden. I honestly don't know how they can bring him back any time soon after this unless they turn him face and have him aid Tigre Uno when he's jumped by 2 guys, trying to make up for his sins as part of the BDC. I am a huge Kenny King fan and I want him to succeed because I believe he can be a superstar. Only time will tell what TNA management has in store for TNA's own King of the night.

Alright, now I hope you have enjoyed this column and leave your comments below about what you think can be done to salvage Kenny King in TNA.
Posted by John Bateman at 12:00 AM 22 Comments

DynamiteKidd posted:

I just wonder if opinion shifted on DA. In Jan the story was "Spike did NOTHING and DA is rolling out the red carpet", but now they want Spike again

Blasmeister posted:

Sadly no event is perfect there are going to be flaws I mean this is wrestling not anime

Chris James 2 posted:

Chris James 2 posted:

Chris James 2 posted:

Nerf Herder EX posted:

Was this comment written by Freight Train?

Fauxhawk Express posted:

https://twitter.com/davemeltzerWON/status/634916587884036096

MassRafTer posted:

I don't know what to highlight or leave out so I will just present it all:


http://www.tnamecca.com/2015/08/the-other-side-of-squared-circle-aug-12.html

Benne posted:

Villanos/Psycho Circus from TripleMania this year got MINUS FIVE STARS from Dave. Trust me, it deserved that rating.

TV Zombie posted:

When you put it like that, it's almost begging to be watched now.