There's Something About Ivelisse

When Tough Enough returned in 2011 one of the show’s fourteen contestants was Ivelisse Velez, a 22-year-old who’d been wrestling on and off since 2007. She was one of the season’s better potential wrestlers, having a good look, athletic ability, and a demonstrable passion for the wrestling business. Had she not been cut after suffering a leg injury I think there’s a good chance she could have made it to the end of the series and won.

Not that getting cut was necessarily the worst news. Having obviously impressed somebody Velez was signed to a developmental contract later in 2011. She worked for both FCW and NXT over the following nine months, before being released in the autumn of 2012. I saw all three of her matches on NXT (a victory over Paige, a count out win over Natalya, and a loss to then-monster Tamina Snuka) at the time and enjoyed them well enough, but she didn’t make a huge impression on me. From what I can remember she struck me as perfectly competent but nothing more.

That changed when she rocked up on Impact Wrestling in early 2013 as part of their ill-fated (and ill-thought out) but well intentioned Gut Check segment. For those who’ve blocked Gut Check from their memories or been lucky enough to never see it it was a segment presented as something of a shoot, where two wrestlers would compete for permanent spots on the TNA roster. Ivelisse cut a fantastically passionate promo about how she’d loved wrestling since she was a kid, saying that she desperately wanted to make it.

Nine times out of ten wrestlers trot that out when they’re in similar situations, and in most cases I’m sure it’s true. But it’s been heard so often that it’s hard not to see it as something of a cliché these days. That wasn’t the case with Ivelisse. She gave an excellent performance that made her stand out. She seemed particularly sincere with her claim and her desire to succeed. It was heartening to see someone like that in TNA.

Ivelisse was booked to win her try-out match opposite Lei’D Tapa but it was Tapa who got the contract. It seemed a contradictory way of operating, but that’s TNA for you. Tapa would be dispatched to OVW to “learn how to work” before returning as Gail Kim’s bodyguard, only to get released for not being a good enough wrestler. It strikes me now as a perfect example of the age old wrestling approach of desiring size over anything else. And also of TNA not having a clue what they were doing.

Since then Ivelisse has most prominently worked for the various WWN Live promotions. She’s worked as a valet for the likes of AR Fox and Rich Swann on EVOLVE and Dragon Gate USA shows, usually being used to combat Su Yung in her guise as the Premier Athlete Brand’s secretary. Her work there has been fine for what it is. The fem-gangster act isn’t the best thing ever but it at least seems believable and is played with conviction. We’ve also seen her on Lucha Underground, so it’s not like she’s lacking TV exposure.

Ivelisse likes a rag-scarf.

But it’s Shine where she’s truly… well, shined¹. Since her WWE release she’s become a regular for the promotion, earning herself a top spot, being a founding member of Valkyrie, and enjoying a reign as the group’s second ever champion with quality matches against the likes of Mia Yim, Serena Deeb, and Nevaeh. She has made herself someone to watch and helped make Shine a group to pay attention to. When she was champion she carried the title like it meant something to her, a trait far too rare amongst wrestlers.

Getting released by WWE in 2012 was probably, in hindsight, about the best thing that could have happened to Velez. She’s getting regular work against a wider variety of opponents than she would have had were she based at the developmental performance centre, and she has far more creative freedom. She’s also been on a tour of China, something not even WWE would have offered her.

But as well as she’s doing outside of WWE I hope to see her make her way back there at some point. It’s always nice to see a hard-working performer getting paid good money, and matches pitting Ivelisse against Sasha Banks, Bayley, Charlotte, Natalya and Paige could all be superb. Basically if WWE ever get their act together with women’s wrestling Ivelisse would be a great signing. She’s got the look, the passion, and the ring skills to be an asset to women’s wrestling and any promotion, from Shine to WWE, that has the sense to hire her.

***

¹ This is possibly a grammatical error. It could be “shone” rather than “shined”. But I felt comfortable with this as I’m a fan of puns. Deal with it.

#August1warning: We Were Warned

If you're a loyal TNA fan you may be aware of their latest attempt to grab new viewers. I'm taking of course about their #August1warning videos. They're a series of videos that first appeared last week on the promotion's YouTube accounts.

The videos show a shadowy figure and are of deliberately poor quality, although they’re made in such a way that even the deliberately poor production is a letdown. The figure appears to be bald and is either a man or the most unfortunately masculine woman I've ever come across. Speaking via a voice modulator he has addressed his impending Impact Wrestling appearance (on August 1^st, obvs) and assured us he's a name known to TNA fans.

The videos have succeeded in getting people talking. Whether they'll get people tuning in remains to be seen. I have my doubts but I'd love to be wrong.

Even this moderate success is blunted by TNA's standard issue inefficiency. The videos have had less than a week to take effect. Had they started earlier they could have been seen by more people, which obviously would have increased the chances of higher viewing figures. As it is they've not even been seen on TV.

I understand TNA wanting to present them as real but that shouldn't be done at the cost of potential success. They could have been played on TV with an announcement that management don’t endorse the content, which is what’s happened on YouTube. Even the old “the airwaves were hijacked” routine would have been better than making them online exclusives.

The identity of the silhouette is a genuine mystery, partly because there are no big names unaffiliated with a wrestling company who could realistically be expected to join TNA. The "favourite" seems to be ‘Scrap Iron’ Adam Pearce, in large part because he's bald like the mystery man. Apparently it's occurred to very few people that a voice actor could be providing the voice for the video, and an actor could have been hired (in kayfabe terms) to portray the figure.

You may recall Pearce appeared as a Gut Check contestant a while back. While he failed to get a contract he was written out in such a way as to make a return possible. For various reasons I hope it's not him behind the vids. For one thing he's not a big enough name to qualify as a non-disappointment in the role come the reveal. For another while he's a solid wrestler and a decent enough promo he doesn't possess those undefinable star qualities that make me think he could turn into a reliable headline star. He has a generic, mid-card look and at 35 it's unlikely that he's yet to peak. I wouldn't be averse to TNA bringing him in. I just don't think he's right for this particular route to the roster.

 

TNA's next star?

 

Another name suggested is Low Ki, although he used the name Senshi during his 2011 run in TNA. And WWE fans will know him as Kaval. Personally I feel he's a bigger name than Pearce but he's still not well known enough to justify such a (by TNA standards) much hyped (re)introduction. He could be of great benefit to the X Division but that's a moot point because TNA don't seem to care about that at the moment.

Sticking with bald wrestlers it could be Sonjay Dutt. Alright so he was on Impact last week, but that's not the sort of thing to stop TNA. He's not under contract and nobody's expecting him to be on tonight's show, that's about all the motivation they'd need to put Dutt in this role.

Anyone who thinks it could be Batista is kidding themselves. He's beginning to make headway with his acting career. He wouldn't jeopardise that by flying to a 3,000 seat arena once a fortnight to feud with Bubba Ray Dudley. It's just a completely unrealistic suggestion. If and when he returns to rasslin' it'll be with WWE.

The former MVP is yet another longshot. When he left WWE he negotiated a deal that would allow him to use the MVP name anywhere except TNA. That's reason enough to make me think it’s not going to be him. There are other reasons available too. He's talked publicly about having left WWE on good terms, which indicates that he's got a mid-card spot waiting for him should he want it. Also discussed publicly is his non-wrestling project with a US TV network. Right now the guy doesn't need wrestling. He's achieved his dream of wrestling in Japan and if he wants to return to the business in a meaningful role it will be with WWE.

John Morrison is in pretty much the same position. He seems satisfied working indies, taking minor acting roles and doing a bit of standup comedy. I expect to see him back in WWE at some point, not joining TNA. And on a side note the standup should help to improve Morrison's stilted promo style. That's the one area that's consistently let him down over the years and if he can fix it he could get the WWE success many feel he's entitled to.

A more credible name than the former WWE performers is Tito Ortiz. A former UFC stalwart, Ortiz has recently come out of retirement to sign with Bellator. That's the same Bellator that has contracts with TNA performers King Mo and Rampage Jackson.

Ortiz is one of the bigger names I've mentioned here and strikes me as a very real possibility. He's got the name value and crossover potential TNA seem hell bent on attaining at the moment and could, theoretically, have been in training for a wrestling career for a while now.

Bringing in Ortiz would be a dreadful move. I've noted before that Mo and Rampage are good tools for TNA to tap into the MMA market for new fans. Two MMA guys in a wrestling promotion is ample. It allows for them to do an inter-promotional feud with one another. In an ideal world that would consist of a trio of matches: a straight MMA match (going first to ensure that whoever wins can lose the second match to necessitate a third), a straight wrestling match, and then a gimmick wrestling match.

A third MMA competitor wouldn’t make that scenario impossible but would detract from its unique appeal. It would also take some of the shine away from Mo and Rampage, neither of whom have done anything significant yet. Three MMA guys in one wrestling promotion risks harming the promotion's image. That’s not something TNA should be risking at the best of times.

Of course none of this means TNA aren't bringing Ortiz in. It would be a mistake but at least he has sufficient cache to meet the hype. I'm of the opinion it's either going to be him or Pearce. They strike me as names TNA would want to use, Ortiz because the company seems keen to try to take wrestling in the MMA direction and Pearce because he’s a competent wrestler whose lack of mainstream exposure would ensure at least six months’ worth of fresh matches.

It could be anyone. It could be Jeff Jarrett returning to take back the company he created from ineffective champions and rogue biker gangs. It could be Perry Saturn searching for Moppy. It could be Sean Morley looking for that world title win that eluded him during his porn star days. It could be Monty Brown making the return to wrestling that precisely no one has been crying out for. It could be Briley Pierce looking to outshine his brother. It could be Percy Watson looking to show WWE what they missed out on. It could be the Iron Sheikh looking to humble someone. It could be Shelton Benjamin. It could be Hardcore Holly. It could be Bob Backlund. It could be Viscera. It could be Mideon. It could be Kevin Nash. It could, in the sort of twist found exclusively in wrestling, be Shane McMahon.

There's no way of knowing who’s behind the videos until they’re revealed. Thankfully we’ll be put out of our misery tonight.

The Calamity Rating

Not two months ago TNA were putting out a fairly enjoyable product. It wasn’t enough for them to rival WWE’s dominance and it wasn’t going to encroach on ROH’s business but it was good wrestling television. That’s something TNA has not always been capable of putting together.

They had a plethora of hot acts at their disposal. Bully Ray had, against all the odds, made it to the top of the wrestling world as a featured singles babyface, supported by the ever popular Jeff Hardy. Beneath them were Christopher Daniels, having one of the most riotous runs of his career, Bobby Roode, and Austin Aries. Magnus seemed poised to crack the main event while Samoa Joe, AJ Styles and James Storm all seemed to be gearing up for comebacks of one form or another.

Somehow TNA have managed to destroy what they’d worked hard to cultivate in the space of about a month and a half. We now have a product that’s not really worth following. Again. You only need to glance at the ratings for the April 11^th Impact to see I’m not alone in thinking this: the show did a 0.93 rating, the lowest it’s done all year.

 

This feud? Not a draw

 

TNA had presented a stacked card. Taryn Terrell took on Gail Kim (which doesn’t sound especially interesting but it had been built up for a significant amount of time) and Aries and Roode defended their tag team titles against Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez in what was essentially billed as a feud-ending collision. There was to be further advancement in the story of AJ Styles’ allegiance. In the main event Bully Ray defended his TNA world championship against Jeff Hardy in a Full Metal Mayhem match (basically a TLC match, the name changed to appease the mighty WWE and its lawyers).

It was a big card (notably described on air as pay-per-view quality) that TNA had put a lot of work into preparing, that guaranteed big names in matches and developments worth paying attention to. That it did such a poor rating indicates that viewers simply don’t care about the direction TNA’s going in.

I think TNA’s main problem is that its roster feels stale. The company just doesn’t seem to know how to introduce new talent. Gut Check has not proven the answer to the problems. Neither has the signing of Chavo. The best thing the company could do right now is cut a large portion of the roster (at least a third of it) and introduce some fresh blood. No matter how popular and talented the likes of Hardy, Daniels, Aries and Roode are they’re going to continue to be wasted if they face the same guys all the time and waste their time stalling through uninteresting storylines.

Do something different with the talent. Bully Ray may be effective as a heel but he was more effective a couple of months ago as a good guy. Fans were enjoying rallying behind him. Turning him just to swerve the audience (and it wasn’t really a swerve, everyone saw it coming) is incredibly counterproductive. On a similar note AJ Styles is not going to be well served by playing Sting to the Aces and Eights’ nWo and TNA’s WCW.

While they’re at it the format could do with a change. Opening with a promo every week is such a dated approach to wrestling broadcasts. More than that it’s exactly what WWE does. If TNA wants to be an alternative to the sports entertainment brand they need to be genuinely different. Put the focus on wrestling.

Most importantly the entire Aces and Eights plot needs to be dropped. It’s not going to happen because TNA has recorded One Night Only pay-per-views until the end of the year and the gang is prominent in the majority of them. I don’t think TNA can begin presenting the product it should until it gets rid of this boring, 90s style stable.

I said all of this and more last month. But that was before TNA did a terrible rating presenting what was essentially a PPV Lite card. The promotion has all the tools it needs to construct a great wrestling product. It just doesn’t want to let itself.