Pro Bro

Want an example of something done right in TNA? The BroMans.

Jessie Godderz and Robbie E were originally put together because nothing else could be thought of for either man as a singles act. They turned what could have been a quick way to get released, treading water as a thrown together pairing, into a success. They got matching outfits, worked on their promo patter, and implemented some double team moves more complex than double suplexes and wishbone leg splits.

The addition of Zema Ion as DJ Z helped. He works surprisingly well as a hype man and the idea of the team having their own personal DJ fits perfectly. Most importantly it gives them an entrance that no other promotion would do. A DJ playing guys to the ring is something WWE wouldn’t touch, and while I can imagine ROH and similarly sized promotions would they don’t have the budget or setup to pull it off as well.

Okay, so The BroMans aren’t the best wrestlers in TNA. In fairness they’re not meant to be. They’re supposed to be a gimmick team that gets heat, which is precisely what they are. Given that role and the way they’re booked I think they turn out better quality matches than they need to.

Note the shades, bro.

TNA should make the most of The BroMans’ relative success and work on getting a good tag division going. Not only would it make use of an entertaining team but it would also allow for some fresh matches, something the company’s crying out for with all the established names it has under contract. As good as the formerly American Wolves are we can only see them tangle with Jessie and Robbie so many times before the match becomes a chore to sit through.

EC3 and Rockstar Spud could work as a team, as could Kurt Angle and ‘Willow’ Jeff Hardy. TNA’s already set these four up for a tag encounter. It would be easy enough to turn it into a series instead of a one off, and for storyline reasons to be given to explain each duo remaining together after said series. Dixie Carter could decree she wants EC3 and Spud to remain together while Hardy and Angle could say they want a fresh challenge. This would have the added bonus of helping to protect ‘The Olympic Hero’s’ increasingly frail frame.

Tigre Uno and Seiya Sanada could become a team after their best of three series wraps up. It’s a bit of a cliché at this point but that doesn’t mean it would be bad. They could have great matches with The Wolves and The BroMans.

There’s Beer Money too, of course. They’re already back together in an unofficial capacity. They could be reunited on a permanent basis by their dislike of another team, The Wolves for example, describing themselves as the best team in TNA history. A smart writing team (unfortunately that’s not a description that seems to fit the current one) could use a Beer Money reunion to redo the team’s split and segue Storm and Roode back into the world title’s orbit.

If Bad Influence were re-signed TNA could have a very good doubles division. The BroMans wouldn’t need to be the centrepiece but they could be an entertaining part of it.

Stormy Road to Nowhere

America's Most Wanted. Beer Money (Inc). Two of the most celebrated teams, original or otherwise, in TNA history. A commonality between them is James Storm. That could indicate that Storm's niche is tag wrestling. But it would be unfair to simply leap to that conclusion.

A little over two years ago TNA's creative team took the decision to split Storm from his Beer Money teammate Bobby Roode. That was nothing new for either man. Storm had been through a high profile tag split when he and Chris Harris stopped being AMW. Roode had been through a quieter version of the dividing process when Team Canada was wrenched apart.

The Beer Money break up was different. The TNA world title was to be involved and both men were to be elevated to main event status. It was an ambitious thing to attempt for a company as set in its ways and unimaginative as TNA. It would prove worthwhile. Fans responded well to the tale of betrayal and the freshness the two men's promotion brought to programming.

The TNA championship's prestige gained a boost from the plot. Bobby Roode benefited greatly too. He proved such a hit that he became the longest reigning TNA champion ever was, for a short while, was presented as the company's top act, morphing into ‘The It Factor’ and proving he could do well at the top. The split was well judged and well handled.

As good as it was the benefits for TNA and its fans weren't as great as they could have been. For the first half of 2012 TNA appeared to have finally grasped what they needed to do to satisfy disgruntled viewers: move new and deserving acts to the top of the card and grant them sustained pushes with logical storylines and rivalries. That sense was created largely by the Roode v Storm feud, although the progression of Austin Aries played a significant part too. Shortly after Destination X it became apparent that it had all been happy coincidence. 'A Double' was flipped senselessly back to the bad guy role shortly before losing the title to old hand Jeff Hardy at around the same time that Roode's standing slipped.

That had already happened to Storm, of course. His headline exploits were shown to be over at Slammiversary X. At that event he returned to TV after an extended break (which he'd been put on to show how gutted he was about not being world champ) and ended Crimson's (dubious) undefeated streak. It was a meaningless accomplishment which did nothing for either man.

Note the lack of sartorial elegance

Since then the only thing of note that 'The Cowboy' has done is form a team with Gunner and capture the tag titles. That he went from an invigorating headline feud that fans bought into back to working in the understocked doubles department is a disappointment. Had TNA stuck with him Storm could have amounted to more. This is true with most wrestlers: everyone needs time to get over at the top, no matter how long they've been around. Stardom isn't achieved overnight.

At one time the splitting of Gunner and Storm could have been taken as a sign that TNA knew they’d been wasting Storm and that they were going to rectify the situation. That’s not the case now. Turning Storm heel at the expense of the vacuous punch-kick machine that is Gunner indicates a lack of a long term plan. That the two have not only split but started feuding is further evidence of this. And that Storm and Roode teamed up on the January 2^nd Impact has come as close to rendering the singles pushes of Beer Money pointless as is realistically possible.

Then again I don't have access to all of TNA's facts and figures. Perhaps they have concrete proof from TV ratings and merchandise numbers that people are not willing to support Storm and Roode in any meaningful sense. Maybe a mid-card tag team is the best place for them. I’d disagree regarding Roode. He made significant changes to his character, look and wrestling style when flying solo.

Storm did not. He still wears those awful plastic hats and leather coats. He still sports long hair and a physique that's soft around the edges. It all screams mid-card. It's entirely plausible that TNA has their numerical proof, and if that's the case I don't blame them for not doing more with Storm.

Lockdown preview

When a stipulation bout is overused it becomes less meaningful. They need to be booked sporadically in order to preserve their aura and make them feel special, only being wheeled out when a feud needs them, otherwise wrestling promotions runs the risk of boring their fans and losing out on ticket and pay-per-view purchases.

You may think I’m talking about Extreme Rules. You’d be wrong. While what I’ve written above does apply to WWE’s next pay-per-view I’m actually thinking more of TNA’s Lockdown show. Every match is scheduled to take place inside a steel cage. That may sound like a novel and interesting idea but in reality all it does is place restraints on the booking team and run the risk of making the cage meaningless to TNA fans.

Why does it affect the booking of the show? Because there are only a handful of credible finishes to a cage match. They’re mostly variations on a theme anyway so TNA and its talent will have to work unnecessarily hard in order to make the seven matches scheduled for the show feel varied.

Personally I think a better approach to the annual Lockdown show would be to select two or three of the company’s top feuds and have them culminate in cage bouts, with everything else on the show occurring in regular contests (or at least introducing other stipulations to the event). But we have what we have.

Lockdown 2012 has been built around three feuds. Of these the rivalry between former tag team partners Bobby Roode and James Storm is by far the biggest. In the past six months the promotion has done an excellent job of making both men look like they belong in the main event. Bobby Roode has become a credible heel champion while James Storm has developed a great rapport with fans and become a surprise hit as the promotion’s lead babyface. I’ve written more on the subject here. In short: job well done.

Lockdown is a chance for Bobby Roode and James Storm to prove they can succeed on top

I’d expect Storm v Roode to go on last and get a lot of time. The men need to be able to tell a story and make this clash memorable. I’m predicting that ‘The Cowboy’ will leave as the new TNA world champion. Last time TNA seemed like they were on the verge of turning a corner and establishing new top line talent (at Bound for Glory last year) they messed things up. Hopefully that won’t happen this time and Storm will leave holding the gold having beaten the villainous and cowardly ‘It Factor’.

That’s the result TNA desperately need to get right. If they don’t they’ll risk undoing the good work of the last six months.

The second biggest rivalry is at the opposite end of the Getting Things Right scale. Garrett Bischoff and Eric Bischoff will lead opposing teams into a Lethal Lockdown match. What are the rules of that? One man from each team will wrestle for a few minutes before being joined by a member of one team. Each team will then send a man into the match at predetermined intervals until everyone is in the ring and eliminations start happening. Eric’s team will have the entrance advantage, meaning that his wrestler’s will begin entering first. It’s basically War Games under a different name (because WWE owns the rights to War Games).

There are some additional whacky stipulations. If Eric’s team wins Garrett Bischoff leaves TNA forever. If Garrett’s team wins Eric Bischoff can no longer use his own birth name. Why? Because this is TNA and logic is unpopular.

Team Eric consists of Gunner, Kazarian, Christopher Daniels, Bully Ray and Eric Bischoff himself, while Team Garrett consists of AJ Styles, recently-turned Austin Aries, recently-returned Rob Van Dam, Mr Anderson and Garrett Bischoff. I’m expecting the face team to win but I’d love the heels to go over so that Garrett is gone from our TV screens.

The third and final big feud for Lockdown is Jeff Hardy v Kurt Angle. They’re two of TNA’s top names and most talented in-ring performers. If they’re given enough time they’ll put on a great match. I expect they’ll get enough time for that to happen. ‘The Olympic Hero’ won their match at last month’s Victory Road so it’s probably ‘The Charismatic Enigma’s’ turn tonight.

Lockdown is an important show for TNA. Its level of success will allow the true popularity of Bobby Roode and James Storm as main event level talents to be gauged. For that reason alone I hope it’s a successful event. ‘The Cowboy’ and ‘The It Factor’ have been doing fantastic work and deserve the chance to continue. Good luck to them and TNA.

Predictions summary:

James Storm to defeat Bobby Roode for the TNA world championship

Team Garrett to defeat Team Eric
Jeff Hardy to defeat Kurt Angle
Magnus and Samoa Joe to defeat The Motor Coty Machine Guns
Velvet Sky to defeat Gail Kim for the TNA Knockouts championship
Crimson to defeat Matt Morgan
Robbie E to defeat Devon

Roode Awakening

TNA rushed it again at their latest TV tapings. Let’s backtrack a bit before we get to that...

The company spent a considerable amount of time preparing Bobby Roode for his title match with Kurt Angle at Bound For Glory. He had been pushed so strongly as the promotion’s next breakout star slash saviour that most fans felt it was a certainty that he would defeat Angle for the championship. Anyone who saw the match will know that didn’t happen.

I wrote two blogs on Roode’s main event chances and the decision to have Angle retain shortly before and after the pay-per-view. They’re available here and here. In short I thought Roode had the potential to make a difference to TNA’s stale main event scene and that the decision to have him lose made him look weak, as well as making the time and effort that had gone into his push ultimately pointless.

Since Bound For Glory TNA has continued the baffling booking with regards to their world championship. At the October 18^th IMPACT taping James Storm defeated Kurt Angle in a nippy little match to become the new TNA world champ. The result and the match itself had come out of nowhere: there was no build-up for ‘The Cowboy’s’ title victory. Shocking the audience is all well and good but in this instance it had come at the expense of another potential main eventer who should have been protected (Roode).

At last night’s IMPACT taping (which will air on November 3^rd in the United States) Storm lost the TNA world championship to Bobby Roode. That match should have been built to gradually over a course of months and been put on pay-per-view. Instead it was rushed through in three weeks of television.

James Storm would have made a fine TNA world champion had he been given the chance to establish himself in the role. As it is he only held the championship for six days and clearly only received it in the first place to facilitate a heel turn by his Beer Money tag team partner. A three or four month title reign for ‘The Cowboy’ would have allowed him to get over as a true main event star and restored some much needed credibility to the currently fairly worthless TNA strap.

Had Bobby Roode turned heel gradually by exhibiting signs of resentment and jealousy at his friend’s success the eventual heel turn would have been more impactful. A longer approach would have given fans the chance to anticipate the betrayal and resulting feud. The approach TNA has gone with feels like something that’s been thrown together in a very short period of time with no thought being given to the future.

Following Roode’s title victory it was announced that he would defend the gold against AJ Styles at Turning Point. AJ could have played a key role in the slower approach and it would have been nice to see him face Roode in a singles match on pay-per-view in which Roode used heelish tactics to gain a tainted victory, foreshadowing his heel turn. The match we’ll see in a few weeks should be fine but it won’t have as much meaning as it could have done.

The decision to put the title on either man is fine: both have qualities that will help them establish themselves as main event performers if they are given the company’s support. The decision to split them as a team is also a good one as the two men have achieved everything they can as Beer Money Inc. Fans like both men and can believe in them as world title competitors. The problem is simply that TNA did not devote anywhere near enough time to what should have been, from beginning to end, six months of programming. The writing team has made its job much harder by doing things this quickly.

The feud should be good. But it could have been so much better.

Seeing Doubles

For years WWE’s tag team division (and I use that word very loosely) has been unflinchingly dreadful. For much of the last few years the doubles gold has been used as a way of giving two singles guys something to do rather than as a way of introducing and elevating younger talent or two singles guys who clearly aren’t going to make the promotion any money by themselves.

In the last two months the tag ranks have received a boost, and it coincides with ‘The Game’s’ new on-screen role. With Triple H a noted advocate of tag team wrestling this is unlikely to be a coincidence. He may not have really replaced Vince McMahon behind the scenes but Triple H is clearly getting some input into what makes it to our screens.

The two men who have benefitted most from this renewed focus are Kofi Kingston and Evan Bourne. I was sceptical when they were first put together as a team: it seemed WWE had thrown two guys together as a unit based on their size and smiley babyface personalities solely to take the belts from David Otunga and Michael McGillicutty (whom they were clearly unhappy with). The company’s record with tag teams indicated that Kingston and Bourne would win a non-title match over the champions and then capture the belts in a rematch and go on to have a meaningless reign until another new tandem was booked to defeat them a few months later.

Half of that did happen. Kingston and Bourne beat Otunga and McGillicutty in a non-title match and followed up with a title victory in a rematch a week later. Thankfully the pattern broke after that as the new champs have continued their winning ways... and have actually been defending the titles. Instead of disappearing off our screens Kingston and Bourne have had an increased presence on RAW and become regulars on SmackDown. They even received attention from WWE’s website in the form of a poll allowing fans to decide on their new team name. That the voters went with the disappointing Air Boom as opposed to Flight Club or The Legion of Boom is irrelevant (although those names are both clearly far better), what’s important is that fans were given the opportunity to show support for Bourne and Kingston and took it. Yes, WWE actually listened to the audience for once!

It looks as though the plan is to give guys on the undercard a chance to make an impression on audiences by pairing them up as tag teams. The Usos are still hanging in there on SmackDown while Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks recently announced they will become a regular combo on RAW (though I imagine they’ll be getting most of their air time on Superstars). While they seem to be heading more towards a feud right now it’s possible that Jinder Mahal and The Great Khali will reunite as a team in the near future and we could even see Swagger and Ziggler being used as a team soon too.

Meanwhile Otunga and McGillicutty, the former tag team champions, are involved in a feud with Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler over their alleged lack of personality. Bringing attention to the fact that neither man is especially charismatic and pitting them against a 61-year-old may not seem like the best way to get the team over, but it’s giving them something to do and ensures they’re on TV every week. Had they lost the tag team championship a few months earlier they probably would have disappeared from television all together. Now they’ve at least been granted a follow-up storyline.

Although Air Boom have benefitted the most from the rejuvenation attempt the stars of the divison over the last few weeks have undoubtedly been R-Truth and The Miz. Since losing the WWE championship to John Cena in May The Miz has been given little to do besides a brief feud with former apprentice Alex Riley. R-Truth’s had even less to work with. He was built up as a challenger for John Cena at Capitol Punishment in June and has done nothing since losing unceremoniously to ‘The Champ’. Both are talented all-rounders capable of wrestling at a main event level for WWE (Miz in particular). It’s great that WWE recognised it had had them treading water for too long and put them together as a unit. The Awesome Truth (as they’re calling themselves) have a unique entrance that sets them apart as an act and guarantees them heel heat too. They’ve been a highlight not just of the tag scene but RAW in general since they announced their partnership so hopefully they will be kept together for a few months when they make their inevitable return to TV.

The company has lots of options for the future of its tag team division. Hawkins and Reks and the Usos may not mean much to anyone now but if they use the air time they’re given either team (or both teams) could work their way into a meaningful spot. There are guys like Tyson Kidd, Trent Barreta, Heath Slater, Mason Ryan, Drew McIntyre, Yoshi Tatsu, Broadus Clay, Santino Marella, and Zack Ryder not doing much on the main roster too, all of whom could make a worthwhile contribution to the tag scene.

It’s a good way of using developmental wrestlers too. Seth Rollins and Richie Steamboat have worked as a team in FCW in the past and new signing Antonio Cesaro, better known as Claudio Castagnoli, would be a natural fit on RAW pr SmackDown alongside long time partner Chris Hero (if he ever signs a contract that is). WWE are said to have their eyes on TNA’s Beer Money Inc. too and if that’s the case then they’re clearly serious about reenergising the doubles division. If it means more on-screen pairings such as Air Boom and The Awesome Truth it’s hard to argue against it.