The Menagerie

From 2012 to 2013 Knux was a member of Aces and Eights. For those who don't remember (lucky them) that was a card-loving biker gang set up by Bully Ray to bring about the end of TNA.

For a while the group achieved moderate success as a lead heel faction. It will not be remembered as one of the greatest units ever but then very few things in TNA fall into greatest ever category. It did as well as could be expected before meeting its inevitable uninspired end. The breakup was slow and undramatic. Much like the average episode of Impact.

Since the group went their separate ways the only member that's remained a constant presence on Impact is Bully Ray. Which makes sense. Not only was he the group's biggest star but he was also the only member left at the end who had had a TNA contract before the group formed. It was easy enough to assume that everyone else had gone because they didn't have contracts while TNA were legally stuck with 'Calfzilla'.

Instead of doing the smart thing and taking the opportunity to cut ties with the useless lump that is Knux TNA decided to keep him around for reintroduction later on. A recent series of vignettes have shown him shambling around small town America reconnecting with his roots. Those are not his real life roots though. No, those are kayfabe roots, which have revealed that Knux is actually descended from circus folk.

TNA will be reintroducing Knux to television as the head of his very own faction, The Menagerie. If we're being honest Knux’s leadership alone practically dooms it from the start. A second rate member of a second rate group whose most memorable contribution to WWE before he got cut was being the possessive boyfriend of Kelly Kelly. If this man is the leader, the best the faction has to offer and the man all other members take direction from, then it doesn’t say much about the group’s other members.

Beyond that there is the more obvious problem that this is TNA's latest WWE knockoff. The group seems poised to be presented as a gaggle of misfits from backwater America flocking around a charismatic leader who gives their lives meaning. It doesn’t seem possible to read The Menagerie as anything other than TNA's answer to The Wyatt Family.

The main difference is that we’ve had what comic book fans would dub an origin story with this group, whilst the means by which Bray Wyatt convinced Luke Harper and Erick Rowan has remained a mystery. Which is for the best. It adds to the group’s air of mystery. That’s something TNA failed to grasp when cobbling together their version.

They've shown a fair amount of restraint holding off on copying the Wyatt approach for as long as they have. The Bray Wyatt character debuted on NXT in July 2012 and introduced Harper in November. Perhaps Lagana and the crew thought The Wyatt Family should become a success before they lifted it for Impact.

The Menagerie seems like it doesn’t have a chance before it even shows up. Even if the other wrestlers involved have talent (and I'm in no way saying they don't) they're going to suffer comparisons to a very successful gimmick in a rival company. TNA's track record indicates the group will be mishandled or, perhaps worse, be openly modelled on said other group.

This is exactly what TNA needs to move away from if it is to increase its audience and remain in business. It needs its own voice and its own fresh ideas to be taken seriously and be seen as a company worth watching by anyone but TNA die-hards. No matter what small successes it may find, and I don't doubt it may find some, The Menagerie is not the solution to any major problems in TNA, nor can it contribute to solving any.

The New Faces of Impact Wrestling

Christopher Daniels and Kazarian are the former TNA world tag team champions. They are also the World Tag Team Champions of the World. The first is an accolade and the second is their team name. It’s also an example of the sort touch the two have added to their act since being paired together as a duo.

Earlier this year TNA’s tag team division was like those of WWE and Ring of Honor, undernourished and almost completely bereft of interesting and entertaining acts. Unlike those companies TNA decided to do something about it. Kazarian and Daniels were first placed together in a feud with AJ Styles which centred on an alleged sordidness in Styles’ personal life, first with TNA boss Dixie Carter and second with a woman named Claire Lynch.

To cut a long story short it was not an enjoyable programme. The three guys produced some good matches but the story background to them did more harm than good.

Things improved significantly when Kurt Angle was added to the mix. He formed a tag team with ‘The Phenomenal One’ to oppose the villainous tandem. Dropping the Lynch silliness and shifting the focus to athletic competition between four of the best wrestlers on the roster was the right decision and led to great singles and tag team matches.

Daniels and Kazarian have held the titles together twice since May, debuting matching tights and dubbing themselves The World Tag Team Champions of the World during their second reign. Although they lost the straps to Hernandez and Chavo Guerrero (Junior) at Bound For Glory last month they remain one of TNA’s few regular combos. They are also its most entertaining.

 

No appletini in sight

 

Despite no longer having Angle and Styles to oppose the WTTCOTW can still play an incredibly important role in TNA. As mentioned above they are two of the finest wrestlers on the roster and a very polished act. The appletinis, scarves, and smarmy grins set them apart from the standard scowling heels. They understand their role and how to get themselves and others over.

What TNA should do now is stick a few more units together to try and get a decent division going. Joey Ryan and Matt Morgan and current champs Hernandez and Guerrero are a nice start but things are still a little light on the ground. Robbie E and Robbie T would be a natural choice. They’re not used anywhere near enough as a tag team. Sam Shaw and Crimson look surprisingly similar. Given matching outfits they would at least look the part as a combo. It’s a shame that Samoa Joe and Magnus were split as a team. There was a lot more that could have been done with them.

Daniels and Kazarian deserve praise for bringing life to a fairly dreary division and for getting themselves over with hard work, both between the ropes and with their characters. They have the talent to keep the division relevant for a long time and continue to grow as a pairing. Let’s hope that TNA bosses realise that and don’t split them prematurely. They’re worth far more together than separately.

The Art of the Fist Pump

Over the years TNA has earned itself a reputation for emulating WWE. Rightfully so. They routinely follow WWE’s lead in terms of characters, storylines, and production decisions. They also famously enjoy signing up almost anyone released from a WWE contract, presumably because they believe they can wring some exposure from said signings. That has never been the case. If anything they tend to decrease the star power of former WWE wrestlers appearing for them.

Unsurprisingly, it’s when TNA tries something different to their rival that they usually find their greatest success. One of best current examples of this is Robbie E’s Jersey Shore inspired character, which is ironic considering the similarity it holds to Zack Ryder in WWE.

They may work on different sides of the face-heel divide but Ryder and E are essentially doing the same thing. It’s clear both are modelled on characters from the “reality” TV show. Both enjoy a good fist pump (not like that), slather themselves in fake tan, and (take care to) spike their hair. While the WWE Merchandising Machine and exposure on higher rated shows has ensured that Ryder is the more widely known and over of the two it’s actually Robbie E that has the more rounded act, unique flourishes and who performs with the most conviction.

Robbie E has made Rob Terry relevant. That's an accomplishment in itself!

Robbie E has done far more than simply emulate a reality TV star. He has far more fitting entrance music, an imposing ringside enforcer in Robbie T (who looks far more comfortable as a Jersey Shore reject than a Welshman has any right being), and he has The List: purportedly a record of the only people permitted to be near Robbie E. He carries himself like a Jersey Shore character. Ryder carries himself like a reject from X Factor. There’s a difference and it favours Robbie E.

Robbie E has enough going on with his act to ensure that he stands out. He deserves credit for getting all of these disparate gimmicks to work in one package.

That he’s a mid-card act that’s managed to carve himself a spot in the schizophrenic TNA is just as much of an accomplishment as Zack Ryder using YouTube to promote himself from Superstars to RAW. All too often TNA forgets about its mid-card wrestlers altogether (probably because WWE does the same) so it’s nice that ‘The Platinum Poppa’ is on TV most weeks provoking the desired reaction and wrestling in enjoyable matches.

With Dave Lagana now on the TNA writing team it’s not impossible to think we may see the return of Cookie at some point in the not too distant future (the two are good friends). Adding another second to his entourage would only enhance the Robbie E package. Perhaps it’s wishful thinking on my part but it would be nice to see. I always thought Cookie was a good fit with E. She could be again.

Either way, Robbie E has found a way to stand out in an often dull and unappreciative promotion. I hope this continues and Robbie E keeps growing as a performer.