Newsid Presents: THE BLOG

This is where I will post my thoughts on anything wrestling related that I feel like discussing.

This could include a PPV or DVD review, title changes, company goings on etc.

In the first blog I will be looking at the X-Division and the upcoming Destination X PPV.

Look forward to it
The X-Division pwns

Akira Tozawa Mark wrote:

Look forward to it
The X-Division pwns

Yeah it does and it has been unfairly treated for a long time now.

So with Destination X just around the corner, I thought I would share with you my thoughts on the PPV and also preview the matches that we will see. In my opinion, it’s high time that the X-Division was put into the spotlight and finally TNA have decided to do it. This is a big opportunity for TNA because if the PPV gets a good response then maybe more focus will be placed on the X-Division in the future which in turn would mean that TNA would start distancing itself from WWE and become an alternative. A big factor however will be buy rates. We have heard a million times that “the X-Division can’t draw”, however I hope Hogan and Bischoff will be proved wrong. Anyway, it’s not as if TNA’s other PPV’s in 2011 have been big earners (Victory Road reportedly fell to an embarrassing 8,000 buys). I think that the fans of TNA can be play a big part because if more people order this PPV then maybe Dixie will finally open her eyes and realise that the X-Division has been wasted these last few years.

If you cast your mind back to the early days of TNA, the company was known for two things. The first was their illogical and nonsensical booking (and still is, thanks Vince Russo), but the second was the quality of their matches. The X-Division was frequently in the main event of their weekly pay per views and was thriving. The division was being led by AJ Styles, Jerry Lynn and Low-Ki and was getting a lot of attention. The success of the X-Division continued through the first few years of TNA’s existence and when Mike Tenay, Jeremy Borasch and Scott D’Amore took over booking duties, they placed an emphasis on younger and faster wrestlers which was in favour of the X-Division. They even put the X-Division in the main event of their Unbreakable 2005 PPV which resulted in the company’s only 5 star match in history. Christopher Daniels vs. AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe is regarded by most as the greatest match in TNA history. I agree, it is.

So what could possibly go wrong for the X-Division? Well, the answer is simple and comes in the form of Vince Russo. When Russo took over booking duties in 2006, he shunted the X-Division to one side and brought in so-called “veterans” and placed them in the spotlight that they had been hogging for years previously. Guys like Kevin Nash, Scott Steiner and Booker T were given TV time whilst the X-Division was left to rot away in the shadows. This would continue for the end of the 00’s.

So could Destination X 2011 revive the once great division and bring it back to its former glory? Or will it just be a farewell, similar to that of Hardcore Justice in 2010? I guess we’ll find out on July 10th.

In Part 2, I will preview the matches that we will see at Destination X and also rank my top 10 favourite X-Division wrestlers in TNA’s 9+ year history.

I see...

I, for one, liked the blog. I like the concept of the X-Division, but one thing they don't do is connect with fans. I'm not talking about pre-show meet and greets and all that crap, I'm talking about during matches. Don't get me wrong, I really like the X-Division style, but when you look back at a lot of their matches, what's the story in there? The guys, in question of the crowd, are like sharks. They swim, swim and swim as fast as they can because if they stop, they die - if they stop to poss or whatever, they're scared they won't get a response. So, that's why you have guys like Ricochet with the Double Moonsault and everything, doing all these amazing moves because they're scared of working the crowd. In pro wrestling, you gotta get the crowd into it, and wrestlers don't do that enough anymore. That's why the whole revolution of the 90's came. People were sick and tired of seeing a guy hold a Chinlock, and frankly, still are - Randy Orton. Fans should be interactive in pro wrestling, and I'm not talking about yelling insider terms like a douche.

So...yeah...my opinion...of randomness...put together...

I completely agree with you. If the X-Division could combine kick ass matches whilst at the same time connecting with the crowd and putting a stroy behind the matches, then it could be a force to be reckoned with. Maybe if TNA could do that, then the X-Division will once again become popular and this would lead Dixie and her troupe of dickheads backstage to put the X-Division into the spotlight, where in turn would lead TNA into the opposite direction than that of WWE and make it a true alternative. Which is what it was in the first place, and should have always remained. But as long as Russo and Hogan are in the company I can't see that ever happening.

Hope the X division can return to promience. They need to stop all these storylines like Abyss or the Dudleys trying to kill the X division because they might succeed. Kendric really needs to win the title here. It's tough to decide whether to buy this or Money in The Bank. But with the Punk storyline and quality of ladder matches I will likley go with WWE here. That's saying something because the last time I bought a PPV, Rey Mysterio won the rumble.

Yeah personally I don't think that Kenrick is the best man to hold the X-Division championship, but one thing for sure is that he'll be a hell of a lot better champ than Abyss has been. In my opinion, Kazarian was doing a decent job as champion and deserved a longer reign. But with the possibility of Austin Aries and Low Ki being around in the future, neither one of them would look out of place with the X-Division Championship around their waist. TNA need to make it a priority to sign both of these guys to contracts.

In regards to which PPV to buy; Money In The Bank or Destination X? I guess I'm quite lucky in this respect as I will be getting both of them free as I live in the UK. We get Money In the Bank Live and we will be getting Destination X a few days after it is originally on. Sometimes, because of the delay with TNA PPV's, I am tempted to look at the spoilers beforehand. But I certainly won't with Destination X, I want to enjoy this PPV as much as possible.

Well, completely forgot about this, ain't no point in carrying on with the Destination X preview seeing as it's come and gone. I'm gonna write about something else, I'll decide later.

HAIL SABIN

BTW, nice blog sir..

Yannic wrote:

HAIL SABIN

BTW, nice blog sir..

Cheers brother.

Please do one about Sheep

do one about fanny rash

I see you've made another CAW Dan

Ethan or Kieran

Kieran because I knew about Ethan

Kieran's finisher is the STD(Standing Torture Device)

John has a lot of those along with his Fanny Rash

I could churn out blog after blog, but what’s the point of that? My blogs will hopefully focus on quality rather than quantity, and will look to insight its readers, with information, facts, opinions, hindsight and foresight on wrestling. They could be about anything wrestling related. This one in particular focuses on something which has caught my attention greatly this last week, and that is the defection of some of Ring of Honor’s top stars to the WWE. I will look at how it could be a source of growth for the WWE, the problems it will cause ROH and how similar events in history have panned out.

Many rumours have been circulating recently that a number of Ring of Honor employees will be leaving the company, and possibly joining the WWE. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time that Cary Silkin has been the victim of talent leaving his company to move onto better things. Samoa Joe and Nigel McGuiness, to name just two, both left for Florida whereas Bryan Danielson and a certain “Best in the World” both currently grace the World Wrestling Entertainment. If these recent rumours are to be believed then it would mean that the Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli), Colt Cobana and Davey Richards were all leaving Ring of Honor for the WWE.

Kings of Wrestling have already had a tryout match with WWE and apparently impressed management, so it would come as no surprise to see them in a WWE ring. Besides, I think that Claudio Castagnoli has both the ability and importantly, the physique to be a success. As for Chris Hero, he could do great things when teaming with Castagnoli, but if they were to ever pursue singles careers, I can see Claudio being the bigger success. This is largely down to the stubbornness of WWE and their reluctance to devote any time or effort to a smaller wrestler if he’s not heavily engaged in backstage politics. However, Daniel Bryan and CM Punk’s recent runs in the company appear to contradict that theory, but who knows for sure what is going on behind the scenes? Another interesting piece of news on the rumour mill is that if these two were to sign, then they would bypass the developmental system and go to straight to the main roster. This would be a smart move by WWE, as sending them to FCW could kill what makes them both great in the first place. They could also contribute greatly to a tag team division revival which the company desperately needs. In my personal opinion, WWE haven’t had a great tag team since they decided to split up Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas, who ironically have since joined Ring Of Honor where they recently won the ROH Tag Titles, from...Kings of Wrestling.

Moving on now to Colt Cobana, talk about having friends in the right places! The 11 year pro from Chicago, Illinois happens to be the best friend of CM Punk, the true WWE Champion and a man who carries as much power backstage than almost any other wrestler. Colt Cobana could easily be brought onto WWE screens, possibly playing a part in the Cena/Punk feud. Hell, he was even sitting in the front row during Money in the Bank where he witnessed Punk’s epic WWE Championship victory. If you watched closely, then you would have seen Punk and Cobana sharing a sneaky high five mid match when the action spilled to the outside of the ring. Now, Colt was previously in WWE back in 2008 where he wrestled under the ring name Scotty Goldman. What at first seemed to be a big opportunity turned out to be a brief and fruitless period, he was soon released from the company and he went back to the Indies, specifically Ring of Honor. Of course, all of this was touched upon by Punk during his phenomenal promo on Raw, one that will be remembered for years to come and one that has re-ignited many former fans’ interest in the world of wrestling. Colt, provided this time he is used possibly, could succeed with his second stint in the company.

Davey Richards on the other hand is a tough one to predict. He’s won and lost the ROH World Heavyweight Championship over the last couple of months and his style seems a perfect fit for indy wrestling. The big question is, will he be able to pull it off in the big time? Those that have come before have successfully made the step up as aforementioned, but there is always a question mark, especially after Low-Ki’s dismal run. If Davey was to sign for WWE, I’m almost certain that he would be sent to FCW before he was called up to the main roster. The reason for this being his hard hitting style may not be exactly what the company want, so they’ll want to teach him how to wrestle “the WWE way”. But then again, in my opinion Davey’s style is what makes him a great wrestler so if WWE wanted to completely change the way he works then I would prefer it if he stayed in the indies where us fans could appreciate him for who he truly is. After all, he is used to wrestling long matches, something that is a rarity in a company such as WWE. To begin with, if he makes it onto the main roster, he will probably be reduced to 6 minute matches on Smackdown, which is not a long time to show his worth. I just hope he doesn’t get lost in the huge WWE mid card, or worse yet, Superstars (Superstars is something that I plan to discuss in a future blog).

There is no doubt that WWE, if they used them correctly, could hugely benefit from signing these four individuals and it would certainly entice some of the IWC into watching their product again. It would also make for some very interesting match ups between these individuals and the established WWE roster. Of course, a stable isn’t out of the question, one that could also possibly include current FCW wrestler and former ROH World Champion Tyler Black (now known as Seth Rollins). Although this would be a dream for some fans, it could confuse many others, most likely young kids and people who are unfamiliar with indy wrestling. I feel it would be unfair not to look at the other side of the spectrum and how this would leave Ring of Honor. Fresh from their purchase by the Sinclair Broadcasting Group and with their new television show starting soon, surely their original goals would have been to add to their existing roster, not have to replace it! Should the doomsday scenario happen i.e. all four of these individuals leave, then it would be the latest of many departures over the years. The only difference this time is that they are losing them all at once. As likeable as Colt Cobana is, he wouldn’t be a huge loss. But the other three have all held championships during 2011 and are arguably ROH’s biggest names. Can the company survive with having only Eddie Edwards, Roderick Strong and Homicide operating the main event scene? Well, that question is always asked when a big star leaves and in the past, management have always done a great job of making new stars, pulling it out of the bag even when it seems unlikely.

I think Ring of Honor need to accept the fact that they are a modern day ECW, in the fact that they are a breeding ground for up and coming wrestlers to make a name for themselves and get noticed by the bigger companies. It sure is a tough and cruel blow to a company who were seemingly making big steps in the right direction. Will this spur their progress, or will it fuel a fire underneath the company that will make them even more determined to succeed? My hope is that it’s the second one. And as for WWE, well, should these four men sign on for them in the coming weeks then it would give them a huge opportunity to win back fans, up the ratings and put butts in seats. It would also open up an almost endless selection of matches that fans will want to see. Most importantly, it could be restore the fans faith in the product and once again make them happy, something which hasn’t been the case for a long, long time.

Please give thoughts and feedback.