The babyfaces are idiots.

[Snowman1]

Many of us who enjoy TNA's storylines love how you can look at them from they're point of view, put yourself in their shoes, and it'll make sense... The Aces and Eights have all been spurned by Hogan and are rebelling against them while protecting each other. AJ Styles is tired of being Mr. TNA and getting nothing out of it, so he's taking care of himself right now. The same goes for Matt Morgan. The attorney Joseph Park sees a marriage between Bully and Brooke Dudley and feels like he needs to do something about it, and Abyss wants to avenge his brother...

However, what about Hogan and Team TNA? As all the heels point out Hogan sucks as GM (appreciate that one, heels!). He's created all the problems himself. How many times has Magnus tried to take out the Aces and Eights by himself and been taken out? Chalk that one up to wrestling logic.

But the one I really want to discuss is this AJ Styles angle. Maybe you can chalk it up to good acting on Bully's part, but the Aces are putting up a really nice offer. He can join their group, have their support (which, love it or hate it, works), and Bully's actually expressed genuine interest towards bringing him back. Hanging around Fortune seems fine but we know he won't go there...

Then there's the babyfaces. Storm tried to be his buddy and bring him back to the light for 2 weeks before he just got fed up with him not choosing and just got in his face about it, now Angle's going back to yell at him despite wanting him to help out Team TNA, and Hogan booked him in a match with Angle. What is Team TNA doing to actually make AJ Styles want to join their side in this great war in the Aces and Eights? It really feels like AJ SHOULD side with the Aces at all unless Team TNA changes drastically.

Rant over... well, this wasn't really a rant but still

 

[Stopspot]

What you are saying makes sense. The faces are acting short sighted and with an "if you're not with me or agree with me, you're against me" mentality. One could argue that it is because of the state of internal war that the locker room is supposed to be in. Yet they don't do much with this supposed tension between factions. The locker room still seems happy go lucky when they have backstage segments and perfectly fine with Hogan making ham-egged decisions. Had they had some realism to the situation with the aces then Hogan would have been fired from his authority position the moment Bully turned and he would have then been involved as a coach/manager style character with team. That way Hogan would have had something to win off of the war, his job back. Right now the Hogan doesn't win or lose anything with this roster war. If team TNA wins status quo is restored, if the aces wins then Hogan has a roster wearing biker vests.

 

[Snowman1]

Not sure if it's really a "roster war" as much as "Bully vs Hogan with a whole bunch of different players involved". The whole feud seems built around Hogan being so pissed about how Bully is holding Brooke and the World Title hostage (and the TV title, too) and you can definitely chalk up many of Hogan's stupid decisions to being so angry over the whole situation. That's why he won't fire Bully, won't strip him of the world title, etc. Hardy and Magnus want the titles, Angle wants revenge on Garett/Wes/D'Lo, Sting's bromance with Hogan is back on... They have their own reasons to fight the Aces.

Hard to remember all this stuff with both sides getting sidetracked by stuff like this D-Lo Brown shit, and that's why your ratings suck TNA. Stop stalling.

Guess with the Styles angle they really should just put it off until after Slammiversary, feels really pointless in general right now. Why does Team TNA need AJ when they have Sting!? Yay.

As you say the pay-off doesn't justify the ridiculous amount of time on this. Yay, TNA gets the titles back, and Brooke's free!
Guess it'll be a really big moment for whoever will be the savior and gets all this stuff back, hope they don't waste it.

 

[Stopspot]

There is little to no explanation to Hogan still being in power though. Hogan's brash decisions have screwed TNA over on screen multiple times in this feud which would in any real company (not a wrestling company) equal him being let go. Dixey has shown that she can play hard ball, she did on screen fire D'Lo for being an Aces member after all and was involved in the Bobby Roode program. Yet there is almost no tension between the shows great power that is, Dixey Carter and her on screen official Hogan, despite Hogan handing a world title shot to the Aces and Eights president, and a TV title shot to a high ranking official. Not stripping those guys off their belts and giving a group of thugs access to HER company. There is no on screen reason for her trusting Hogan and believing that he will set things right.

To add some sort of personal risk for Hogan, who seems to be the big face in all this despite not wrestling, would add some more tension to this story and might just create enough drama to pull in the casuals. Hulk Hogan, wrestlings greatest hero is not only attacked by the villanous Aces, but his own company is on his back for his rash decisions and he is walking a thin line risking termination. Sound like it could build some nice drama.

Because right now there is no real risk for the main good guy in this. Obviously AJ will be the big good guy later on but right now he is second fiddle to Hogan. But all the people that are in risk in this feud are other people than Hogan. Joseph Park risks being mauled by the aces at Slammy if he gets the upset, Sting will never challenge for the belt again if he loses and Hogan's daughter is stuck in a bad marriage. But Hogan has no real problems directed at him.

 

[Snowman1]

^I didn't know Dixie was on TV, must have missed that episode. Heard it happened on Twittah.
Thought that ever since Hogan was given power Dixie was just off TV to be forgotten. (That's fine, wrestling fans have short memories)

But if she came back just to fire D-Lo Brown that just really screwed up this entire storyline lmao. Nice one TNA

 

[Stopspot]

She did fire him via twitter. But it was established on TV that Dixie wouldn't be afraid to play hardball via the commentary team. I should have worded that better. But I wouldn't be against Dixie getting involved a little bit, WWE has done it before. Having McMahon, the überboss show up to put some pressure on the on screen boss. Like how McMahon worked with Bischoff on RAW.

My key point is. The current top good guy in this feud seems to be walking into this war without risk. Everyone else is sacrificing for or paying the dues for Hogan. Actually putting some pressure on Hogan could help create som tension and drama.

 

[Snowman1]

At least it was TNA Commentary saying it so nobody heard it anyway :haha:

Totally agree with everything you say about Hogan. The damage to Hogan has been done already, he has everything to gain and nothing else to lose. Surely when the BFG build kicks off they're going to rectify that problem. In any logical universe Bully will have to have some crazy stipulations on the BFG contract for him to agree to putting not only the World Title but Brooke's marriage on the line in a wrestling match.

I have no earthly idea how they're going to drag this storyline out until BFG and am kinda scared to find out. Maybe if Sting and Park job gets they'll show Dixie watching Joe vs Bully a couple of weeks later, clearly upset with how ineffective Hogan's boys have been with dealing with the Aces. That'll pretty much mean Bully and Devon have run through all of Team TNA (except Eric Young and Cowboy but they're just forgetting about them) the No More Heroes schtick will have some bearing and not just put over Sting, and with the boss breathing down his neck it's crunch time for Hogan... You're right, that could create some amazing drama.

 

[Stopspot]

It could even create a third faction, with Dixie bringing in her own guys to help combat the aces (say a young gun like Crimson, some mid carder that isn't going anywhere right now or even a Hogan/aces defector, and a top guy to go against Hogan and Bully, Hi Matt Morgan) her way. That would create a third faction, the aces who want to destroy the company, Dixie's posse who wants to protect her company (Morgan doing it for title shots and money, deal with the devil style) and Hogan who wants to do it his way and get retribution.

 

[Dolph'sZiggler]

IMO it is meant to be this way. The writing was leading us to believe that AJ will choose the bad guys over the good guys. Hell, they had me fooled. Even though all show long I thought 'no way in hell is AJ joining that group' but when he put on the cut, even though it should have been obvious what was coming, for a moment there I was like DAMN, he really joined!.

Anyway, it is a good dynamic I think. The bad guys are ass kissing and the good guys are like come on, really asshole?

 

[Testify]

It's been like this ^^^^ way since like forever (at least in TNA). Get used to it. I did.

And lol about discussing Hogan and logic (in kayfab world). Hogan barely makes logical choices for over 2 yrs now, it's not worth to even discuss it. Hogan the GM is a schmuck, fact, and lets not beat the dead meat, jack.

 

[seabs]

It makes perfect sense, the babyfaces can't afford to trust AJ as he's attacked them multiple times, he doesn't trust the heels after how Bully backstabbed Hogan to become Champ. He knows they're manipulating.

 

[Snowman1]

Can one of you mods A: Close this thread, and B: Ban me for a week over it?

Thanks in advance.

 

[seabs]

Huh?

 

[Dolph'sZiggler]

Choose B

 

[Rysenberg]

C: All of the above?