Biggest misuse of talent - TNA or WCW?

Mr.Nice Guy

I haven't watched Impact or TNA PPVs in quite a while as I value my sanity and felt I was losing it bit by bit from watching the shows. Nonetheless I've kept up to speed on events going on there out of morbid curiosity. Here's the report on the latest show for anyone interested (contains spoilers for anyone who still bothers to watch this train wreck):

http://www.wrestlingobserver.com/wo/news/features/default.asp?aID=20646

So to recap TNA's current direction, we have a promising young talent persisting with copying another legend's identity (Black Machismo), we have some US sports athlete (Pacman Jones) being used in a prominent role despite the fact he legally can't participate in a wrestling match (that's unbelievable idiocy) and we have a legendary babyface (Sting) helping out a heel (Kurt Angle). Why is that happening exactly? Or is Kurt Angle going through his on/off babyface phase again?

More to the point, does anyone on this board actually still watch this dross? This is a load of bollocks. They had such potential in 2006 and the company has gone down the sh*tter.

Look at CM Punk - now he's the ECW World Champion. Look at Samoa Joe - he's fighting Raven. Wow. So to review, Joe has remained EXACTLY WHERE HE WAS last year whilst Punk has actually been elevated to the main event. Funny that. WWE knows how to push their talent effectively whereas TNA pushes its talent aside to make room for sports "stars" who fans don't give a sh*t about. Fantastic.

So I put this question to you all, which company misused its talent more - TNA or WCW? For me it's definitely TNA. Can't make money, can't make storylines with any sense and can't progress to the next level.

I congratulate Vince Russo on surpassing his disastrous reign in WCW. Just die already TNA. You're useless.

RebelRockChick

I only really watch TNA the odd time, which tbh has been a while.

TNA seem to have too many names that could be main eventers and whenever a big name comes along they just seem to push others further down the roster. AJ Styles, Samoa Joe and Raven all being examples.

They don't really seem to have any balance with how they use their talent.

Mitch Connor

whatever problems TNA have i can not comment on, but this comment: "WWE knows how to push their talent effectively" is incorrect in my opinion. People like Carlito, Christian, Johnny Nitro (up to the move to ECW), Helms, Matt Hardy have all been completely under-used in recent times. Even look at a legend like Ric Flair, his mic time is pretty much non-existent, and what makes it worse is the WWE would be so much better if they gave it to him! You also mention CM Punk - he may be main event, but main event on ECW, the C brand - and he is seemingly only champion because Nitro/Morrison got suspended

I'm sure there are other people who have been mis-used by the WWE too, but i can't think of them off the top of my head.

Fozzy

TNA by far is misusing their talent more. Right now, I consider the most talented guys in TNA to be Samoa Joe, Christopher Daniels, Alex Shelley, Homicide/LAX, Senshi and Christian. Christian has been used alright for the most part. Joe hasn't been made to look like a star at all, not since he dropped the X-Divison title last year. The rest just fill in gaps and job out to guys who were WWE/WCW stars in a different era

TNA has a different audience to what WCW had as well, TNA's audience appreciates the smaller guys more I think. AJ Styles, Eric Young, Petey Williams and Jay Lethal are all incredibly over with the crowd. AJ is just Christian's bitch though. I don't think Petey even makes it to tv now. The thing that really gets to me with TNA is that they really can offer a true alternative to WWE with the X-Division and their smaller guys, but they don't. They're giving us guys who were better when they were in WWE than they are now

The single biggest misuse of talent in TNA though is probably Jim Cornette. When he's booking, he relies on logic. TNA clearly doesn't, which is one of the biggest reasons why it is hard to watch these days

Double C

TNA's misuse of talent is so bad nowadays its offensive. In the good days, before that dickhead arrived, TNA was going places, now look at them. LAX is the prime example. Before Russo, they were a cutting edge faction with a (somewhat) relevant political sentiment. Russo arrives and within two weeks we see Konnan shooting at Spike Dudley, thus removing any credibility they had. Putting them in a series of dumb stipulation matches didn't help.

Another example is the Murder City Machine Guns. Last week what happened them was appalling. They were due to fight Team 3D, but got jumped by VKM before the match started. VKM went on to challenge all the tag teams in TNA resulting in a brawl involving everyone but the MCMG's. F*ckin' Eric Young and Sharkboy were involved, but not the MCMG's. TNA has misused Shelley for a year or so now, but Sabin? I read a rumour that Shelley asked for his release, I then learned it was bullsh*t, but it got my hopes up.

Kurt Angle as X Division champion is a sick f*cking joke. Guys like Lethal, Dutt, Sabin, Shelley, Kazarian, Senshi and Daniels should be vying for this title, giving it some prestige. It's a laughing stock as it is.

Joe should have held the title for some sustainable amount of time by now. Kurt Angle signing for TNA was probably just a bad a move for the company as hiring Vince Russo. That's something I thought I'd never say but now I think it's true. It's turned into the Angle show. Joe's undefeated streak shouldn't have ended as easily or as predictably as it did. A program between Christian and Joe over the title could have gone on for months, and it would have been watchable. Much better than this Kurt Angle domination drivel we've been fed recently.

I assume you are referring to the misuse of the "Vanilla Midgets", Benoit, Guerrero, Malenko, Guererra et al in WCW. At least they got tv time every week. When is the last time Petey Williams was on Impact? 6 months ago?

TNA are way more guilty than WCW ever were as far as I can see (not that I watched a whole lot of WCW, but I read the books etc).

Mr. Nice Guy wrote:

Just die already TNA. You're useless.

QFT!

Edit: In regards to WWE using Punk better than Joe, while it is true, it did only take a double murder/suicide and a drugs bust for Punk to get the title.

ShawnRaven

Mr.Nice Guy wrote:

Just die already TNA. You're useless.

Whereas i see where you're coming from, TNA isn't completely useless. I find it a lot more interesting to watch these days then WWE. Personal opinion obviously, but at least TNA aren't ramming Cena down my throat every week

VR!

Bubs101

The wrestling is of a higher quality but they have too many wrestlers for 1 hour. It just feels so rushed

Double C

In fairness to TNA, the Christian Coalition is still quality, but the guy who is impressing me most has to be James Storm. His promo's are always gas (even that one he did with Don West when West got locked) and his search for Rhyno recently has been great. He gets it done in the ring too. He is light years ahead of the bland, boring and all round terrible Chris Harris.

ShawnRaven

Bubs101 wrote:

The wrestling is of a higher quality but they have too many wrestlers for 1 hour. It just feels so rushed

I believe they have got the go-ahead for 2 hours in October now.
VR!

EdK

Double C wrote:

In fairness to TNA, the Christian Coalition is still quality, but the guy who is impressing me most has to be James Storm. His promo's are always gas (even that one he did with Don West when West got locked) and his search for Rhyno recently has been great. He gets it done in the ring too. He is light years ahead of the bland, boring and all round terrible Chris Harris.

At least Chris Harris can wrestle, he's got a good finisher a fitting gimmick and he works hard, His promos need alittle work but he's a solid wrestler

Double C

I always thought Storm was the better of the two in AMW. Their Texas Death Match from about 4 PPV's ago was incredible, but I thought Storm had the better performance. Harris' finisher is pretty cool though, in fact I saw it being used on Raw last week, by someone whose name I can't remember.

EdK

Umaga (dropped Jeff on his head with it)

Batista as well but he uses every wrestlers finisher as a normal move so he looks "good", black hole slam, spear, catatonic, jackhammer etc!


Storm isn't bad either but he is kinda chubby, to be fair they are tag team wrestlers now even though they didnt want to be together originally,I dont think either will be exceptionally big, AMW is a great tag team though,but their fued was also pretty good

Double C

The TNA mobile thing is saying there is a "huge announcement" coming at the PPV tomorrow and a "former champion" joining soon. I assume this is the same former champion we were promised a few months ago.

It's gotta be Impact going to 2 hours and Rob van Dam.

Edit: RVD has been removed from the ECW superstars page at long last (replaced by two chicks from the new Resident Evil flick )so it's gotta be him.

EdK

Brock Lesnar?

Hmm could be, they used the UFC swerve with Angle too

Double C

I'd like to see Brock back, but not in TNA. Maybe he could be Vince's son.

Vince135792003

Double C wrote:

It's gotta be Impact going to 2 hours and Rob van Dam.

Whatever. Maybe RVD can help them create their own Wellness Policy.

CHD

Cena is a legend

Bubs101

I'm gonna go for WWE. If TNA had the Miz he'd be a treble champion by now instead of in a programme with balls mahoney