TNA BFG rant

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGPVyBUeAIU

Okay, I should caveat what I'm about to say with some positivity as compared to last year's debacle of a PPV at least this year's BFG main event has the potential to be somewhat meaningful. BFG 2015 is by simple virtue of not being an exhibition show, already an improvement from the 2014 Tokyo BFG.

However, that being said here is why I am disappointed in how badly it has been booked.

1. TNA leave their main event for the world heavyweight title to be booked just two episodes before the PPV.

This to me is criminal, for several reasons. Firstly, it has been fairly obvious for the past few months that the biggest baby face TNA have left on their roster is Drew Galloway. Him winning the number 1 contenders match this past week on impact was no surprise to TNA fans. Therefore, why didn't TNA begin building this match months ago? They've been advertising BFG 2015 for a few months already. To book the main event through a 5 way number 1 contenders match was extremely lazy imo. Drew won the Lethal Lockdown match against GFW for TNA. Surely that fact in itself should have elevated him to the main event of BFG?! I noticed how TNA stopped producing their top 5 power ranking. That gimmick soon fell by the wayside. This title match has had no build up and this is supposed to be TNA's biggest event of the year!

Secondly, TNA have uploaded a video with EC3 on his title match (linked above) and he's basically been forced to sell this match on the strength of his charisma alone. I don't think this is fair on EC3 who has done an amazing job of rebuilding his career at TNA and has been one of the most, if not the most entertaining character on the roster for well over a year now. EC3 deserves more than this terrible job of booking the main event of BFG. EC3 mentioned his undefeated streak and asked whether Galloway was going to be the one to take it? A streak should be a big deal. Beating the streak needs to be booked intelligently for it to have the pay off it needs. If Galloway does beat EC3 at BFG and takes the streak it will feel underwhelming, because it hasn't been a factor at all in the logic or justification for the booking. Galloway won a number one contender's match, which was irrespective of and had nothing to do with EC3's streak. It's a side issue. The streak hasn't even really been a major factor in EC3's title reign, unlike Roode's first title run where he became the longest ever reigning world champion in TNA history.

Thirdly, the way the match has been booked has led to a grey zone in the storyline. Due to the fact that Galloway was the saviour of TNA against GFW and remained loyal to Dixie, then surely as his (kayfabe) aunt EC3 should be grateful to Galloway for what he has done for the Carter family and their company? Even though EC3 is a heel, because of his supposed family connection, there is really no animosity or rivalry between him and Galloway with which to build a story around. It's one thing to focus your product on the quality of the wrestling, but you still need clearly defined rivalries and heels and baby faces. There has been practically no interaction between Galloway and EC3, there is no conflict. This robs the match of so much of its emotional drawing power.

This brings me on to my final grievance. What is there for fans to invest in? Defeating the Streak? The match isn't about the streak. Drew becoming world champion for the first time and solidifying him becoming the new AJ Styles and Mr. TNA? Well none of that has been a factor in the lazy way he was booked to win his title shot. TNA desperately need a new AJ Styles. They need a new Mr. TNA, their very own John Cena who will bleed TNA. Yet, Drew's rise to the main event has felt disjointed and far from meteroic. First he was the leader of the Rising in a war with the BDC, which they lost being forced to disband. Then he was in a feud with his former friend Eli Drake that lasted all but a few weeks, and didn't really have a satisfying pay off. Then he leads the charge against GFW and carries the TNA banner, but none of that seems to have been taken into consideration for his title match at BFG. The seeds have been there, but TNA haven't really done anything with them.

2. The TNA tag team title match involves members of the GFW roster.

It is incredibly damning when a rival company who are yet to secure a US TV deal have a larger tag team division than you do, and you're supposed to be the No.2 wrestling promotion in America! I think it is absolutely pathetic that TNA have had to resort to booking a rematch with Trevor Lee and Brian Myers at BFG. To think of all the truly great tag teams TNA have had on their roster in the past and now the Wolves are the only team left. It is a real indictment against TNA's management and talent relations that they couldn't book their tag team title match from within their own roster. For me this would have been the perfect opportunity to create a dream match up and bring back Bad Influence on a short term contract. I don't know about Bad Influence's situation with ROH, but I'm sure they could have worked something out. Bad Influence despite not being current members of the TNA roster, are TNA alumni and would have been a dream match up against the Wolves. Instead, we have a match where the result is predetermined by the very fact that the Wolves opponents' aren't even on the TNA roster and since the GFW war is over, there's no way Myers and Lee can win the titles. This is a purely exhibition match in nature and therefore irrelevant.

As I said, this PPV is a slight improvement from last year's, but it still is a disgrace. EC3 and Galloway deserve so much better and their respective booking this year should have been handled so much better. TNA really do take their fan base for granted if they thought fans would be invested enough to buy the PPV just because it's name is BFG. This is what makes me really angry at TNA. They've wasted their talent and they've taken their fans for granted. Gaburick needs to go. The guy is utterly incompetent at what he does.

What happened to the Bound for Glory series? Or do they literally not have the talent to do that anyway?

I was never the biggest fan of the Bound For Glory series, while I was a fan of some kind of league table showing whos hot and whos not I felt the BFG Series dragged on far to much and I also felt that the World Champion going into their biggest show of the Year was almost obsolete - It became all about the Challenger and how he got there, I liked the premise of it but in practice I never felt it quite came off, it did for the Challenger but not for the Champ, it felt lop sided, I still think it could work but only if they tweaked it

Okay here's how I would have booked the world title match.

*For the purpose of my fantasy booking the Rising defeated the BDC forcing them to disband instead.

One month before BFG, the TNA vs GFW war culminates in the Lethal Lockdown match on impact. Drew Galloway pins Brian Myers to win the match and in the process end the war against GFW.

The next week on impact Dixie comes out and praises Galloway for his loyalty to TNA and for his heroic victory over GFW. Dixie says that if it wasn't for Galloway this week's show would be GFW impact! Dixie says Galloway has earned a world title shot at BFG.

EC3's music hits and he walks out. In jealousy EC3 protests saying he doesn't think Galloway did anything special. He says as the world champion and a Carter he is the face of the company and Mr. TNA! Galloway then takes the mic from Dixie and says beating Team GFW in the Lethal Lockdown match last week was a great honour, but come BFG winning the world heavyweight title will be the pinnacle of his career!

The following week, Dixie again comes out and says despite her nephew's tantrum on last week's show, Drew does deserve to be in the main event and she reveals a video package of a montage of Drew's career in TNA thus far. The video plays showing how Drew beat the BDC and Team GFW. The video ends and EC3 comes out furious that Drew is given his own video package.

EC3 cuts a promo saying that beating Team GFW is nothing compared to his undefeated streak and that he is greatest TNA world champion ever and the best wrestler in the history of the company. EC3 says with distain that Galloway isn't the "saviour" of TNA and that this is his house and his company, there would be no TNA without EC3. Galloway comes out and says he wasn't born with a silver spoon in his mouth and that he's had to fight and claw his way to into the main event of the biggest event of the year, and he's not going to take any of EC3's nonsense. He says he's going to beat EC3 and take his streak and world title at the same time and usher in a new era in TNA. The two stare down.

The go home show before BFG, there is the contract signing for the main event. A table is set up in the middle of the ring with EC3 and Tyrus on one side and Galloway on the other. The world title is placed on the table. EC3 decides to play mind games and tells Galloway that being world champion is a tremendous responsibility and heavy burden to carry. He says not every wrestler is cut out to be champion. He questions whether Galloway is truly champion material, despite being the "people's champion" and Mr. Stand Up for Wrestling. He says its a totally different thing to be a real champion and that it takes more than a hashtag to become one. EC3 says as a Carter he was born for greatness and he has the undefeated streak to prove it. Galloway picks up his mic and responds by saying that EC3 is a coward who has hid behind Tyrus and his undefeated streak is nothing more than a string of injustices. Galloway says he is the better man who has integrity and who at BFG will win the world heavyweight title not just for himself, but for the entire locker room who EC3 has cheated. He says TNA fans deserve more than EC3 as their world champion.

The two sign the contract and Galloway stands up and stares at EC3 with a determined and confident look. As Galloway turns to leave the ring, EC3 glances at Tyrus and Tyrus jumps Galloway from behind. Tyrus holds Galloway's arms behind his back, as EC3 picks up the belt from the table and hits Galloway in the head with it, KO'ing Galloway as he falls to the canvas. EC3 stands over Galloway's unconscious body with the world title raised in one hand while fans boo and jeer as the show fades out.

Samo wrote:What happened to the Bound for Glory series?  Or do they literally not have the talent to do that anyway?

Seems like it has become another dropped gimmick. Although judging from the show I saw yesterday, they barely had enough talent to encircle the ring for Melendez's match against Eric Young...and that was including the Knockouts.

Kay Fabe wrote:
I was never the biggest fan of the Bound For Glory series, while I was a fan of some kind of league table showing whos hot and whos not I felt the BFG Series dragged on far to much and I also felt that the World Champion going into their biggest show of the Year was almost obsolete - It became all about the Challenger and how he got there, I liked the premise of it but in practice I never felt it quite came off, it did for the Challenger but not for the Champ, it felt lop sided, I still think it could work but only if they tweaked it

I never saw it like that. I thought the BFG Series was supposed to be entirely about the challengers and whoever ended up getting the title shot. Of course the champion needs to be appropriately booked, so that the title match has some real interest, but I think you can do that with matches separate from the BFG series.

Its a shame its gone, but they apparently don't have enough personnel to run it this year...or have decided to drop it regardless.

talkingpoint wrote:
...awesome fantasy BFG booking...

#talkingpointforTNA

For the love of god someone get TP in talks with TNA! He probably has more creativity in his little finger than some of the current encumbents.

I disagree with you about the BFG series buddy  and heres why, while I know the BFG series was all about the challenger and rightly so it started about May-ish about 5 months from Bound for Glory, while it was filled with talent we knew wouldn't win it there was always 2 or 3 guys who genuinely could win it, for me this meant that TNA had a clear path for the (unknown) Challenger and it left the World Champion in Limbo, if you ain't the Champ and had serious desire to be then you had to be in the BFG series

It meant that the World.Champion would spend months facing guys who weren't in the supposed hottest competiton in Wrestling, then it annoyed me how guys could win #1 contenders matches on iMPACT on one evening for a PPV 2 weeks away while guys have to go through 4/5 months of a brutal League system.

The Champ was often left with the scraps and while those "scraps" mighthave been big names in one off matches the likelihood of them beating the Champion was always remote, they swerved us all brilliantly one year when Aries beat Roode but thats the only time I can think of that the BFG series didn't hurt the Champ but even then Ariea was seen as plucky, it wasn't sold as a blockbuster

dyrewolfe wrote:

talkingpoint wrote:
...awesome fantasy BFG booking...

#talkingpointforTNA

For the love of god someone get TP in talks with TNA! He probably has more creativity in his little finger than some of the current encumbents.

why thank you.

As if my respect for Gaburick couldn't get any less already, and then this happens! *spoilers*





http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2015/0930/602206/big-main-event-change-for-tna-bound-for-glory-pay-per-view/

So at the go home show before BFG Matt Hardy is added to the main event with brother Jeff being the special guest referee? Why? Because the Hardys are from North Carolina and BFG is in North Carolina? If TNA are doing this to try and boost ticket sales then this should have been announced weeks ago. This should also have factored into the storyline as Matt vows to become world champ for the first time in his home state in front of his home crowd. They should have built this up to be the feel good moment of the PPV. But literally days before the PPV itself? Really?

Let's put aside the fact that would TNA benefit at all from Matt being the world champ; let's put aside the fact that Hardy as a singles competitor is midcard, upper midcard at best. Let's put aside the fact that for EC3 to put over Hardy would do nothing for EC3's career. If the reason Matt Hardy is the in the main event of BFG is purely because of the location for this year's BFG then why is this the final twist in the tale? Why can't TNA even make a simple booking decision like this in anticipation? Why are TNA creative so...uncreative and useless!?!?!?

I was about to right a wee bit about how, with a few booking tweaks and foresight, TNA could have built the Galloway/EC3 programme but it seems kind of pointless now if the thing about Matt is true

And while I agree the tag match is pretty pointless I'm a huge Trevor Lee fan, so Im pleased to see him get a payday

Anyone know how Challenge will be showing this in the UK?

Kay Fabe wrote:I disagree with you about the BFG series buddy  and heres why, while I know the BFG series was all about the challenger and rightly so it started about May-ish about 5 months from Bound for Glory, while it was filled with talent we knew wouldn't win it there was always 2 or 3 guys who genuinely could win it, for me this meant that TNA had a clear path for the (unknown) Challenger and it left the World Champion in Limbo, if you ain't the Champ and had serious desire to be then you had to be in the BFG series

It meant that the World.Champion would spend months facing guys who weren't in the supposed hottest competiton in Wrestling, then it annoyed me how guys could win #1 contenders matches on iMPACT on one evening for a PPV 2 weeks away while guys have to go through 4/5 months of a brutal League system.

The Champ was often left with the scraps and while those "scraps" mighthave been big names in one off matches the likelihood of them beating the Champion was always remote, they swerved us all brilliantly one year when Aries beat Roode but thats the only time I can think of that the BFG series didn't hurt the Champ but even then Ariea was seen as plucky, it wasn't sold as a blockbuster

Hence my agreement with your comment that it needing some tweaking. TNA's Achilles' heel has always been their booking.

The BFG contenders wouldn't ALL be fighting each other every week, (unless for some strange reason they threw in Royal Rumble or Gauntlet type matches) so you could book the champ to take each of them on, starting with the "weakest" / least likely to win and finishing with the series winner...thus setting the scene for the title match.

I know logistically it would be tricky...especially if anyone picked up injuries etc. but in theory it shouldn't be that hard to do. Each week you have 1 or 2 BFG Series matches, plus a separate match where the champ takes on a contender who isn't in a BFG match that week.

It might even need some guys to work 2 matches in 1 show, but its not like that hasn't been done before...

talkingpoint wrote:As if my respect for Gaburick couldn't get any less already, and then this happens! *spoilers*





http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2015/0930/602206/big-main-event-change-for-tna-bound-for-glory-pay-per-view/

So at the go home show before BFG Matt Hardy is added to the main event with brother Jeff being the special guest referee? Why? Because the Hardys are from North Carolina and BFG is in North Carolina? If TNA are doing this to try and boost ticket sales then this should have been announced weeks ago. This should also have factored into the storyline as Matt vows to become world champ for the first time in his home state in front of his home crowd. They should have built this up to be the feel good moment of the PPV. But literally days before the PPV itself? Really?

Let's put aside the fact that would TNA benefit at all from Matt being the world champ; let's put aside the fact that Hardy as a singles competitor is midcard, upper midcard at best. Let's put aside the fact that for EC3 to put over Hardy would do nothing for EC3's career. If the reason Matt Hardy is the in the main event of BFG is purely because of the location for this year's BFG then why is this the final twist in the tale? Why can't TNA even make a simple booking decision like this in anticipation? Why are TNA creative so...uncreative and useless!?!?!?  

Ugh! Once again, I can only agree with your sentiments.

I hate Triple Threat matches for any reason, as I've yet to see one that looked fluid, convincing and genuinely exciting. But for a PPV heavyweight title match...

The Tag Team title match is a foregone conclusion since TNA won the war with GFW...another idiotic piece of booking right there!

If they really wanted Matt Hardy on the card, why not put him in the KOTM match with Roode...and make it a proper KOTM match with multiple competitors, ladders and holding cell? Still baffles me that this belt can be won in a conventional match.

Then they wouldn't have needed a gauntlet match...which are always messy and have lulls. They could have had Lashley in with Abyss and Tyrus and made it a Monsters' Ball match or something.

I think this PPV could be fun. Is Challenge showing it?

Not until Wednesday at 9pm

Fernando wrote:Not until Wednesday at 9pm

How will I live with the suspense!?!

Dr Gregory House MD wrote:

Fernando wrote:Not until Wednesday at 9pm

How will I live with the suspense!?!

By watching this

Needs more bull buchanan