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Christian blows off obligations?

UnrightPosted on 03/07/06 at 03:51:44

There are a lot of varying stories about Christian blowing off a 1PW show in Great Britain this weekend despite agreeing to work the show.

The real story is that the 1PW shows were originally scheduled to take place on Friday and Saturday. 1PW ended up changing the dates to Saturday and Sunday. Christian had to be on the set of a New Line Cinema movie, "Shoot 'Em Up," in Toronto at 7AM this morning to film some of his small role in the film. Being able to pursue an acting career was one of the main reasons Christian left WWE for TNA since the WWE schedule kept him too busy to pursue acting.

Christian told 1PW he wouldn't be able to work the Sunday show. He worked the Saturday show then stayed as late as he could making appearances for 1PW and even filming footage of him getting beat up by Abyss. He then flew to Toronto, got in at 1AM this morning, slept a few years, and went to the movie shoot.

Credit: PWinsider.com

Hmm.. Christian trying to pursue an acting career? Good or bad for TNA?
Rick GarrardPosted on 03/07/06 at 04:11:31

That depends on his acting talent.  If he is as good as Hogan or Ventura, then it can only be bad, but if he is as good as The Rock, Roddy Piper, Terry Funk or even Bret Hart then it will be good mainstream exposure for the NWA World Champion and TNA.
Captain TagonPosted on 03/07/06 at 04:58:41

I wouldn't call it blowing off obligations. Christian didn't do anything wrong here.

And one of the reasons he went to work for TNA was with the less strenuous work schedule he'd have time to pursue acting. So I can't see how it would affect TNA at all.
Rick GarrardPosted on 03/07/06 at 05:12:55

I think it comes down to if 1PW is a member of the NWA or not.  And if they are, then they would have reason to demand that a promised title match from the NWA World Champion should happen... and Christian Cage is said NWA World Champion.  If he wanted a lesser schedule, he shouldn't have demanded to dethrone the King of the Mountain Jeff Jarrett.
AnubisPosted on 03/07/06 at 07:14:03

Actually, it would be 1PW's fault for changing show dates.  When someone is booked for a specific date, it should be for that date.  If Christian already has another day booked for something else, champion or not, if they switch days, he has no obligation to appear.
Captain TagonPosted on 03/07/06 at 17:38:58

On 03/07/06 at 07:14:03, Anubis wrote:Actually, it would be 1PW's fault for changing show dates.  When someone is booked for a specific date, it should be for that date.  If Christian already has another day booked for something else, champion or not, if they switch days, he has no obligation to appear.
And Anubis and I agree. Funny how life is sometimes.

It should also be noted how much Christian went out of his way to make extra appearances for 1PW since he'd be missing the show they rescheduled without telling him. By staying so late he didn't get back to from England until 1 am, and his film shots began at 7 am.
AnubisPosted on 03/07/06 at 22:18:50

I gotta admit that Christian is growing on me.  With him no longer being held down by WWE, his true talent is starting to shine through, talent I honestly didn't think was really there.  Of course, the thing he gets the most points for is his work ethic.  I like guys with a good work ethic like him, Aries, and Strong.  They really are the future of wrestling.  A welcome change from the days of the nWo with its legion of members doing all sorts of dumb crap in reality (like Hall's drinking and Nash's ego, etc.); very good to see the mistakes of the past haven't hurt the stars of the future.
TiLoBrownPosted on 03/08/06 at 05:33:17

Even while held down in WWE his true talents were shinning, thats why the fans turned him to a face without WWE ever doing it.
CrplsPosted on 03/08/06 at 09:53:26

BECAUSE THAT IS HOW HE ROLLS.

...


I really hate the catchphrase, BTW. Christian is awesome, otherwise.
91Posted on 03/08/06 at 22:08:33

On 03/07/06 at 22:18:50, Anubis wrote:I gotta admit that Christian is growing on me. With him no longer being held down by WWE, his true talent is starting to shine through, talent I honestly didn't think was really there.
We told you.
AnubisPosted on 03/08/06 at 22:19:54

With all due respects, TiLo, I don't think his talent was as obvious in WWE.  Of course I refer only to the in-ring talent, so that may be the difference here.

That said, I think it is pretty safe to say I'm not very good at spotting "hidden talent"; I have to see good work from someone to be able to peg him or her as a good worker.  That seems to be a difference between me and everyone else here.

Just to give an even better example, when I saw Air Styles in WCW, I thought he was drab and boring and more or less worthless.  All these years later, I know him as AJ Styles and know him to be one of America's best workers.

With WWE, I should expect this, because I do see how some good workers have been held back from doing their best work (i.e. Rob Van Dam, Gregory Helms, Simon Dean), so it should be expected.

I think it would be safe to say that WWE's modern home-grown talent (i.e. John Cena, JBL, Heidenriech) doesn't have much potential for greatness, but the workers they snatch up from the indies (i.e. Rob Van Dam, Matt Hardy, Edge) do have that potential.  Please note the key word "modern" up there, as I don't need a bunch of people poiting out guys like Shawn Michaels and The Rock.
JustinPosted on 03/08/06 at 22:55:35

Heidenreich is gone so why even count him now?
TheImpalerTMXPosted on 03/08/06 at 23:27:11

And I wouldn't exactly call JBL homegrown talent, nor would I call him a waste. Too many people on the net apparently just watch his title win over Eddie every week in place of what he is actually doing. Face it, the title run worked, he is a solid midcarder now, and he is actually capable of being a decent worker. He's certainly been more useful than Matt Hardy ever has been (not necessarily all his fault) and I wouldn't put Edge over him either as Edge was pretty much a disappointment until the heel turn and the money in the bank deal.

You're observation about them relying more on developmental guys than guys plucked from the indys is true, but its not because there is necessarily no talent in the developmental programs. The climate has changed - WWE no longer needs to rush to sign Mr. Indy Hotshot these days because there is no one else to compete with them (and don't even say TNA - 9 out of 10 indy guys would take a shot in WWE over TNA). When WCW was around, if there was someone on the indys who was a potential money maker, they had to race each other to get to them first, and even then they willing let some fall to the wayside once they did secure them (Christopher Daniels is a prime example).

Anyone who actually drawing in the indys is more likely to go to TNA now because they can be bigger fish in a smaller pond. Hence, there is no reason for WWE to go after those guys. Instead they tend to sign guys who are more of the top stars in specific regions and grab them before they can start making a name for themselves on the indys. With the current state of the business, that's the best way to go as it is cheap and everyone is pretty expendable. If one such guy out of ten ends up actually making it to WWE TV, then it still is probably a lot more efficient for them to have that one guy then to try to negotiate with the bigger stars on the indys.
AllPowerfulGARTHPosted on 03/08/06 at 23:40:10

I wouldn't blow off all of WWE's modern home-grown talent. Some of them (Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin, maybe Orlando Jordan under the right circumstances) are good workers with potential for success not too far down the line. Other modern home-grown talents have already found success without drawing enormous amounts of derision a la John Cena -- Batista and Randy Orton (if he learns to stop fumbling his lines) come to mind.

And Impaler has an excellent point about JBL -- he may not be the best worker, but his title reign was hardly a failure, and most nights he is still dynamite on the mic. I can see the distaste for guys who suck in the ring AND on the mic (Heidenreich, Chris Masters), but a guy like JBL -- who can cut awesome promos and is passable, if not spectacular, in the ring -- deserves a pass, I think. Especially if you take into account how long he remained loyal to the company despite being pegged as a lifetime midcarder at best for his first eight years of employment there.
AnubisPosted on 03/09/06 at 05:15:46

Again, I was speaking purely on in-ring ability.
rey619Posted on 03/09/06 at 09:16:36

The only real problem I see with using OVW and DSW is that it seems that all wrestlers are more or less molded into the same form. Everyone who "graduates" to the big leagues look more or less the same (with the exception of the Boogey Man). They are all well-chiseled, handsome and arrogant-looking. The wrestling styles are also very much the same.

I wonder, if Samoa Joe ever signs with the WWE.. do you think he needs to stop by OVW first?
ZedjaPosted on 03/09/06 at 12:27:51

I highly doubt it. Did Jamie Noble do that?
rey619Posted on 03/09/06 at 13:32:07

No, but he has been in WWE before.
JustinPosted on 03/09/06 at 13:49:44

But Charlie Haas is going back through OVW now on his way back to the main roster
TheImpalerTMXPosted on 03/09/06 at 15:32:41

They'll send guys to OVW to have them get used to working closer to the WWE style. An established guy returning or a top indy star will usually just do about a month and be called up (unless the storylines permit that they show up a bit later). Plus it doesn't hurt to have such talented workers working with the other developmental guys while they wait for the call up to the main roster.
91Posted on 03/09/06 at 18:42:31

On 03/08/06 at 22:19:54, Anubis wrote:
I think it would be safe to say that WWE's modern home-grown talent (i.e. John Cena, JBL, Heidenriech) doesn't have much potential for greatness.... Please note the key word "modern" up there, as I don't need a bunch of people poiting out guys like Shawn Michaels and The Rock.
In fairness, The Rock is more modern that JBL is. Pedantic maybe, as we're talking a matter of six months or so, but I thought I'd point that out.

On another note, I agree entirely with Reys point on all the new WWE guys coming out as well built, short haired guys who all look the same. When you had three guys in La Resistance - and I like them well enough so it's not a knock at them - but when you had Dupree, Grenier and Conway all together, if you squinted, could you have told the difference? How about if you chucked Chris Masters in too? Then again, Randy Orton seems to have gotten away with it, so what do I know?
rey619Posted on 03/09/06 at 19:14:29

I started thinking about it when I watched Animal the other night on Smackdown.. you just don't get these characters any more.. wrestlers who look a little different than the rest (Boogeyman being an exception of course). Nick Dinsmore may be someone who sticks out a little, he isn't that chiseled, but what did they gave him? A retard gimmick.

As to stealing Samoa Joe, I guess that the WWE wants to wait a little longer, until TNA becomes bigger, then have him jump ship and appear on Raw or Smackdown for the shock value of it, just like Hall and Nash years back.
TheImpalerTMXPosted on 03/09/06 at 21:33:58

For one, such unique guys do exist, but they are very rarely going to be hired by the company in the first place. The look is the most important thing to them - everything else is secondary. I'm not even saying work rate should be the primary target as it is not meant to be in WWE. However, they should take a serious look at how much charisma and how adaptable the guys are. It would shock me that they haven't caught on yet, but then I just look at the company we are talking about and it all makes sense.

Second, if WWE waited and grabbed Joe, they wouldn't treat it like anything big. Most of the audience is still oblivious to the fact that TNA exists. He'd just be another fat Samoan in their eyes. Granted, I think if they could just hold off on him dancing for a few weeks, his ring work alone would force them to do something more with him. Joe is not in WWE because he doesn't want to be and as long as TNA keeps paying him (this of course assumes TNA will exist for the duration of his contract) that is not going to change. Period.
CrplsPosted on 03/09/06 at 21:35:06

Samoa Joe signed a contract until like 2010 with TNA now which gives them rights to his bookings. Pretty sure he's not going anywhere.
TheImpalerTMXPosted on 03/09/06 at 21:40:36

He signed until 2009, but that really is a moot point. If WWE really wanted to, they could sign him away and cover up the legal fees for his breach of contract and not even feel a dent in their pocket. Remember, Vince McMahon has more money than God himself!
CrplsPosted on 03/09/06 at 21:48:50

That's a pretty simplistic view of breach of contract--they couldn't just pay a fine and use him.

Not that it matters anyway, Joe's turned down the WWE before and he probably wouldn't sign away his booking rights for 3+ years to TNA if he wanted to go anywhere.

I can't imagine the WWE would offer the money to entice him  anyway, since they'd completely strip him of his offense and he'd be just another wrestler. There's no reason for the current WWE to pay him more than development money.
rey619Posted on 03/09/06 at 23:00:28

I have been watching OVW as of late, and it strikes me that the two most interesting characters are Paul Birchall and CM Punk. You know what these two have in common? A successful Indy career before being brought in to OVW. They're both clearly the best wrestlers in the ring, and they cut the best promos. The others all possess the same intense screaming-style promos.

Oh, by the way, watching OVW gave me headaches.. Heyman's booking isn't what it used to be.. interferences in every match, slutty divas and 1-minute main events..  >:(
CrplsPosted on 03/09/06 at 23:03:51

Birchall had a successful indy career?
91Posted on 03/09/06 at 23:06:30

On 03/09/06 at 19:14:29, rey619 wrote:wrestlers who look a little different than the rest (Boogeyman being an exception of course).
Yeah, wrestlers who you'd recognise from a distance - Carlito is quite obviously one as well so add him to the list.
AnubisPosted on 03/09/06 at 23:26:27

On 03/09/06 at 23:00:28, rey619 wrote:Oh, by the way, watching OVW gave me headaches.. Heyman's booking isn't what it used to be.. interferences in every match, slutty divas and 1-minute main events.. >:(
Never fear.  I'm willing to bet money that Paul Heyman has at least an "instruction booklet" of sort directly from McMahon that tells him to book a certain style for his product.  I seriously doubt Heyman has free reign over OVW.
CrplsPosted on 03/09/06 at 23:28:25

Except for the one minute main events, how is that not Heyman booking? :)

Besides, the Punk-Albright match was more than one minute.
AnubisPosted on 03/09/06 at 23:57:22

Heyman is (or was) quite possibly the best booker on the face of the planet. He knew how to use every character type, including the garbage wrestlers (New Jack) and the sluts (Jasmine St Claire), relatively well and the matches were always exciting, regardless of length or type. Don't get me wrong, he wasn't perfect, but he was better than any other booker I know of (haven't sampled Gabe Sapolsky's work yet).

Heyman's only problem was that he had poor business sense when it came to money.
Captain TagonPosted on 03/10/06 at 00:28:05

On 03/09/06 at 23:00:28, rey619 wrote:Heyman's booking isn't what it used to be.. interferences in every match, slutty divas and 1-minute main events..  >:(
That sums up every ECW show I ever saw.
AllPowerfulGARTHPosted on 03/10/06 at 00:35:46

I'm not sure how interference in every match and one-minute main events qualify as part of the Vince McMahon Instruction Manual For Booking Cards. The slutty divas, I can see, but the rest is pure Heyman. Particularly the constant interference.
AnubisPosted on 03/10/06 at 01:35:26

I don't complain much about interference as long as it makes sense, and when Heyman books interference, he's either aiming for a storyline or aiming for a wild brawl.

One-minute main events aren't Heyman's style, though, but it is more like Vince.
pszPosted on 03/10/06 at 01:39:36

Yeah... Al Snow and Shane Douglas had a MUCH longer than one minute main event... Hell, I seem to recall a few PPV Main Events that were MUCH longer than the 5-10 minute matches most people have...
Captain TagonPosted on 03/10/06 at 02:19:13

On 03/10/06 at 01:39:36, psz wrote:Yeah... Al Snow and Shane Douglas had a MUCH longer than one minute main event... Hell, I seem to recall a few PPV Main Events that were MUCH longer than the 5-10 minute matches most people have...
And there was Raven vs Funk which lasted like 30 seconds in actuality and involved like eight gazillion people. As the TEW style section so eloquently points out, the Hardcore style of federation really isn't that different from Sports Entertainment.
rey619Posted on 03/10/06 at 09:10:13

On 03/09/06 at 23:03:51, Crpls wrote:Birchall had a successful indy career?
Yes, in England. What I mean is Punk and Birchall are near-complete wrestlers by the time they arrive in OVW. Of course the advice given by Snow and Heyman is invaluable, but they don't need the extensive training the rest of the developmentals seem to need, which ultimately leads to them being molded in the same way.

As someone mentioned, Carlito should be added to the list of "different" people, and is the reason why Triple C'll probably outlive Chris Masters.

To give Heyman and OVW some credit, the Burchill vs Punk feud is quite interesting, and in all fairness, the 42-minute TV show is as rushed as Impact is, and not easy to work with. I also suspect that they events have more matches that doesn't make it to the tapings.