Ep. 354: 'TNH' The Fizzinish (Part 1)

It's the lapsed fan wrestling podcast with Jack and CRN SEO and JP Sorrows the
lapsed fans get all my years rustling, I never seen anything like it,
and it's the laps fan name by the one in the ring to get about
the slatter with the real King of swing. When the bell goes in,
then kick like me throne in the corner of a splash like stay even Jerry
King can take off the clown nodding his head like hiss d low brown w
get low down, go even high up, flip you on your head.
But you know coo driver, you speaking more knowledge and dragon spits fire keep
you more shocked than the head. Tree tires drop a more truth than the
cond of sniper less you with a coconut, Roddy Piper checking jpe be like
j y D drop the cupcakes and golden the brain by means the best podcast
fun start to close. Rind. If y'all been a boss, we promised
the Hogan would be non stop. But all great things must come to a
phizz inch you want to talk about I don't an education and what when push
comes to shove? Dare I say at the end of the day Whole Hogan
is all about, look no further and let future generations appreciate TNH as we
embark upon the double Bizz final chapters. Indeed, of Whole Cogan's run and
TNH or I should say TNA and all that it symbolizes. It's twenty thirteen,
and boss, we've only got precious a few months left, right,
Yeah, I mean, I mean I wish you were that simple. Yes,
I wish you were just a few pressure months. But it's like,
you know, just so everyone understands, okay, right, and I think
I've explained this before, so we're doing this thing right. And basically,
because I have no concept of what of Hogan's overall in TNA, I get
kind of a breakdown of what I need to watch. And this is more
than I think you told me at one point that once we get through twenty
eleven it'll be easy. He's not in as much. And there's more.
There's more, there's more. There's always more until the check stops clearing,
and then all of a sudden, what do you know, once people start
reporting getting checks late from TNA or not at all, or once people that
were considered clutch start being cut for reasons that are difficult to discern once they
find themselves no longer able to fall back on the impact zone as the lease
is up and they're going on the road and spending half a million dollars a
pop per taping, all of a sudden, the sands truly are draining from
the hourglass of Hulk Coogan and TNA. And we're here. We're here as
the payoff to the Bully Ray Brookhogan Hulk Coogan storyline is upon us as we're
about to cover Lockdown twenty thirteen, one of the final few pay per views
of the Hulk Cogan Rain. In fact, you could say one of the
last two. Yeah, as they cut back drastically in another sign of the
times on the amount of pay per views they were doing in another attempt to
stem cost pressures. Oh, I ask you at the top of this episode
in series of episodes closing out twenty thirteen and the rest of Hulk Cogan's TNA
run, and I will ask you at the end after all this, as
we're on the doorstep of the final leg of the journey, do you feel
any differently about Hulk Coogan than you did when you started? Yeah? Yeah,
absolutely, absolutely. I mean maybe not in a I mean, maybe
not in a way like do I think less of him? Perhaps, But
I don't think any less of him than I already and I already did this
just kind of you know, was the proof in the pudding. That's it
of a lot of things. But I'll tell you what I what I was
not prepared for and what I am totally flabbergasted by, is his legal persona.
Yes, if you will. You talked about t NA law. It
just occurred to you halfway through this thing, and it made so much sense.
Yeah, because that's really what this is. This is the stage of
Hulkogan's life where he is completely consumed by lawyers. Be it due to divorce,
be it due to the John Graziano wincident, be it due to sing
the Laser Spine Institute for Back Surgeries, be it suing people for misusing his
trademarks or using them without permission. Be it for papering any endorsement deal he
could possibly find under any rock, any direct marketing scheme, or any kind
of you know, nutritional product that came to the table. Just show me
where to sign online casino endorsements and licensing. Show me where to sign.
And so if that's what Hult Coogan's life is going to be about, and
that's what the wrestling product he's involved with, which of course he will hold
creative sway over to a large degree, is going to be about as well.
And I guess that's the thing too, is I guess I never I
guess one thing I will walk away from and I'll never be able to look
at him again. The same way is his lack of creativity. Yeah,
I mean I knew it was bad. I knew it was bad. I
knew that he kind of you know that that he would rely on that formula
of the best friend turning turning on him. But this is on a whole
other level. Yeah, And just everything that worked in WCW is warmed over,
an impact, laid bare, and you realize just how much of a
lark it really was that all these things worked in nineteen ninety six and nineteen
ninety seven and nineteen ninety eight, Right, they were strokes of genius.
However, I think we have a brand new appreciation for the role Kevin Sullivan
actually played in the week to week heat booking of the nWo that made such
a difference yep. I think we have a whole new appreciation of Scott Hall
and Kevin Nash bringing the whole little attitude to the nWo that would make it
feel like it was supposed to feel, as opposed to let's say, aces
and eights. A whole now appreciation for how shallow Eric Bischoff's creative well really
was and how foolish we were to believe that the tensions between him and Vince
Russo dating back to Bash at the Beach two thousand, which of course we've
chronicled expertly here on the Lapsed Fan were in the rear view mirrors. They've
tried to lead so money to believe upon the Dawn Hlgan bishof regime in twenty
ten and TNA, and really, how someone like a Dixie Carter can be
so easily made a pawn? Oh I know, I mean it's it's sort
of cliche to call her a money mark and somebody that was just manipulated into
getting a you know, a few more pay days into the wallets and bank
accounts of veterans that were really sly about how to stay paid and wrestling.
But goddamn it, that's what happened that's what happened if to try really hard
to not see it, and it's all Hulk Coogan's id. I think we
finally landed on what we were going for here. TNA and or Hulk Coogan
is just Hulk Cogan's inner monologue and so many ways, including the Carney speak
that we had no idea. It was buried deep inside that archive of phraseology.
He's a Carney, he is, and he did Carney things and the
tis brother. Of course, he crossed many other Carneys along the way.
And as we embark on this final leg of the TNH journey here at TLF,
we'll we acquaint ourselves with many of them, not so much because we
want to, but because chronology and circumstance and context demanded. But before we
get into the nitty gritty and the dirty business, we do need to again
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Halfway so far? What do you think about TNA, boss? How
about it? I'm the problem over it. I'm over it. I'm over
it. Does it make sense to you why you didn't watch it back then,
even when Hulk fucking Hogan showed up? Yeah? Does it make sense
you why no one really showed up on balance? When you take where they
started and where they ended up. Yes, Well, what's the problem.
It sucks? I mean, it sucks. Stop being such a hater.
Stop reading meltzer. What do you mean it sucks? I'm not I'm not
reading meltzer. I'm not hating. I'm You're not entitled to that opinion.
Then I see, all right, Well, why is it stuck? Because
it's just stupid. Because it's about politics, it's about the company, it's
about it's about this business. It's about blah blah blah blah blah. It's
not about wrestling. It's so stupid. Oh man, I have to say,
I mean, it makes me a bad person. But as this unfolded
before us and I realized what it was going to take and I was watching
the segments that I know you have to watch too. I was just loving
it. I was I had a huge smile on my face when a segment
came up where I'm like, JP is going absolutely fucking hate this. I
can't stand any of it. This isn't his money. I don't know why
you don't appreciate the long term storytelling. I don't know why you appreciate this
so fucking dumb. How about that video where Bubba goes through nine months of
all the things where he pulled the wool over your eyes and the little hints
along the way. Isn't that good? He's a storytelling Listen, let me
tell you. There's a part of me that appreciates that. Thank you,
no question, there's a part of me that appreciative they actually went back and
try to tie it all in. All right, I'm all about that.
That's great because w would never fucking do that, all right. They'd never
go back and try to actually make sense of all the nonsense that that was
happening before they had a major twist. If they were booking on the fly
like this. That being said, I didn't fucking care. I'm watching this
and I'm like, why am I watching this? Like he should have revealed
himself six months ago as the leader. But then you don't get ata boy
credits for long term storytelling, you knows? How about how about the reveal
and then long term storytelling exactly? How about the reveal? Is the first
chapter not the last one? Right, especially when you get no one interesting?
Right, let's have a better plan for who's going to chop down the
new giant by the way, Yeah, just yeah, it's everything that you
liked about WCW watered down to an essence where that it's it's essentially just like
this this commoditized viscous liquid inside of a jar, you know, yeah,
yeah, right, Like all right, I guess you could say all of
the component parts that I've been taught make good quote unquote wrestling stories are in
there somewhere, but it doesn't mean when it comes out of the oven,
it means they don't actually, I mean, you know, they had like
eighty thousand people before they already had a before they had a leader, and
not only that, they had people no one gave a shit about. And
really it's still I mean, despite the flashes of brilliance that we saw from
Hulk Hogan playing dad for the first time in a wrestling ring and Brooke doing
really well and Bully doing really well. I think on balance, it's still
just Hulk Hogan walking around administrating, right, exactly, That's all it is,
as personal as a daught with his daughter. It still comes down to
him making matches to punish the invading force, which he doesn't. And not
only that, he I mean, nothing that he's doing is is it making
money? Is it is it's selling pay per views? Or I think you
know, don't answer much question, but we'll get there. Like you know,
nobody's watching, so it doesn't even matter. Like Whole Cogan is a
fucking joke. I mean, how can we say that of all the wrestlers.
Really, you're gonna say, yeah, I'm gonna say that about Whole
Cogan and TNA. He's a fucking joke. Can't do shit. It's a
failure. It's an abominations. John Coffey would say, a failure. I
lose what you said, right, A failure, thank you? Just to
be clear, right, I just want to explore that failure. It's it's
an abomination. Um. And we'll get into why we're not afraid to justice.
That's why we do this hard work because like you know, we know
how what our gut tells us, and we know that gut is there for
a reason, and we're not afraid to I think we proven it to go
through the fucking mud as long as it takes to say, shut the fuck
up. We watched every single segment Hulk Hogan did in TNA, and we're
here to render the verdict that you expected we'd render in the first place.
Don't say we don't put in the world. Yeah, And don't say with
the story of Hulk Hogan has written whenever it is he leaves this earth for
the pearly gates upstairs and meets the big man upstairs finally that he's been talking
about for generations. Don't act like the flags we've been planting in the first
six months of twenty twenty three. Yeah, won't proved to be definitive.
Not the first few months, the first half of the year, first half
of the year on the Hulk Cogan story. And we're gonna, you know,
we gotta get lubricated. We're gonna dial this thing in, boss.
I mean, you know, the Hulk us to pop a top on a
bruski before hitting the gym, just to lighten the mood, bring the nerves
down a bit. And we're no better than that, not at all.
Especially well, we've got a partner in our corner powering this TLF engine across
all platforms, like PAPST. Papst is smiled upon us, and we smile
upon them once again. Here it's a beautiful thing. We thank them for
their support. A line of tremendous don't take yourself too seriously beers on the
market for the drum summer drinking season. Absolutely, I mean you listen to
the pod. You've got plenty to do this summer, from ball waxing or
whatever. The full yep, ball waxing, training, training, the fuck
drinking that that waistline. We'll be in your ear the whole time. And
then you know when it when it's when it's time to hit the barbecues,
Yes, when it's time to put the feet up on the debt, when
it's time to do things where an American flag fits in the background of the
cow's right rab, a red white and blue can have PAPST salute the red,
white and blue of TNH and TLF let's fucking go this summer. Absolutely
so we do think our friends have papst Um. I do want to share
a quick story here, um because uh, this weekend, I also went
down to Branford, Connecticut. You went. I want everybody to know that
I have heard nothing from the boss about this, and this is just as
exciting. This is all brand new. I I I took the time,
Diddy and I went down to Branford. We took the trek and we saw
the show. And I want to tell you a couple of things that really
that really were very funny. Of course A Master of Puppets feature Master of
Puppets featuring Kurt Fuller, UM and uh Dana Ashbrook from Twin Peaks anyone's who's
a fan of Twin Peaks and produced by James Rode Rodriguez UM from The Psych
and also from appearances on WWE Big Wrestling Fan and of course basically about Vincent
Linda McMahon. Yeah, he didn't write it. He didn't write it,
produced it, he produced it. Yeah. The the writer is a former
WW writer. Kurt Fuller was telling us, yeah, right right, though
they didn't go, it's funny because they don't go by their name. They
don't they they they kind of play k favee and I don't blame them.
Um, it was so first of all, what was very funny, and
I actually couldn't believe more people maybe they maybe they laughed at the idea that
they know that it's not this person So so so Jane. So he comes
out right to do a pre curtain speech. He was there that night,
he was there the night we went James rode Um. And so we go
in and so he comes out and he says, the the you know,
head of the company says hello, my name is So and So I'm the
artistic director of the Legacy Theater. And he says, hello, I'm Verned
Gania. So fucking told you they am a true He just says, he
just says he's Verned Ghanya. And no one laughed, he said, no
people did laugh. But I'm seeing myself, why are you laughing? Like
I laughed uproariously because it was so fucking funny. But I'm like, why
are you people laughing? Are you just because you know that it's not a
guy named Verne Guinney, Because like you don't know who fucking Vernon Gagney is
right, you know, Um, but yeah, that was really funny.
Um, there are there, there is a character. So so there are
six six characters. And you got the the Kurt Fuller Vince character, very
funny and excellent, really just awesome. You've got a Linda character, she
was very funny. Um, Dana Ashbrook plays a a TV exact basically,
I assume it's like Fox, It's or USA exact something like that. And
then you've got two wrestlers, one who actually like he he he was Cody
Rhodes, all right, Like he was Cody Rhodes. He like a big
Cody Rhodes. Um, same tights, the fucking bleached blonde hair. And
then when he wore his his uh entrance attire, it was the long overcoat
that Cody wears. And then there was another guy who was basically playing a
version of the Undertaker called the Reaper. But it was funny because the Cody
character was way bigger than the Reaper. So that was kind of that made
me laugh, you know. And then and then there was the booker.
What there was a character called Rainy Days who was Jim Barnett. Oh shit,
fucking kidding me, I'm I mean, look, he had that southern
twang. I'm here to report he was zero chance. This writer does not
listen to the lapsed face. And he he had that that you know,
there's that that photo of him with a you know, with the kind of
a big hair. He had that hair. He had that hair. He
had a cane and he was like walking around with a cane and out of
that cho and he books, he books the show. He's he's the booker,
tells people to finish. What's the finish? And he snorts coke.
Wow, he does. He drinks like everything everything we know about Jimmy Barnett,
everything that we've said about Jimmy, we know about Jimmy Barnett. And
and it was like I sat there watching him like, oh my god,
this like this is hilarious, Like it's not just you know, it was
like I think it was maybe eighty percent Jimmy Barnett twenty percent Pat Patterson.
Yes, is what I gathered from this character. And it you know,
if I'm being implete, be honest, The script needed it needs a little
work. The production was was very well done all things considered. It needs
a little work. Um, it's a little. The verbiage is a little,
but it's very funny. It's very well done, all things considered,
Kurt Fuller was phenomenal. And then after the show, after the show,
well before the show, they announced that, you know, if you if
people enjoy the show, please stick around and you can give a testimonial.
What on camera? What? I said? All right, yeah you did.
Before we even you know, we even decided to, Like, a
guy came up to us and say, hey, you guys were having a
lot of fun. You guys stay and give a testimonial. I'm like,
all right, ohh he's no idea, allright, I know so and then
he says, how about you come up first. I was like, okay,
now, wait a minute. This is in front of the whole audience.
No, no, no, this is just in front of in front
of a select few of the people, people who haven't left and people who
are and the camera like they have a camera set up and they're going to
record it and put it on the website or whatever. Turns the camera on,
you know something A legacy maniacs. We're talking about mass Repuppet's brother.
I do a whole fucking all right, yeah, I do a whole fucking
thing run wild. He cuts, and he goes, Okay, can we
do that again but a little less. Nope, yep, you must not
know about us, bitch. And I'm like, okay, fine, we'll
do it for real. And I just gave him some fucking bullshit answers.
But I was like this, like that, I love that. I love
that. You think anybody else in the world would. I'm be like,
oh my god, that's really hilarious. A wrestling them to play for guys,
right right? And this guy's like, no, no, man,
Wow, now you're not getting your fucking your piece here. That's dude,
that's another route awakening, you know. That's that's another exhibit in the fucking
you know wing of the gallery that speaks to thinking that it's okay to be
a wrestling fan in Polite company. And it still is not. Right.
No, it still is not. People still are like, uh, okay,
can you stop like having something wrong with you for a second? Please?
Right? Can you stop being a wrestling family? Can you be a
theater fan here? Like no one thinks that's funny, Like no one came.
He starts asking. It gives me these leading questions such as like,
well, were there? Did you did you notice any twists and turns in
the plot? Uh? Yes, there were some twists and turns in the
plot. I nice. I try to put up something I said, I'd
say that they're you know, throughout the whole story there are more twists and
turns than a guy doing a top rope shooting star press work. Twists and
turns on the Aces and eight storyline. Yeah right, oh god, Well,
yet you had fun then, Yeah, it was fun. It was
definitely a lot of fun. A cute little theater. Um it's new too.
I didn't realize that, like a it's only been down around for three
years and it's it's very nice, very nice. Shout out to our Solar
System members like Scott Michael Ferry and others who heard heard Kurt Fuller on the
show and said, you know what, I'm proximate to uh brandfor Connecticut.
I'm getting there. Yeah. I didn't wait for me come out. I
didn't take a picture with him. Um uh, you know, it came
to the point I was like, what I don't want to like say,
oh, hey, he's like I did a million he'd been like, I
didn't have million interviews with a million guys doing Jesse Venturi. I told everybody
there Vince was great, right exactly. You know, you're like one in
eighteen people who fucking in that one day that I did that. Well,
he's a great actor, and he did a great job convincing us he was
having a wonderful time, and he do know that. Uh. Members of
the Solar System who heard that special interview available still of course in the archived
feed with Kurt Fuller enjoyed it as well. A rare opportunity to yah,
you know what I mean, mine the plumb the depths of a brain.
Oh yeah, that contributed so much to those formative wrestling memories. His whole
in his whole bio two in the in the program was all about how he
had nothing to do with his any of his current work. He just talked
about playing Brell and playing Hull Coogan and he put the line in about how
he was ignored during Awards Awards season. Yeah, yeah, tremendous, So
tip of the cap, well done. I think everyone won on that whole
whole deal. And uh, it's it's not the only uh surprise special interview
run in that we've dropped on an unsuspecting solar system. Because we finished up
a bit of a journey under the cinemat on Patriot. It was sort of
like a punch back for what I'm doing to you here with the total NonStop
Hogan. But the difference is I deeply enjoyed the Marine Journey, which we
just concluded episodes for I know, right, no comparison and h and a
great run in by our new friends over at Old School Wrestling Review. I
w um Jay and Steve from the show If You Won. We're on set
in London when they were shooting the Marine six with the Mis and Sean Michaels
and UH and Becky Becky Lynch of course they're a fellow um countrywoman from Ireland
and Uh. We were able to put the interview up for everybody on the
feed, but highly encourage you to hear it in context. As a boss,
we've um what we did, what had to be done. We learned
what had to be learned about w W Studios, them is and what this
whole thing was about the Marine. It really it really was like you never
you know, I never really took in, really took in consideration the fact
that the marine really was the that that era's WW Studios franchise like there was
their flagship franchise. Oh yeah, and you know it was it was great
to see the kind of go back and see kind of the hope they had
for it, like the hope they had for creating something that could maybe go
beyond just a couple of wrestlers and kind of become a whole thing. But
in the end, you know what, it just didn't do enough. That's
right. I think we learned that Yep Marine just couldn't couldn't get it done,
just like hul Cogan and TNX right, one might argue in so many
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Iron sheet boss hit me first. He beat me to it with the call.
You know about the call. If you'll listen to us for any number
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call hit my cell phone. Yep, yeah, and it you know,
it was it was as Now now the thing is gonna be too, is
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And it happened and I verified it and I cut I called you right away.
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we have now begun the tenth year, yep. And it's ten years
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to end seen a mania. Oh fucking hell. She must Oh my god,
I haven't listened to it yet. She must have been as flummixed as
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very simple situation, very simple. What isn't simple is what lay before us.
We've got to do it. When we last left you on TNH,
Kurt Angele had unmasked the VP of Aces and Ates after discovering the clubhouse.
For some reason, Kurt Angle discovered where the Aces and Nates have been hiding
out for six months in TNA. Just found it and started beating the shit
out of people. Yeah, and that's I think there's legalities there. That's
kind of a problem. But yeah, how so I'm just going into somebody's
private, you know, place and beating them up. Yeah, you would
think, yeah, well, there are there are legalities there that he is
dealing with. Well, why weren't there legalities when Abyss took a spiked barbed
wire board and shredded Rob van Dam beyond recognition? I mean, Liosten,
I'm not, I'm not. I agree with you, right, all right,
but that's two rocks don't make a right no. And that's also from
you know, a long time ago. So it's gone now. I mean,
we gotta focus about what's in front of us. Now. How far
away does that feel? When like Hogan was teaming with Abyss, fucking thingk
sucks, AJ was pretending to be Rick Flair, but but but put a
hood on his own God. When Jay Lethal was trying to do Ric Flair,
did Rick Flair. I mean when fully wrestled Flair, m I mean
how long ago? That away? It hurts. It hurts because it's not
that long ago. That's exactly right. It feels like another world. So
we moved to the March seventh Impact, and we're going to learn, no
doubt who it was. Thank you for that. That's going to come in
handy later, trust me, and we learn, um, we're about to
learn who it was that Kern Angel found under the hood by invading the Aces
and Eights treehouse. And we hear him saying to the camera at the top
of this impact, I'm shocked. I'm pissed off. This is going to
have ruppling effects throughout the whole company. I have not talked to anybody all
week about what I found. Why. I don't know, he just I
mean, that's That's what I don't understand, is that so many of these
things like why aren't you talking to people right like why don't you share about
it right away? Why didn't you fucking look at the camera that was filming
you beating up on these people and say it's especially because it's d Low He's
t management right, You're just gonna let TNA be subjected to this infiltrating force
this like this, you know, invader of the corporate structure for a whole
week, just so that you can preserve the surprise for the next impact.
Apparently the answer is he apparently that's good storytelling. Well, as long as
it's long term, that's all people care about. Um, he says,
I'm gonna reveal this. S ob this is a TNA problem. Nobody in
this company is safe. I am so of them pretending to be afraid of
ass and ates in TNA. It's so bad. Why are they afraid?
Like why they so easily oscillate between being afraid of Asis and Eates to this
segment and the next segment. Well, I mean it's you know, it's
a tag team match, which this isn't about Aces and Nates, so forget
that. Also, why why why haven't you all, like, you know,
quit exactly if you're gonna do this kind of ship, can you fucking
do it? Please? Like just get out of there, quit, quit
the fucking company because it ain't worth it, all right it run. In
the show, Bully Ray Still baby Face saves Jeff Hardy from an attack by
Matt Morgan. After Jeff Hardy had beat Austin airis on the road to Lockdown
in his title defense against Bully Ray, So definitely playing up sort of like
a baby face first baby face dynamic between Bully and Jeff Hardy. Yeah,
there's continuing speculation that Matt Morgan might be done with the promotion and he might
be sticking around. He is not going away, but he continues to have
that sort of intermittent presence on the show that really makes it difficult to get
anything going with the guy. Not to say that even if you did it
perfectly, he would succeed in that position, but right they clearly don't want
to give up on Matt Morgan. That just tells me that Hull Cogan absolutely
love Matt Morgan. I mean, I'm sure he saw him. He's the
closest thing to a giant could turn on him. And I'm looking at you,
dude, I'm just thinking, whoa brother, What can we do?
Look at all these how can we got next level? Bro? I mean
you're kind of a total package, you know, dude, You've got kind
of everything. You got kind of you know, brother, you got the
you got, you got, you got the body. Dude, you got,
you got you know you got the shoulders, brother, you got the
traps, dude, you know you got you got the tan. Brother.
I mean you're you're working on all cylinders. You know, we got to
kind of think about where we can do. I'm taking on next level,
you know what I'm saying. I'm brother, Uh yeah, all I kind
of do. And h He's about to go under the knife for a very
invasive back surgery. So good luck to brother. But what what Yeah,
he's really trying to win hold Cogan's hard. He's getting back surgery on top
of it. He really wants to be able to identify him in every in
every way. So yeah, his status is unclear, and at this point
in TNA there's a lot being read into how he is and isn't booked on
on impact. We later see Sting in Hogan's office saying, this Sunday lockdown
is going to be the biggest event in t and A history. So there
you go, and you better bring the biggest storm ever because I love to
fight the world. Doubted you. He's talking to Magnus. Now, this
is the Sting endorses Magnus thing. You know, Hogan endorses whoever they're going
to put the strap on Sting indorses whoever they have future plans for. This
is the only story they're capable of telling. Says, Magnus is a specimen
and you're hungry, and and he goes around a Simoe with Joe and he
says, you're a simone submission machine. It's about being able to take somebody
out, be the killer you are, and and all of that. Because
these are the guys that are going to be on his team in the lethal
Lockdown match coming up against the Aces and Eights. Sting screams, Ah,
Sunday Lockdown. I feel better. Yeah, and he's gonna start at tonight.
I love that. Like, let's plug the pay per view and then
let's say about why waite Right, we have West coming out. West Briscoe
through the door, and we're expecting Ken Anderson to reveal who the uh we're
expecting kurd Angle pardon me, to reveal who the Aces and Nate's VP is.
Um It says, before Kurt Angle comes out here and reveals the VP
of ass Nates, I got to get something off my chest. West Briscoe
says, great, let's let's let's please my dad we're one of the greatest
wrestlers. He put it this where to god, that's a dreg. He's
such a fucking idiot. I'll come on, come on, you look at
this guy, and you're not like guys kind of a goofball like you know,
he might he might have a lot of chair qualities, but he's he's
always going to come off like a total goof He looks like a satanic Cato
Kalon. That's awesome. And they told me, he says, if his
uncle and his brother Jack and Jerry Briscoe, Kurt, you were the best
wrestler they've ever seen. And I believe that I studied you. I wanted
to be you until I got the chance. And they're waantting him to death
as he tries to do a promo here. I love this like there's another
The only thing you can ever do to feud with an established name is to
have been let down when you met them and looked up to them, right,
I mean, there's always it's always going to be about respect. And
how about the guys who didn't respect people, they're more fun exactly. How
about I attacked you because I think you're a fucking bitch. How about that,
right, and that I'm so sick of people pretending that you're tough when
you can't even walk current angle. Yeah, there we go. Then I
realized, he says, how worthless you really were, just like that the
tin metal around your neck for some sport that the Olympics just kicked out.
And this is very much the air or where Hulk is pardon me, where
Kurt is wearing the Save Wrestling twenty twenty shirt? Did you see that on
a few episodes? Yes, I did see that, recalling the whistling.
Are you an international Olympic committee almost pulled wrestling out of the Olympics. I
don't remember, actually, actually no, I do remember that. Actually,
yes, I do farmer that fiasco that was, And of course they were
going to pull it for the COVID Olympics, which ended up being postponed anyway,
not not that they know that was coming, but yeah, all the
way back in two thousand and two. Well, I think they made the
decision that after this next Games twenty twenty will not have wrestling due to insufficient
participation or whatever bullshit they and of course they want to. I'm good they
should. I mean, it's it's like it's like the one of the original
fucking Olympic sports. Like it was some kind of game. I don't remember
all the details, So some kind of game where they were trying to force
wrestling to make certain changes that they were hesitant to make. What do they
want to have? Like they wanted to make punches legal? Yeah, bringing
more to the pro style. Yeah, they wanted three counts instead of one
counts on that's very there, we go. Um, but you're gonna allow
ddts jesus, uh So that's what's a guy? Can you imagine hooking a
guy on a DDT and a real wrestling matt and fucking driving his head into
it, kill him. You can kind of DDT someone for real. You
can kind of DDT someone that doesn't want to be DDT. Yeah sure,
I mean yeah, well, look is clean. I mean, you know
it won't look nearly as clean, but I mean essentially, if you've got
somebody, if you've got somebody bent over in in a front face look like
that, and you've got there there, your arm around there, what hey,
if you can do it, I can do it. Oh fucking nuts,
you know, no doubt? Then you know you drop them, you
know, you just you just drop your body in that head. It's going
down with you, absolutely yeah, because of your body at the role of
it. Right right, So, just like the tin medal around your neck,
et cetera, et cetera, Sunday lockdown in that steelcage, West Briscoe,
he says, we'll be on top, and Kurt I will use you
as a stepping stone and the whole world will know that a brisco is better
than an angle, like a good angle. Please, hey, Tna,
a match is also better than an angle. Right word to the wise angles
music kids. Here he comes. He says, I remember differently. I
remember a snot nosed kid asking me questions wes wanting to learn more about that
sport, and this young man calling me every week waiting for an opportunity to
come to Impact says, you're not like your dad or your uncle, because
if you were, you would respect Kurt Angle and you don't respect the business
like it's a pop. I made a mistake, he says, by trusting
him, and I will rectify that at lockdown. Hey, Kurt, how
about we reveal the fucking you know? Right, dude, you came down
here for a reason. You don't don't. Don't get sidetracked by these fucking
idiots, and I beat you within an inch of your life. So before
I expose the VP of Asis and Aids to the whole world. As he
holds the mask up that he claimed last week, he says, I'm not
going to wait until lockdown to whip your ass. I'll do it right now,
so further delay. He hits the ring, stuffs the shot, riding
half guard and firing away with punches, and they call it ground and pound
to the floor they go. And here comes Ken Anderson and Delo Brown all
out there when it was Delo out there. Yeah, I think'll come deal,
come down to break it up, like I think he's because again he
I think he's playing, still pretending to be pretending management. Why would he
still pretend to be management when he knows Kurt Angle saw him last week?
Nobody else does though, because Kurt Angle kept it a secret for the last
week. All right, whatever, um did you call the cops? Man?
Absolutely fuck it? There are a million things you could do. It's
index. He gonna be pissed that you don't tell her that one of her
agents is working for Races, And right right, I mean, she got
so mad at Jeff Jarrett for lying about you know, absolutely obliterating Karen Angle.
This is the biggest problem. This is the biggest problem with wrestling on
TV is that there they wait until the cameras are rolling for shit to happen,
and when if there was real, like this behind the scene stuff,
stuff would be happening all week long. There's no reason to not do that.
There's no reason to not just acknowledge that these people are human beings,
sentient human beings who do things between tapings. It actually, I think would
be kind of refreshing, and I think it'd be great. I mean,
I think it'd be great if like it showed up and talked about everything that
happened and then in between time. Not only that, but like what if,
too, what if you took the opportunity to film like things during the
week, of course on social Like what if exactly, like social media actually
could be the great thing to progress storylines. You could have like scenes of
like like shots occurred Angle, like, you know, treat it like real
camera videos, you know, Like, I think that'd be phenomenal. I
would encourage AW would try this. I don't think WW would ever try it
because it's so outside their control structure. And I would even encourage talent be
like, look, tell whatever story you want between time, don't contradict where
we're going. Yeah, but you know what I mean, like, see
what you can do that film? Yeah, add like a little a little
flavor to it all exactly because like I always say, like, no one's
ever going to try harder to make your storylines interesting than you the wrestler him
or herself. And they almost always book better stuff than bookers would come up
with because they just don't have enough time to mind the details, get to
know your personality well. Yeah, and they also just right, they also
know what they can do. They know their strengths better, right, They
run in a million directions, and you have a singular focus on like what
what's unique about you and how to surface that. If you just license the
talent to do that, I think some really interesting things could happen and you
could outsource a lot of the fucking stress is come up with creative for all
these wrestlers. They would sort of present paths to you, again working within
bounds, like there has to be consequences if somebody totally subverts where you're going
with a storyline by yeah, I mean you can't like, you know,
you say, this is where we're going to you know, we need to
go with this direction, but just you know, have fun with it.
No, that'd be ridiculous. That would be something totally different than what WW
is doing, and as we know, that is not what TNA is in
business to do. Right, So here it comes, m runs right into
a low blow by Dilo and they deck the other agents and then all of
a sudden we realize putting it Dilo Brown is fighting on the side of Ass
and Eights and a chorus of booze breakout and tas commentary table starts laughing.
Boy, oh boy, you guys are just one step behind is Delo makes
the face the hard camera that he just turned heel. He picks up the
mask that Kurt had in his hand. Delo Brown and a Polo is the
VP of Asis and Eates. He's such an I mean again, it's just
black Bless his heart, as Dixie would say, Yeah right, I mean
Delo Brown, I mean, who the come on, guys, it's fucking
twenty thirteen, all right, nobody gives a fuck about Dilo Brown. It's
a joke that he's even in the back as a fucking agent. And I
gotta ask you a question, do you think he rides this aces and Ate
storyline to the end is sort of like the big infiltrator or do you think
he just disappears out of nowhere. Well, also, he becomes the thing
that he does best, which was like the Nation's you know, scapegoat.
You know, the guy gets fucking always did the job. Yep, that's
what he does. And that's that's part of the peril of putting someone in
your key storyline because they're already on payroll for an office job. Is when
you start cutting off his heads, you start cutting into storylines as well.
And that's what happens. They fire the guy towards the end of twenty thirteen
or about the midpoint of twenty thirteen, and it's part of cost cutting.
I presume I don't think he did anything wrong, and then it's just like
okay, well, and that's what starts to happen is aces and Ates totally
withers on the vine. As much as we have a distaste for you know,
the specifics and the you know, the sort of way they colored in
this whole storyline. I mean, no one can argue that. By the
time it's just Bully and Knucks and Garrett Bischoff and West Brisco standing in the
ring pretending to be scary, it's pathetic. It's like, what the fuck
happened here? Oh yeah? Um? So Dilo, Um. They start
saying on commentary, how deep does this run to the very core of this
company? That's intriguing? Dilo says, I thought I'd come down here and
reclaim a little club property. Since you already know I'm going to tell the
whole world what club property? Being the mask that Kurt took off his head,
I suppose how about propriety? How about the hand him his cut?
Yeah right, give me his cut. I'd appreciate his cuts, cut of
the gate, Yeah, exactly, all right, having me that it's funny.
Yeah, Rick Flair gave us his cut every week, and he never
wore a leather vest once. It's the fact of the matter. As Delo
Brown is the VP of Ases and Ages, recognize that and he does the
mic troup backstage. Delo is indeed presented with a recognize what now, remember
I think I think I think you better that tunes. Tunes is right backstage.
Dealo is in fact presented with his colors. Says he will never take
this off. Okay, so apparently if you see Delo Brown today, He's
still gonna be wearing that thing. He's very proud of his Aces and Ates
and then the group, which of course we know is cool because they have
brown beer bottles that they clank together glass beer. Sends Devon down to the
ring to take care of business. To the camera, says, on day
one when I joined Aces and Nates, I was told you would never walk
alone. I know I can trust each and every one of them with my
life. Sting, can you say the same thing? Can you trust the
guys you're going to be locked in the cage with a lockdown in that way?
I don't think so. Aces and Ates forever Dog Brother seems like forever.
It really does. Today says, this means Aces and Nates have infiltrated
Impact Wrestling management. We can't say this enough. What does this main boss
for the future of this company? What does it mean? The fuck is
going on here? So blah. The way this was done like such forced
like revulsion at the fact that de Low goes from wearing a polo every week
to wearing a leather vest. Devon verse Sting, Sting On Divon hauling off
with the hands. Sting still doing his thing in a T shirt. Man,
he he's showing up to work. Ah. This match determines the man
advantage of the lethal lockdown match, and Devon spears Sting and takes over slams
under the canvas, but misses the diving headbutt. Taz says de Loo don't
like what he was seeing in the front offices a TNA, and that's why
he joined Aces and eights. Sting rallies hits a splash clothesline over the top
to the floor, goes Devon. There's some kid in flannel in the front
row as and he splashes his drink and Sting's face and Devon takes that a
distraction to Ramsting into a Postum. Clearly that that guy was a plant that
threw the drink. But what wasn't kafabe was Sting absolutely cracking his head on
the post by mistake. Really, oh yeah, blood everywhere hard way um.
Tas chuckles like he knows who that kid was in the front row and
what he was doing there, and Mike Tenego's where security And I'm thinking,
where's security been throughout this whole fucking storyline? Mike? I know backend Devon
hits a big boot and pin Sting a shit, You're not you want you
want Ace's Nates to get a win? How about over Sting? How about
Gevon pin Sting? Why not? That's why I'm watching Impact every week to
see Devons and stings. That's it. Stings scor the guy with blood And
as Magnus and Joe come out come, you know, wonder can we trust
each other? Backstage? Magnus, you want to know if you can trust
me? Good? Sometimes I don't even trust myself. But tonight we are
at war and I show you and you and the world just who I am.
I mean, if it's not good, you don't even trust yourself.
Problem. But I'm so glad that Magnus is declaring himself and his ambition week
as long as he's declared yeah, especially yourself. That's right, Claire,
are you declared? Right? You know who's declared? Aj Styles because she's
gone, which, by the way, I was able to watch a shoot
interview that our video did. We'll hear a bit of it later with aj
Style shortly after he left Impact Wrestling, and they asked him about the Clare
Lynch storyline, and in fact, he said that the idea was supposed to
be and that he basically said, he came up with it. So this
idea that it was foisted upon him to force him out of his comfort zone,
all that bullshit is just like typical nonsense. Typical like aj went on
to be a big deal, So how can I pretend that this fucking awful
storyline had something to do with it? So AJU said that the idea was
that the woman he would be accused of having an affair with would turn out
to be Dixie car his niece, and that in fact, you know,
there was so much evidence of them sneaking around together, not because they were
having an affair, but because she was addicted to drugs, and aj being
you know, so close to Dixie and TNA and wanting the best for TNA,
it didn't want that to come out and all the negative publicity of the
fight. Dixie was big on like nieces and nephews. When she brings in
Ethan Carter the third which starts to happen right at the tail end of Hogan's
arrival, I mean Ethan Carter's coming in the door, whole Cogan's going out.
Ethan Carter would of course be her her nephew Carter. So she was
very big on presenting wrestlers as her ken for some reason. Okay, which
you know, that's a whole lot better storyline than what this was, which
is essentially like Claire Lynch was just some like drug addict who made up being
impregnated or whatever by AJ just to get attention and to fame him, and
and then all the stuff starts with and she fabricated this whole idea that that
AJ was was fucking Dixie as part of the nsplot, and you know,
we said that sounds great. Contemporaneous reporting was that Claire Lynch, the actress
they hired to do this thing withdrew from it because she was working elsewhere at
Universal Studios and didn't like that she was being recognized and called Claire Lynch by
wrestling fans. Wow. But AJ said further to that, what it was
was that she was getting like posts and things on Facebook and people were like,
she was trying to do other jobs. He made reference. I don't
know what he was talking about. But it seemed like she did like a
some like infomercial for tupperwar or something, or like kitchen and equipment, and
like you know, they'd posted and people go on Facebook. Mcclear lynch,
Clear lynch. She fucking hated that. Wow, So you want to know,
that's what you get. You know, that's dipping your tel to water.
Listen, that's the thing you want to you want to be a legit
performer. Don't do this to yourself. AJ concluded that she left the angle
because she got over as a heel, which, sorry, AJ, that's
not how normal people look at It doesn't mean anything to a normal human being.
Got over as a heel. Brother. Um So, Bully Ray comes
out with Brooke by the hand. At the close of the show, Jeff
Hardy comes out as well, this time with only one championship belt and he's
limping, having been through quite a bit lately. As we do this show
closing angle for a lockdown, Bully says, three days, Jeff until we're
locked inside a cage until lockdown. The word on the street is this will
be the biggest TNA pay per view of all time. Three days until Bully
and Jeff, do what they do best, and that is make professional wrestling
history. We've done it before, We're going to do it again. Jeff
says, I'm going to say something I've never said to you before. Look
you right in your eyes. The fact that you hold this belt is a
pretty big deal. But the fact that you have battled back this is a
sorry bully talking to Jeff. The fact that you had battled back from so
many personal demons is a bigger deal. And I know, Jeff that I
speak for every fan in here and at home, but mostly I'm speaking for
myself when I tell you, I am proud of you, and extens his
hand and they chant Hardy. Hardy says, ever since I've been champ,
Ari's rude, Daniels, Kazarian all beat me down, but I've remained the
champ. I know this guy's going to beat the hell out of me on
Sunday. Brooke has disappeared. By the way, here's nothing to do with
this. Yeah, who Brook? Who's that? Brooke brock Hogan? Who
broke? Now? Why why isn't she broke ray? By the way,
that's true, she should be broke? Or is he? Or is he?
Bully? Ray Hogan, Bully Hogan. Brother. Job, Well,
I didn't just rename yourself gawker, Dude. If that's gonna be the case,
brother, I mean, dude, if you're in a bully me brother,
you're in a bully hole Hogan. Why just fucking be gawker? Brother?
The paparazzi do the online media bubba clem have you so? Jeff says,
will it be enough? They chant hardy whatever happens at lockdown. I
do want you to know I'm proud of you, too, man, for
everything you've done. Bully grabs them like you know something. Jeff. I'm
proud of my accomplishments in the history we've made. But I can honestly say
I've never really been proud of myself. Okay, Bully, I've expected great
meet me. I'm not proud of you either, So how does that feel?
I expect the greatness from myself to be one half of the greatest tag
teams of all time. I never sat back and really looked in the mirror,
though, and said, Bully, I'm proud of you. There's only
one way that I can do that, and that's by beating you. Jeff.
I never i ain't ever going over the top of the cage. I
ain't going through the front door. I'm doing this the old fashioned way.
I'm beating you with my best move. That's when I would actually be able
to be proud of myself, when I could take that belt off your shoulder,
raise it in the air and declare Bully Ray the TNA World Heavyweight Champion.
Jeff applauds that, And we've got a perfectly fine go home, face
to face promo between the two principles and the main event of the pay per
view. And that's that right, mm hmm. No, what are we
here? Wow? Wow wow wow bottom ba bottom but a bottom wanna wat
waw waw waw waw waw. It is TNA General Manager Hole Coogan out on
crutches. Last time we were with you, he was getting his knee operated
on. Remember the pictures of the surgical scar and blaming aces and aids on
social media. Got a new shirt with health media and blue down the side
of it. Mmm. I don't know about then, but here here he
is. Here, Here is Hulkster all right, Impact Manias fifth Gifts right
now, there's a locker room of superstars in the back that have worked their
lives to get in that ring where these two men are. But Bully Ray
and mister Hardy are the best of the best. And at the end of
the day, the small company became a good little company. What now,
this company is ready for a change. It's gonna go on to greatest still
saying now, read buddy in the back, the general manager himself in everybody
that TENA is looking for the next leader. The leader is gonna take us
into the future. And if I have to wear these crutches out and crawl
all the way to lockdown, I'm gonna find out who the next TENA World's
Heavyweight Champion is this Sunday in Lockdown. Chef Hardy, You've been a great
champion, brother since October, and you've taken us to where we're at today.
Bully, I believe in you. You're like family to me. In
the whole crew in the back loves you like a brother. And at the
end of the day, it's gonna be many the best man win brother,
at the end of the day. The end of the day, brother,
I mean, dude, what the small company became a good little company?
What is he talking about? Like one of the main themes of tnah,
what is he talking about? What is he fucking like? What did you
hire this guy to like say things that make sense on television because he's not
doing it? I mean, did you hire this guy to fucking lie?
Right? Further to the point, you know, like three years into this
and he's still talking about how this company is going to go on to greatness.
It doesn't anybody stop and say, wait, An, he's kinda he
may be full of shit here. I mean, I think maybe maybe we
would have already had it if if it was true. Jeff, you're a
great champ since October and you've taken us to where we are today. Bully,
I believe in you. You're like family, Hulk says, and Bully
says, I am family. I don't think Hulk was to say like family.
What Brooke laughs at that. Um, that's definitely like a T and
A thing. Is Hulk going out there and flubbing his lines, and there's
one point that laughs at himself. That's a whole Hogan thing. Now totally
yeah, you're right, that's like the silver Dome thing that he's about to
say, yeah ww and the whole crew in the back loves you like a
brother. And at the end of the day, I mean, I swear
to God, he says, at the end of the day six to seven
times per pro ye. Yeah, it's gonna be made. The best man
win, brother. They shake it. Bullies hustle, hustles, broke out
of the ring because here comes to the Aces and Nates. Of course bullies
wielding a chain to fight them off, and hits the They all hit the
ring to no heat. You know, no, people are so over like
the Aces and Nates, just flooding the ring. It it's so yeah,
I don't even know where to go with it. They look something like Garrett.
They all look so forty right. They looked like old, older guys
pretending to be like young punks. You know, it's good. I don't
like that. I agree. I agree with you. And then Young and
Magnus and the rest of the sting team for Lockdown come out and they brawl
as they go off the year and they go home. Show for Lockdown.
Great sold on this pay per view, boss, Yeah, I can't wait
to buy it. Oh wait, I'm not going to company, basically said,
it's attendance record for the US for this show. In Corpus Christie about
five thousand, five hundred in attendance. Of course, this is not Corpus
Christie. This is the Astrodome in Houston of San Antonio. Sorry, and
of course the building holds seventy two thousand fucking people. But that's fine,
right, that doesn't matter. Okay, with the exception of the it it
was an eight thousand. I think the biggest attendance they ever did was Wembley
Arena, London eight thousand. But as far as like North American shows,
this broke the attendants record that was set at least for North America. At
Cyclone Stadium in book Brooklyn. They would run shows in that ballpark I think
every summer for a couple of years. There pretty good gig they had going
and ring of or sort of a I don't if they did that exact same
ballpark, but they did summer ballpark shows as well. You know, you
can bind it with some fireworks around Fourth of July or river and it works.
It's good and pay per view did well seventeen thousand buys Is that good?
Yeah? For TNA. It was similar to the year before his numbers,
So again, no signs of growth. But things not contracting, I
guess as a win by this point. But you know, this is a
big experiment because they had cut way back on pay per views in the thought,
as Jesus Christ, like, if we do four instead of twelve,
hopefully each one means more and more people buy the shows. And to a
very marginal degree, that turned out to be true. I mean, it's
funny. You gotta make worthwhile pay per views? You do? You do?
You know, and I have to say, you know, it was
better. Twenty thirteen was way better in that regard. What they ended up
doing, though, is they kind of just like they still kind of booked,
like they had ten or twelve shows a year, but they just put
the pay per views on Spike and called it Destination Acts or Hardcore Justice.
They just you know, made special episodes of impact the pay per views.
And when you do that, it's like you're still basically booking the company.
The fan experience is still the same. It's like, so whatever benefit you
told yourself from having less pay per views in terms of like how it would
benefit longer term storytelling and more satisfying build you don't really accomplish that. If
you squeeze two shows in between the pay per views that were booked like pay
per views and built like pay per views. But really what this was about
was cutting costs, you know, That's what it was about, because they
had to pay every time they went up live on satellite. Live is a
much bigger expense than taped. And at this point they're turning to tape,
you know, one two shows on the road and there they always taped in
bulk, but now they don't have the impact zone, right and that sort
of comfortable margin that they could make, or at least the predictable cost of
running that building and setting up and broadcasting from there, And now they have
to broadcast from arenas all over the country and you definitely can't afford to do
that twelve times a year, just on the basis of how much it costs
to do the satellite uplink alone. I mean, there is reporting later,
and I think this is more for television tapings which did not have a live
satellite uplink, although I think they I want to totally take that back.
That's wrong. When they won in the road, they would do one live
show and then tape next week's show. It costs like six hundred thousand dollars
a pop to do that, and they're paying whole two million dollars. They're
paying Eric Bischoff half a million dollars. I mean, of course it's not
coming out of their budget spikes paying that according to Bischoff, which I'm rather
sick of hearing, but has been confirmed. Still, you can't, you
don't, you don't. You don't reduce the Let me be clear. You
don't reduce the amount of pay per views because it's better for the van.
You reduce the amount of pay per views because you're fucking broke, right,
That's that, And you're not making enough and buys to make up the increased
cost of doing the damn show. You weren't even making much money in the
impact zone, where you didn't have all the logistical costs of trucking the equipment
across the country and flying everybody into an unfamiliar place. So many people lived
proximate to the to Orlando. That cut way down on so many different costs.
And that's all TNA ever was. That's the only way TNA ever made
any sense. And to come in and advocate and agitate to completely upend that
model so that you can self aggrandize and say that you're doing something TNA didn't
do before you got there, even if it absolutely does not pencil out,
doesn't earn you a great degree of respect in my book. I mean,
by the time this thing is over, every single thing that you know,
like a bishop would say they should have done but didn't do to actually make
this a going concern and really grow the company. They did them all right
right. In fact, twenty thirteen, they're on the road every single week
for television. They are no longer in the Impact zone really at all.
And it is the worst year. It's a fucking unmitigated disaster. It's when
the ship absolutely hits the fan from a profit and lost standpoint and people getting
paid on time, all the pockmarks start to show, Oh, so what
it would have been better to do that to yourself year one? You know
what I mean, give me a break. There is nothing short of selling
to Spike, which puts words in Spike's mouth like they ever would have bought
Impact. I guess at some point when they were an acquisition mode and bought
Bellator to compete with UFC after UFC left him at the Altar that apparently with
some entreaties made that made people think that they were willing to buy it from
the Carters, but the Carters didn't want to sell. That's sort of reading
reading between the lines of essentially what bischoffice said about this whole time period,
but short of that, Going on the road done, Monday Night's done,
Live television done, less pay per views done? What else? Um?
Four sighted ring done? Um? What else? It's over, Jenny,
it's over. Thursdays done, Go back to Thursdays done. Nine to eleven
done, eight to eleven done. Hire this guy done, Bring this guy
in done. Try this It's all it all was tried and a done.
Help get Scott Hall on the phone. No doubt, no doubt, no
doubt, one two, one doubt. It is hotter when they're on the
road. Am I wrong? It feels like a bigger deal. Um,
yeah, I guess I'm gonna edge on. No. Hey, you're about
to say no. It doesn't make any difference. I mean, it's cool
that they have an arena full of people. It doesn't mean the show is
interesting to watch. You know. It helps, it helps make you feel
less lame. I mean it helps it. It's not the same fucking clowns
coming in. Yeah, it's true, you know, and we've heard that
a lot. It's like, dude, like, there's a difference between you
feeling small league because you have to show up to work at a studio every
week, and the fans feeling the same way watching it. Right, you
know, don't project on every fan that they feel like idiots for watching a
show that you feel like an idiot getting paid to produce. Okay, right,
So Taz is at the table and the vest for the pay per view,
so he comes dressed for the occasion. Del says to the troops backstage
earlier in the pay per view, We've been waiting nine months, he says,
for this to come together. Yes, so have we? It started
with Really, that's how long do you think? Bound for Glory? Right
when Devon was revealed, says, Divon, you gave us access to this
company. Doc Knocks have taken out sting. Mister Anderson, the smartest man
in the locker room is in our corner. Garrett Bischoff called him baby Boy,
and Wes YouTube put Kurt Angle right where we needed him. In fact,
West, tonight is your chance against Kurt Angle. Go out there and
handle club business. Okay, that's where on the show, Bully and Brook
are joint hands backstage in prayer. Brooks's baby, this is your destiny.
You've trained so hard for this. Everything we dreamt about is coming true.
My dad is behind you. I love you, Belisa's Brook. I get
it. You're excited. I get it. I love you also, but
you don't understand. I'm nervous. I want to make you proud. You're
dad proud. For the first time in my career, I want to be
proud. This is a first for me. Okay, and then work has
something to say. Yeah, I think where is everything? I'm for a
heart to heart with his Brook, with his son in law. This is
another Hulk Coke and Clicher and TNA though. Oh yeah, I think I
got this whole. The last mile speech to the guy going out to do
it for the hulkster brother. Baby, this is your destiny. You've trained
so hard for this, and gosh, everything that we dreamed about is coming
true. We got married. My dad loves you. He's behind you.
I love you. I just know that you're going to walk out of there
the world. Get it, I get it, You're excited, stop it,
and I appreciate that you're proud of me, and I love you also,
But you don't understand I'm nervous. I want to make you proud.
I want to make your dad proud. For the first time in my career,
I want to be proud. This is this is a first for me.
I've never been in his Hey dad, so throwing on how you do,
how you feeling? What you please? Who did you say it?
Later? All right, brother, here's a deal. Business first. As
a general manager, Tonight is a pivotal point for us. This good little
company now has a chance to go on to greatness from this moment forward.
Nothing against Jeff Hardy. He's been great for the moment. He's been great
for the run, and I'm not saying that he can't go on and launch
us. I'm gonna tell you something I've never said before. There's something about
you. I can't put my finger on it. Well, maybe you should
try something really really special about you. There's something, some type of an
energy, something that's just comes at me so strong when I'm around you that
I think you're our launch point. I think I'm betting on you to win
tonight. I'm betting on you to take us onto greatness and as a world's
heavyweight champion, this company will never be stopped again. And yes, I
want a son in law to be the world's heavyweight champion, but there's more
to it than that. For me, I've seen what you've done with my
daughter. You put a spark, you put that light back in her eyes,
her her spirits alive again. I mean, my God, after the
crap I put her through on a personal level, the divorce, my family
being destroyed. To see her happy again and knowing that you're responsible for that,
I can't thank you enough. You're my family and I love you like
my own son. Now. So I want you to go out there and
I want you to do a couple of things. Number One, I want
you to win the world heavyweight title because I'm jealous. I wish it could
be, but chance to live through you again. I get to be part
of this business because of you again, the belt's coming home to our family.
And the other thing is before I had my shot, just like you
have your shot today. Andre the Giant pulled me aside and he said,
Boss, whether you win or lose out there, make sure, no matter
what happens, that they remember you as long as they live. And he
meant everybody that watches wrestling, everybody that knows the name Hogan, Andre,
all the names. This is your chance tonight to go out there win or
lose. And yes, I want you to win. But no matter what
happens, make sure when this night is over, they remember you as long
as they live. Brother, That's what I want you to do. That's
a that's an awesome story. Man. Let's do this. Man, I'm
gonna with you all the way. I'm gonna I know you're gonna do me
a favorite, help me. Oh thank you, and listen. As far
as making them remember me, I promise you, I will thank you.
I love you. I love you there, thank you very much. I'm
with you all the way. Man. Incredible stuff. Buss, brother,
I wish it was me. That's I mean, hello, thank you.
Later in the show, West Briscoe beats carn Angle when d Low and company
interfere and get him out of the cage. So West Briscoe beats carn Angle.
I repeat, leaf a lot problem. What's a problem then penter Submission's
team staying were says Nates by the way, earlier on I got I got
a thing. Uh oh sure, I got a thing from from with with
with Joseph Park. That just is you know, it's too good to not
play here in Lockdown in the album Odome, Joseph Park, are you ready,
t I think I'm ready. I'll tell you what you know. Some
are calling it the matchup of Sleeves versus Legal Ease and Jeremy I'm I'm ready
for this whole thing. But I gotta tell you I've been down. The
boys have been down right mean and nasty this weekend, ripping me. I
needed a rental car and they sent me to the alum moment, not the
one with the cars in it, JB. And but they had the best
churls, the best churls ever. You know what, man, You're right
the boys are jerks. A lot of them are real jerks. But Dixie
Carter was just asking where you were. She's looking for you. She wants
to wish you luck in your big match. Where she's in catering. I
know we're cheatering. He played a pasta? Yeah, thanks guys, so
thank you? What the h well? I know hur catering is I'm sure
you do, Joe, what huh? Pasta? Oh my God, he
forgot to eat pasta so hungry because it's not all about food, especially with
big fat fucks. He picked that up. I didn't know that it extended
beyond him wolfing down ribs on impact. He also tried the uros in San
Anton right right at the fucking Alamo. Okay, dude, whatever Aces Nates
music. Here comes Anderson and company. Now first, Anderson, representing Ace's
Nates and Magnus comes out with the baby faceide to a type of response.
By the way, Kenna Anderson looking like a guy that I know. He's
He's just a m he's like now with like with his with his dark hair
and everything. Like every time he comes out, I think of this guy
that I used to do video work for. He's a he runs like a
a sound company. Like he basically he sets up sounds and stages and stuff
and in New Jersey and whatever. And here I'm I'm sending a picture of
him. Okay, his name's Chris, Like, where's this going? Oh
my god? Not quite uh, dominic mysterio is Alex Burnham. But we'll
take it. No, no, yeah, this guy's ticket to Broni.
And so does Kenn Henderson at this point exactly. They took Ken Anderson there
just like, how can we make him as as less interesting as possible?
I know? So they go to midbringing slug it out. Ken Anderson learns
him to the corner. A big thing is the fact that he uh is
that he uh is the hair, you know, not pleaching the hair is
a massive downplay. Let's like a fucking fucking towny fizzed teacher, right,
and he's not peace in high school when he's not on the gizzimmis he?
He also wasn't very broad shouldered either. He's kind of wirey sure sure,
like like Chris there, who I just showed you? Absolutely yes, And
he's learned the aces and eights gear, so he's got like four layers on,
so I guess that's supposed to hide. You never really see Ken Anderson's
physique ever again and wrestling, so make of that what you will. So
again, Magnus hits a high knee because you know he wants to be seen
as trouble h not that complicated. Great Anderson comes back though with a rabbit
Larryot after sidestepping Magnus into the fence and screams at him. T NA Um.
Again, the white T shirt under under the Aces and Eights vest not
flattering at all for Ken Anderson. That is that what Ken Anderson says.
I think he says TNA TNA. I think I got because I think I
thought he said Kennedy count. I guess you're right at TNA. You're right.
I think you're right. Why would he say TNA TA like Kennedy?
Yeah? Why would he say TNA? Why did you say anything at this
point? Well, I agree, I don't know. I couldn't tell you.
Maybe like he's he sees beating up. Magnus is beating up t Nay,
you yell aces and eights, taz mos. Team TNA is the name,
So yeah, I guess yeah. He says, how long did that
take marketing to come up with team tnah. Anderson tries to Mike check,
but Magnus elbows out double clothesline both at the canvas as we do a ten
count. Next entrance comes from Nuts representing Aces and Nights, calling him nux
is like a bishop trying to call Kevin Nash Axel when he brought him in
in nineteen ninety six. Um, so you know who's booking? No noise
at all his nuts, gets in the cage, knucks Ken Anderson's night drop
and says a little tribute there to our general manager. Ken Anderson does a
leg drop, Brother, I mean, what what what? What's going on?
Dude, I got I got a hulk on the cans, Mike,
Brother, he's what's cash? What's fucking going on? Brother? I didn't
give Kenny Anderson permission, dude to like drop anybody. Brother. I gotta
know, I'm coming out. I'm coming out, dude, I'm coming out,
Terry, Terry, you no, you shut the fuck up, Terry,
Brother, you're playing my fucking dude. I'm coming my brother, I'm
taking over. I'm poking the finished dude. I'm winning the match. Brother.
It's whole comedian time. Dude, it's time for hold Logan's take a
log down, Terry. But I'm gonna cru crutch his brother. I gotta
fine, dude, Brother, I think hewetg dude. I tweet Brother,
I tweet, Oh shit, oh brother, Oh oh dude, brook Brock
Brother. Oh my knee, dude, my knee, uh oh fuck?
Oh shit, oh brother. That's that's the difference between Summer Slam two thousand
and five. Hulk, Hogan and Lockdown twenty thirteen. Hogan, he tries
to do the old trick again and he fucking collapses. Boss, what about
the red and yellow T shirt? Fuck crutches and red That's all Cogan and
TNA for sure. So then the ten Count Joe hits the rings for teen
TNA, dropping them, throwing clothes lines, waking up the crowd a bit
so mooe, Joe has a way of doing that, does he not?
Yes, he does. Fucking the best part of the fucking man continues to
be the best part of TNA, even though they did absolutely nothing with him
for the entirety of Holkogan's run. He remains moreover than anybody Hogan and Bishoff
picked to push Jabs Flying kicks a fucking killer, and he fucking does kills
him do the double clothesline, but he he does. Fucking individual ones.
Yeah, it comes in like a badass individual lariatos modern day Animal and the
War Games exactly Flying kick to nuts inverted, Ato mc trop and Yak who's
a kick in a cent on backsplash. Some double teaming by the former partners
here Magnus and Joe, who are once TNA tag Champions. Next ten count
brings out Garrett Bischoff, the crowd for the aces and eights. Here we
go, immediately hit him with you can't wrestle chance. Tas says they could
be talking about Magnus or Joe. You don't know, that's pretty good.
Garapis Off takes a double teaming from Joe and Magnus, big slap to the
back and a knee drop. A little bit of initiation here, kind of
like I don't know, like Daniel Peter in the Royal Rumble. I would
like to think, I guess Joe the only guy anyone cares about in the
ring. Typical of TNA in this era. Anderson pounces Joe down to the
charge and Magnus is press lambed off the top rope. Another ten count brings
out Eric Young. Remember Eric Young was revealed Eric Young looking like Torment and
Game of Thrones. I'll say he means business again because he's not acting.
Goofy comes in and takes shots, takes his tights, running right tights anyway.
He does a great sea a drop kick does Eric Young coming in a
house of fire and takes him all down one at a time and big pop.
They catch up to him now and Garrett Bischoff is raking Erica's face on
the cage fence and art off with the big chop another count shows how hungry
is for that during during that that whole bit there, he ran it to
Garrett fish Off. That's gart Bischoff used his face like a piece of cheese
on a cheese grater. Cheese on a cheese So you use the cheese or
to use the greater tasks? Right? I think? Well, see,
I think most people use the greater on the cheese, but I think definitely
Tass uses the cheese on the greater. Why don't we play that again?
Not for nothing? He ran it to Garret fish Off. That's gart Bischoff
used his face like a piece of cheese on a cheese bread. It's too
much. This guy is way too much. Man the fuck? Oh he
tryed to spit it out, you know, he's like and he gets mad
at himself, like a cheese greater tas awesome. Why don't you try to
putting a tie on? Why don't you try closing that top button tast I
like to see that happen. I would I would buy that tries to button
a shirt collar, Jesus Christ, tremendous. All right stuff, I'm so
glad he was. It's not about food. You hit me with the rose
right right right food. These fucking these fat bitches, you know. It's
fucking Tess dreaming of being a Grimaldi's pizzeria and fucking no, not for nothing.
It's like he's taking a big hunk of cheese from Romaldes and rang it
over cheese. Great, I'm fucking hungry man today, I'm fucking starving.
Oh my god, that's fine. I shove a fucking pie. I'm my
throat not from that again. An hour ago, he starts screaming, I'm
gonna show my pie down my throat. There me a fucking phone. I'm
gonna call a fucking pie, so I'm stuck it down my fucking throat.
Order indoor dash at the announced desk like book or t brother. Oh fuck
stop all right? So then another ten count and U Test says the song
just makes me want to dance bong bongo every time I see someone post online.
The Aces and Egs theme song was actually pretty great. I was like,
I can never tell their being sarcastic or not. I really want to
I really wanna fucking just I want to I want to take those people and
just and and and uh clockwork arngs them fucking keep them in a room,
like just peel their eyes and their ears open and just have them listen to
that shit. Oh when I hear that song, man, I'm just like,
oh, like, this is gonna suck. Now. I guess here's
the thing. I guess about that. I would say that, yes,
you know what, it is a catchy tune, but it's not the right
theme for a main event heel faction. Yeah, okay, it it spells
mid card. It spells a cool mid card theme. Like it's like,
um, Steve Blackman's theme. Yeah, it's a it's a great theme,
but it ain't no main of Venor's theme very interesting, right, Like,
nobody's gonna fucking have that, And I'm gonna think that guy's a fucking main
event states are their mid card is masquerading is main event rights exactly for the
most part. And uh yep, So Devon come in, swinging on everybody,
Joe and loads with slaps on Ken Anderson and knucks throws Magnus into the
cage wall another ten count. Sorry about your damn fucking Jesus Christ. Looks
like he's spending some of that money on some beer money. Johnny Cash,
listen, n, I can't, I can't a deer skinning. I'm gonna
how about this, James. I'm gonna not Karen about that. It's test
is. I just got a text, sorry about my cann stuck. I
just realized when when Taz makes reference to getting a text from Luke Gallow's aka
Doc. Yes, and he's doc is, He's DC, which stands for
Director of Chaos. That's his job title and he's his names. I'm just
gonna Pretenue didn't say that as jokes about how everyone jets right by him at
the ringside announced table and doesn't high five him as Doc gets in their throwing
and dropping everyone and they put over here know why because no remembers Taz is
part of the Aces and Nights exactly. He's don't do anythings, have sit
there the whole time, nothing but fucking just like just act like he's a
regular commentator, Like he says nothing that that's significant, and like it's so
weird, like he's part of this invading force yet when it's not an ACES
and Nates match. He just commentates like he's just the regular fucking guy.
He should always be talking about aces and eights. Yeah, just like Heenan
would always be talking about Flair. So asked backwards. It's so stupid.
It's like, let's arrange the show precisely as we would if we didn't have
an invasion angle going on, except let's just sprinkle invasion rhetoric on four or
five segments of the show. Right. But that's that's that's that's wrestling right
there, because it's so segmented. That's that's classic WWE. In this period
where there was no real through line. It was like there are moments that
happened here and here and here and here and here and outside it like you
don't talk about anything outside of this moment, and it's so bad and it's
not what it's not what's real? Right? Like? The whole idea is
that, you know, if you've got a main event storyline, you can't
make all your storylines a main event storyline. I'm sorry, it's not gonna
happen. It's not. But they want to, they want they don't.
They don't um fluctuate the intensity with which they call the matches based on you
know, the significance of the stars in the ring, right they scream at
every segment. Yeah, that's true. They want everything to be like this
this make it or break it thing, right, and it's like no,
no, you've got one again. That's what made that's what made the hot
periods so great is that these guys, the commentators would be talking about the
main thing that was happening all through the show because it was an invasion and
they were afraid, right, storyline when it came when it came to to
to to Austin and McMahon, same thing, you're just fucking talking about him
all the time, Like you know, you talk about that because that is
your main program, because because sport that, so they would do the main
story would come about ten minutes, talk about the main program because that's what
you're trying. That's the pay per view you're trying to sell. That's the
match you're trying to sell. People aren't buying the secondary these matches for the
pay per views. For secondary matches, they're buying them. But that also
comes into the that there there in lies the mager the bigger problem in that
wrestling companies stopped paying attention to you know, the fans, and they they
just started booking on the you know what they wanted to and so they they
just everything was just in a complete disarray. Yeah, still is it's true.
You know, it's true people who are over aren't really over because I
didn't want them to be over essentially. Essentially, yes, I mean,
that's that remains to be. That remains the case. It is very,
very difficult to get over until someone decides ahead of time that you are about
to get over, my friend, Which is so funny. It's like,
that's so asked backwards to what it was. Yeah, I mean, you
know, because these guys got before they got to television, got over somewhere
and figured out what it was about themselves that connected with a crowd, even
if it wasn't on television, if it was just like, you know,
a random town on the circuit. You know, these guys learned like,
oh when I did that, it worked. When I did that, they
got bored. So, you know, you come to events or a Crockett
fully fully baked already like but I already know what to do to get people
to react to you. It's just a question of whether that's what the booker
is looking for at that particular time, whereas now it's like tell me what
to do, like tell me how to get people to care, because yeah,
I could figure it out on my own, but that's not gonna do
any good because that's not what you see in me. All that matters is
what they see in you, right, And half the time they bullshit you
anyway, so you can't even tell what they see in you. They're not
going to tell you to your face that they don't see a lot of upside
in you. But you're gonna get the hint over like two years, and
so are the fans, by the way, as we're subjected to them pretending
they're going to push somebody, and then only in the long arc is it
clear that they're just going to keep some worker bees around and every now and
then throw them a bone and to make the fans they're still worth watching anyway.
The ten count next time here is elbows elbow drops from a knocks and
Doc on Magnus as they're taking over on the Baby Faces, Doc really comes
in and clean's house and they all raise their arms to the aces and eights
and the booze pour in as the next ten count hints Staying I wish would
pour in. Yeah, wait to the main event, right, Yeah,
Staying comes out to a pop and it comes with garbage cans. That's right.
There's no ceiling this time. No yet does it not come down all?
Come down at all? I don't remember. So stupid read somewhere had
something to do with like they planned on it, but the logistics of the
building and the configuration of the building didn't allow the typical loss. So then
why did you book this arena for long? That's a pair going on the
road. I guess I don't know. I mean no, but you booked
this. You didn't book it last week. In fact, you have more
months than ever between baber views now, Like, why can't you say,
hey, you know what we need to figure out. We need to find
an arena that has this capability. Well, I'm glad, for one,
they didn't have it. I don't know why he SHOs to come out like
no one would have noticed if he didn't come out with any weapons. But
my weapons are the most important part of a match like this of war games.
Don't you know that garbage cans in his hand and tas his what the
hell's with the weapons? And today's like this is lethal lockdown? What the
hell do you mean? Sting comes in with a bat and he's jabbing and
swinging at everybody, and Todd Kennelly says, who's afraid of the big black
bat? I'll just leave that there. Trash can loaded into the ring.
Everyone takes a shot at a time with a cookie sheet and a trash can
lid and a Kendo stick, and you know, the drill crowd gets up
as all the heels are laid out, Joe just straight up chokes Ken Anderson
with his two hands. Just always look like goofs. What's that? They
just always look like goof the mid carters and zeros. Yeah, you know,
like they look like laces. They look they can't they can't back up
what they fucking say. Their threats are are are completely empty. All their
violence looks so fake and the ball peen hammer shit, it just looks so
fake. They just never come off like killers, you know, I know,
they really come off like honestly like Weekend Warrior bikers. They come off
as guys cosplay as bikers, right because they are I mean, but still,
you know what I mean, They kind of just look like guys who
think it would be fun to ride a motorcycle and start a little club.
I mean might as well be you know, guys dressing up in uh,
you know, in medieval gear and fucking fighting in uh in the in in
the park, yep Aces and Nates are basically war reenactors, right right,
Um, So everyone takes a shot at a time, They're all laid out,
crowd gets up for it, Joe's choking Innerson, Okay, Tanaz keep
Tenay rather keeps explaining to Taz why weapons are in the ring, because he
apparently, for god what Leith lockdown is all about. And Test says he's
very disappointed in him, and it's very unprofessional of staying to bring all these
weapons into the cage. Kenda stick shot um to a trash can that's been
placed on Devon's ball sack, big cell, Tonay says, yem bag YACHTSI.
Tess says, can we get our hands on any of these weapons on
a butter knife anything? As they're getting their ass kicked? And I'm staying
well, Tasks, I mean, you would I got a roll, you
would got a roll. I gotta pack a Butta, Can I please got
a butt? Can I get a button knife? Please? Tas, You're
not fooling anybody. There's one person in this building that knows exactly what a
butter knife are, and it's you exactly. Trash can help? Hey,
do you work for the building? Do you work for the building? I
gotta know I needn't. I need to have a complete inventory of every button
knife, every button knife in the building, concessions behind you know whatever?
I need all? I need all the button knife why, sir? I
need to know where they are because I may need to use one, And
you say use I need to spread butter on on a roll. I bring
rolls with me. I knew there'd be something there there. It is black
and orange shirt. I bring rolls with me. Got Taz, We can
see even though you are in the vest. He rolls his way into the
fucking arena. That's what he does. Think, Humpty dumpty over here,
let's piece of shit, red hook zone, Humpty dumpty, or like red
lobster zone, humpty duty. You know he loves those biscuits and digging down
on those biscuits. Tas, can I get more biscuits? Biscuits. Okay,
you can tell me for a second. The Taz doesn't have his order
at the diner. Oh god, full spread, I mean eggs, the
the Red Hooked diner. Fucking just yeah, he's got the Taz. You're
gonna order the task. It's a fucking piece of like Canadian bacon, right,
Oh, it's every fucking meat they have in the house. You get,
you get, you get Canadian bacon, you get a thick ham steak,
you get, you get bacon, you get sausage, you get chariso,
all that shit in here. Wait, where's the problem. Where's the
problem? You can't find it yet? With with a waffle? Then not
for nothing? Waffle? Not for nothing, waffle, it's not for nothing.
Four eggs, four eggs, yep, you know, home fries,
fucking bagel. Order the Tazz, the red Hooked Dazz, the red hook
dinner. That's right, so good? Oh god, a sweetheart, ay,
sweetheart, we feel Shall I get a refill on the coffee? Please?
Can I get a heat up on the coffee? I mean they go
off for nothing, but I could use a little extra bacon, sure thing,
mister Tayas, Oh where is he now? No red lock anymore is
he now? I think she said my quote, Sure, sure thing,
mister Tayles, He'll murder a fat English breakfast. Sure sure thing, he
tas, mister Tas. What else do you want? The guys that's the
waitress the way, Oh yeah, oh yeah, what do we got now?
Fucking fucking sucking down cigarettes in the middle of the restaurant, totally against
code. Do you want anything else? Not for nothing? I wasn't gonna
give it to you for nothing. You gotta pay for your food, sir.
Dads goes out and like another table in this leather jacket. Hey,
hey, let me have that. Hey. He just takes them off.
Hey, I'm taking this all right, put it on my tad, give
him another one takes He takes it right off their table. And I'm taking
this guy's hash. Sure thing, mister Tazz. Whatever you need. Oh
that's fucking good, old on full gone. I'm I'm taking this guy's hash.
Like he's got things to do, you know, Like he carries like
the right, he's this air about him, like he's he's he's moving and
shaking, he's he's but he goes back to his seat. Right, he
collects items off other diner's table, like like it's normal course of business.
He doesn't even like threaten, He doesn't raise his voice. He just starts
taking items off. He just grabs it. Are you gonna eat that?
Yeah? I'm's mine now, No, you're not exactly I'm eating it not
for nothing. I got beans. Nobody out here has beats beans. The
dude posts up at like eight thirty in the morning, and he orders and
orders. He doesn't leave until twenty thirty, and he got the New York
Post. Scott, He's got the fucking New York Post. He's got his
fucking he's fucking uh Oakley sunglasses on. Oh. I didn't know this is
gonna be Taz's turn. I thought it was like one one last you know,
riddle of gunfire at the Hulkster. Hear what you are talking about?
Tazz can I'm gonna have this guy's hash? Give him another one? How
funny is that? Give m another one? Like he doesn't even Askhole about
it. But guess what Taz is eating that hash? I don't give a
fuck, like we mean it's yours? Like what what makes it yours?
I'm gonna take it right now. You're not gonna do anything about it,
and I'm gonna eat it. How is it yours? I'm gonna take it,
You're gonna I'm gonna eat it. You're not gonna do anything about it,
and they're gonna bring you another one. So how about you tell me
how that makes it? You tell me how this makes this yours? When
I'm gonna eat it, it's in my sea durak your my fucking mouth.
Oh just you want Oh shit, all right, buzz, get a plate.
Gett a fucking plate, your fucking idiot, nice ship, hold on,
getta getta plate, your fucking idiot. Why does he make that noise
at him? That's about that's the noise of him regarding is Most people go,
but he goes. I want you to know when I did that,
my tongue touched the microphone and I tasted pennies. Oh fuck, all right,
back to the match, ye sure, um. They put a trash
can in Garrett Bischoff's face and Sting splashes it. Tas goes to hell with
it, Just get out of the cage. At this point, they put
a can on Ken Anderson's head and Sting splashes the can and Taz says,
we're looking good here and Toenak goes hell, are you watching? It's really
funny? Uh? Eric Young almost hit sting with a bat by accident when
Ken Anderson dodges the shot. Ass Nate start then turning the tide with a
series of weapon shots on the baby faces. Todd Kennelly says, a trash
can lit to Eric Young's head sounded like a cannon at the Alamo, So
that's why they pay him the big bucks. There we go. DC Choke
slams Eric Young in the center of the ring. Um James Storm is swinging
a trash can. Magnus does a Mitchinoku driver ondoc on what chair. Garrett
Bischof climbs up to the top trying to scurry out of the cage and he
ends up hanging down off the top of it. Here's here's a quere's a
bite from uh with Tonay and Taz doing shitt trash can off the Joe take
another free shot. Joe could have said it up, get off the league,
Mike today the professor, but true respect, but many stretch off business.
Its gloting and happy to be over a young man like character. We
just got worn out with a weapon. Just trying to balance your bs out
here. Oh that's nice, that's a that's a real broadcast journalists using that
language. We need to get our hands on a weapon out here, who
really do He's awesome, he's awesome in this in this role. Yeah,
when he does this, he's totally he's totally adequate, absolutely total, NonStop
adequacy. There we go, jaz here. Um. So, yeah,
Bishop's trying to get out of the cage, ends up hanging down off the
top of it, and they hook a superplex, but the others kind of
get in a piggyback position and Joe double power bombs the whole fucking lot of
them, and then Bischoff does a goes for a big time ride at the
tip top of the Tower of Doom on the superplex. Joe that hooks an
stf on. Can you want to know something, Joe made that fucking and
I hate you know, I hate a Tower of Doom spot of course,
but that as much as I do hate it, Joe made it look all
right. Well. He stepped up in a way where it was like,
Okay, this guy's actually muscled everybody into a position that they otherwise didn't choose,
Like he isn't like one person came up behind them and tapped them on
the stomach and they all flew right. So there's that. It makes you.
It makes you say to yourself, wow, I wonder why people don't
do that anyway? Right, Um, let's see Um. Eric Young comes
with a flying forearm to shut down coronate Ken Anderson staying with a scorpion death
drop on knucks. Sting tells Eric Young to go up to the top of
the cage. Um tells him to go up top. So Eric Young climbs
the ropes for his elbow and then Sting is standing in his way. He's
not letting him jump, He's just go all the way. Eric goes to
the top, rains down an elbow off the top of the cage to a
big pop on knucks one, two three, Team TENA defeeds to the aces
and eight. So that's it for this faction, right, Why would they
how would they ever be able to show their face again after coming up so
short? I mean they lost again and like a group match too, like
a match where it's like right, it's it's like as if the NW fucking
lost that War Games match and you realize after so many months here, it's
like they're they're never going to end the Aces and Eights, and their plan
is for the Aces and Nights to be a permanent fixture in TNA. Just
the nWo was, you know. Tas To cries the desperation of Eric Young
having to take that kind of risk to seal the deal for Team TNA,
and they're screaming at each other and Tenay is so pissed. Facebook dot com
slash Impact Wrestling tells us that fifty one percent of TENA fans voting think Jeff
Hardy is going to defeat Bully Ray in the main event. Bully steps out
for the main event and his Yankees Beanie with the game face great welcome horns
from Bully Today says Bully is wrestling is a wrestling historian because the moves and
the motions that he's done and the face paint to kind of get an inspiration
talking about Under the Giant. Oh okay, so he's yeah, he's talking
about how it meant something when Hogan es bring up Under the Giant backstage and
it's going to be huge, and task is I'm gonna throw up on an
a vomit as Mike Tinday's waxing poetic Tas says he's lucky he's in that cage.
I'll whip his ass. I'm Tafflon tasks. Here comes Jeff Hardy with
add his title on his waist and the other world title on his shoulder,
presiding he gets booed. I don't well, also, Bubba get got booed.
Yeah, but I don't understand. He's a baby face. No he
is, but I guess because they picked Jeff is the face here. He
got to pick a heel if you're the fan. Not really. Maybe they
could see through Bully, just like Hult could in the beginning. Maybe JB
with the introductions weighing in this morning it before breakfast, idiot, that idiot
commentator, whatever his fucking name is, I don't want to know. He
talks about all the adversity that Jeff faced um and since becoming champion. So
I guess actually comes after the introductions. Go ahead, h Yeah, So
Bully Ray waited in this Morning before Breakfast at two hundred and seventy five pounds
from Hell's Kitchen about after breakfast. Oh, they don't talk about that all
right, because there are commission rules around how much weight you gain after cutting
and let's just put it this way exactly day. Extremely concerning Jeff with his
eyelids painted fine, yep, totally fine. And when he's introduced he flicks
his eyes. He is like, why is he doing that? He's I
was stupid. Why does he move around like a robot? I think he
thinks it fits with the painted eyelids makes him look like I don't think he
thinks. I don't think he thinks at all. Org He's a fucking eye
he is. Check out that Jeff Hardy interview from twenty thirteen on or YouTube
page that I did. He talks about the type of paint he has to
use for his eyelids so it doesn't fucking I don't know blind him. I
was like, how the hell do you do that? Like, how do
you paint your eyelids and not have it just like peel off and it's a
certain kind of paint. Don't you ask him the wrong question? Not how,
it's why. Absolutely so Hardy verse Bully World titled main Event Lockdown twenty
thirteen bully Mouth, So one more time to Jeff because they're I don't know,
trying to recall teals matches in w W I guess lock up headlock,
tackle down goes Jeff. Tess says what Andre told Hoag is be memorable when
you're out there, and TESSAs Hogan said the same to Bully. Test thinks
it's ridiculous, it's nepotism, it's a little annoying. He says that Hogan
is a little bit in this position. Can't argue with him. There,
yea. And here here's that idiot announcers twinning the title at Bound Victoria twelve
Wrestler of the Year. I mean he was modest, adversity at best,
no for Jeff, And wouldn't he be the twenty twelve modest Wrestler of the
year all the way to the top. Yeah, Yeah, he's been modest
and stay in one of tenh So Bully with a quick Larry and the cover
gets to Bully misses a corner slap and Hardy comes alive with arm drags in
a big splash. It's a big bully heel spot, go for the slap
in the corner. Guy moves, he hits the top buckle and an arm
drag reversal. Hardy with the back elbow whispering the wind land. Bully goes
head over heels on the cell job covered by Jeff Hardy. Only one is
Bully with a quick kickout in the early going here, Hardy than starts climbing,
but Bully grabs the ankle and Hardy kicks him off into a cool splash
for the middle rope, getting a two count. Hardy Than his climbing again
with one leg over the top of the cage. Bully comes up after Room,
pulls him in and kicks him on top, and Hardy gets crotched on
the top rope. Bully, with a couple of elbows, gets too.
Says that Jeff fell on his oatmeal. Has somebody said oatmeal? I believe
so, I don't know what that means. He did go face down in
his oatmeal this morning at the hotel, but you need to talk about that.
I mean he did that at three in the morning as well. Bully,
with a body slam gets too. Hardy dashes for the door, but
he gets cut off as Bully is clubbing him hard across the back Irish whipon.
He chases him down with a clothesline. Bully drops him with the headbut
for two Let's go Hardy Bully ray Chance oscillating here in San Antonio, Bear
hug By Bully and Hardy gets free and takes one of those high backdrops and
gets two does Bully Rayas says how much better this would be if it was
d Low or Divon against the world champion, and I just I paris shudder
at that. Yep, yep, nope, nope, Yeah, that is
a great question. Why isn't Lockdown headlined by Jeff Hardy versus Dilo Brown in
a cage Bubba with a Vader bomb misses and totally eats the canvas and that's
the rib before the show absolutely already tries a twist of fate, but he's
pushed off and Bully tries the Bubba bomb, but Hardy gets free and scores
with a twist of fate, takes off his shirt. Some distant squeezers from
the crowd, you know, you know, not a lot of heat for
Jeff Hardy's come back. I don't think the crowd was especially well miked either,
but definitely not definitely like not that Jeff Hardy is the you know,
kind of above and beyond everybody else in terms of how old he is a
reaction. He climbs the ropes. Taz laughs and says, sorry, I
didn't realize what was going on here, as he did exactly as suddenly West
Briscoe and Garrett Bischoff climbed the cage and get in, and Hardy's throwing hands
on it, and Bully comes up and he's Coyle West brisco West let's go
fresh out of nineteen ninety eight WCW. No, doesn't he look like a
Saturday night jobber. He really does a pro WCW pro job. Oh,
so Bully's coiled and he shouts Jeff and kills him with a double clothesline.
So Jeff is a bully rather is fighting off Aces and eights. And if
you know where this thing's going, it's very confusing. He tries to that
aforementioned thing where he goes through nine months of intrigue. He also tries to
address while he would attack the guys he's ultimately about to join here, Bully
drops down for a poetry in motion and helping Jeff Hardy attack Aces and Nates,
and Jeff Hardy does just that. I guess this is no DQ,
right, I guess in a yeah, So they open the cage door after
climbing in, and Gary Bischa's almost landing on his head. West doesn't know
what the fuck he's doing, flailing all over the ropes. I mean he's
going to be high all the time. Absolutely tests that backfire, I'll admit
it. As they slug it out in the middle whip reverse, Hardy hits
a flying foe arm inverted atomic dropped, does the heel drop to the crotch,
drop kicking the tyke gets two on Bully Ray. Hardy then dashes up
to the fence, but Bully cuts him off, slaps him in the chest.
Both are up top now and Bully grabs a leg and Hardy leaps up
and kicks with the other and bumps down to the canvas. Bully falls off
the top onto Jeff like he passed out. That's good for two goods About
there. They get up. Hardy comes alive at the twist of fate,
climbs to the top of the cage. I called it a twist of stunner.
Twist of stunner. As Bully hooks the foot and power bombs Jeff.
Hardy off the top rope and he sat out with it so hard he really
landed on his neck and folded over as a tough fall. It's kind of
like the sit out power bomb he does through a table, except yeah,
no table and not protected. Yeah yeah, really tough bump Pully shit chant.
Bully drapes an arm over for the two count, and here we go.
Hull Coogan comes out with Brooke Ulsters on his crutches and trying to do
something. He's, you know, trying to get a bully motivated. Come
on, Bully, he's saying a cage side and Brooke is out too,
following him. I think there's a ramp here. Remember aj style so that
they actually built the ramp in TNA so that Hulk Cogan could get to the
ring okay without having to wow climb up and down. Today says, uh,
he's the general manager. He can come out here if he wants his
tastic's issue. Oh goan get up, Bully, get up, brother,
Come on, he's grabbing him. I got I got this right leading up
to the big the big moment here, brother, Yeah, old on you
to get the same, Bully. Get up. You're trying to get up.
Brother, Come on, Bull, you got to get up. You
trying to get up, brother, try boy, don't stop. Don't stop,
brother, stand up, get your ring back. He's going get up.
He's late, bro. And here they come Delos out trying to climb
nuts too. They stand on the on the middle, back to back.
They stand in the middle, Delo trying to cop Delo trying to climb the
cage is like hilarious, Yeah, fat fuck said he's so out of shape.
Um Jesus Christ. So facing this siege, of course, Hogan's is
lame. He's got a crutch, so we can't do much about this.
Bully Ray, Jeff Hardy the ring. He's lame in more ways than one.
I need to fight him off the eight aces. Nate's getting into the
cage and Devon faces Bully on the top rope and pulls out the hammer and
throws it to Bully. Oh shit. Bully turns to Jeff with the eyes
like I'm gonna turn heel. He points to Ken Anderson and like he's gonna
use it on Ken Anderson and then wham, Bully Ray smacks Jeff Hardy across
the back with the ballpeen hammer. Taz lets out a laugh. Hogan's mouth
is a gape. No, no, Brooke doing the same. Bully Ray
has turned heel. Devon comes down and the hands up and they do the
Dudley thing that Dudley hand gestures yeah, and Tess says he just got goosebumps.
Is Bully having knocked Hardy out with the ballpene Hammer covers frohim for the
one, the two, and the three. Bully Ray the new TNA World
Heavyweight Champion defeating Jeff Hardy in the main event of TENA Lockdown twenty thirteen,
with a flummixed, a bewildered to horrified Hulgan and Bok Hogan looking on at
ringside. Oh yeah, Hogan's mouth is open. Bully comes up, making
the face like he finally finished executing a plan as he's announced as the winner,
and Delo hands him the title and he hoists it high, which would
be pretty much a lasting symbol of TNA television for the remainder of Hulk Coogan's
reign. Bully Ray hoisting this championship up like this, Okay, Devon saying
you and your father deserved it. They're now barking at Hogan through the cage
wall Brook. Hogan is now crying. Yeah, Hogan is in denial,
saying no, no, great cell job from Hogan and Brooke here, I
have sure I did know it really is. I mean, listen, all
things considered, it's a it's a very very good um swerve moment. I
h I kind of flubbed, you know. I try to not give away
things and the notes I passed to you in preparation. Did you know this
is no? Okay? So when you watch this, you didn't no Bully
turn heel No, I didn't know, clear because the fucking you go on
the Impact Plus app and the picture for this pay per view is Bully standing
in the ring with all the aces and eights with their head. Ye.
No, because you know what I I, um, you do the other
one I grabbed off YouTube. I grab I grab all the all the pay
per views off YouTube, and then, um, you know, I try
to watch everything that I can not on Impact Plus. I just hate I
hate the I hate the website terrific. So this is uh, this is
an actual is close to an organic reaction we're going to get. Oh,
totally totally. That's that's why I'm like, it's actually legit, like because
I was I knew about the uh. I knew about the wedding. I
knew about that, um, but I did not know about this. And
you know, it's um it's good. It's probably the best of its to
type as far as you know. The book A hundred versions of this single.
It feels like in TNAM But I have to say it, really it
really stood out. It's like a piece of business that was well executed.
The crowd was robust, you know, it seemed to be taking place in
front of a crowd that was sold on this match, And really, I
think it would have been I think it would have been better. I think
it would have been a little more. I don't know if this would have
been better or not, but part of me is wondering to really get you
know again, I think that Aces and Eights this should have felt like I
think this should have felt like the culmination of ass and eights. Yeah,
and like the faction was formed just to create this moment and then everybody right,
but then but but like the idea being that you had all the pieces
put into place. It wasn't this whole fucking bullshit the way that it was
played out, but like this was going to be the end of the Aces
and eights Bully Ray versus whoever was the champion of ass and eights, you
know, like the champion would have been it would already been an aces and
eights guy. And then the swerve is that the guy who like they kicked
the guy out, whoever it is and he was the real leader all along
or something like that. I don't know. He didn't make sense more talk
it out. Yeah, somebody was popped up to pretend to act like they
could be the Layer because but he was not in the right the thing either,
right, you know, and I like they could have been Jeff Hardy,
you know, and then like yeah, I don't know, Well this
isn't where this goes. But I think another thing, another lever they could
have pulled was Brooke eventually turning on Hulk and being a heel manager to Bully,
Like I han't been great like Stephanie did with Triple H. Yep,
I think that'd be great. That would have been something to see. But
for now, Brooke is smack in the cage screaming at him. She does
a really good job acting like a totally jilted lover. Oh yeah, oh
yeah, totally betrayed. He leans over you love nothing. You are nothing
to me. Oh I got this whole wonderful thing. Stupid, my case,
my case. Now I what are you gonna go? What are you
gonna go? Do something sucking? You do something sick for fowls said man,
that's right, that's ry hate did on Let that stupid bitch cry they
chat stupid cos Yeah, alright, howk hawk? I used you brooke?
Hear though, I screw cans up the pot back. It's called checking out.
Yeah, half class, let's get out of here. Yeah, most
of black. I fool every single w fother you I thought as good.
An pretty wild visual with those uh cans and bottles hit in the cage wall
clink clink, clink clink. Yeah. Oh totally kind of works better than
just a ring being showered because you don't get that sound effect. Yeah,
and you know that's back to be ninety six, and Bischoff just wants that
every time he wants that that big heat angle to be people throwing shit at
the ring. In fact, there's usually little something a little like nugget and
the observer that's like suggesting that they planted someone to start that, like the
first two people to throw something, not have been might be instructed to do.
So it's just a fucking no one's ever going to admit to that,
because that's a risky thing to if the building finds out you encourage that shit.
But every time it happens, it's money. Man. You'd never forget
a heat angle where they fill the ring with garbage, you never forget because
they really reserve that for like moments. It's it's so strange because every single
person that threw something at the ring knows it's vague, but but they're like
kind they're kind of like expressing disgust with the angle, not just the rest
of the Yeah. Yeah, it's like this is like they're doing this like
really like because because really they convince people. I think, for the most
part, it seems to me that that Bully Ray actually was going to be
the baby face here, and that he actually was going to fight for Brooks
honor and be whole Coogan's emissary and and all of that. I mean,
you know, they're little seeds planted along the way. If you look very
closely, you could see that Bully wasn't on the up and up. But
it seem like they had left that in the review mirror, especially as Bully
fights off Faces and when they first hit the cage, and Today says at
the end of the show, I've done with this, Yeah, me too.
So the next Impact has a big time package to start with a you
know mentioned replaying the whole Cogan speech backstage to Bullie right before the match,
and the soaring music making it seem extra epic. And they include extra footage
of Brooke just crouching and agony and grief backstage. Yeah, and they opened
boss as we're on the road now as a Dixie Carter Woud announced with tapings
here at the Sear Center in Chicago. And we know this year center pretty
well, Yes we did. This is of course where what would come to
be all in, what would come to be a w launched that initial inaugural
show, the show that sold out when people didn't think it could without a
television platform and support it. And we know where things go from there.
But TNA had its first crack at the building. It looks good, the
crowd looks good, building looks good. Yep or Chicago the best wrestling city
in the world, and this was the first road taping. I mean,
it might boggle your mind, because it seems every year of TNAH, we've
talked about how now they're going on the road with the tapings. So yeah,
yeah, they tried it and stopped and started several times. Really,
as they hear bishof tell it, they expected immediate ratings turned arounds by going
on the road, and when they didn't see it's like seat back to the
impact zone we go and it's ye right, but now the lease is up
and they can't get back in there, so they're really to figure this thing
out. The show draws about forty five hundred fans, according to the Observer,
are very good for TNA and the cost. This is where the cost
starts getting circulated and reported. Melterer says it's between six hundred and seven hundred
thousand dollars to do one of these tapings. How much six to seven hundred
thousand dollars? Wow, and you figure twenty six tapings a year because they
take more than one week of television at seventeen million dollars in new costs.
Jesus Christ. I mean not to suggest it was zero dollars to do televion
at the impact zone, but I'm sure it was nowhere near six thousand opos.
Oh no, I'm sure not. I mean, because you're not.
It's kind of a I mean, I see they the kind of a it's
a catch twenty two because you know, you're not making any money at the
impact zone, right, you're not spending a lot of money either, But
then you go on the road and it's like, yeah, you're making money,
but you're also spending a shit ton more. Yeah, yeah, you're
selling some tickets, some more merch. I mean, Spike is putting money
in. Spike is paying them a license fee, so there's that there is
money coming in. That's why it was so vital that they had that television
partner because that was a that was a steady stream of revenue. You know.
That's why everything's booked to keep the ratings high and not so much with
a concern for pay per view because the real people paying the freight here of
the TV network. So you need to do what keeps them happening, right,
try to book hot angles to keep ratings up. But still no one
knows exactly what that was. I think for UFC when Spike had him,
it was like thirty million a year. I don't think they were paying them
thirty million a year for TNA, but and then that jumped up to like
ninety million for UFC from Fox hundred million. That's why they jumped. And
then with the ESPN, it was just exploded from there coming off Fox.
But so there is money coming in. But the point is if that was
enough to just about break even with the talent costs, you know, because
you've got to figure if you take bish Off at his word there, Spike's
taken off the top, like what two and a half million dollars for him
and Eric, right, So it's not just because Spike is paying TNA.
It doesn't mean it's all money they can play with a lot of it seems
to already be accounted for before they even put it in the bank. Oh
yeah, Rob van Dam's contract expires in March, so fuck that. Remember
when he was going to be the new UH captain. Fucking nightmare. The
trend continues by the way of talent getting pushed amidst an expiring contract that they
do not open negotiations to renew before starting the push and will really get into
it later with AJ. But there seems to be this ass backwards strategy.
I mean it happens too often. Form seems to be where they're like,
you know, because you want to like put your head in your hands and
say, they're so fucking disorganized that they didn't realize that the continent. Now
I'm starting to think that they know the contracts coming due, and they think
if they push someone significantly significantly going into the contract expiration, that's somehow that
will afford them better leverage, which is of course patently absurd. Like,
yes, at that point, the talent has all the leverage because they've got
the strap and it's disorder dot com if you if they leave with the belt
anyway. Um elsewhere in this episode of Impact, Bobby Rudin Astinaris, who
are tag team, face off against Hernandez and Chavo Guerrero when the Aces and
Nates hit the ring and swarm and stomp away. And at this point everyone
in Aces and Nates is unmasked and nobody gives a fuck and nobody ever,
ye completely nobody gives a shits. Bischoff Books reveals that's his thing, and
uh, now everything's been revealed, so Test says, this is how we're
rolling baby Um Devon's front and center. It's not Bully quite yet. And
yeah, I don't think I got this. Maybe I don't have until he
comes out Hogan, that is, I don't know. No, uh Bubba
Bully Okay, Yeah, yeah, they definitely mounted the ring tests. Get
used to it. This isn't ending anytime soon. I'm thinking you didn't write
about that, and says you people should sit down and shut the hell up.
This is the group that I told you was going to take over t
NA. This is the club that will dominate from now on. So,
without any further ado, the new world Champion, my brother Bully Ray Ace's
music Bully Ray. Hi, I'm a prisons and I am the TNA world
can you Wayne Champion. I'm the guy that used saying I'm the guy that's
screwed Brook, But I just told you I'm the guy that made a fool
out of Hulcogan. But to no one, I'm also the guy that made
a fool out of every printing one of you. For nine months, you
bought into it for nine months, we pulled the walls over your eyes.
Fine mind, mind you boy. I'm exhausted to ring the string. Sold
you how proud I was from you and the rest of our brothers. When
I saw you climb up to the top of the cage, when I saw
you come in, when I saw you take that hammer throw it to me,
And when I took that hammer, Han shrilled chicks hardy ain't the back
of the hang. I never felt so proud. But I gotta tell you
I wasn't supposed to go down that way, now, was it? Na?
Na, Let me let you know a little something. Remember and lock
down, turn the cage match. Remember when Wes and Gary came over the
top of the cage. That was the plan, explained, That's what I
was gonna leave the cage match when I was supposed to happen. But it
didn't. You know why because of Hulk Hogan. Because an hour before that
night, could Cati sit me down and have the big father to son in
law talk with me. Could Catas sing me down and say, you know,
bully, I gotta used to get a piece of advice from He talked
about hell trading, cho did him advice to do something memorable. I couldn't
a damn about your advice. But I did do something memorable. I did
something with my brothers in the aces and eight in one night that the nWo
cut an atomplice forever, Hulk. I know you're here somewhere, Hulk.
If you got the balls, come out here and fire us, come to
fire us. It won't happen, and won't happen. You can't chare his
name all you want, He ain't can fire us. Where the aces at
eight? And when you ride with the aces and eight you'll never walk alone?
All that means, um, I guess you have backup for the rest
of your life if you're an ass nates right, Well, bat Stake became
a huge star by walking alone. That's right. But there you go,
that's the promo. What do you think? I mean, it's fine.
I don't see what they What did they do that the NBO didn't do?
What do you mean he says we did in one night what the nWo couldn't
do. I don't understand. What do they do? Yeah, Like Hogan
won the belt? What are you talking about? Hogan won the belt circumstance
to the right, wild right. Actually he wanted faster than you guys did,
Like nine months? Has it really been nine months? Has it really
been going on for nine months? God? I like you think about that
all started when Holk was doing that interview backstage, remember in like the office,
at that conference table, and he got the delivery of Thesa's Nate's envelope.
Yeah, that was the summer of twenty twelve. That is exhausting,
isn't. It's a good story, is what it is. It's SARSA fucking
losers the entire fucking time. So Sting is backstage and he's asked for his
reaction and he basically says he felt like he was burned at the Steak.
He's he says, a bully Gray, Bully Ray is digging the grave for
Tina and he was in the Fastling. And it pisses me off. What
do you think this is? I think we have this one. Fi just
burned me at the Steak. He's digging my grave. He's digging a grave
for Tna and now he's in a he's in a fastling. Kisses me off?
What I gotta do something. I'm gonna get Bully. I'm gonna get
him. I'm gonna get my hands on him, and I need to start
by talking to Hulk. Yeah, can I can? I I might say
this this is old school bad promosting. Yeah, totally like, what the
fuck happened? You're you're You've been the king at getting shit over and this
was deplorable. Absolutely, they're in the clubhouse now. I guess the clubhouse
goes on the road because they're in Chicago, I guess. I guess it
moves wherever TNA is going to happen, I guess. And they still have
a little room to blow each other in the Hey, guys, guys,
listen up for one second. Check this out. I don't think Hogan's got
the balls to fire us. I know you guys don't think he's got the
balls either, But if he does, I want to propose a toast to
all you. I want to propose a toast to the guys that stuck by
me and my plan for the past nine months. I want to propose a
toast to the best brothers a guy could have. And I don't want to
propose a toast to the baddest mother. I don't want to propose a toast
right there. You know what, I haven't heard from my wife while hold
on, Mamma's on, she's shaving. How would you do it? Honeyboddy,
it's me. How came you away? Returning my calls? How come
you shaving to me? Wait, I'm gonna put on speak away. The
boys want to say hello you hold on, hold on, hold on,
hold on Yo fling back and I tell God, I said hello, yeah,
oh boy. I just don't even know where to fucking go with this
show or cell phone calls on Impact. I know, right, let's right,
that's what we need. Voicemails, cell phones, texts. Holcus backstage
on crutches. Can we get your thoughts? You're gonna fire these guys?
He says nothing. What about Brook? He looks into shades and says,
not now and closes the door. I hate I don't like mystery interview guy.
I know, big babe, I don't like it at all. I'm
not a fan. I think they could do this well, but it's just
not done well. Thank you. Staying walking around backstage knocks and a door
goes in and when he sees Hogan, Hogan peels off the glasses. Now
back to Bully at the table. They have all the Impact shirts and Bully
says, no coozies, no shirts. Open that book up. The first
one you open is paying the price. Whoever's in there. They have a
bunch of pictures of teenage wrestlers and they all scream and laugh when they realize
who's getting it, and slapped the table and clink beer bottles again, sting,
we need to talk, Hulk. Here, I got this one because
this is this is, this is where it's fascinated to me, and we
need to talk, Hulk. What do you want now? I mean the
simple thacue that I've got one left in my body? Are you here to
get that? Don't you realize what has happened, what you've done? You
know, you let us down the path of Bully's a good guy. I
know what he's like. I know who he is. No you didn't.
I knew who he was, and I told you all along he was rotten
to the core. And now Bully has the world's heavyweight title. Now Aces
and Eights have the whole company. Hostage now might not mean nothing to you,
but my daughter is married to Bully and it's not a very good place
to be right now. What you mean it might not meaning it means something
to me, of course, Listen, I got an idea. Just don't
fire Races and Eights, especially Bully. Great, that's what I need that's
what you need. That's let's do it for us. We need this.
Let me have Bully tonight. There is no wee anymore. Stay. I
looked in your eyes a couple of months ago and you scared me all the
way into my soul and you said trust me, and I told you Staying,
I know how this movie is. Well, guess what, brother,
this is the end of the movie. If they got the world title.
My daughter screwed over to Mary Sho didn't want to be in there, as
you know, the whole company and the movies over brother, and so you
so get out of my office. I don't have time to talk to you,
and I don't want to see you right now. Get out. He
made me sick. Oh now, I will say Hogan got better as the
scene went on, like it wasn't as bad. But I just don't understand
what the again? What the they're acting like? They act like TNA is
like the Florida government or something. Do you know what I mean? No,
but they're they're or they're acting like it's this the TNA's this big fucking
thing, like they infiltrated. They it's like it's just a fucking wrestling company.
And also you have the power. They didn't infiltrate, you have them
under contract. It's so true, and they come in and all this position
of like the world title confers all the power, like I think if it
as like you know again, like it's like, guys, you're not it's
not like, uh, they're treating it in a way like the fucking Capital
insurrection. Yeah, I mean essentially, But that's the thing. The interaction
already happened, like the physical invasion of the of the locusts has already happened.
And now they're on the road, so it doesn't even matter if they've
gained entry. And uh, it's just like they can walk around whenever they
want. And obviously they're under your thumb because you're booking them in matches and
it's gonna saying fuck you, I'm not wrestling anybody. They go in there
and try to win matches like they're under teeming contract, and why not fire
them? Exactly? Why not book them and win matches every week? You
know? Why not? And and and that actually might be more interesting if
you did fire them, Yeah, I know, And then they and then
they kept trying to like then they kept you know, then you can build
it back up in that way where where they keep following you guys, and
that that to me, it would be much more interesting and make more sense.
But also I don't like the idea of this fucking company at stake,
Like why why why does the company? Why don't we to worry about the
company? You know they talk about that and the world title conferring the power.
This is going all the way back to twenty ten. I mean,
let's not forget they already did this angle yes, with Hulk and Jeff turning
heel at a bound for Glory twenty ten, and it was a you know,
a little thing all along to rest power from Dixie Carter. They did
the same thing where they did like this, they put it on home video.
Not an impact. They put on an impact, they put on reaction.
It was just like show long extrapolation of all the little steps along the
way and all the if you look back, you should have saw it coming
from the beginning and all that shit. And I don't want to. I
don't want to. It's like what if I didn't want to see it coming?
Maybe I didn't see it comings didn't want to, And I don't want
to see even less now, right, But the thing is later in twenty
thirteen, Bully Loose is the title to Chris Saban. And when Chris Saban
has the belt for a couple of weeks there about a month does anything.
Does anybody celebrate that Ace's Nates have lost power over TNA? No, no
one says a word about that. Nothing changes, there's no shifting of anything
when suddenly Ace's Nates lose the belt. But when they win it, it's
the darkest day in Tienna history. And I get that it's just storyline and
that's what they're trying to get across. But they've done it like three times
already, or a heel wins the world title and they act like everything's crashing
down and nothing changes. Now it's just like, oh okay, Dixie's got
to go to court again in filing injunction. I can't wait see how that
turns out. Yeah, I guess what, don't care done? You've done
it too many times. Maybe I cared the first time, but when I
realize it ends up going nowhere in the end and the next storyline starts with
no real demarcation, like to say that all right, now that's over and
this one's starting. It all blends together because this bullshit happens behind the scenes.
That makes it totally opaque as to why the chess pieces are changing on
television. The Delo Brown example is a perfect one. They made a big
deal at his reveal and then they rush it the week before a pay per
view yea, and then he's gone within months, so you couldn't see that,
like, you know, there's no legs if we put this guy in
the top heel Stable is one of the big reveals. I don't know,
maybe circumstance has changed that much from week to week. It impact is finances
started to get strained to the max, But I don't know too often that
happens, where it's like they do something big and a splashy wrestler, and
then do something splashy with a big wrestler, and then for reasons that are
totally unclear to the audience, it's just kind of not important anymore. And
it holds mad at Sting because Sting convinced him to trust Bully and he should
have known all along, right, sure, and then they just make up.
I don't know why they don't fucking just you know, you know again,
if there is a greater evil, you just fucking to put that aside
for the time being, barely not as this continues to be not only about
Hogan's fixation and lawyers at this stage of his life, but also his fixation
on the nature of friendship. Right, So Sting is Bubba the love sponge
you know when he's except when he's not. And and Bully was, of
course wrestled as Bubba for years. Was Bubba the love sponge all the way
through turning on him? Right, so you know you can read read into
that what you will. So the ass nats have now beat the shit at
a corn angle back stage and in the clubhouse, Bully says he feels good
about taking out the gold medalist. He says whole Cogan A, you're gonna
fire us or what it's like? Uh, he can do that, And
then Chava comes out hernandez um, let's see do something, Hulk, fire
us if you have the balls. Oh they took them out too, And
I won't come to us. And if you won't come to us, he
says, maybe we'll come to you. Hulk. I destroyed your family already.
Don't think we won't destroy your show. As a matter of fact,
that sounds like a pretty freaking good idea. Let's go out there and do
what we do best. In They're up next care, you know, they
just like keep They go out there, they invade, they create consternation and
fear, and then they go in their clubhouse and saying more things and then
decide, you know what, we're gonna go back out there again. And
they come back and they go back out. What the fuck is this same?
The recap package of what happened at a lockdown? Brookshawn crying in the
hallway saying, I let so many people take advantage of me in my life.
So Hulk's getting his revenge on her choosing loyalties elsewhere than him. Yeah,
and she gets taken advantage of two for not listening to the Hulkster.
I believe the hashtag boss is hashtag beef Thursdays on Spike. Let's not.
Let's not. Let's not try to combine the bellatour impact ad sell proposition as
beef beefcake Thursdays, Brother, beef Thursdays. You're pushing beefcake brother was going
on. Brook later says, where's my jad? I don't want to be
here? Anymore. Yep, yeah, well me neither and events Sting were
Saustin Ares. I put this in here because it's just like incredible what Sting
does in this match. He's just like, yeah, oh god, he
is totally up to snuff. And now Lawston Areas is absolutely excellent, so
he has a lot to do with it. But my gut Sting is in
there. He is like full Cardio. You know, he's doing everything he
would have done in like ninety eight. Yep, yep. Arias and rud
and dirty heels shirts. At this point in the run and Tests, they
should wash their feet if they have dirty heels. Their tag team champions are
rudin are. Sting comes out with the blue boots all black. The blue
boots with all black is a misfire to me, the black T shirt,
black pants and blue boots. Not feeling that, Yeah, no, not
at all. That's awful. Lock up. Sting shoves down aries Aries is
tripped, does the trip take down, rides him around the world and gloats
and hammocks in the corner and makes fun of Sting plug in a pay per
view way out in June. That feels weird. We're in March and they're
like, well, next time i'll see on pay per view is June.
That's so oddod thing, but that I suppose it's a good thing, but
it's odd. It is you definitely know Itice. Oh okay, So like
what what's ahead of us is like two months of build for the PAP review.
That is a very different feeling. Austin areas. Let's go Sting chant
being in Chicago. They're they're going between Austin areas and let's go Sting because
Austin areas, Oh sure, from Chicago, Chicago, right right right.
Sting puts Arias on top top rope and slugs him and kicks him well hammocked,
punting him in the corner there that a stinger splash. Ber Aries moves
out of the way back in Sting going to work. It's an inverted atomic
drop. Bobby Rude trips him to the floor. They go and Stings slugs
it out with Bobby Root into the rail. Goes Bobby Rude and Stings scores
a stinger splash and Bobby Rude flare flops on the outside as Austin Ais climbs
and sledges, but only hits his own partner as Sting puts Aries hard into
the rail on a chair on the crowds with it. Great crane camera shot.
They really set up a nice production on the road here in TNA.
Yeah. Absolutely, they do a good job. As we come back from
break showcasing the arena and Chicago Sting with cloths lines on Arias out of the
ring. Tonay reads ad copy at eleven PM tonight, Eastern Bellatour has like
a clip show. We're living great tournament action. So they're slowly creeping in
on the TNA real estate here Bellatour. By the time this is over,
and Rampage and Tito Ortizer in the ring doing an angle bossy of course,
Brian hen that makes sense. Yeah, that's money that's going to translate very
well. Brian Hemner tries to reject Route in the rampway and rud takes off
his shirt and frustration and Aries kicks the middle rope into stings yam bag,
whereas Test puts it the bag got a little spun up. I'm tired of
the yambag. So it happens sometimes in Chicago. Test says his Aries with
a hard tope. Suicida comes up, fired up, after landing that move,
says, he's the fucking man DNA chance breakout. Ari's throwing hands in
the corner, snapped mare in a middle rope, drop kick to the back
of the head of Sting gets to Sting fires out of the corner with back
hands, but Aries drop kicks the knee of the stinger and drives the knee
down, and they talk about taking him off that vertical base. Brother Ay
Mongolian chop each other and Sting whips him and drop kicks him, but no
one home. Sting crashes into the canvas. Austin Ai sets up the scorpion
Deathlock does not quite know how to do it. And this is it's funny
that I enjoy this doing that a little badly. Yeah, it's a stinger
here, Yes, what is crying to take a page and the stings He
goes out to the old le pays for it there imitation, not that since
Sarah's former foot breath. He says, how do you do this? Crap
the right leg brother, what's trying to do? Can't do it? Dropping
legs what wah? Sting kicks him off. Sting thrown hands discus lariat,
Aries falls down, Sting tries a scorpion deadlock, but Aris goes to the
apron to break it hotshots. Sting across the top throat first and then climbs
the top and hits a great missile. Drop kick does Austin airies, but
Sting no sells it and bounces right back up. Always a great moment in
a Sting match. Aries mocking the Sting wo is Sting presses him up and
drops him unceremoniously on the canvas. Sting misses a splash, but Ari sits
are running dropkick in the corner, nailing the stinger, and Stinger comes back
with a and then there's a stinger splash actually by Austin aries Um, this
is aust Some chance breaks out, which I didn't expect when the bell rang
for this one. Ari's trial at all, not at all. O way,
Aris tries a brainbuster. This is like, I know Hogan never worked
like this, but in the spectrum of Sting's working ability, where he is
right now is where if Hogan isn't, we really can't justify his cost.
You can't justify it unless not at all, unless he can come in and
do a match like this. And I'm not saying, don't misunderstand me.
I don't mean the exact moves Sting in Austin Areries are doing, but I'm
saying a match just have the mobility. Yeah, right, you know,
the equivalent of mobility that's whole Cogen has versus Sting. Yeah. Kind of
like that match you head against Chris Jericho in two thousand and two on SmackDown.
It was like, Okay, even though he's incredibly limited, if you
put him in there with an Austin Areas or Chris Jericho, he actually can
have a match. That that rings true as far as like what the state
of the art pro wrestling is like and what fans expectations are for a match,
and he not only can he not do that, he can't do anything.
He can't do anything. You can't even do a bucket, fucking big
boot and you can only get the fucking waste, you know. And I'd
hate to say it. I'd hate to conclude this, but the proof is
here, Like you don't you don't pay Hulkogan if he can't wrestle, Like
I listen, I told you, he's a failure. It's all over everything.
They're doing everything you could do with Hulkogan if he can't wrestle that you
can possibly think of, and it's doing nothing for business, nothing right right,
It's making no difference. It's making no new stars at least in my
opinion, in a way that they're any bigger than they would have been if
Hogan wasn't there and they did the same angle with somebody else. I mean,
you could say Bully with Hulcan Brook, there's a little extra steam there
that Bully would have trouble replicating with another wrestler or two, But I'm not
so sure it would make I'm as sure you can point to like a rating
or a piece of business and say that was a lot higher for Bully raised
Heel Run because Hulk Coogan was involved, and it would have been off Hulk
wasn't involved. But anyway, I just felt like, this is this is
what they really needed Hulkogan to be. This is the stage of Hulkoke in
his life where Sting is at that would have justified bringing him into TNA at
that price point, but he wasn't. Um this is awesome chance Sting or
Splash Aries tries a brainbuster, but Sting shifts to the death drop. Great
transition there. Yeah, that gets two and then Sting hits the splash,
puts on the scorpion deathlock. Den Devon slips in the ring and attack Sting
with the rest of the aces and eights, so it's a disqualification finish.
Taz laughs and says the boys are back in town, like they pulled some
great fucking ruse by hitting the ring and bring the shit out of somebody she'd
been doing forever. Now, surprise, big surprise, nine months we've heard.
Todd Kennelly says, they've ruined this whole episode, which is more poignant
than I think he intended it to be. Fully grabs them. I don't
think they I don't think they ruined it at all. I think it was
ruined to begin right. Is this what you man? Hulk? Do something
memorable? How's that for memorable? Where are you Hulk? You're gonna fire
us? Where is everybody's hero? First time he said that since lunch?
Where are you Dad? And then the music hits and erst again un impact
Ye sick of that music, don't I'm not mama wa yah? Yeah what
right? Wow yaw, I'm a cad I'm ho ho ho ho ho ho
hina a ball, just slow fire, black fianna up down, a black
nat good youth. Brother, following you would be the coward's way out.
It would be too damn easy for everything he's done to this company, to
these people, to me to stay, to my family. You're not getting
these your way out, brother, Because every dog has his day. It
might not be a day, it might not be tomorrow. But live by
the sword, died by the sword. And from this moment forward, I'm
empowering every man woman in the tena on a room to bend, take out
to fight, to limit a shoe and your team to fight by the most.
It's time to fight foot. He can't do this, this is he
can't choo the UK listen play didn't fight? Didn't the closets from behind the
popping out, there's park Star with the foot takes he police tell and we've
got a boy hell the mord here he's Chicago Cracker. He's licking his hands.
This is not This is done about a professional whole fucking the damn chi
manager, a pleasing bars miss something Joe Rob Terry. Oh well look at
these shots. A world heavy way champion. You see the stay ny that's
put Gavy, that's the president turned into maybe watch Christy who knows cur spaceships
the other Kurtykurtingle attacked earlier, softened up. How sucking Joe. But we
got Harty, we got we got look look huts con Now I got Jock,
got your book World Championship. Harty go down in the middle of this
maze later and Mikey was injured in the afternoon. During that buckdown, he
just keeps going and going. Chuggle Carrero in there battling as well. He
got hits earlier. He watched Born What is he crazy? Yes, sure,
finally trust me. So they just aces and Eates end up kicking everybody's
ass in the whole team a locker room. It's the whole. It's the
same. Listen. It's a good looking brawl. I'm not gonna lie.
It's a good looking brawl, but there's nothing behind it, you know.
I mean I said this last time. I think I don't know I've said
it before. When you think of the nWo and what it had, it
had less to do with the storyline than it was just the way wrestling was
changing. The whole business was changing, and there was legitim legitimacy, the
legitimacy behind it. You know, like there was there were two styles of
wrestling, because we hadn't seen this renegade wrestling except for any ECW you know,
like but that wasn't really it hadn't happened like the way that it was,
this this edgy wrestling, and so it was. It was literally the
changing times, and it was a it was a much deeper battle because that
is that battle of evolution versus what has worked in the past. And here,
you know, and and here there's none of that it. You know,
there's just no steaks. I mean, the only the only real steaks
were at fucking Gene and Georgetti Steakhouse and Franklin Street in Chicago that night.
Those were the fucking steaks forever. That's absolutely true. I mean, yeah,
there's nothing like um aces and h aren't doing anything way outside of the
lines of what we typically saw heels do on the Impact Show because because wrestling
was like the the nWo thing was more than norm after that. Look like
you know, like ten MMA fighters show up and starting knocking motherfucker's out.
Now, We're right, you know, that's sounds different that's pushing the business,
that's convincing you that these invading forces are bringing something to pro wrestling that
wasn't there before and everyone has to grapple with now. Yeah, just like
you know, the balls the nWo had to, you know, just basically
flout security and every building and just run up on people and take for granted
the fact that nobody was united enough to fight them off. But there were
also details that made sense, like the fact that they're you know, like
when they'd buy tickets to the show. Yeah, those little things exactly,
so they're they're fucking with them, like you these things gave a purpose,
like you know, and again also the fact that that it was WWE you
know, like the fact that you people thought people you know, didn't know
if if Nash and Hall we're working with, I mean, they're all these
well, to be fair, people didn't know if Mike Knox was doing the
new ECBs bidding when he came over to thess nates that you know, you
make a very good point, actually, and I do want to touch upon
that, because yes, they may not have known if he was or not,
but the bigger issue is they didn't give a shipping clothes to give if
he was or not. And what about this notion that Hule Cogan suddenly has
empowered Tenna to fight the He well, he was holding them back before.
I guess it just occurred to him now that like, brother, yeah,
maybe we get a call not dial this thing back broad As it turns out,
it goes forever. And then the Aces Nates pull ahead and grabs the
mic and says, hey, Dad, is this what you meant? How's
this from memorable old bastard? And starts whipping people with chains. Hogan's at
the top of the ramp on crutches, watching all this, and Bully comes
up the ramp says, that's your army, your cavalry and it just got
killed by the Aces and Ates. What are you going to do now,
Dad? And Hogan lumbers forward on the crutches like he's going to step to
Bully, and tasays, and you ride with the Aces and Nate's baby and
never walk alone. So the idea is that Hogan mustered his best defense and
the Aces and Nates still shut it down. So what does that mean for
the Hulkster? I means we get fucking nine more months of this shot I
guess coming off such a hot angle and being live from Chicago, you would
think that the rating would show signs of life. But it only did one
point four one million viewers, which is just not much from the week before.
The show was way up at mails eighteen to thirty four. If you
look closely, there were signs in the numbers that this peaked a little bit
of interest. But I'm sorry if you do something like the Bully Angle with
all the brook Tie INDs and everything, and it doesn't do the biggest rating
of the year by a mile the next night, the next week, you
know, the Thursday after, there is something like fundamentally wrong. There is
something that is repelling people from watching TNA in the first place. March twenty
first Impact, also in Chicago, they taped this Bully does the whole thing
here. This is where he walks through in a series of vignettes across the
broadcast, which they started ramping up on those pre tapes on the tape shows
so that they didn't have to tape so much before a dead crowd, because
you know, you do a two hour Impact before a live crowd and then
pretty soon it's like ten o'clock at night and you've got a tape next week's
impact. You don't want it to be another two hours on a fucking weeknight,
a Thursday night, where people are like looking at their watches at midnight.
And this is a big problem in the early stages of this you know
on the road permanently in twenty thirteen era of Impact, is that those second
shows would be dead. It was a big problem for aj Style's return match
after doing the you know, the brooding character that left the scene. It
was dead by the time he got out there because they put him on the
night two main events lot. So they started to load up a lot on
pre tapes on the pre shows so that they had that much less to tape
in front of the people to make a two hour television show. And here
it's Bully Ray in a series of vignettes explaining each and every incremental step to
get to him turning it lockdown. It's exactly like they did with Immortal in
twenty ten. As we've chronicled. Yep, I know what you all thinking,
how did he do it? No? How did Bully Ray pull off
the biggest hoax, the biggest swindle, the biggest swerve. And they show
him saying you're my family and I love you, Hogan saying that I got
No. I actually not wondering how. I'm wondering why exactly. It's the
why that I'm curious about. How couldn't you just like do this like in
a week. Why did you really have to do all this to turn heel
and get the world title? I guess so, like he but he got
title matches before, no problem he did. He want to destroy the Hogan
family? Is that what it was? But why no? I mean why
the whole thing is he just said I used it as a means to an
end. The end was not destroying the Hogan family. The end was getting
the title. So it's like you have to really you have to like marry
his daughter to get a title shot? Like all right, I guess,
so, okay, you win matches and become the number one contender, right,
and you know, actually win and have your boys come in and cheat
for you. Yes, I said, he couldn't do it the right way,
so we had to do it this way, right. I mean,
if you can't do it the right way, then maybe you shouldn't be in
there. Maybe the fans won't really be excited about your title run. Yeah,
yeah, maybe maybe you suck and you should just go away. I'm
going to tell you how kind of like a magician shows you how his truck
has done afterwards, and you feel like a complete fool for buying in a
way most most magicians don't do that. Actually, careful by the way Bully
and telling people they're going to feel like complete idiots for buying into t Anda
storylines that could very much be taken the wrong way. Yeah, nine months,
that's how long it took for this to come together. There was a
Plan A, but things didn't go perfectly, as they show Jeff Hardy beating
Bully. Then I put Plan B into effect and I did something I never
imagined I could pull off, as they show him proposing to Brook and scowling
while hugging her in that early hint of what was to come. I destroyed
friendships, people's trust. Best of all, I destroyed a family, the
Hogan family. They show broken. Now they're still they are probably stronger actually
because they don't have to have this fight all the time about Bully. They
forget that Hogan went kicking and screaming into that wedding Brooken Hulk, you have
never been so low as you are. Now I'm thinking, oh shit,
that's saying something. Yeah. What about when Razziano's car was wrapped there on
a tree? How about that? Yeah? I know, Brooks stomping around
loved you? Oh god, it's I can't say. It's kind of weird
because it's like he's screaming through the cage at the end of Lockdown. I
never loved you. I had nothing, And then like since in about four
months he's going to be saying I still love you and you still love me.
It's like you're supposed to forget that. He said it was all nothing,
it was all bullshit. It's all it's all Bullishit BULLI shit exactly.
That's a new term, and that actually has a lot of legs to it.
Do you ask anybody who's ever worked with him in the business, Um,
I don't care what I had to do to you to get what I
wanted. Excuse me, So sit back, relax, Bully tells us,
and enjoy as I walk you through every step of how the most hated guy
in pro wrestling became the world heavyweight champion. I am the president of Asis
and Nates and I am the TENA World heavyweight Champion. What a better way
to start this episode of Impact than with the music? There he comes black
and blue, Hookomania, shirt one, crutch and the new balances. Hulk
Cogan has discovered new balances umaniacs. No, I've been around a long time.
I don't have this one. I might. There are some that I
didn't even bother making you watch because they're worth recapping, but not worth hearing.
I got you. We've been through hell and back together, but I've
never had the wool pulled over my eyes quite like this time. Not only
did they fool every single person in this building here in the Windy City,
brother me staying everyone at TNA as well. The Aces and Eates will run
over, run over my calivalry. Last week, Hogan says, and made
me realize this is a war of survival. Out of all the men left
laying four guys that led the charge of the warriors man they led the rest
of the pack and the back jack and he brings out Joe, and he
brings out Madness, and he brings out Kurt Angle, and he brings out
Jeff Hardy and Mike Tenay says, these are the men, our general manager
realizes he needs on the same page. If TNA is to win the war
of survival, we're still fighting for our survival. Isn't it clear by now
that you guys are going to survive Asis and Eates being around nine months.
I mean, you guys have fucking beat the shit out of them the whole
time. It's a it's not very Kurt Angle ran up on their clubhouse and
just fucking murder, all right and took out all of them on his own.
Is fine, Tessa, you guys are gonna be okay, Tess says,
the world title is in the Eights clubhouse with our esteem president. I'm
thinking it, isn't that an Orlando like that's where the belt is. Somebody
better go grab it. I know Joe, by the way, the only
one they chant for in this whole segment. I need to put the Aces
out in the world title back in t NA. Here we going in the
belt is hostage and that's so important. Meanwhile, they had the belt for
months, by the way, during the eighth the eighth Is and Eates and
made no difference. It can't mean sure death when Aces Nates have the belt.
I mean absolutely nothing for your peace of mind. When you had the
belt, they were just as afraid of aces and eights. Then, so
why does the fucking matter who holds the belt? It it? Really it
doesn't. Jeff took place, never been And after the hammer attack, are
you still up for the rematch? Brother? Jeff says, we the creatures
need it back and suggests, actually, why don't you put us all Hulk
in a four way so that whoever wins gets the first shot. So Hogan
presents a united front and Jeff suggests they all bell out of each other instead,
smart guy, I mean my wrong here, Hulk bro these guys out
because they're like the model soldiers to fight aces and eights. And then Jeff
says, why don't you just have us all try to destroy each other in
a match for the top Contender ship. And of course Hogan loves the idea,
of course, because that puts us right back on track for the best
man to put us in the war zone. We do another Bully segment where
you know pre tape. He says, you can see them going through the
story Bible. Can't you see them in your mind's eyeboss going through the story
Bible? And we're calling the many uh steps, this story is taken.
Well, yeah, we gotta go back and here's here's just a thought and
here's on this. We gotta go back. Just think about this from a
story standpoint. Oh that was a good go back. That was good.
We gotta go back and just figuring let's bring in Garrett. Okay, Well
that goes out saying okay, done right, and let's figure out how we
can put in Bubba throughout the whole story, or how in terms of how
we incorporate him into that story, terms of like when Bud bub asked him
on eighty three weeks, like why divon was the reveal? It's like in
terms of fit into that story, says those words, Oh well, in
terms of you know, well, insert complete fucking guttural meltdown. That's good.
That's good. Plane was simple when the Bound for Glory series and then
the title the first night of the Bound for Glory series was the night Sting
got jumped and the Aces Nates were created for shock and awe. He says,
every single dead Man shock and awe. That's it, that's why they're
created. Yes, apparently all right, great, well, he says,
every single dead man's hand dealt by me. I don't even know what that
means. All I know is that it's cool. Yeah, all it took
it. He says a small suggestion to Bobby Rude that, you know whatever,
James Storm was behind aces and aids and he ran with it. So
all the way back to that intrigue, they're retrofitting that to bullies interests.
He never brings up Eric Bischoff being the voice of the power, that the
higher power, though they will bring that up. Rude blame Storm for being
behind the aces and ads, and Bully says, here, we made your
every single sign pointed at Storm. We did that by design, and they're
playing the most soaring music through this whole thing, like they're making it sound
like Shakespearean level. Hulk, you were a little smarter. You locked us
out of the building. Gotta give you credit that night Stay Show Jeff Hardy
beating Bully in the Bound for Glory series. So what Bully's saying is,
had Hulk not locked off access to the building, they would have helped him
win the match that night and revealed themselves as Bully raised charges. But it
wasn't to be. They had to go to a new plan, and it
was the wedding, so bullies. Plan B was to have this incredibly complicated
scheme to get Brook Hoogan to fall in love with them. That was plan
B, the fallback. Okay, I mean that's hilarious because you know you'd
think that there would be that'd be way more complex and therefore a plan.
Exactly, Yeah, Plan B should be fuck it like, it didn't work,
so let's just go let's force. Plan B is the easy one,
right exactly. It's like, well, if all if all else fucking fails,
we can always kill everybody, right, that's plan Yeah, let's let's
let's uh, let's get our infantry to storm them with direct hand combat,
and when they kill almost all of us, then we'll plan like an eighteenth
month counter terrorism cybermission or something. So Brook arrives earlier to the building.
They asked her if she's talked to Bully since lockdown. She says she's not
here to talk about him or her father. She's here to do business.
Don't forget Boss, she's still VP of the knockouts through all this. Of
course, she has administrating to do more from Bully. He got locked out
play and b had to go into effect. Well, jeez, you went
that far with Brooke. So it's because they locked us out that I lost
to Jeff Hardy. So Joseph Park became the bait. And they show Bully
telling Park backstage on an impact to be careful where you stick your nose.
I remember when Hull Cogan had put Joseph Park up to investigating these aces and
eight characters trying to find out who they were. Yeah, and he was
going to deliver like explosive investigative findings. And that's when they kidnapped Joseph Park
and tortured him in the back for a million years, and then he got
free a bound for Moory and then never reported what he knew to Hull Cogan.
Ain't that a bitch? Ain't that a bit? Do you use that
intel? But they show Bully kind of, you know, ring out that
Joseph Park might be learning some things that they don't want him to know and
trying to intimidate him. Now at the time, Bully was coding that message
and sort of like a concern for Joseph Park, like I don't want you
to find out too much. I know people, I thought you're gonna say
he was coding that message and charge that's the only way. Yeah, he
would have accepted it, so he should have. And they actually do they
got They actually play part of the skit where Bischoff was doing the voiceover of
the Aces and eights guy saying you picked two, I picked two. We
meet it bound for glory. This is when they had kidnapped Hogan and Sting
at the table, so they brought that up and then Bully Ray goes,
you know who that guy was, my brother Divon. I'm like, nope,
it was not. We just turned his voice. It was not Divon,
it was it was Eric Bischoff exactly. Well, where's Jeff Jeff Jarrett
by the way, heard from him in a while. He's all with this
like blonde goatee and it's like he had like the wasn't he like the the
Hogan stash? But and then with the soul patch like that was how's he
referring to the boss of the company. What's his name? M Bischof?
Awesome, that's better revelation During TNH is the way he says Bishop bi sh
a u l f um devon the guy you threw by the wayside, and
then They show um Hogan letting Bully team with sting it down for glory,
and Bully says, that's the moment you sealed IMPACT's fate. I lost at
the hands of my own partner. Did you see my rage? He's being
sarcastic because he didn't express any rage about losing that match. They show him
halfheartedly chasing Devon out of the ring to suggest that it was all a put
on, that he wasn't actually trying to chase Deva. Well, thank god
they cleared that up and I set my sights on the next step of the
plan. But oops, I got caught by Austin Hairies. That's when Austin
Airies noticed that Bully and Brooke were a little closer than you would expect backstage.
Remember that that moment where he had that's right, they had their hands
down each other's pants, right right exactly. She was, she was,
she had she had his cock in her hands, so that was trying to
giveaway and he was and he was shoving his fist up or twice and she
said to him, it was which which really gave it away? She said
to him, with an earshot of Austin Airies. Oh my God, I
have your cock in my hand, so that was you probably didn't want to
say that, you know, like and he said, and then Bully responded,
and I got your pussy in mind. God, that's exactly how he'd
say it. And they show him getting caught on the couch and all that,
and so Bullies trying to tell the story that he didn't intend on being
found out this early in the game, but he did know that whenever Hull
Coogan found out about them, he would react in a way that would benefit
him because, as he put it, no daddy wants his girl to be
with a guy like me, but he also knows and this is a this
is an interesting insight. And whoever wrote this. The more Hope told brook
No, the more Brooks said, yes, yes, So it's that easy
you find it. Believe I had a daughter whose daddy doesn't want you to
date her, and you're in Yep, yep, says a lot about the
the female side of the ledger. Right I was in? He says,
Oh, yes, I was. And there's nothing you could have done to
stop it. Nothing really, nothing here of a fucking nine millimeter bully getting
in there, brother, like exactly like you think you're just gonna like talk
right past what I think you just said. Dude, what are you?
What are you doing? Brother one too? No doubt. It's like an
alternate universe. It really is, it really really is. Sting goes into
Hogan's office. He says, it's fine. You made a four way for
the title shot. It's fine. He actually said, it's fine. It's
fine whatever. That's not what this is about. This is about making things
right. Let me have a piece of Bully, you know, Sting,
I'm glad that you're fine. I'm running you know, dude, I'm glad
that you're fine. Stick, But I want to tell you something, brother,
I am not fine. I'm running the company. But you're right,
things haven't changed. You do what you do best when things get heavy.
Why don't you go up in the rafters and say nothing for a couple of
wowow, look at that. Look at that ship. The timing change works
perfectly. Thank you. It's fine that you made a four way for the
world title shot. But that's not about it. I could care less about
the title. This is about making things right. So it hasn't changed from
last week. Let me have a piece of Bully Ray tonight you don't stay,
and I'm glad that you're fine, that I'm running the company that makes
me feel great. But you're right, things haven't changed from last week,
or a couple of years ago, or even ten years ago. So I
suggest you do what you do best when things get heavy. Why don't you
go sit up in the rafters for a couple of years and not say anything.
I why don't you go hide in the shadows for a couple more years
and stay to yourself because whenever you're around you have caused problems. So I
suggest you disappear starting now. Get out. It was about apologies last week.
This is about revenge. You think about that. I want bully Ray.
You're not the only one. I was uninspired. That was more sting,
like not hitting a home run right there. He's like, seriously,
like I feel like losing a bus. Yeah, yeah, he's he's not
He's not all there right now. I think he knows the deal isn't going
to get extended because it doesn't past twenty thirteen. Wow, everybody, Dissa,
you will not believe the amount of shoes that are about to drop.
So later. Teran Terrell, who was a knockout they brought in who had
a stunt woven background, so she actually could do some really cool stuff in
the ring. She's feuding with the Gail Kim and there's a Lockdown title match
they're building, and says, I know him on probation ast. My referee
job she was brought in. His referee at first of the knockouts by Brooke
Hogan is to control the chaos, not create the chaos. Pretty bad delivery.
But when Gail Kim put her hand on me at the pay per view
and Lockdown, not once but twice, I had to retaliate, and I'm
thinking, like, what is it with these blonde girls and finger gloves and
TNA Oh yeah, oh yeah. So I guess it's time for me to
accept my consequences, she says, And Gail Kim comes out in the cocktail
dress. Of course, she says, I'm so glad you learned lessons like
that. You had to learn you don't mess with Gail Kim. You say
cock what because Gayl is the greatest female wrestler who ever lived, in the
greatest knockout who have ever seen? I about my cock and her tail?
Yes, huh, Well, Jim Ross tells a story about how Vince didn't
see the appeal of Gayl Kim until Jim Ross told Vince that there's such a
thing as like Asian fetish porn. Oh my god, no idea were too
Asian. Wait wait, there's there's porn with Asian women. Yes, how
do I find that? How do I find? J R? How do
I find this? What do I use? How can I find Asian fetish
poornis? Vince? Are you awake? JR? What it's McMahon? I
listen, I know it's I know, I know, and I was probably
late pal, but this hotel room, you can see you can see like
skyscrapers lit out the window, and he's got the glasses down the edge of
the nose. Um listen. Uh. So, I'm I know that there's
a time difference. I know you're you're where you are and I'm where I
am. Oh. Well that's yes, I'm with you so far, Vince.
But what I'm curious here? You know, you mentioned before something a
very important topic of conversation, and I'm just you mentioned Asian porn. How
do I find Asian porn? I'm thinking I just I'd like to try it.
Out. What is a new time, a new kind of non dairy
creamer, like, try it out? I'm thinking about I'm thinking about given
Asian porn, a whorl just seeing? So what do I do? Well?
Vin? Start by not typing with one finger? About that? Is
that that's going to help? I don't understand. How can I type without
one finger? I need to type with one finger? Oh you mean that's
how? You mean? What finger as a verb? You mean you mean
I need a finger as Oh? I see. So we're talking verbular fingering.
Yeah, that's it, verbular fingering. Correct. So so okay,
so um, how does that? How does what am I fingering? Exactly?
I need to find this Asian porn? Jim Jim, Jim Jim,
Hey, James, Oh shit, James, please, I'm feeling very horny
and I'd like to try the Asian porn. I would like, please,
I would God damn it, JR. I'm gonna I'll tell you what.
I'm gonna cancel the barbecue sauce too late, Vince started canceled in my stomach.
I need Asian imporn, and so Gil Kim tells Taran Terrell, I
created this division, this division that's the most girl thing to say in wrestling.
This this anything, also, this anything in this annoying, exactly serious.
I call for a moratorium on the word this in just a year and
then you can bring it back. Um, she says, I'm out here
to witness what should have happened a long time ago. What she calls out
Brooke Hogan. So she can do what she should have done a long time
ago, and that's fire you. So what came out here her music,
I'm gonna call out broke Hogan so she can do a long time ago and
that to fire so much out here and do what we've all been waiting for.
So she had a marriage happens to be today, happen today. It's
kind of funny. How was this gross? Best r This was a very
very tough decision for me to make, and I have thought long and hard
about this decision. Teren. You know I love you, girl, but
I have to be fair. I'm VP of the knockouts. I have to
be fair, and I have to terminate you as referee for the knockouts.
Gil. You seem pretty happy, are you happy? Well? I have
another bit of good news that might make everybody in here happy. I have
officially decided to sign Miss Terrence Horrell to the TNA knockout roster, which means
which means she gets physical, which oh yes, she wants clugs you Gilill
bug some pups, sir? What her ts? What on her? Til
come on the brakes on a bike now, Jesus, I hate you,
I hate you, I hate you. I hate you here, sister.
So Bully is going to continue to taunt Brooke Hogan. I guess it's not.
Uh, it's not in the rear view mirror for him quite yet.
Nope, nope, No, he's not going to sign them papers. So
he's like flashing the wedding ring on his hand. He hasn't taken them off.
And that's the way it's going to be. And he continues explaining the
background of his masterful turn later on the show. By the way, during
these skits they have the Aces and Aid's logo in the corner of the screen.
Look it's n w O nitro or something. The segment brought to you
by the preceding announcement is paid for by the Aces and Eight. He says,
any good army has great soldiers, and this club ain't no different.
This Turkey Club. Yeah, we got a couple of guys felt they were
wrong. So this is the nWo right guys who were wronged. Doc knocks
they were they were wrong by WWE. I guess is what he's implying.
Divon, he came to help. He came to you to help you halt
the same way Garrett did. And they showed Divon weeks ago, months ago,
when Hogan's office saying we got your back no matter what against these aces
and aids, with Garrett Bischof saying the same, of course, knowing the
whole time that they're planning on turning on Hogan. When you were ready and
got rid of this, got rid of his old man. You brushed oh,
Eric Bischoff. You brushed Garrett off like a nobody, And they showed
him Hogan having one of his fucking booking meetings, like brushing past the possibility
of Garrett getting a title shot without even giving it a second thought. Right
now, it's your time, my brother, even west Briscoe, remember his
father and uncle helped train you. And what you made the kid do?
You made him beg What about when Anderson got taken out? What did you
do about that? They showed him laid out in the bat Did you check
on him in any way? No, that's another like classic wrestling heel turn
thing like I was injured and you didn't call me. Yeah, yeah,
I hate that. And they say Ken Anderson going and Ace's Nates was no
brain of Holk because he got it out for you. You want to form
a game, you need leverage, so you got to turn to one of
your best friends. I turned to Tazz his friggin bulletproof. And then he
says, Dilo has been on the inside the whole time, part of the
TNA office. He's got access to all the secrets. And they show Hogan
on an impact holding court with Dil saying, I deal with guys like this
in the past. They're about trying to make us scared. Let their asses
in. Open the doors up. I think we missed that one in our
fucking forensic accounting of an has ever done. But apparently at some point along
the line, Dil nudge Hogan in the direction of actually we should let the
Aces and Nates in the building, which of course was a seed planting for
the down. I think then, how Kurt got the first dart in the
Aces and Nates Clubhouse, and Hogan wanted West to earn his way into Impact,
so we just used you, Kurt. Who did he beat at the
gut check? Anyway? West Briscoe, he beat Garrett Bischoff And they laugh
like that whole match was a work as opposed all the other matches in wrestling.
Make sure he had every advantage is what we did. And they showed
Dil later offering to be a gut check judge. Remember that when Al Snow
disappeared and suddenly Dillo put his hand up and I can be a judge,
And it happened to be the gut check where whispers going Herett with going for
it, He says, once we had everything we needed from you, Kurt,
we laid our trap, got you locked in a cage, and once
my world title match was signed, sealed and delivered, it was my decision
to make sure every member had been revealed except one, and all that was
left was the final part of the plan. You never saw it coming.
They show aj Styles brooding in a hoodie. He's now wearing a leather jacket
with a hoodie, which I guess symbolizes sting or other. Yeah, he
always has a hoodie on this guy. Yeah, Taz offers AJ styles and
asis and ATE's vest and Storm comes out like, are you serious you're gonna
do this? James Storm, who was trying to, you know, talk
AJ off the ledge? And I need the old AJ styles kind of thing?
Oh God, Like AJ should have just went to the friendly tap and
played pool. I'm right exactly, and AJ bounces on him. He continues
to have no allegiance, just like Sting in ninety seven. I mean he
is, he stayed totally. He stays, isn't not the paint, He's
not in the rafters. Other than that, he's staying. Bully skit got
enough of these yet, I mean they I'm so sick of this ship.
You didn't trust me when you caught me with your sweet daughter. You did
because again, like the issue, I don't care, how honestly, I
wouldn't. I didn't even think about how I'm concerned with what kind of master?
This is kind of like Eric Bischoff saying, like, see how I
told the story here, Like see, I had the whole time. It's
my respect. You did what you thought you needed to do, suspended me,
but all you did was drive your baby girl, deeper into my arms.
I knew you would never want to disappoint Brooks, so I used sting
to lure you. In your daughter's wedding on national TV. Was the perfect
opportunity to get you where I wanted to. Everyone wants to know why I
didn't reveal myself then and there at the wedding. But every plan has an
endgame, and I would never pass up an opportunity for my boy task to
make an impact. I know what you're thinking, Bully. You got your
ras kicked, because they are. They are showing him getting completely obliterated during
the wedding. Right, and Devon hit you with a cement pillar? No,
you think Divon hit me with a cement pillar? He says, I
don't know. I'm kind of watching it, bod, I'm watching what happened
or was it? Was it made of marshmallows? Right? No, because
he would have ate it. I don't always believe what you see, he
says, Okay, I don't. I watch wrestling. They show Bully clutching
Hulk's hand during the wedding after they knocked Hoggan down like it's basically the Randy
Rip scene from No Holds Bard wouldn't even surprise me if Hulks suggested as much.
Yeah, I took a couple of good shots for the team, and
you've never seen good Fellas before. So that's the explanation for why even though
Bully was the leader of Asis and Ates the whole time, on occasion,
Aces and Ates would beat the shit out of Bully. Ray satisfied, Boss
no plugged shortcoming addressed. Nope. I knew if I got my ass kicked
right in front of your face, you would have no choice but to start
trusting me. And it shows him killing Aces and Nates guys as well when
it was Devon's turn to take a beating. He knew his role in this
whole plan also then an injury sideline the big bad Bully. But to make
sure I got what I wanted, I manipulated the situation even more. Brooke
had an entire week to convince her father to choose me, and you did
it. And I played to Hogan's biggest weakness, his ego. I wanted
him in that match so bad, and they show him inviting Hogan to team
with him and sting in London against Ace's and Nates. We need one more
guy, that should be you. When he says he had to leave sting
Hanging to take care of my family, I knew I had him for nine
months. Bully concludes, you all got swindled for nine months. I pulled
off the biggest Khan and professional wrestling history. No seca carried away, Bully.
Okay, I mean nah, I think Tony has something to say about
that, not to mention Nack. Now say Nick has it? Really nobody
can stop us and nobody will take my world heavyweight title. So this is
why this is remembered as such a cohesive storyline. I would submit to you
if they didn't do this incredibly like overwrought segment explaining each and every little tidbit
that people wouldn't remember. The Aces and eight storyline is something that played out
in exacting detail, because there's all these things he's mentioning. Yeah, they
happened, but they were all so forgettable except the Brook stuff. It's like,
yeah, okay, yeah, I guess they're right. Looking back,
that did make sense. I mean, you get some credit for that,
but but those moments were so forgettable. Yeah, but again it's all it's
you know, when you have to go back and talk about it like this.
It's just it's really it's lame. It's fucking lame. Yeah, it's
like, why does the fan want to see this explanation? Right? Like
if you pulled off if you pulled off a huge heist, if you pulled
off a huge con job, Like, do you ever sit around and make
a video for the people you conned and explain exactly how you did it?
No, you want to preserve those secrets. You can do it again to
somebody, right, right. So, in the main event of that show,
Jeff Hardy hit the swanton bomb on Samoa Joe and pinned him one,
two three. We moved to the next Impact March twenty eight, Holts with
Jeff Hardy backstage. I really got it figured out now, Jeff. They
love you so much because you're an amazing person, my brother. That it
is because they've booked the rematch between Jeff Hardy and Bully Ray for April eleventh
and Corpus Christie. They're trying to move on tickets for the next set of
tapings, and that's your night to redeem everything I've done wrong. Hogan says
this was a given. The rematch was already yours. You had a rematch
already scheduled, set contracted, But for you to step up and still insist
on fighting through three men last week to prove you are destined to lead this
company. I've never seen anything like this before, the Holster says, and
fight through mistakes I made locking you in the cage with Bully at Lockdown.
They stole the world title from me that night. That's something I'm so sorry
for. Hardy says, No Warriors, Hulk, I've made many mistakes.
I don't live in the past. I live for the future. In that
night in Corpus Christie, I'm taking the world title back, Hogan says,
I know you will. He says, since I handpicked Bully, why don't
you handpicked the stipulation for that match. Later, Stings music hits, and
Hogan makes the brother face and gets up with the crutch and says he's not
supposed to be here and bounces because Hogan can hear that Stings entrance music is
playing out in the arena and he's got to go talk to this man boss
to the arena. Stings music hits, he steps out, Stings here,
I got this one. Bully Ray swarmed the whole world, Bully Ray swerved
me. Swerves is that it is that it? That's it right, that's
it right? One, yeah, that's it all right, okay. I
told hal that he can trust fully because he had my back and he had
Hulks. Let's talk about swerves and rush this problem. But the only way
that I can fix it is to be on the same page with one particular
man to talk to two different occasions already to New Avail, and since tonight
is open Friday night, I'm calling you out. I love it. This
is great, Oh gosh, and here comes the Hawkster. He doesn't work
pocket and you want to kill me when your second as any. It just
driven the west between Hogan and St. St. Hogan, I hope,
which just turned from the high State. He wants to save things to screen
put back a manager. And how about the rook on the pace of hould
Hogan. This is just rightless. I wish I had a camera. Two
buddies ain't on each other. I am trying to apologize to you a few
times already. Right now I'm gonna try it again. It'll be my third
attempt. And if you don't accept my apology this time, hawkwell let's just
say things could get a little nuclear here tonight. What you know, you
started out soft shoe in the whole situation. I should have listened to my
guts. I knew from days Definite was rotten to the core, and I
listened to my gut. But there's people like Dixie Carter and different people around
the company you included. We're leading the charge saying you know, he's different,
he's changed. I'm actually trying to save a relationship between you and your
daughter. Hulk here shut you kind of soft shoot me. Then you stepped
it up a notch. We need to have him on our team. He
saved us a couple of times. Brother, don't you see boy is with
us? And then you took it to a fever pitch and you said we
him, we gotta have him take a boy to be my partner and shake
his hand oggan. And because of you, I didn't listen to my guts,
and I made a decision that messed up this whole company. Brother,
And it's really because you just said it home. You're saying you said it,
You made it this instead of making a career, And I'm pointing your
finger and blaming guys like me. You gotta stop because it's just a fifty
fifty no way. It's more like most of the way to rest right here
on your shoulders. You are the fearless leader, the general manager that makes
the ultimate decision. Now made and take the ownership. I will go ahead
and be accountable for being the man that made the decision. I'm the guy
that walked my daughter down the aisle. I'm the guy that big Bully is
the number one contender. And you know what, as the general manager,
I have the final decision, and I made a brother. And now as
a general manager, I'm tired of hearing the craft about Bully about my decision.
I don't want to listen to anybody else. I'm tired of you getting
in my face. And as the general manager, I'm telling you to your
face and that's the hell out of my rain. Brother, meet me listen.
Great urn about calling about go get him home, get him Cristen to
you old, come on, you got I said at last a couple of
weeks gone. Say it again. Boys will trouble in paradise. Please,
I thought you loved that task. I do. I think it's great to
make me sick to show down between the icon in the Immortal One Showdown epic.
That's your buddy Sting Like today, I have nothing to say about your
boys still lives get chucked out, Bice and security taking Sting from the ring,
walking into the bath. I never imagined that it would come to this.
So Hogan and Sting at each other's throats again, boss, I mean,
at least we're progressing. At least it's not the same old, same
old. How many times are these two going to trust each other and then
distrust each other as many times as we'll see Flariren Hulk Hogan go at it.
It's not a bad promo though from Hulk. I like the fire.
No, it's fine. I think he's okay in this kind of um burned
you know, boss type thing. Yeah, he's been m victimized. It's
just you know again, it's it's it's not helping the bottom line even close.
It's not charting a course for anything. I mean, we'll get to
it later, but it appears they're building another Hogan Sting match, if you
can believe it. I know that's what it feels like. Um Or Hogan
Bully Ray something right. So yeah, their their attensions are boiling over and
uh, it is funny when Hulk said, soft shoe. You've been soft
shoe in the whole situation. Brother, You've been soft shoeing me my whole
life. Soft the shoe, soft the shoe, eating the pooh, Wendy
the pooh. What the hell, I'm looking it up, Christopher Robin.
Soft shoe is a tap dance. It is okay, So I guess that's
what he means dancing around. And then he said, you may Sting told
him you made a career at a point in your finger. I'm like,
yeah, that comes right before the punches in the big boot, right exactly.
So I don't know what the problem of gimmick. So yeah, Hogan
says, it's not over between you and me. I'm thinking, actually,
yeah, yeah, anything about holding taps the knee and jeans and says,
don't worry about the knee, come on, let's fight. But Stings being
let up the ramp by security and Stings soon enough and points at Hulk as
he walks through the curtain, and then we see doc follows Sting through the
curtain and the backstage area. No, not doc, we do a doc
follow of Sting. They follow him through the curtain backstage, and then nothing
happens. I have no clue while I follow him through the curtain, gonna
fall see where he's going later folks are watching on Sting says there is another
Hogan mistake. Sting and didn't have gloves on before and now he does.
And that's the extent of what I will note on this episode of Impact.
The fourth episode, they recab all that drama with Hogan and Sting. Hervey
gets up to him and says, you got an update on Sting says he's
not here at to night. Helk says of Sting, and the reason is
I need warriors here because we are at Warren. I don't need any more
politicians or gets Sting is a politician? Now why? Because Hogan said he
it's his fault that everything's falling apart, that makes Sting a politician. Apparently,
of course I'm going to calling out the warrior. He's in the gray
area and I'm not digging that as Sting. Uh no crutches for the Holster
yet, So that's a quick I noticed they dropped the Hogan popgun pyro shower
when he comes out. I noticed that, Yeah, yeah, yeah,
it doesn't happen anymore, since it was still streaming out and sparkling during that
promo we played at the top of this episode. I guess I can't dude,
I can't have you have the Pyro. Fucking brother. I think we
got dial that back in, dude, because I'm thinking about it. Brother.
You know, we're looking at the Pyro, dude, and at the
pyros still going on. You know, Hulk Cogan is in getting you know,
brother, who's you know, who's the main event? Dude? Is
it Hulk Coogan or is it a Pyro? It's a great question. We
gotta kind of figure that out. Brother, We gotta kind of figure these
things out, kind of get on on the same page with that, dude.
And you know, it got so bad listening to that theme over and
over and over and over and over again getting ready for these shows that in
my head when I was humming the whole Cogan TNA theme, I included the
pop of the pyro of course, like a big battle wells and do the
sizzle of it so annoying? Say so long to that. The first of
the shoes to drop here in twenty thirteen is it regards Hulk, Coogan and
TNA kind of a dead reaction to the guys he comes out in this episode
of Impact. I'm not sure what's up. Yeah, maybe they're tired or
something, but um, they're showing muted b role of fans going nuts from
much earlier in the night. That's never a good sign. You can always
tell, Oh, yes you can those cutaways. Speaking of cutaways, Huk
grubs and Mike and says, let's cut to the chase. Here we go,
brother, you know, let's cut to the chase resally doesn't You've heard
me talk a lot about past mistakes. Well, you won't find me making
those mistakes anymore, because, like I said the last time I was out
here, I'm gonna lead with my gut, I'm gonna follow with my gut,
and I'm gonna make my decisions with my guts. And at this point,
right now the way, T and A is being held hostage by aces
and as there's one man that my gut is telling me to call out here,
I need to talk to him right now, and that man is none
other than aj Styles. Brother. See what's gonna pend right? Yeah?
I see it? Yeah? Well know everybody what it is? He's got
the cuts at a general manager, Hope Hogan said, there is that one
soldier that he needs to know exactly where he stands like and Hope, it's
time to get to MANswers from AJ style. Are you trying to tell me,
brother that I made him astake and that's an ace? Is an ace?
Cut? You're holding your hand, brother, because if that's the decision
and that's the direction to your going, brother, you and I are way
off the page. But you know you don't understand age O because all that
personal crap that you went through. I really do understand what I've a few
times too. And with the accusations last year, everything they were accusing you
of everything, they were dragging you and your family through, Brother, I
get that, and then I may stipulation. If you went down, you
wouldn't have a rematch for a whole year. I get the pressure, man,
and you've always held up. But all of a sudden you started to
drift off. Man. You started to get a little different than the AJA
that everybody thought you were supposed to be, and you started turning into a
different type of AJ. Brother. But you gotta remember this is your family
here at T and A. You started here, brother, you stuck here
the whole time, and you had never strayed from your family here at T
and A and putting everything else aside. I'm looking at you, and I'm
looking at a different JA Styles, and I'm praying to God that you're not
going down that path because the man that we need is the man that I'm
looking at, the AJ Styles that's dangerous. And what I need to know
is we need help right now here at TNA. We're in a real bad
spot and what we need is someone that's dangerous, just like you. Brother.
So I'm asking to man the man. We need your health, we
need AJ Styles, but we need the dangerous AJ Styles. You want me
to help you? Yes? Sorry, I was stopped over you Gonna help
you? Yeah? Oh yeah. In post that comes Jane Scorn. That's
what we need. A fucking idiots creating. It's gonna be all ears,
somebody that wants answers from this man, the cowboy James Storm. Don't care
about James to harm. I remember the stipulation, Hulk, the stipulation where
as someone got penned, they didn't get the opportunity at a world heavyweight title
match until bound for Glory two, and I'm remember that I was the guy
that but that's time goes. We all lose big matches. But what really
bothers me is last week you stood there and you washed as a since and
Nates came out here and jumped me. Me, the guy that you've known
for seventeen years, the guy that's been here just as long as you since
day one. Our backs, our backs, helped build this company, our
backs. Stud notice no response to that at first show. Nobody been on
every mile that you've driven. I've been on the same show and I've driven
the same the house. Shut the fuck up. Every time we clock in,
we come down that ramp, we get in this ring, clock and
we wrestle and we perform for these people because that's what we love to do,
not the mark sitting the wrestler's clocking them with the building such stars though
Nashville, Tennessee, to Europe, to San Antonio to right here, Joe's
Boy, Kansas, we did We built it. Dolly down, dude,
you got that stupid little cut your head. You want to join them,
go ahead and join them, Go ahead, and Jane, thanks for your
permission, because you're not the same guy. Then I remember at the fairgrounds,
You're not the same guy that these people cheered for day in, hit
day out. So all I got to say to you is you better clock
out before you get knocked out. Oh shit, brother, what the hell
is at mean? Dude? Don't fuck with Terry like that? What do
you, brother? Boss? J is I'm sure j is in a bad
place. He's got stubble on his face. I know he's growing his hair
out. He looks you know, he looks distraught. He joined ass and
ates, will he join TNA? Will he join No? One in particular
just can't stand James Storm. He doesn't enhance this thing. He doesn't enhance
anything. He's such a fucking loser. It wasn't clear. AJ just dropped
the mic and left. So there you go. Jason Hervey backstage. What's
the bottom line with AJ? Hogan's asked, I'm done with sucking up to
AJ. He's got one week to give me an answer. Is he the
spirit of this company? Or is he done? I've had it. Bullies
in the clubhouse. One the travels to Illinois and Arkansas. You're my brothers,
and I love every one of you. One thing to ask you right,
I think maybe I got Later on, he's not in the best of
moods. He goes, it ain't your fault, it's Kurt Angle's fault and
his punk friends. Nobody comes out there and pisses on the aces and Nates
is parade. Now. I know you guys are going to get the job
done tonight. I know this ten man tag team match you're going to represent,
You're gonna do your thing. Let's not forget about it. Let's go
out there and kick their asses and take names, and let's take their frigging
souls. Okay, I'll laugh and clink their bottles. Yeah. And then
and then Devon suggests to Ray that they should tag team Brooke. Are you
ready, man? Are you ready to deal with this thing with Brook?
I need to know bad. To be honest with you, guys, I
miss my wife. You're a good jereman. Oh no, she's into the
tag team scene, brother. Listen, a tag team scene meaning they both
fuck her at the same time, exactly, ones in her mouth and once
in her pussy exactly, that's right, her ones in her ass, ones
in her pussy, you know whatever, you know, just's imagine imagine the
fucking just imagine the Dudley Boys fucking all right, fucking Brooke Hogan, fucking
fucking Chubby Ray over there, calf Zilla like full full throttle, like you
know, and again with that fucking that that expression, that deer in headlights
expression that he has. Yeah, I think rung in my mind ever since
you said it. He lets it happen exactly exactly because he doesn't, you
know, when when he when he when he when he feels, when he
feels he's gonna fucking nut, he stops. He just stops. No more
movement, no more nothing, just sits there, face beat red, and
he just lets himself come. And I want to let you know that the
is it a problem hotline has been open ever since you said that. Nobody's
called, so damn it's fine. Can confirms as well, I think you
just said. And maybe you've got divon going to town as well. She
took great care of me. Shut the fuck up, great caral So he
says he's gonna go out there, look his wife in the eyes, take
her by the hand, and gonna hand her this envelope. And after that,
I'm telling you you'll be able to move forward. And he plinks beer
bottles and says, when you ride with blah blah, very cool. These
guys, that's what they've always been. They've always been cool. Hogan and
Brooke backstage, do you have this um no, telling her it doesn't feel
right to me. I know you want to protect me, but I have
so much to do with bringing drama into this. I fell for this jerk.
No, this isn't all. This is broke. I fell for this
jerk. I don't want any more drama. She says she'll bring Ronny from
Atlas Security, THECW Security Crew, the TNA Hider to go in the ring
and protect her, and because she's still got work to do, and Hogan
says, you better have more than two with you, and she says,
you know what, Dad, He'll probably just hand me divorce papers. I'd
rather just get it over with. No more drama, all right, and
she rubs his arm. Later on, Billy comes out through the crowd doing
the heel you don't talk. Yeah, that's what I have and well,
I don't know. When he gets in the ring, he talks about the
biggest rematch and wrestling history coming up okay with Jeff Hardy Full Metal Mayhem's yeah,
yeah, actually it is her. Historians will note he says, tonight,
I want to take care of personal business right now. I'd like my
beautiful wife to come out in front of all the people. Yeah, of
course, say what you want, boss, She's coming through. Hi,
honey, how are you? Honey? Where is your wedding ring? Why
do you not have your wedding ring on? I have mine on. This
is a sign of my love and devotion to you. I expect you to
do the same for me. You can have a pass this week, but
for now on you do what you're told. And where your wedding ring?
Brookie? Brookie? Why the security guards are they here from me? Are
they here from my protection? They should be here me. Listen, woman,
they should be here from my protection. Can you see yourself after lockdown?
You were a crazy woman. You were a lunatic. You were yelling
and three mean, kicking things, knocking over tables. You were insane.
You should have been happy that night your husband became the world heavyweight champion.
You should have been hugging me and kissing me and loving me and doing everything
a good wife should be doing. But no, I am are an insane
woman. But it's okay. I forgive you. It's okay. Do you
know what this is? Umvelop divorce focus, divorce papers, divorce papers,
Brook Brocase. You're my wife. I love you. You're the wind beneath
my wings. I couldn't have done this without you. You're the woman.
You're the woman in my life. You're the woman behind me who makes me
so great. I couldn't have done this without you. About opening from me
to you reading Look at it. It's a front row ticket to Corpus Christie,
Texas. I want you to sit in the front row and watch me,
to see Jem Hardy for the second time. I want you by my
side. I want you there cheering me on, and I want you to
look as beautiful as you possibly can, because, honestly, Frocky, glatly,
you've kind of let yourself go oh oh we have back coming it slap
from book to yah. Yeah you know something, frock I can't help but
to laugh at you. You are pathetic. Oh you just smacked me in
the face and I'm laughing at you. I am in your head so bad
it's not funny. And to be honest with you, I've been in to
stay one you mean, smuck. What are you gonna do, Brookie?
You wanna smack me again? You're gonna smack me again? Maybe you're Jeff
Hardy. They're coming a number. I can't hear her. Get on him,
get him. He's no mettle me in one week, fole Man,
get Cooks, Christy Tacks or anybody. He goes what the world heavyweight title
head in the B's just like a little, just little physical music to me.
I'm telling you hard he's going down next week. He's going down.
Hord Is Bully Ray one mor Old Time's moor Old heavyweight tip. Yeah.
Yeah, I don't understand why, Um, I don't understand why fucking Jeff
Hardy would play his music before he comes out to fight. Yeah, why
not stink up behind him and just fucking attack. I think what happens is
when wrestlers are running to the tunnel to go save somebody, TNA production staff
just says, we gotta play his music. Of course, I always assume
there's like a I'd never assumed the wrestler that's doing the run in chooses to
have his music played. It just happens. It's so annoying. Live production
elements so quite a bit there. We don't find out this week at least
what's in the envelope. But uh yeah, Bully goes from screaming through the
fence at Lockdown that it was all a ruse and I don't need you,
and I don't care about you, and I don't love you too, I
still love you within the space of a month. And I know he's supposed
to be a snake heel and he's supposed to be lying, But why would
he, you know, choose to contradict himself like that? Why would he
It was great for heat on the night at Lockdown, but if this was
going to be the next stage of the story, well, you know it
kind of it's kind of stupid because he clearly already just like destroyed any semblance
of chance that he could convince Brook that he's still into her. I know,
I know, it's such a waste of the whole thing, is yeah,
like, move on if you you know, if you really want to
deliver the twist, move on from it. But they don't, and in
fact, until things suddenly change in real life, they start to subtly be
building. Brooke Hogan may be thinking that she still loves but Bully Ray.
Yeah, they start playing that up on TV right right, and it's like,
right, so this is working. She's going forward to get what the
fuck is that? But I just don't. Yeah, that's where we're left.
The last thing Today says in this episode of Impact is stay tuned for
the season finale of Bella Tour, which I thought was funny. The season
finale, not sure it's going so well. And there is a very I
consider ominous note in The Observer this week, the week that we're talking about
April Impact here that I think we'll have big time ramifications down the line for
Impact Wrestling, even if folks didn't read it as such at the time,
and the blurb reads this Spike TV, which was down last year in both
ratings and ad revenue, has told media buyers and advertising clients that it is
going to make changes in the network and try to compete with the top networks
in general entertainment. Boss no more network for men and if we're not looking
to maximize eyes, all of a sudden impacts rather good numbers and that demo
mean nothing. All of a sudden overnight spike after the years hoarding andy program
that could hit with that demo general entertainment. Okay, that's what I want.
They are looking at adding scripted television shows to go with the reality genre
sports as well as reality genre that wouldn't be wrestling, as well as looking
to add a female viewers. Do they not know that they've already got scripted
programming with wrestling exactly. For the last two and a half years, we
have sought to expand the audience based with more gender balanced shows and have been
successful with inc Master, Auction Hunters, and Tattoo Nightmares about fifty fifty male
females, said David Schwarz about broadcasting cable story. I guess which ran the
thing about Spike. This does not affect, he said Belatore Tna, we
still want to serve, which means it does affect. Yeah, we still
want to serve our loyal male viewers and add clients. In other words,
there's some people buying advertising against these this old proposition of this being for guys,
and we're a TV network, so we're going to take every single dollar
week can right, We're not going to pass up a single single dollar listen
for this person. Will be the first network for men for this person.
We're going to be a general entertainment network for this person, We're going to
be the Nashville Network. Strategies change when the dollums run dry. They don't
change because someone thinks this is where the industry is heading, or someone has
an epiphany. They change because, oh, some we're advertisers. Are we
going to find? Jeff Lucas, the head of ad sales for Viacom's Music
and Entertainment network, said the idea at member. Spike is owned by Viacom,
said, the idea of changing the name from Spike is something that we're
closely watching men as we transition for mostly reality to the scripted side, we're
looking at that. It does take a lot of change. It does take
a lot to change the name of a network. If we don't have to
change it, we won't, But if we do, we will very nice.
Spike was number twenty four overall in twenty twelve and drop ten percent in
viewers from twenty eleven. It brought in two three hundred and twenty three million
dollars in AD revenue for the year, down from three hundred and thirty million
the year before. So that's the story. God, it's a really sad
state of affairs when when three hundred million dollars is a bad year work.
It's so weird how these business people can just it's all that matters is whether
it grew from the year before or not, you know, because nobody wants
to be in a sinking ship. And if it goes down again, and
it goes down again, he goes down, and it's like it's just it's
never enough. And this is the story. This is it. This is
what's going to decide to T and A's fate is all of a sudden spike
no longer has this myopic, obsessive thing with male eighteen to thirty four.
The network isn't going to be built around that, as we know, eventually
the network will be renamed Paramount Network. And this is what I think is
kind of the fly in the ointment and Eric Bischoff's whole thing about how they've
missed a huge opportunity to have a spike by impact or at least majority control
the interest and impact because the reason they wanted wrestling was going away in terms
of the strategic direction of the network, right, And perhaps he heard something
that convinced him that had they leaned in, they could have gotten t and
A purchased. I don't know, but when I reach it like this,
I don't see an outlay for another property being in the cards. Maybe he's
talking about a time period just before they decided this and publicize this, because
you've got to start telling advertisers ahead of time, or at least trying to
get the word out of the street advertisers that you're kind of fundamentally shifting the
kind of programming that you're going to appeal to. Yeah, he just I
mean, it's just so I mean, I don't know, I I'm you
know, just just everyone seems so stupid, is what comes across. You
know, everyone just seems so fucking stupid. Oh they're just I know that
they have people that answer to and and you know they get whatever. But
it's so it's just everybody's like scrambling around trying to associate themselves with what they
perceived to be hot at the moment. And they're doing it not because they're
like inspired creative types. They're doing it because they're panicked sort of imposter syndrome
types in television who like, you know, they kind of know that the
whole thing's built on a stack of cards. The whole thing's kind of like
a house of cards, I should say, where it's like all like if
two advertisers say, fuck this, all of a sudden, we don't have
a network anymore. Yeah, it's kind of a dicey proposition when you're in
cable, you know, especially as cable starts declining right around this time and
has done nothing but declined to the tune of tens of millions of households to
the point now where you know, Rod does what a million five on a
Monday instead of the four million they used to do. It is still the
number one show on cable, you know, because there's that many less people
watching cable television or having I should say cable television. And yeah, here
it's just like, I don't know, there's probably an advertiser that they think
they can get if they just change the identity of the network to something more
land. They had one meeting with one client right that's buying across Viacom from
CBS all the way down, and they say, yeah, you know what,
I don't really think we need Spike because that isn't really the kind of
the kind of our audience we're looking forward it's like millions of dollars, and
they're like, well, actually, we'll change the whole fucking network so that
we can get your ad targeting housewives, you know, or where the fuck
it is. And that's all they do. They just they sit there at
the doggy door of the advertisers and wait to see what they fucking shovel in
there, and then they just create their identity around being able to cash that
check. Not complicated and not very creative. And then a lot of the
original programming is just these third party production companies like this is a Bishop of
Hervey did forever because there was a sensatiable appetite from cable because the only thing
that seemed to work on cable was was reality shows, right, you know,
like the Pill Popper Days, or maybe that was before that, but
you know, like the Hoarders and the Storage Wars and the the fucking Fishing
One whatever it was called, I Forget already, the Ice Road Truckers,
oh that shit. And it's like just this factory and the network's just sitting
there like cutting checks, and they hardly do anything. They promote it,
but they don't film the show, they don't create the show. They don't
produce the shit. They just pay a third party to put a show in
the air, and then two episodes go by and they say this doesn't work,
and I find another one, and that they they air. They premiere
a new show. They've been advertising it for for months. They've been hype
inded up. Everyone's been doing a promo interviews, the whole fucking thing.
Two minutes into the pilot. Now this fucking thing sucks. Turn it isn't
that. I don't even want it. No, don't even don't even don't
even air the rest of it. Just have fucking color bars. It's it,
forget it. Imagine being in the TV business to the point where like
you're that kind of kingmaker and you get sit there and just fucking canceled millions
and millions of dollars of investment because you're just not feeling on the numbers you're
seeing, or there's some some itch it doesn't scratch for you, because you're
like this genius that note you know what I mean, that knows what the
people want or whatever the fuck, and all you're doing is playing follow the
leader all day at night, behind the ball, that's correct. Meanwhile,
Hogan's up to his old tricks. Around this time. He's on a wf
An and New York with Boomer and Carton, and he's claiming he played in
the nineteen sixty six Little League World Series as a star pitcher. He did
not what I did, what as And he also says that he gave up
a Grand Slam home run that knocked his team out of the playoffs. Meltzer
rights. Of course, none of this is true, and there was no
team from Florida, let alone Tampa that ever made the Little League World Series
and Williamsport during the several years that Hogan would have been eligible. Of course,
Dave looked it up. Impact the up for eleventh Corpus Christie about three
thousand people on hand, heavily papered. Not im good on the road already,
even though they're building it live, rarely are they live. Most of
the time, it's it's taped and Meltzer rights. They tape the show without
commercial breaks so they can get the two hour show done in ninety two one
hundred minutes and then tape a second show from eight forty pm until ten fifteen
pm. But again, a good deal on the house then, is that
where does they get a deal on the arena. They get it out now.
I think what it is is they three hours. They want to tape
as many shows as they can for the investment of setting up one show,
and they saw tape a second show, which would be until eleven forty five.
Do you imagine you imagine going to a ten and a television taping on
a school night until eleven forty five. No. Jeff says to Hulk on
this episode that he was born ready, this is your world, brother,
and they walk and talk backstage ready for the match against Bully. Right,
Jason Hervey walks up. There's a lot of pressure because the balance of power
is shifted. Can't explain how important the world title is for TNA to get
it back. We know this. Hogan says, Aj is on my lock
and his time is up. He's on my clock rather and he asks what
about staying and Hulks scowls and doesn't have an answer on that subject the parking
lot. What's your plan for the aces and eights? And he pushes away
the camera. This is Aj styles, by the way, wearing that full
hoodie in a jacket in the corpus Christie Heaton Oh my god. They're chirping
birds in the background, and then Ken Anderson says, we made you an
offer. AJ here you go, chewing his gum hands in the vest.
Whole Cogan comes out, cups the year. He's feeling it. The Corpus
Christie, I got you here you go. Well, I guess you could
say that TNA impact zone is on fire here. Corpus Christie's manager is out
here to get down to business. Enough said, Okay, there's a lot
of things going on. Time the full medal mayhem. Everybody's being called out.
But the man I need to talk to you and I'm sick of thinking
about, sick of worrying about his decision, is a man that needs to
get out here right now. AJ Styles, you need to get out here
and let me know what's going on. Right now. Come up to the
dock side, baby, he's to a kick. Get for a k Come
up to the dock side. It is time to find out exactly where the
phenomenal AJ Styles and stands. If it ta, if it Ace is an
ace, Let's get the decision now. Look he's got to come to his
hand. Look at this, he's gonna put it on the right for the
whole thing. He's gotta be awesome. And one thing resonates that he said
recently, might that being aj Styles. I'm sick and tired of always doing
the right thing. What is he going to do tonight? Aj Styles?
We're in the middle of a crazy war right now, and I need to
know whose friend or fall playing in the middle of line. And I need
to know which side of you are here? Are you has? And h
are you with us? Because this is an ultimn my brother. Let me
tell you something, brother, I don't respond well to ultimatums. Sorry about
Joel? Why why can't you leave us alone? And it tough sense to
jo because they're both from the silence, dear, skinning and breaking. I'm
here to give you an ultimatum. Tell me, I'm took a bout of
the term. We're going Hell, I'm not even out here to dream beer.
But but what I am I here for? It's because you and I.
Oh, we're gonna fight alright? What's this about? Daniel's a cassarium?
These two always stick in their nose where they where they is going on?
Now? So self is apple teeny day? I can go for those
right now? Actually, this seems like it's gonna get pretty innotating. Alrighty,
alrighty, alrighty, hey uh hey, Toby Key step aside, this
doesn't concern you, okay, Toby Keith. Now, we're not out here
to engage in fisticuffs, to throw hands. AJ, We're out here to
men fences. You see both. We're also out here because we see right
through all this poop that's happening in the rain. I'm sorry what you see.
CD and I. We're both sexual and intellectual, so we know the
game that's being played. AJ. The fucker lips over there, he's gonna
try to convince you to join. It's the team basically because the Aces and
Eights have all but dismantled his company. So it's a smart move. So,
well, good job, I'll take his company over this comp the others
and as well. They're in the midst of a war, so why wouldn't
they try to recruit the guy that, for the last eleven years was TNA's
best soldier. It makes sense, CD, It makes dollars and sense to
AJ styles the reft of charisma. Now AJ listens to reason. Okay,
this choice that Hulk Hogan wants you to make it's lose lose because whether you
choose TNA or aces and AS, they're gonna use you up and spitch you
out. But Francois and I, we've got a much brighter proposition for you.
See, we want you on our side. Now wait a minute,
Wait a minute, wait a minute, hear me out. I know that
you did what we did, that whole Claire Lynch thing. Yeah, we
know that's Hulk. It's okay, we know AJ, We knew you think
that from saying. But wasn't it worse when Dixie Carter stopped believing in you,
when Hulk Hogan stopped trusting you, when these fickle, hypocrite fans turn
their books on you. A J don't stand with either one of these strangers.
Come stand with your brothers and think about it. Think of all of
our accomplishments, the three of us. Think of all the titles we've won,
the X division titles, the tag team titles, all the world heavyweight
championships that you we've won together. Wouldn't it be great if the three of
us stood together and it was us against the world suthing, Look a decision,
AJ, since you will make a decision. I will you are gonna
fight Storm next week on Impact next week? Brother? Hey, thanks,
Hulk great? Are you compelled by this AJ staff boss? Not at all
befitting who he is? No, how should he be the position right now?
Uh? Anything? But this? I mean, let's just have AJ.
Okay, the whole thing they're patting themselves on the back four was getting
a j to, you know, be more expressive on the microphone. Do
him acting into pay I gotta say, you know, the funny thing is
he was in the middle, or at the very beginning of cutting his first
decent TNA promo from my and then that fucking fat bitch James Storm fucking cuts
him off again. Like shut the stands there silent, nobody lets him talk.
What do he guys talk? Everybody else got it something to say?
I mean, they just like did all this work on this guy's character,
and by twenty thirteen, he's standing there completely silent, very cool. Holds
with Brooke backstage. I got a new marketing company upstairs in the suite,
He tells Brooke, want you to join us. But Brooke can't go up
because she has to be at ringside, because she has to look into Mark's
eyes, and there's plenty of him here in Corpus Christie. Yeah. When
Jeff takes the title from him, Holk says, I have to see that
guilt. Do you have security with you, Hulk asks, She says,
I got Ronnie from Atlas. Ogan says okay, and he's fine now with
her going out there, and then Matt Morgan comes up to her says,
that's what it has come down to for you. You should have listened to
me a long time ago, Hulk and done the right thing by naming me
the number one contender had lockdown. If you did, Bully wouldn't be your
world champion. Hulk looks down, like good point, brother, I'm thinking,
yeah, but he would have been fired as general manager for booking Matt
Morgan versus Bully Ray as a world title me. But you couldn't resist Hogan.
It did what you do best, and that's make a Hogan mistake.
But Hogan knows best, Matt. And then he slaps the wall next to
Hogan's face, and Hogan x all intimidated, like he's a shrinking violet in
the face of this. Matt Morgan. I mean, it's almost like Hogan
wants to do business with this guy, and Matt Morgan menacingly says to the
Hulkster, they're all going to come crashing down on you and it's gonna hurt
inside, and Hulk sells being scared. Jeff and Bully have their full metal
Mayhem match. There's ladders everywhere. There's a souplex on the inside of the
ladder, which was kind of novel. It's up side down like in a
V shape and bumps the center of it. Brooke is screaming because remember Bully
butter a front row ticket boss fight. She didn't have to go right exactly,
Like, no ho about that, because the ticket you don't have to
show up on the resale market. There's a number of things you can do,
right, I mean, you could probably made some money off that.
She says. She wants to be there to see the look in his eyes
when he loses the championship, so Bully shouting at her when they fight to
the floor, she flips him off. She slaps him Hardy takes over Swanton's
Bully through her table out in the outside, a pretty spectacular spot right in
front of Brook, but Bully recovers and clunks him on a ladder with a
ball peen hammer and Hardy falls off through a table. Bully grabs the belt,
retains the championship in the main event here and that is that the Aces
and Eates hit the ring to celebrate Bully grabs the microphone declares victory and hoists
the straps of Bully, still the champion, knocking off Jeff Hardy in the
main event and badly damaging him as we find out. Right April eighteenth,
episode of Impact, the second show from Corpus Christie, and after four hours
of taping in the building, it's it's starting to show. Twenty five people,
twenty five hundred people, twenty five, Meltzer wrote. The twenty five
hundred people ended up staying for the second show, but it was a dead
crowd, which certainly does not help the match we just heard promoted where all
this was this This hit me right in the head that this was ten years
ago a graphic at the top of the broadcast for the marathon bombing. Oh
my god. Yeah, I was like, what this is the era of
TNA, Like this is how my mind works, you know? Yep,
yeah, of course, right right. I can remember kind of where I
was situated when that happened. But the fact that on television was this era
of TNA. I feel like they're years apart, but in fact they weren't.
Yeah, dude, I remember, you know, I remember, right,
Holy shit, I didn't even put that together really because I remember I
was on my way to start a show when it all happened. I was
about to start rehearsing a show in Rhode Island and it all. I was
literally on a train when I was heading towards to Penn station to board a
train when this all happened. Yeah, yeah, and just following along on
your phone, right, trying try. You know, my wife was was
heading up to doing her own show, like we She was like, we
were both starting. We were both traveling on the same day. She was
going to Boston, Oh wow to do a show and I and so I
couldn't get ahold. I was freaking out of course, because I'm like,
she's going to Boston. I mean, I knew, I knew that she
wasn't like there, but yeah, that's that's fascinating. I don't even think
about that, Like this was all happening around that time. Fucking Christ the
show Hogan backstage with Jeff being loaded into an ambulance after he was he at
the marathon. I mean, it's kind of weird that the juxtapose those two.
Yeah, but uh yeah. Hogan's like watching Jeff get loaded into an
ambulance last week after losing that Full Metal Mayhem matching it hit in the head
with a hammer, and he's like making a face like I can't believe what
I'm done, what I've done. He keeps saying, I'm so sorry,
I'm so sorry. Oh my god. And Devon is with Eric Bischoff and
West Briscoe and talks to them, and then Brooke is reviewing merchandise on a
laptop with Christie Hemmy in the locker room because that's part of her job apparently,
and she likes what she sees. She calls in Mickey James and Brooke
Testmocker and she says she picked them because they're showing heart out there to wrestle
each other and have something special. So I want to wish you guys luck
and excited to see who will go for the title apparently this Number one Contenders
match. Mickey bounces Luck's that is a damn luck or just regular luck.
We'll have to find out all right, But Brooke Testmocker stays behind and says,
you know, I want to reach out to you. God, what
you're going through is awful, Brook Hogan for me and all the knockouts,
we're here for you. Call me anytime you need anything. And she it's
a hug and got a good luck out there. And that was kind of
weird. But we're going to get to Brooke test Mocker, I think quite
a bit later, storm Burst Styles AJ Styles returns to the T and A
Ring after disappearing and feeling unloved and unwanted and unrecognized and unappreciated and all that.
Yeah, it comes out to less than zero reaction. To Meltzer's point,
it was quite deep in the night for the ten a faithful that turned
out in Corpus Christie for these tapings. But still this is like they have
They have sucked the life out of AJ Styles. They managed to do it.
I don't know how they did it, but they did it. They
overcorrected to say the very least awful Taz is groaning as AJ's making us walk
to the ring about this idea that we started this company and blah blah,
blah, and Tenay screams back at him, He's the reason you've got a
job and tass I did the same damn thing for a real revolution. Guys
that paved the way. Oh, and I want you to start hearing these
things not through the lens of their telling an AJ Styles story, but through
the lens of they're trying to define Aja down in the minds of the fans
because they don't have plans on resigning this guy. And there are things happening
behind the scenes that indicate that AJ isn't looking to play the kind of ball
they want them to play in and around extended contract. So you know,
AJ said it and we'll hear it later. I'm kind of thinking and as
time goes like, maybe they're actually trying to sabotage me. Maybe they're trying
to make me seem boring and uninteresting and and kind of mock What the heart
of my whole appeal and story isn't TNA, that I'm a lifer, that
I'm a homegrown guy. Wow, It's something that Derek Bischoff always has an
allergy to. Whenever he talks about TNA, he immediately has this like reaction
to talking about the idea that TNA has homegrown talent that deserve respect, Like
season think anybody knows who they are, and AJ has been open and saying
yeah. When Hogan and Bischoff came in, it was very clear to me
that they'd never watched TNA, so they had no fucking idea who I was
or what I meant to the wow I mean in in in his defense,
nobody else had watched TNA. More people watched than than we're watching a few
months in. So it's it'd be one thing if Hogan and Bishoff came in
and doubled the ratings. You know, it's like, okay, that's the
clear that's clearly the past. But you're not doing that. And in fact,
when it was built around AJ being the top guy and just being himself,
it was doing just as well. So I don't know, you might
want to kind of study up a bit and at least on the world fucking
champion before you come in, But no, you know, they didn't.
They didn't know anything about the guy, and they certainly weren't willing to listen
to explanations about why you know, he deserves um, you know, a
strong treatment because homegrown blah blah blah, and it just bothered them. So
here's it is. It is a damn shame that they you know, it's
like, it's so funny, how how bitter, really, how bitter fucking
Bischoff is at times, you know, and he's he's in a weird position
because while he producing the show, he's not hiring and firing, so unlike
in WCW, he's not able to really take this stuff all the way to
the extreme of like fucking somebody over contractually or just firing somebody or you know,
undercutting them on a deal. That's that's all happening the Dallas Pen to
Energy Office and the folks that the actual money behind TNA and of hired Dixie
Carter to be in charge. It's really her mother, Janice Carter, that's
minding the real purse strings of this whole thing, and she gets the real
decisions. But yeah, certainly Bischoff and Hogan would have some influence over who
Dixie wanted to make a strong play for it the negotiating table or not.
So I'm not going to say is Bischoff would have you believed that he's totally
insulated and walled off from decision making around who TNA hired and who TNA kept
and what TNA offered in terms of money. Bruce Prichard is in the talent
relations position at this point, so he's the liaison with the office. He's
the person that actually sits with the talent at TV and negotiates if the contract
is coming due or if they want to bring talent in, and also tries
to see through the vision of whatever the Beans and Dallas want to see.
You know, we need to cut back. He's the person that has to
do it. We want to do this's the person has to do it.
And for AJ, it's um. He's just somebody that they they tried with
with with Flair. After Flair left, it was kind of like they nothing
for the guy. He heard his hip did AJ at a certain point,
and that heard his momentum as they were trying to get Fortune going again.
And when he came back, I feel like they were just looking at the
contract and they were like, he's we don't have enough years left on this
guy to like double back down on him. And I don't think they thought
they had the money to keep him and we'll see what they offer him later.
Is I think proof positive of that. But it was great for AJ
because this guy like was so associated with Tena in his own mind as well
as in the fan's minds, that he would have never left. I mean,
I don't know about never. But the new japan A WB jump he
ended up making, Tienna had to force his hand. Tiana had to like
basically insult him with the offer they made for him to go to other pastures.
But here he is u returning to the ring here in Impact. He
pauses at the ring and turns around, almost like he's not going to fight.
Storm comes up to him and slugs him. So um, they exchanged
on the ramp. I don't know why AJ would put all of his wrestling
gear on, including his trunks in his boots, and then not want to
wrestle. But he gets to the ring. But that's fine. Well,
you know, I guess I don't understand story, right, obviously you don't
understand right. Well, that's number one, all right, I'd hate to
see number two. I wait here it is exchange on the ramps, Storm
knocks him under. I need by James Storm drop styles A year of shit.
Absolute state of AJ compared to what they had in January twenty ten.
Here you tell me when he was better off? Uh? They they're channing
you still got it? At Aj Okayed did he turn sixty when he was
on the on the shelf for a year? Storm takes back over hits a
high backdrop on styles he purchased him. At Aj slips out of position,
crotches Storm in the Tree of Woe and hits a high see to drop kick
to Storm for two. Christopher Daniels and Kazarian come out saying we got your
back, and they're trying to recruit Aj a lungblower, Um you got today
hype and Slam Aniversary in Boston and which leads a Tazz to say this rock
the roll in Beantown on ju second, A lot of fun they love as
Boston love us. Yeah, I'm on the bet. They don't know what
aces and eights. They also never call it Beantown ever, ever, ever,
ever, ever, ever, under any sort. That's that's what people
who aren't from Boston called Boston giveaway? Do people from New York called the
Big Apple? Though? Uh No, people from New York generally just call
it the city. Makes sense, you know, like you just say,
like I've caught myself saying this as many times and I actually find it obnoxious
too. But I'm like, oh, I'm just going into the city today.
Yeah, there's no other city that you call the City's true. Yeah,
you say going town when talking about Boston, right right like you like
you say, oh, yeah, I'm going to the city today. Yeah,
it makes sense to me. I don't think it's obnoxious. Yeah,
it's just accurate. That's I mean, that's what I what I've heard.
I've never heard anyone. Yeah, no one really calls it the Big Apple.
Um, yeah, it's Manhattan, New York or the city. Got
it? So lung blowered lands for James Storm Clothsline both spill out of the
ring. They talk about how AJ is a sought after free agent if they
only knew what's to come. They assess that he's a meaner, more aggressive
AJ styles as he comes back in, whiffs on a Yakuza kick and Storm
hits the code breaker, which he called closing time. But finally a super
kick attempt by James Storm has caught AJ tumbles into the calf crush, which
was it all works out because he likes beer set it it's all about beer
and drinking and going out. So AJ and his moody, fucking reclusive state
learned the calf crush, which is a jiu jitsus submission where you kind of
tie up then the leg and I don't know, you basically like slice the
calf across your shinton bone by squeezing it tight to your shin shin bone to
describe it truely, something they had been done in MMA a few times.
So AJ picked it up and did it in the wrestling ring and nobody gave
a fuck. But all of a sudden, James Storm taps and people are
not ready for that. It is a fly, I mean not only were
they kind of struggled to get into the match to this lead. Anyway,
in this version of AJ is and exactly jumping off the screen. In addition,
he's now a submission master, which is the last thing anybody wants from
AJ styles, but that's the character shift they're going for. And Storm taps
and AJ succeeds in his return match to Impact Wrestling. By the way,
Storm had tweaked the knee earlier when action spilled out of the ring to the
floor. So we have psychology in Corpus Christie, I like Alvarez, called
the calf Crusher a wacky leg law fun and just keep raising the bar,
don't they crowd just so dead kas Kazarian and Daniels and flooded. The Ring
lays them out hardly any reaction, so he's not going with them. Storm
gets up the Aces and Ates hit the Ring and blindside him to abject indifference
from the audience, they start attack the Kazan Daniels too, and Bully gets
in there. De los in with the sky high. Bully grabs the mic.
He he says this, do you know who I am over this?
Do you know who we are? We are the Aces and Eights. We
are a man responsible for destroying all of your heroes. My fucking sandwich as
a man responsible for defeating and taking out Chip of Hardy. My brothers are
the man responsible for taking out He's three pieces of trash. You have no
heroes last I mean looked around too. I'm starving. Oh, all your
heroes are now just victims. And there's one man you can blame this.
You can blame this, Abe Holt spoken Paul Holding is the reason why all
of your heroes are just another victim. Rights rights. Yeah, day of
my lineback to day holding funny Daddy. Next week right here live good impact.
I am calling you out to the middle of this rain. I want
to look Daddy into your eye. I want to stare deep into your soul
and tell you to your face that you are the reason why all of their
heroes are nothing but victims. Victims time when you ride, you ever walk
alone. Now I can't the hero thing. I can't fucking hear it anymore
without like thinking of sandwiches. Oh totally, especially when it's bull I can't
like growing. Now all your heroes are gone. I destroyed all your heroes.
Yeah, I can see you left the fucking lettuce. Everywhere I see.
I can see the fucking you know, the the the the bread,
the speckles there whatever you know RUMs, not the crumbs, but like you
know, like the little shavings of like the the bag at sub Roll.
Somebody let freaking the dogs from Christmas story in here. No, just like
fucking Kamonaco in the Lamonaco whatever. I remember from ECW House shows, they'd
come out like ninety eight when they were at tag Chaps come out with the
unc tar heels shirt hat on because it said heels on it because they were
heels. He would come out there and they do like a twenty minute heat
getting monologue where he and he did this in TNA and got in troubled this
year he used a gay slur on a house show and had to apologize on
social media and everything. It was like a big thing. But that's what
he used to do. He'd come out and do these long things. We
are never going to lose. We are always going to fuck up your heroes
and ah and I want to want to kill him and he get heat and
he'd feel like a big timer. So that's kind of what he's doing here,
kind of a version of that. They never walk alone, which is
good to know because it can get dangerous at nighttime in Corpus CHRISTI. Today's
just just total devastation from the aces and eights. And I'm thinking you can
say that again. Indiana, Pennsylvania the next stop on this tena big city
tour. Get Ready the ass and are coming next week. And Todd Kennelly
says, TNA Wrestling, damn it, we need hope, and he says
it with so much conviction that they he basically disappears from television shortly after this,
this episode of impacts second lowest number of the year, one point two
seven million viewers. Bad above usual levels, a little, but still well
below um U in the was well below okay, it was well. It
was below in uh eight thirty five to forty nine, and a little high
in eighteen to thirty four, but still there. They should not this far
into things. They should not be doing. One point two seven million viewers.
They shouldn't. No, no, that is like exactly where they were
before Hogan and Bishov came in. Brother, raw, we're dude, you
know what, Brother, this little company, Dude, we're taking to the
next level. Brother, We're about this little company dude has become a big
little company. Brother, so close, you know, in so many ways,
close, so close to what is the terry? Yeah right? What
odd brother? You know? Um we're close to dialand or in Brother.
Oh okay, thanks. And the main event there between Aja and James Storm
lost thirteen thousand viewers. You don't you don't like to say a main event
lose, especially when it's AJ's first match back in a long time. So
yeah, Spike might be re restrategizing and reconsidering the whole identity of the network.
But they're certainly getting nudged into a certain direction as to whether to include
impact wrestling in that. The strategy so awful. Here's Eric Bischoff on eighty
three weeks about where things stood at the time Visa v. Spike. Spike
bent over backwards in a profound manner of which I've never seen before or since,
to try to support that franchise. It bent over all right, Yeah,
ridiculous, never seen it before. Yeah, that's for sure. And
people that are friends of mine had owned their own production companies, you know,
like really high level people. Tom Beers, for example, kind to
create a monster garage and catch fish in the ocean when all those shows whatever
they call it, just what I've told people like him, you know,
this is what the network was doing for this franchise, and their jaws dropped.
Because usually as an independent producer, you have to fight with the network
that's buying your show. You have to you don't can't fight. You have
to beg for promo time. And that's what kills a lot of great shows
is you know, executives just don't really believe in it enough to give it
enough promotion and they put it out there. Hopefully it sticks. If it
doesn't, try the next one. With Spike Man. They wrote big checks,
They funded a million dollar marketing campaign to support a franchise they didn't own.
Wow, nobody does that they and this is well documented. In fact,
a pr guy from Spike TV was in a Wall Street journal or somewhere
and talked about it. This isn't just my opinion, it's public record.
A lot of the talent, including by the way Hulkogan and Eric Bischoff and
some of the bigger, bigger names that were brought in teenage didn't be for
that Spike TV did. When does that happen? Never ever? Ever?
And that relationship got screwed up, not because of Dixie, Spike liked Dixie
a lot, but because of the funding partners and the way they wanted to
manage that brand or not manage it. And it's really unfortunate. You know,
when people say, oh, yeah, you're angry about TV was angry
about who we already talked about. But what makes me the angriest, even
to this day out buying my blood pressure going up, was the fact that
they screwed that opportunity up, that opportunity. I've never seen it before.
I've never heard of it since. It could have been so good, but
that wasn't because of Dixie. Dixie only could do so much. She didn't
have one hundred. She didn't have much control. The funding partners did,
which is not uncommon. Unfortunately. Look when your funding partners or your mother
and your father and your brother, and they have business partners that were part
of that you know, thing, that investment, that's a very tough position
to be in. You know, it's tough to have an outside investor in
any way, in any business because you've got somebody generally that doesn't really know
your business trying to get into it and tell you how to do it.
It's always a pain and the ass. But when they're your parents, it's
ugly. So that's about the up a taff for TNA, right there,
boss. And it's not like, yeah, no, you don't know why
he thinks Spike would be just fine, you know, further leaning into a
company that can't find a way to print a dollar. You know, yeah,
I don't understand, Like what would they be buying exactly? Is there
some secret thing that's happening that we don't know about teenage where they're making a
company money. Not really no, I mean because Spike is the sole source
of They're not the sole source, but by far the biggest source of their
income paying for the rights. But that's the thing, like they it's this
whole thing about how UFC got away from them instead of buying UFC, so
that when UFC made billions of dollars they could make it because UFC was made
on Spike. They let the UFC goes away. So the idea of Spike
was an acquisition mode. So if anything gets hot on our television station or
makes any money on our television station, that's kind of like a live sports
thing like Bellator would be nice if we owned it. So that not only
so we so it's kind of like we're not paying a third party to build
themselves up. We get to have all their profits as we own it.
It's a it's a wholly owned subsidiary. And I imagine that Bishov was talking
about some thing that happened along the line where he was convinced that Spike was
interested in buying TNA, But that my point is, like, how do
you know that that would have been great for TNA? Right, I mean,
just financially it sounds good. But and I'm sure Bischov thought he could
position himself a lot better because what happens, I think over time for anyone
who went to work there, is they realize him or how good a job
they do or don't do, or what authority they think they have or they
don't have. There's still this wizard behind the curtain named Janice Carter and the
other investors TENA had that you didn't really ever see or deal with that really
made the decisions. You know, there was like this sort of back channel
series of conference calls and meetings and at the ranch having Dixie at the dinner
table or whatever talking about and that really decided whether you felt like you had
any autonomy to do your job well or not right, And after a while
that kind of gets whacked. And I'm sure Bischoff was like, hmm,
if Spike bought majority control, now I don't have to worry about the Carter's
actually running my ship and determining everything I do, essentially in terms of whether
it happens or not. Maybe I could snake my way in. And because
because Spike and bishof they'd have a very good relationship. There was even some
moments where like Spike was meeting with Bischoff only and Dix, he was kind
of like, what's that about? You know, yeah, there there's some
hints of that when you hear listen closely to what's said. Over the years,
like Bischoff would go in with Spike and do the focus groups like used
to do at WCW. He was a well known entity in their offices and
they would talk with him about kind of what they would like to see it
at Impact. They Spike really didn't care about creative. John Godburg try to
bring them a little more under the tent and try to consult with them,
but they don't really care, like probably because they decided pretty quickly, probably
that Impact growth prospects were very low, which is why it's surprised Bishop seems
so convinced that they were interested in buying it, because I don't know what
they thought they would be buying. They I guess Bellator did decent ratings and
drew advertising money for them for sure. I'm sure that opens up a new
category of advertising if you can go after the UFC advertisers and say, hey,
look at our numbers, right, We're just the same sport live pretty
good demos, give us money as well, and that probably worked to some
degree, But I'm not sure who they thought they could attract if they owned
Impact. I don't know about that. I think they were They had already
soured about a year and a half into this thing on Impact, drawing appreciable
enough AD revenue to justifies existence for much longer. But the economics change a
lot when you own the whole thing. So who's to say. April twenty
fifth, Impact, Aces and Ates hit the ring, put Joseph Parks through
a table, Bully grabs a mic to Hogan chants, and you can hear
the Philliac sent here in Indiana, Pennsylvania the way they chant Hogan, Paul,
Dad, dear old Dad. You got to the end of the show
to answer the Aces and Ates. They show Hulk backstage. Hervey asks him,
you were here and your left, Hulk, what was the What was
so important that being here when the show started you had to leave? And
he just says let it go, which they basically just did this so that
there'd be a reason that Hogan didn't come out right away. Still trying to
make Matt Morgan a thing. He hears his grievances over not being named a
number one contender, and he says Impact Wrestling has been imploding around Hulk Cogan
ever since, which is a little too much truth funny. That's yeah,
exactly who do I talked about that? Who's my union steward for that one
right sting? He says, as a guy who's had his back from day
one and to be ejected from Impact altogether, no one has seen or heard
from the guy since. And finally Jeff Hardy's trying to recapture the title for
TNA and he gets stretchered out. So Matt Morgan is basically listening, almost
in menu form, all of the misfortunes that general manager Hulk Coogan has experienced
recently, and he's basically recapping all of TNA storylines. And then there's some
Hogan chance and basically showing that, you know, if all that stuff hadn't
happened, then he wouldn't be in the position to ask for a title show
point two absolutely good point he present. That's what he says. This is
an ultimate solution to Hulk Hogan for all your problems. It'd be Rick Wilson
by any chance. So Hulk now in the red and yellow, makes the
walk out an impact. They put over the reaction. He gets that's that's
the new thing is to have the announcers go nuts about how crazy people are
going in this city for the Hulkster who cares it takes the shades off.
Morgan says, the real reason I called you out here, Let's not be
yes one another. You're out of horses in the race. You've got no
more backup. You're basically delaying the inevitable Hulk. They're going to beat you
up and spit you out, chew you up and spit you out every single
one of the aces and eights. You have nobody left. So allow me
to present you with the ultimate solution, seven foot, three hundred thirty pounds
of the blueprint, Matt Morgan. Because at the end of the day,
no one in this roster wants this more, this opportunity, more than Matt
Morgan. Nobody's begging and waiting for this opportunity more than Matt Morgan. No
one can finally do what needs to be done. Y Am hey, Matt,
Matt Morgan, nobody's begging for you. I know you're the one begging
for a reason. I am your seven foot knight in shining armor. He
Hell's Hulk Hogan, And if given the opportunity, I will take Bully Ray's
beach ball sized head and I will carbon footprint it to coin a verb into
the fifth row for a small price, of course. And then Hogan makes
a face and he says supply and demands a bitch these days. Matt Morgan
with commentary on the macro economic picture. He says, I'm in demand.
You're in need a supply. Well, Hulk's always in need of supply.
That's absolutely true, that's true. While you got here. I'll handle your
bully situation if you name Matt Morgan the number one contender, and I'm thinking,
aren't the two things the same? And hand me the world title.
Opportunity comes slam adversary. Hulk hoofs in consideration, he says, you know
something, Morgan. You brought me right up to the edge, and a
lot of the stuff you said is really true. Brother. You got the
goods to get the job done. You had me believe, and I heard
these people out here and tell you the truth. You probably could get the
job done. But the end of the day, where it is I hope
said an all time high. I was hoping you would do the right thing.
All that backing up I did from you. You stole the robe about
war at Chase Stadium. So that's still that still can and that that happened.
It's very important I put up with your verbal abuse and I was hoping
that you would finally get it and be the guy we've all been praying for.
Remember that that glimpse one week an impact where Hogan was watching. Now
he's like Matt Morgan saying, is gonna kill Holk Cogan, and Hogan's backstage
watching the monitor shaking his head, going now, all right, he's learning
can't would wait to see that one develop for the second coming of the mania
brother, So he's basically saying, Matt Morgan is in position for the second
coming of Holgan Mania. Whatever that's supposed to mean. Oh my god,
the other day, you got to do it for the wrong reasons for a
price. So the way it goes, if I was to pick you and
hand you on a silver platter to the opportunity, it would be a bigger
mistake than Bully Ray. Brother. I know that TNA's in a lot of
trouble, and man, can some of these Hogan promos be selectively edited in
twenty No, I had a lot to do with getting us where we're at.
But at the end of the day, I'm gonna step in this ring
tonight and take with nets to be taken. Oh my God, Jesus Christ.
Heered that even though no one knows what he's talking about, I'm gonna
do this on my own. And by the way, he says, I
never heard Andre the Giant come out here and wind bitch shiny storms off what
m today talks about how risky it is for whole Cogan just to come out
here, off the crutches after a certainem going it alone and bully with devon
to hear some steps backstage, drinking beards. You've been asking a lot of
questions, fucking are you seriously? Have you been asking a lot of questions
about Come on, seriously, I haven't seen from and I haven't heard from
her, and I think you want a shot at her. Thank you?
Classic guys talking about passing Brok Hogan around like one of the secretaries. Right,
that's right? What, yes, yes, I've he says, have
you sat back and analyze what's going on. We're the most successful tag team
that have existed. Though the TV champion, I'm the heavyweight champion. We
have leaders of a pack of warriors, the most dominant. These guys just
like they're like reading the first three sentences of the Aces and eights Wikipedia page
every week on television, the most dominant force in pro wrestling. I'm like
trick out Jeff Hardy and divon. If you listen to the word in the
street right now, he might be done for good. And in a couple
of minutes, I'm gonna look sting straight rather into his soul and put a
final nail on the coffin of Holkamania. Oh Man, God Willing. How
many more times you're gonna do this thing where Hogan has to tape his rists?
You know what I mean? Like I mean, someone him call me
out, I gotta answer. Hogan's in the office tape and his wrists,
and Brooke is there with him, and we're doing this again from twenty ten
where she doesn't want him to go out. I need to see I want
to see you too, But you about this. You can't stop this.
You don't have to go out there because I messed up with bully and I
made you like him because you just wanted to be nice to your daughter place.
I love you, and I made the choice to put a bully in
the spotty center. But I also love this business. And he screwed over
our family, and he screwed over this business. And now it's up to
me to fix it. Dad. I know I sound like a hypocrite saying
don't go out there, you know, because I was just asking you to
let me face him alone. But I had bodyguards. Brook. You're different.
You just had a name replacement a few weeks ago. You can't go
out to fight Hill. This has to be done, Broke, And all
they're going to remember because if I was a good man or a shit I'm
Jesus Christ. You can't stop this now, Broke. Don't worry all this
for me. I'll be right back to be careful. You have to go
now, Broke. I love you. Be careful. Yeah, no shit,
what are you doing? Man? He keeps taping his wrists? How
about that? All they're going to remember as if I was a good man
or a bad man. That's right. You can say that again. Visa
VTNH. Bully Ray hits the brain. He's got a piece of paper,
he says, in no particular order, Sting Magnus, Samoa, Joe,
Eric Young, Pope, Kurt, Jeff Hardy, Joseph Park, James Storm,
all victims of the Aces and Eights, as Bully Ray continues to read
the Wikipedia page on television, and there's only one victim left, Hulk Hogan.
Get out here right now. So it's time for the annual. Hogan
comes out to face off against the god. He might wrestle it bound for
glory, but he might decide Bully weeks before the show that his back isn't
up to its ticket dances, of course, out in what they didn't no
particular on sing Madness, Samone, Joe, Eric Young, from Pope,
turn Angle, Jeff Hardy, Joseph Park, James Storm. What's doing these
names coming common? They are all victoms for the Aces and Eights and there's
only oneerful victom left. Pol Coating get out of here right now, baway
wild Bowlah, wild fowl, wilah wild bowie wide round out wide wid that
holy reason, I sho, how's your need doing? Down? Look out
to look at you you got your fish all, take up your rare to
doat you I got. You can't wait to just punch me in my face?
High, I bet you can't wait to hit me with that big boot.
Can't drop the big hogging leg on, poor, we ain't gonna happen.
You see. You can walk down that ramp, and you can step
in this ring, and you can try to fool all of them, but
you will never hit them. Newion is fool me. As I looked into
your eyes, I see one thing, and one thing only, pure fear.
Hulk, Hulking fears Bully Ray. You know why you fear me,
Hulk, because I remind you of you. I'm the last of a dying
breed. I'm the last of a dying breed, your breed. Did you
ever sink it would come to this? Did you would ever sink that I
would be standing here? Do you know who I am? I'm Bully Ray.
I'm the president Hobby Aces and Eights. I'm the world Heavyweights. It
mean I'm your son in law. I'm a guy that's gonna put an end
to hulk Comania. What for me? Tell you something, brother? You
can't put it in to hulkim media, because hulkime media will never die.
Brother Hulk, it's crazy, buzzy, He's gonna be crazy. But after
that knee, go after that knee, Bully, go after that knee.
How do you turn around? Pulling? Time around? Time around, turn
around, hoping it's tearing his shirt? Who because the year back to help
rover whoa And they both have their hands out pulling to each other simultaneously.
He long staring and help crustal rights. And then I always see that power
a picon rooks bullying the rope for beef. Bully hands on his bounces and
where's the confidence now? Task? Yeah, where's Bully right doing this party's
own own tasks? Wholes fucking out, surround them, surround them coming.
This is nates all, n easy feeling poll. He couldn't do a brain
Panses and eggs closing in, lights go out in the other liner. Yeah,
what the hell? God stay and stays on he is This might be
an absolute nightmare for looks point the issues between fuck Hogan and staying for months,
the actions of aches and eggs driving a winch between Hogan and d Yeah,
no, yes, sting prints is bad at fully and then he starts
going off the icon drop and folks here take it out the aces, hold
my hand, my hook, story the south, this two lights, this
two iconcept clear away. Deja vu? Boss, all right, that's the
same fucking thing over and over again. So the lights come on and they
see Sting in the corner with his bat in Hogan's face. So Sting is
at odds with whole Cogan again. Remember Holk just you know, itched him
out. But then Sting turns around and starts fighting nieces Nates with the bat,
and Hulk starts fighting nieces Nates too, and their backs to each other,
and uh as Hulk standing there with his fist cock and Sting behind him.
He turns around and Sting points his bat at the Hulks again, roll
up to his chin. We're still doing, Hogan and Sting. That's the
only thing they got. Sting music hits and they says, you can feel
the tension, and lisas Hulk comedian did not die on this night, but
it was in danger. Holkster doesn't know what to make of it all,
and neither do we talk. Kenney says, now it's hard for me to
deduce where exactly they were going. We talked last week about how they definitely
discussed Hogan versus Bully Ray most likely for Down for Glory and Bully Raven remember
telling the story about how Hulk had walked through with him sort of what he
felt physically he'd be able to do and if they were to wrestle, what
the match would probably go like. Right, Hogan slips in get heat on
me before I can stand up boot leg drop, and we even here Bully
sort of say that in that promo we just heard. Yeah, right,
I'm not going to be another big boot leg drop victim, which means eventually
I will be. But the way this plays out, it also seems to
be leaving the door open to wrestle Sting as opposed to Bully Ray. Right,
So I don't know if a three way, I don't know. But
the reason I anchor to the fact that Sting may have been just as likely
an opponent for whole Cogan next if he did wrestle in twenty thirteen, which
as we know he ultimately does not for Spully Ray is for close listeners of
our reading of the deposition in hul Coogan's lawsuit against the Laser Spine Institute,
which was filed the year after he left TNA. We remember that he sort
of discussed the shifting sands at TNA and the game plans for him, and
they were asking him about a time period, you know, towards the end
of his run and asking him to wrestle, And when we were reading it
at first, we couldn't quite place the timing because it was like, as
he talked me about the twenty eleven Bound for Glory match against Sting, because
he's definitely talking about a match against Sting. Now, whether he's misremembering that
it was actually the Bully Ray match they were building and Sting was somewhat involved
is a possibility. But he says here in the deposition, which we will
resurface now appropriately as part of our twenty thirteen chronology here that it was a
match and them asking hul Cogan to do it that actually led to the first
real fissure and the Hulkogan Impact Wrestling relationship because he comes back and he wants
to get paid more to wrestle. The way the transcript goes, they asked
him what happened to terminate that relationship, and he says, they asked me
to wrestle. It down for Glory to have a match with Sting and didn't
want to pay me for it. And you know, I was basically ready
to wrestle, but you know, they didn't want to pay me for the
match. And you know this would have been a high end, you know,
pushing hard match. And I said, you know, if I'm going
to go out there and you know, really hump this thing, I mean,
it's not just like throwing a couple of punches. Basically, you know,
my contract doesn't say I'm supposed to wrestle. This is outside the parameter
my contract. And I said, I wasn't going to wrestle unless you pay
me. So a few months later, I felt a shift and the energy
or the attitude at TNA and Dixie Carter had hired a new guy, like
a new production guy, like a main guy. His name was Big.
I don't know his real name, they just call him Big. He was
come He was some red haired guy. He came down from the WWE.
Yeah, kind of like you Terry in a certain generation. And him and
Dixie sat in a room with me, and there was one year rollover option
on my contract and I'd been there four years I think he means three.
And I realized the company was not going well. I guess if he signed
an O nine, which I think he did. They first approached Hogan,
had had discussions as far back as June two thousand and nine through or at
bishof SOA, and I realized the company was not going to ramp up like
they said they were, or like you said it was exactly where'd you get
that idea? Looking in the mirror. And they came to me and they
made me two offers. The first offer was for the same amount of money,
but not for a year, for a year and a half, or
for the one year rollover with less money. And they're doing this to Hull
Cogan. This is extremely characteristic of what starts happening with TNA Visa be their
talent contracts. In twenty thirteen, something has changed, some edict has been
delivered from on high that they need to squeeze as many pennies as they can
out of anybody's contract, no matter how big a name they are. Hull
Cogan's feeling it here aj Styles will come to feel it and the rest.
And I said no to both offers. How can testify? And then they
had ten more days, I guess to either roll my deal over with the
same money or I was gone. So before the ten days, they came
back and they offered me the exact same money, but they wanted two years
instead of one. And I said, well, things have a way the
words disappearing in air. I said, put it on paper and let me
see it. And I just didn't think they would get it done by that
Friday. So I called my attorney and I said, and then they interrupt
him because he's about to talk about attorney client privilege and he resumes. Anyway,
the option was the rollover for one year with the same money that was
locked, but they went outside the contract and they wanted two years for the
same money I was making. And basically that was not in the contract.
That was not the contract. That was a breach. So apparently they breached
him by I don't know, requiring him to sign a two year deal.
I don't understand. I don't understand what he's talking about. Honestly, does
anybody The option was the rollover for one year. I get that, Like,
you know, we signed you to a two year contract, but we
can add a third if we want, and you agree to that, but
we could also not add a third if we don't want to and you we
don't know you any money. So he said the contract called for a one
year rollover with the same money. Bishop's contract had the same thing. I
get that. And then he says they went outside the contract and wanted two
years for the same money I was making. I don't know. Maybe he's
trying to say outside the contract meaning we don't want to talk about option years,
we want to talk about a new contract for two years. Anyway,
he considers it a breach. I don't know why, but Hulkken is firmly
in the mode of you're breaching. You're breaching. You're breaching as much as
any human being could possibly be in this time period. Yes, I believe.
I believe he's a breacher. He will breach the perimeter. So they
didn't come through by Friday. Apparently this is some deadline. I didn't have
to make a decision to my contract ran out, and that's Hulkogan said.
How I got out of there, and I wanted to go because I had
been there four years and we were doing the same thing. You ain't fucking
kid and Terry. So it wasn't an actual termination. They didn't terminate you
for some reason. The contract he's asked, basically just expired on its own
terms. Is that kind of how you saw it? Yeah, they offered
me a longer deal, which was a different contract than what we agreed on,
and I said, no, I don't want to be here longer.
And when was this bound for glory match Againsting is supposed to take place?
It was earlier in my final year, which was twenty thirty. Whenever it's
the same year, you could find it. Whenever it was, it was
months months, months for my contract. Right when I said I wouldn't wrestle
unless you pay me, I felt a shift in attitude towards me. So
if you sign a contract in oh nine, this happened four years into the
deal, maybe twenty thirteen. Would that be the year he goes it was
the last year? Yeah, what would have been the last year? Calendar
year? Okay, so it probably would have been six months before when it
ended, six or seven months before when they offered the bomb for Glory Match.
And they conclude by asking, do you know if Eric Bischoff's group was
paid any money during those four years that you were at t and a by
TNA, and he goes, oh, yes they were. And Hogan's not
just talking turkey at the table with TNA. Fissures departures aren't just rearing their
head at that negotiating table. Entertainment News Wire Service, April twenty ninth,
twenty thirteen. Hulk Hogan demands more justice over sex tape leak. Yeah.
A lawyer for wrestler and action hero turned reality TV star Hulk Hogan has demanded
lawmakers in Flora Can you say those those jobs again again? A lawyer for
wrestler an action hero turned reality TV star Okay, sorry, Action adventure comedy
hero turned reality Cogan is demanded lawmakers in Florida strip a gossip website of all
links to his clients sex tape. Hogan is upset that Gawker dot at the
bosses at Gawker dot com have linked to the sex tape on another website,
just days after a judge granted the wrestler's request for a temporary restraining order and
ordered Gawker bosses to pull down a one minute excerpt of a thirty minute videoed
Tryst and related photos and transcripts. So a judge says, Gawker, take
it off your website. They do, and they put a link to it
on someone else's website. Are they ships on in twenty thirteen? Bro?
Are they fucking I think one would have to conclude yes. The website chiefs
immediately took down the sex tape footage, but refused to remove a narrative of
the video written by former editor A. G. Delrio. We remember reading
through that in the early days of ten h the colorful descriptions of Hogan getting
it done between the sheets. They also linked to another website that was hosting
the sex tape. Hogan real named Terry Balaya, has now instructed his attorney,
Charles Hayter, to urge Judge Pamela Campbell to hold the Gawker bosses in
civil contempt for openly disobeying her instruction to quote remove the written narrative describing the
private sexual encounter and quote. Hater's motion also argues that Gawker's decision to link
to another website offering up footage from the sex tape is also against the judge's
orders. He writes, the order prohibits posting, publishing, exhibiting, or
broadcasting the footage linking to the footage falls within this definition. Hogan is hoping
to win substantial monetary sanctions and attorney's fees at an upcoming contempt hearing. The
Star filed a one hundred million dollar federal lawsuit against Bosses at Gawker last year
twenty twelve, after they uploaded a one minute clip from a sex tape he
made with Heather Clem. He cited invasion of privacy and infliction of emotional distress,
but lost that case. That, of course, he refiled. That's
the federal lawsuit. It still exists in the state courts in Florida. The
fifty nine year old refiled the suit in the state of Florida, and last
week, April twenty thirteen, he won his battle or temporary restraining order.
But Boss, as we know the Hulkster, never settles for victories that are only temporary