wrestling / Columns
High Road/Low Road 10.31.08: Mick Foley as an Executive Shareholder
Welcome back to the High Road/Low Road!
A brief explanation of the column: Uncletrunx takes the Low Road (negative view) on angles, gimmicks, and other wrestling related “stuff” while Sat takes the High Road (positive view).
The Results for Sting Winning The TNA Title:
High Road: 30%
Low Road: 56%
Both Roads: 14%
Mick Foley as the Executive Shareholder
High Road:
The one thing that has to be noted about Mick Foley as Executive Shareholder is that nobody expected this to be his announcement. We were all under the assumption that this was going to be the announcement of him deciding to wrestle. I think that TNA deserves some credit for doing something that was not expected.
Low Road:
When TNA claimed that there would be an announcement to change the face of wrestling, I became very wary. In wrestling, such claims very seldom live up to the hype. We have had, for example, Goldberg’s heel turn and Vince McMahon being revealed as the “higher power” in the past. It’s got to the point that as a wrestling fan I expect such announcements to be a total let down and in this regard, TNA really delivered the goods. This was right up there (down there?) with the worst of them.
High Road:
I like having Mick Foley as an Executive Shareholder because it gives Mick Foley an authority position without removing Jim Cornette from his position. Jim Cornette has done a great job as management director and his act still is very fresh. Adding Mick Foley to the mix should make Cornette’s act much better because he and his boss will now be interacting, something that we have not seen.
Low Road:
To me, it creates confusion and puts the emphasis on the non wrestling performers rather than the in ring product. I know I’m old fashioned and I know lots of people seem to watch wrestling for the skits and vignettes these days but I prefer the emphasis to be on wrestling, and having two potentially conflicting power figures not only leads to confusion but also lessens the time available for actual wrestling. This was clearly shown on Impact this week where about ¼ of the time was wrestling and the rest was other things. Even the main event slot was used for this let down of a promo.
High Road:
TNA could have easily gone with Mick Foley versus Kurt Angle for the next pay per view. But, I think that would have been the wrong move because something like this should be built up. With Mick Foley as an Executive Shareholder, he will be a thorn in the side for Kurt Angle and eventually this can lead to a match between the two.
Low Road:
This is where my messages risk being contradictory but I don’t want to see Foley in the ring anymore. There are two reasons for this; one is that he’s no longer capable of wrestling to his own high standards and the other is that since he retired, he’s been in far too many matches. I remember an interview with Foley before he retired where he basically said that when he retired, he meant it and would stay retired. To me, Foley had the ideal job when he was put into commentary and he would add far more to TNA in that capacity rather than as an active performer.
High Road:
When you think about Mick Foley becoming an Executive Shareholder for TNA, it makes sense. Mick Foley has been known to be very cheap on the road and that leads to him saving his money. Now, with him using that money and investing into TNA, it really helps the TNA product. The reason that it helps the TNA product is because a person who is very careful with how he spends his money has decided to invest into TNA. This means that he has a ton of confidence in TNA and will get the fans to also start showing confidence in TNA.
Low Road:
It will only get the confidence of the fans if it’s real and not a storyline. Sadly, it’s a storyline and nobody is going to believe it’s real, and thus it won’t make people believe that the company is worth more. This storyline could have been great if they hadn’t over hyped it. As it is, it can only be a letdown.
High Road:
Mick Foley as an Executive Shareholder puts Mick Foley in the best situation possible for him. Mick Foley is basically at the end of the line in terms of his wrestling career. I think the most that he could wrestle is maybe three to four matches a year. So because of this, you have to find another way to utilize Mick Foley. And that is why making him an Executive Shareholder is a good idea. Foley is one of the best talkers in wrestling and him being an Executive Shareholder allows him to utilize that. Foley as an Executive Shareholder is bound to work because Foley will be able to use his greatest strength.
Low Road:
Yes, Foley’s greatest strength is now his talking. As I said before, the best use of him in my view would be on commentary. The only thing wrong with his commentary in WWE was that Vince shouted at him. As a commentator in TNA, Foley could use his greatest strength throughout the whole show and could put over the whole TNA roster without in any way being devalued. As it is, he’s involved in a convoluted and confusing storyline which started with a letdown of an announcement and takes attention away from the actual wrestlers in favour of another former WWE guy who is long past the time he should be in the ring.
Are you taking the High Road or the Low Road?
Simply write “High Road”, “Low Road”, or “Both Roads” in the comment section.
E-Mails:
These are all of the e-mails that we received this week. We do not respond to the actual e-mail, but the reply to your e-mail will be below.
Freddy Neuwendyke Writes:
When is TNA gonna get through their damn heads that paradin’ around old has beens is not the way to build a company. What you have in the Main Event Mafia is Sting a champ who won’t do house shows and will probably be gone sometime next year, a broken down old mort Kevin Nash who won’t J.O.B. to put over any of the younger stars and half of what made him relevant drank his way out of the company months ago. Then you have Booker T who ran away crying because WWE actually had the nerve to punish him for violating the wellness policy and Kurt Angle who has pretty much outstayed his welcome as the top dog of the company.
TNA needs to start looking at it’s own homegrown guys like Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, and Abyss instead of old has beens. Until TNA finally builds up their own bona fide main eventers they will always be seen as WCW 2.0 and we all know the fate of the original WCW.
What is really frustrating about TNA is if you followed the X Division in the past and the current Knockouts division you know TNA can do much better than it is right now.
Sat: While I agree with you that the originals should be given a shot, you need a mixture of both. It the Main Event Mafia starts to run roughshot on the roster, then I think that it is time to panic.
Uncletrunx: I think what you’ve said has many echoes in today’s column as well. The need for TNA to establish their own guys has never been greater but it has also never looked less likely to happen.
Comments:
Below are the comments for last week’s columns and our responses. The comments that will be included will be the ones that pertain to this week’s column. Also, your comment will not be included if you are commenting on another reader’s comment.
Bobby C Writes:
Low Road on Sting as TNA Champ. I have no doubt that this Championship was written into Sting’s contract. This is what – his third one year contract – and surprise surprise – this is his third championship reign.
Sat: I would be surprised if Sting requested a title run to be included in his contract. I think that he is more concerned with not working house shows.
Uncletrunx: Either way, I think it’s a mistake, especially given his recent interview where he says he’ll be retiring soon.
Kyle Writes:
I would love to say this is High Road but this is LOW ROAD. Sting wins the title then loses it weeks later, then leaves for a while comes back and and is inserted into the title picture. Plus he is the Champ right now but he is not working house shows. Your Champ should be working house shows in order to help the company.
Sat: TNA knew that he wouldn’t be working house shows, so they knew what they were doing. Plus, aren’t TNA’s house shows usually a near sell out. Which means that they don’t really need the champ to be there.
Uncletrunx: It’s still not a way to grow the business or create credibility.
BenD Writes:
HIGH ROAD! Sting was doing nothing with the title and Sting is a legend who can still go at it in the ring. Also, 3 title reigns add some gravity to the TNA title – important to have some lineage for a young title.
Sat: Good point, though I think that in the long term, Sting’s title wins will mean more for the Bound for Glory event.
Uncletrunx: This is actually a great balancing point; the TNA title does need a legacy as it is young compared to the 2 big WWE titles if WWE are trying to claim the NWA heritage for their World Heavyweight Championship. While TNA had the NWA lineage the TNA title had that legacy. Now they have to build up the importance of their own, much younger belt. I feel, however, that a title is only worth as much as the guy holding it; if the current champ is on the verge of retirement and doesn’t work house shows, it devalues it more than it helps in my view. It’s a point worth bearing in mind though.
M:-X Writes:
Both Roads. HIGH Road for TNA– having Sting as their champion doesn’t hurt (yet). But that’s tentative… so we’ll see what actually comes of it. Also, look at this topic, the recent Fact/Fictions etc– TNA is being talked about more as a result, no publicity is bad publicity right?
BUT…LOW Road for Sting himself. Seriously man, you can’t pretend to kiss Vince’s ass long enough for us to get a real DVD set?
Sat: I think that Sting knows that the DVD set will be there for him when he retires. Right now, his wrestling career is still capable of continuing, so why should he worry about something that will be there waiting for him.
Uncletrunx: According to Sting, he’ll be retiring soon. I’ll be interested to see if Vince offers him a legends contract and if he does, whether Sting accepts.
Michael Writes:
I’m gonna go with High Road on this one. Some may gripe about Sting winning it but it works perfectly into this established veterans vs. young lions feud we got going on in TNA. He and AJ seem to be going into a feud over it since he confronted Sting the Impact after BFG and I know a lot of people want to see Styles win the belt again. Also taking the belt off of Joe can help rebuild his character, let’s face it, I like Samoa Joe as much as the next guy but his reign wasn’t anything memorable. Turning him back into the submission machine who would kill anyone that got in his path to becoming world champion again. Like the way he was when he first came to TNA.
Sat: Joe had a decent run as champion, but nowhere near what we expected. Sting and AJ has a ton of potential and I would not be mad if Sting loses the title to AJ after one month.
Uncletrunx: “Turning him back into the submission machine who would kill anyone that got in his path to becoming world champion again”. This I agree with wholeheartedly. Let Joe do what Joe does best and get him back into the title picture that way. His reign wasn’t great but it could have been and if they go down this road, I’ll be watching with interest.
J.D. Writes:
HIGH ROAD
Samoa Joe’s title reign was going nowhere. Now we get Sting vs. AJ Styles–the original face of TNA. After the Main Event Mafia feud ends, TNA will have an awesome opportunity to build to a big AJ vs. Joe program for the title. And, at least in my dreams, next year’s Bound For Glory main event can be AJ vs. Joe vs. Daniels for the World Title, making their original feud come full circle.
Sat: I would be shocked if we see AJ/Joe/Daniels at Bound for Glory. And if I had to bet money on next year’s Bound for Glory main event, it would have to be Joe versus AJ.
Uncletrunx: I don’t like triple threat main events, so I’d be happy with Joe vs AJ.
The Gold Standard Writes:
Both Roads.While I think Sting being champion takes away from someone like Booker T or someone who hasn’t held it from being champ, it’s good cause I feel the person he drops it to will get a nice rub.I love to see A.J. take the strap of Sting cause he’s the face of TNA.Joe needs to stay away from the belt unless he becomes a monster heel.
Sat: If AJ takes the title from Sting, then I have no problems with Sting holding the title.
Uncletrunx: Sting could be used to give the rub to someone, probably AJ. If they can do that well and can build to an awesome killer heel Joe vs “Face of TNA” AJ, this could all turn out well after all.
Guest#6958 Writes:
Low Road: the problem with TNA is that they are ass backwards. In my opinion this old vs new angle should have been done months ago. They should have put the title on Joe back in January and he could have lost it to sting in April making it enough time for aj/sting build for bound for glory. Everything else could have stayed the same, JJ and Angle still could have happen and Foley and all that. Sting and Aj would have been the real blow off of the feud and we could have been heading to aj/joe for the belt. I dont think your biggest show of the year should be a starting point for a feud
Sat: I think that Joe and Sting was a good choice for the main event for Bound for Glory. And I can’t speak for everybody else, but Joe/Sting is a better matchup than Sting/AJ
Uncletrunx: I agree that the biggest show of the year is the place to settle a main event feud, not start a new one.
David Writes:
#1 Knock off that SPORT talk. You know better than that.
#2 TNA isn’t in the shadow of WWE, they are in the shadow of WCW, which is just sad.
#3 I love Sting. Have since his Bladerunner days.
But, have to take low road here. To get out of the shadow of WCW, they need to create their own stars.
And while I remember going to WWF house shows in the 80s and never seeing Hogan, you really need your champion to put in an appearance from time to time on your behalf.
Sat: I have a good reason for calling it a sport. The entertainment memo arrived a few days after I had written that. And as for house shows thing, in the 80s, wasn’t the WWE running two houseshows a night?
Uncletrunx: I also will continue to use the term “sport” as I’m old fashioned and believe that the events in the ring should be the focus.
Christian Writes:
Low Road. Sting came back (like he always done) and won the title with BFG, with a title shot he automatically got at No Surrender. I hated the finish because you shouldn’t have a run-in in the main event of your biggest PPV of the year! There is a reason why the name is called “Bound for Glory” because this is where you should create stars. The worst part is that having Sting win is making your show very predictable.
Sat: I agree with you that the finish sucked. The match was very good, but when Nash came out you knew something was up. As for Sting winning three times in a row at Bound for Glory, I don’t think it makes the show that predictable. The thing is that Bound for Glory had become the show where the face walks out with the title. With Sting’s win that has changed.
Uncletrunx: I agree about the run in. I hate run in finishes in main events and to use one in the biggest event of the year is poor.
Sammy Writes:
High Road. Samoa Joe was a failure as champ. He was only drawing 4000 people at house shows and was going to kill the company. TNA should find a better use for Joe, maybe a love angle with Awesome Kong, they haven’t had a wedding in a couple months. Or create a donut eating championship for him to defend.
Sat: Whoa. Somebody hates Joe. I know that most in the IWC are in love with Joe. I think that he is a good wrestler, but nowhere near the credit that he gets. And having Kong and Joe get together is just bad. That is bound to get people to turn their TVs off.
Uncletrunx: I really hope nobody from TNA creative read that comment and agreed with it.
17 Writes:
Low Road. Sting shouldn’t have even been in the main event, he represents everything that’s wrong with TNA and having him win was an insult. This was their biggest show of the year, the main event spot should have gone to AJ. By having Sting go over Joe at their biggest show of the year TNA has basically said all their guys suck and just can’t compete with WWE/WCW guys. And no, I don’t think this is the case every time a WWE/WCW guy beats a TNA guy, but on the biggest show of their year has a home-grown TNA guy ever won in the main event? Answer, no.
For the past few years Sting has been put into the main event at Bound For Glory when it should have been Joe. Joe’s title win didn’t feel like a big deal because it felt like it should have happened years ago, and an ideal time for him to win would have been at Bound For Glory and if Sting wasn’t busy taking up space Joe’s main event push could have happened a long time ago. Ok, so at Bound For Glory 2 Sting had a long and boring rivalry going with Jeff Jarrett and TNA decided they’d rather see a conclusion to that than to put Joe over, but what was there excuse for Bound For Glory 3? That should have been Joe’s title win, end of story.
If TNA really wanted Sting as champion they should have had him lose to Joe a couple of times on PPV to put Joe over strong and then put them in some kind of last chance match with no rematches and then have Sting steal a cheap victory with the help of just about every heel in the locker room, not just a bat wielding Kevin Nash.
Sting looked like he was completely out of his league fighting Joe and Joe looked like a complete idiot for not suspecting something was up when Kevin Nash showed up with a baseball bat. It wasn’t like Joe seemed to need any help or there was anyone for Nash to chase off or anything like that. So both Sting and Joe come off looking weak.
Sat: AJ just turned back to face and putting in the main event of Bound for Glory would not have worked. And I can see where you are coming with your argument about Sting, but really the matches that he has had at Bound for Glory have been dream matchups, so I don’t really find any fault with it.
Uncletrunx: As I said above, I hate run in finishes for main events so the idea of a locker room clearout to get Sting a win doesn’t sit well with me. I’d rather see a clean finish.
Ray A Writes:
Low Road. If TNA wants to get somewhere, then they should focus on their younger talent like AJ Styles and Samoa Joe. Need I say anymore?
Sat: You can’t just push all the young talent. Joe was at the top of the world for awhile. Now, Sting is there and I think AJ is next in line.
Uncletrunx: There’s a difference between “just” pushing all the young talent and clogging up the main event scene with guys so far past their prime it’s not funny.
The Great Captain Smooth:
Both roads. Low, because he doesn’t need it. High, because he is a big name in wrestling and the person who beats him for a world title will belong to a very exclusive list.
Sat: I’ll agree with you that he doesn’t need to have the title.
Uncletrunx: He could end up giving the rub to someone through this and it could be a chance for someone to make a reputation off the “I beat Sting” factor.
Guest#6921 Writes:
Low Road: If AJ Styles is built up to fiinally be the true “face” of TNA, then I will change that to a High Road. But honestly, I don’t see that happening. What I do see happening is a recreation of the events that made WCW terrible towards the end. God bless Foley, but I can see AJ getting bumped for a Foley/Sting feud.
Sat: I do see AJ winning the title. And I don’t see Foley/Sting happening right away.
Uncletrunx: I seriously hope we don’t get a Foley / Sting feud for the title. That would be a combination of the worst parts of both last weeks and this weeks low roads and would cause me to weep with utter sorrow.
Anonymous Smart Mark Writes:
Very, very, EXTREMELY Low Road for Sting as TNA World Champion. This marks the third year that Sting has won the title at Bound for Glory, and it will mark the third year that his reign means two things: jack and shit.
In 2006, Sting lost the title to Abyss VIA DISQUALIFICATION (because nothing says “credibility” like winning a title from a DQ!), and for the next few months, he’d feud with Abyss. What did the feud accomplish? NOTHING. Sting never managed to elevate Abyss above his midcarder spot. Two years later, Abyss is still a midcarder with no real chance at becoming a true main eventer (thanks, in part, to Sting and the Main Event Mafia).
In 2007, Sting lost the title to Kurt Angle JUST TWO DAYS AFTER HE WON IT (a little under two weeks if you prefer to go by the airdate for the episode) and spent the next month feuding with Angle before losing to him in a Tag Team TNA Title Match at Genesis. Kurt Angle needed no elevating, having made his name back in WWE; in fact, all the feud did was present the opportunity for Booker T to enter the company (Booker being Sting’s partner at Genesis).
I respect Sting’s impact and legacy in relation to WCW. But his TNA “legacy” is nothing to be proud of; he hasn’t elevated a single person during his time in TNA, and he arguably has done nothing to try to help build up the company. Steve Borden needs to retire and let the new generation bring TNA back from where he and the rest of the Main Event Mafia have put it — in the gutter.
Sat: While you make some good points, I don’t think Sting is the one saying that he wants to win all the time. I think that it is management that is doing this. Plus, I seem to remember Sting wanting to put over Daniels and we saw where that went. Plus, I think that AJ Styles will win the title from Sting.
Uncletrunx: It’s not really that important who is putting Sting up there, the point is that he’s not long off retirning and yet is still beating guys who are the future of TNA (if it is to go anywhere) for the belt. I hope Sting’s final legacy for TNA is hoping to build one of the younger roster members up, as otherwise it’ll be a sad end to a great career.
Kanyon Kriest Writes:
Low road. I understand that Sting needed to win that particular match in order to get over Nash’s turn against Joe, but that’s what you get when you book yourselves into a corner.
Sat: And it can lead nicely into the Main Event Mafia.
Uncletrunx: I just feel that the whole thing was so unnecessary.
Brian Writes:
Sting winning the title was a bit forseeable, but it helps add to this new “Main Event Mafia” that has been born. Right now, you have the World and newly created Legends Championship in this new stable, which almost reminds me of the Four Horsemen. Next, since Joe won’t be getting a rematch for the belt, which does kill all the momentum Joe had built up in the first place. However, all is not lost, because now we have a good feud building with Nash and Joe, and I agree that the title doesn’t need to be in the mix. The next feud which seems to be building is AJ Styles vs. Sting for the strap(which I pray TNA pulls the trigger on). This would be a great program if they do it right, because then it can lead into Samoa Joe vs. AJ Styles for the TNA Title. That way the feud the Originals once had which was immortalized in the X-Division, will return full circle. a question for this feud would be will it be a face vs. heel program, or a program for respect? Smart money would be the face vs. heel role, but both are being too good of faces right now. I say bring Daniels back and then we would have something. The “Kings of X” would once again battle to become “King of the World”. So even though Sting winning wasn’t necessary, it opens up many other possibilities. Plus, it does give Bound For Glory some history and Sting fans got what they wanted. So High Road on this one, because of that. What do you think?
Sat: I don’t see Daniels coming back; Curry Man is here to stay. I think we will see Joe and Angle, but after the Main Event Mafia versus the Originals. And I see Joe as the heel and AJ as the face.
Uncletrunx: I think that you’re a very positive individual who deserves credit for that. The comparisons with the 4 horsemen are probably intentional and could lead to something interesting if it all plays out well and it gets the younger guys over. However I fear the worst…
Your reasons for taking the High Road, Low Road, or Both Roads and suggestions for future High Road/Low Road are welcome at [email protected] or in the comment section. Your reply will be included in next week’s column.
