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VINCE SELLING WWE, THE FANS FIRING UP THE WRESTLERS, THE SIX SIDED RING AND MORE

By Dave Scherer on 2020-05-20 10:00:00

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With no audiences to provide that “external energy” to the workers, do you think there is a lack of the adrenaline that pushes them to not hesitate when doing big spots?  Do you think without the distraction of the cheers they “think” too much before doing something big?  Also do you think we will see more injuries because of this decrease in being able to just “let go in the moment”?

I don’t think there is any hesitation or anything like that but as Keith Lee said, I think without the adrenaline that the crowd provides, the bumps do hurt more.  The crowd definitely has an affect on the workers.  They miss that right now.

I was listening to Eric Bischoff on a recent edition of 83 weeks going over his time in TNA back in 2010 and Conrad brought up one of TNA’s signatures, the six-sided ring. He asked what was the thinking of switching to a traditional squared ring and Bischoff said it was stupid and it was just different for the sake of being different, not a way of generating revenue. It was a distraction that didn’t mean anything. The first time I saw TNA when I was a child in 2005, the six-sided ring was the first thing that got my attention and the X-Division added to that tremendously. What were your thoughts on the six-sided ring, did you like it, and did it bring a difference to TNA’s product? Was it bad that they replaced it with a traditional squared ring?

Bischoff is right, it was done as a gimmick to get people talking.  Personally, I never liked it.  I know a lot of wrestlers hated it too because, for example, they learned to run the ropes in a normal ring, and it couldn’t be done in the six sided ring.  I was very happy when they replaced it.

Hey guys! I’ve always liked Sheamus from his early dominant heel years through his tag team years, so was excited to see his return coming up recently. Then he returned. Same music. Same mannerisms. Same nickname. Same attire. Same catchphrase. Same moves/finisher. Outside of a little extra hair on his head, he seems to have changed nothing. Surely he’d want to freshen up his character after many years of the same character and then a long break, no? With his tenure in the company, would he have the freedom to make these changes and simply decided not to, or is it more likely management chose to keep him the same? And whoever’s decision, why wouldn’t they try to freshen him up? I can never understand why wrestlers come back the same (Sasha Banks and Jinder Mahal also being recent examples) as when they left.

He would have to get the OK from creative to change his character, it’s their call.  I would think in Sheamus’ case, they like the character as it is and just want to continue with it in that manner.

Facebook has a lot of postings about Vince selling WWE to Fox sports.  Is this just a wild rumor?  If he did, would he be able to start another wrestling company down the road?

We were not able to confirm the rumor, which also mentioned ESPN sports as a co-owner (which I don’t ever see happening, it would be one or the other).  But if Vince sells, I don’t see any corporation not requiring him to sign a do not compete clause.  In fact, I would think they would want him to stay on, much like Dana White did with the UFC.

During the territory days say between the late 70’s to the early 80’s which territories aired nationally on cable tv, and on which stations did they air?  I know most aired on local cable depending on the area, but I was curious as to what aired nationally, or if any of the local cable had affiliates that aired out of market territories during this time.

TBS was the only national cable station that carried wrestling back in the 70s.  The WWF ran on USA in the 80s.

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