Thursday, December 15, 2016

Twitter Request Line, Vol. 172

Jeff Fisher's tenure remind you of someone in wrestling?
Photo Credit: Getty Images
It's Twitter Request Line time, everyone! I take to Twitter to get questions about issues in wrestling, past and present, and answer them on here because 140 characters can't restrain me, fool! If you don't know already, follow me @tholzerman, and wait for the call on Wednesday to ask your questions. Hash-tag your questions #TweetBag, and look for the bag to drop Thursday afternoon (most of the time). Without further ado, here are your questions and my answers:

Vince Russo's height as a member of wrestling creative was a brief flash in the late '90s. Jeff Fisher's peak as a coach was a short-lived stretch in time in the late '90s when he appeared in a Super Bowl. They both were kept on by various organizations despite clear signs of diminishing returns. They were only let go after catastrophic events (remaining hired by TNA despite Spike TV telling the company no/allowing more touchdowns to the Falcons at home than his team had scored all year there). The parallels are staggering.

Anything above what WWE produces outside of its three main programs (Smackdown, RAW, NXT) is overkill right now, but overkill may not be a bad thing with the way the company is situated. If guys are going to get paid regardless of how their shows do (and honestly, as long as people subscribe to The Network, it won't matter how those shows do), then WWE would be good to have as much wrestling as it can produce and let people pick and choose which brands/shows they want to support. As for the 205 Live concept, I like the concept because it's another place for dudes to throw down, but I'm afraid that anyone associated with it won't be able to move over to the main roster when the Cruiserweight Championship goes dinosaur. But for now, I'll enjoy it, I guess.

It's gonna be a bloodbath. Anyway, this match is why I'm insanely jealous of the wrestling fans in the United Kingdom. If American fans want to see a match with New Japan guys, they have to go a fuckin' Ring of Honor show, which in 2016/'17 ain't as appealing as it used to be. Plus, that dynamic shuts out so many interesting matches. Who wouldn't want to see Shibata in grungy fucking arenas in Cleveland or Austin trading headbutts with Nick Gage or Jax Dane. ROH ruins everything.

Several things, actually! Firstly, I would like to see Smackdown beef up the roster and get an actual midcard going for the singles wrestlers. The show has really strong women's and tag team rosters, but it's like WWE forgot to set up the men outside of Miz, AJ Styles, Dean Ambrose, and whatever the Wyatts are doing. Second, I would like to see FloSlam pick up a lot more promotions, maybe even partner up with another big indie distributor like Smart Mark or Highspots. The more companies that are in fold with FloSlam, the more of a subscriber base it potentially can get, and the more money can be distributed among non-WWE promotions. Third, I want to see more Performance Center talent cycle into NXT. I love the indie/ex-TNA/ROH guys in NXT, but I need to see variety, people I haven't seen before. Finally, I really, really, REALLY want Chikara to make nice with guys like Gran Akuma, Tim Donst, and other ex-talents who are still active but not in Chikara right now. They'd be great additions to help smooth the transition from the losses to WWE it's sustaining and help make the new Wrestle Factory talents feel more at home.
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