High Road/Low Road 02.19.10: WWE NXT

Welcome back to the High Road/Low Road!

A brief explanation of the column: Sat takes the High Road (positive view) on angles, gimmicks, and other wrestling related “stuff” while Chad Nevett takes the Low Road (negative view).

Results for Nasty Boys/Team 3D Feud:

High Road: 13%
Low Road: 79%
Both Roads: 08%

Sat: I went into Against All Odds looking forward to this match and I get rewarded by an awful match. That’s what I get for being optimistic. This is a low road all the way. Tabulating the votes was kind of fun this week because the low roads came in bunches, with some high roads and both roads sprinkled in. It’s been awhile since we have seen that.

Chad Nevett: This was, by far, the easiest Low Road I’ve ever had to write. If there were a category called Lowest Road, I would have voted that. Godawful.

NXT

High Road:

RAW, SmackDown, ECW, and Superstars in a way are basically the same show. The shows are going to have a few matches, a few highlights packages, and some in ring promos. The WWE was showing six hours of the same thing every week. I think it is a good idea to abandon ECW because now you have a show that is completely different from the other shows and that might help to draw in some viewers who want to see something different.

Low Road:

In that broad definition, they are the same shows, but watching each was a unique experience with Raw acting as the fun, kind of dumb, emphasis on the entertainment in sports entertainment show, while Smackdown is more focused on wrestling and ECW even more so. ECW was, for a period, the place to watch for an hour of great wrestling from young up-and-comers with something to prove. It’s mistake was to not deliver great matches consistently enough and stand out enough in that way. It was different, it just wasn’t good enough in its niche to warrant a lot of notice, and unless NXT delivers quality, being different won’t help it either.

High Road:

I like the fact that this new show is not going to feature any of the current wrestlers on ECW. All of those guys would not fit the format of the show and that is to introduce new wrestlers to the WWE universe. Plus, I think adding the current ECW stars to RAW and SmackDown should help to freshen those shows up.

Low Road:

Both Raw and Smackdown have too large of rosters to accommodate the existing talent let along another half-dozen people each. ECW served a purpose for allowing certain wrestlers to rotate there for a period and receive less attention while still working in the ring and not letting their skills get rusty. Matt Hardy, Kane, Shelton Benjamin, and numerous others spent some time there before coming back to Smackdown or Raw to better receptions after the larger audiences missed them a little. Now, that outlet/escape is gone and who knows what effect that will have.

High Road:

I was not expecting the NXT wrestlers to be paired with RAW and SmackDown stars. But, I think it is a smart idea. I think pairing these guys instantly with an established star gives the crowd a reason to love/hate the new stars. It sometimes takes new wrestlers a while to get a reaction, but in this case they will be getting a reaction right away. Also, there is the potential for alliance and feuds after NXT is over between the pairings.

Low Road:

The pairings give the young wrestlers reasons to be over or hated, but it could also stunt their growth and individuality. The ‘rookies’ may simply be seen by fans as junior versions or sidekicks of the wrestlers they already know whereas, on ECW, newcomers at least stood alone and were able to develop their own characters without a bias one way or the other.

High Road:

I think that the first few months of NXT will probably be built around Bryan Danielson. I think this is a brilliant idea. He already has a cult following ala CM Punk, but now the WWE can spend a few months showcasing him to the fans that have not seen him. I think it is a win-win situation. And I was surprised that Low-Ki did not make the initial casting, but when you think about it makes sense because you can use him in the next installment of the show.

Low Road:

I would have agreed with you, but pairing Daniel Bryan with the Miz makes me doubt that. Putting Bryan in the heel category if one were to build him as the main heel, I would have assumed him paired with Chris Jericho or CM Punk who are two of the top heels in the WWE. Paired with the Miz puts him a little lower, I imagine. I also wonder if Kaval will bypass NXT since there have been rumors surrounding him being called up for a while, which, if it happens, would weaken NXT right out of the gate as the path to the WWE’s main shows.

High Road:

The basic concept of the show is to see the wrestlers inside and outside of the ring. Plus, the WWE has been planning this for awhile, so it definitely means that they have given the show some thought. On paper, it looks like it should be a good idea, but we really won’t know what we are in for before seeing the show.

Low Road:

I don’t want to see the wrestlers outside of the ring unless it looks at the environment in an honest way, which is outright showing how matches are prepared, how stories are worked, and characters developed. And I don’t think the WWE are willing to do that. I imagine that everyone will stay in character as much as possible outside of the ring, which sounds awful. Wrestlers are not known for being convincing actors when they have to play it smaller and real, and these are developmental guys who are even less skilled.

High Road:

Introducing this new show before WrestleMania is definitely a good idea. I think that because it is being introduced so close to WrestleMania, the general belief has to be that NXT will be ignored at WrestleMania. I think the opposite thing is going to happen and NXT will be featured at WrestleMania, something that did not happen with ECW last year.

Low Road:

The concept suggests that NXT should exist as separately as possible from the rest of the WWE, which includes WrestleMania. To have NXT talent involved at WrestleMania suggests too quick a jump. Maybe as a dark match that will be included on the DVD to showcase the talent a little would make sense, but I think they should focus on NXT as its own entity as much as possible.

High Road:

The show has been compared to Tough Enough and I think it is not fair to call NXT the next Tough Enough. Tough Enough was taking guys that were not in WWE developmental and giving them a chance to earn a WWE contract. This is most likely going to be wrestlers from FCW being showcased. Finally, I will say that if NXT does turn into Tough Enough, then this is a definite Low Road.

Low Road:

NXT could be worse than Tough Enough by being a fake version of it. Sure, the in-ring activity will be better, but the ‘real life’ stuff may be much, much worse if scripted to stay in character. Fake reality TV is worse than bad reality TV.

Are you taking the High Road or the Low Road?

High Road
Low Road
Both Roads
OR

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.

Luis Garavello Writes:

Really, The Nasty Boys are way past their prime, and their feud with Team 3D
hurt the remaining teams in Tag Division by “stealing” time for them to develop their
own feuds.

Plus, after Nasty/3D end their feuds, what would be a next challenger? I see no team
in TNA that would be a good choice for Nasty to feud with.

Sat: This feud is definitely stealing time for one of the best team in the world (Beer Money). By the way, your email ended up in the spam folder.

Chad Nevett: I have a feeling this will lead to the Nasty Boys facing off against the tag champs. Ugh. I think I just threw up in my mouth a little.

Comments:

Below are the comments for last week’s columns and our responses. Every comment will not be included because it makes our lives a lot easier. The comments section was last looked at on Monday Morning Pacific Time.

Bill Writes:

Low Road all the way, the Nastys have no business near a ring anymore, and I don’t see a Tag Team title match anywhere on the card, why can’t 3D be given a title shot?

Sat: Because the tag team champions are trying to earn a world title shot. I think we are slowly going to see TNA stop caring about the tag titles which is disappointing.

Chad Nevett: Yeah, Matt Morgan and Hernandez being in the 8-Card Stud Tournament meant no tag titles being defended. We could have seen a match to determine the number one contenders, which would have been nice. Throw any combination of Beer Money, the Motor City Machine Guns, the British Invasion, Team 3D, and Generation Me in the ring and I would have been satisfied.

The Gold Standard Writes:

Both Roads.While I dont care for any team anymore (3D) the feud is harmless in my opinion.Hopefully the match is 2nd on the card or something.Now if this leads to a Nasty Boys Tag title reign then I’ll be irritated.

Sat: The match was pretty early in the card, but if this feud is going to continue, they need to have a better match next time out.

Chad Nevett: I don’t see how it’s harmless. It’s a horrible feud that decreases the quality of any show it’s on. That seems harmful to both TNA and the viewers.

Guest#3499 Writes:

Low Road
This takes time away from wrestlers who need it. Of courses those wrestlers aren’t high on Hogan or Bishoff’s list.
It uses the time of a viable tag team (3-D), which can be used to build younger wrestlers or build story lines and devotes it to a match nobody was ever dreaming of. The Nasty Boys were average at their best, so this isn’t a dream match by any means.
Third, where can you possibly go from here? In a useful way, I mean.

Sat: I was hoping this was a one and done deal, but that does not look to be the case.

Chad Nevett: As I said in my prediction in the roundtable preview for the PPV, I hoped that the match would be so one-sided and embarrassing that the Nasty Boys could never again be taken seriously in the ring by even the most hardcore of Nasty Boys fans. Sadly, that didn’t happen. Fuck.

HBK’s Smile Writes:

Low road x 10. You have a team that peaked in the early 1990s against a team that peaked in the early 2000s (if not before). None of the four looks in shape – they were never great physical specimens but now they all look significantly overweight. Team 3D can still be used effectively but brawling is not such a lost art that we need to bring in the old, fat Nasty Boys to do it.

Sat: Team 3D can put on a good match against a good team. The Nastys showed on Sunday, why they are not a good team.

Chad Nevett: Team 3D can deliver a quality match, but are best served to provide credibility to up and coming teams. A win over Team 3D is still a big deal. Less so after being beaten by the Nasty Boys.

Britishfan Writes:

Low road as low as a road can possibly be. Against the right teams and in the right circumstances team 3d can still be highly entertaining but put them with two washed up wrestlers who were sloppy as hell in their prime is a terrible idea and will make all four men look terrible. Tna have great teams like MCMG, Generation me, Lethal consequences, Beer money and the british Invasion those are teams I want to watch not the frickin Nasty Boyz

Sat: The one thing that is getting disappointing about TNA is that we are not seeing the teams that you mentioned on a regular basis.

Chad Nevett: I probably wouldn’t mind the Nasty Boys in the WWE right now because their tag division is so weak with, what, two or three teams that aren’t just two singles guys thrown together? But, TNA has developed a fantastic tag division as you pointed out, so there’s no good reason why those teams shouldn’t be showcased. Hogan’s talked a lot about putting the young guys in the spotlight… I guess that doesn’t apply to the tag division.

Guest#4886 Writes:

High Road – It’s a mildly entertaining feud…. If ended properly with the Nasties going down, it will affirm the fact that TNA is no company for old men (or hogan’s friends), and honestly from what I have seen… it looks like the two can still go. Knobbs may be completely out of shape, but it appears he’s at least giving it 100%. Saggs, as always, looks to be in better shape and has the advantage of a multiyear hiatus due to an injury, so as a whole is probably less broken down. Besides, the feud obviously achieved its intended purpouse… it has people paying attention to, and talking about it. Look a whole 411 column has been dedicated to it. Whether you like the feud or hate it, its keeping TNA on your mind, so I say unabashedly High Road.

Sat: I am starting to wonder whether Team 3D is going to win this feud. For them to win, they have to win the next two matches, and I honestly don’t want to see two more matches. And I guess it has to be a high road because TNA is getting coverage and that is basically what they are after.

Chad Nevett: Coverage is good usually, but when you’re trying to brand yourself as the place for quality wrestling, having that Team 3D/Nasty Boys match on the card is counterproductive to that goal.

Guest#5733 Writes:

Low road

Every second TNA wastes with the Nasty Boys is a second they could be using with other better YOUNGER tag teams or other wrestlers period. Way to push that young talent Hogan.

Say didn’t TNA just sign a really hot young tag team? Generation ME?

Sat: At this point, I would rather see Team 3D against Generation Me.

Chad Nevett: I would rather see Generation Me against anyone (excluding the Nasty Boys). What’s the point in signing the best tag team in North America (according to many) and not using them beyond two matches, one of which was a short, six-man tag match? It’s like they looked at Generation Me, wondered what the exact opposite of that team was, realized that it’s the Nasty Boys, and then put them in a feud because, what the hell, people kinda sorta remember them from 15 or so years ago and that’s got to be a better draw than two guys who consistently perform in high quality matches. That’s good booking.

Comment Board Poster Writes:

Oh hell no. The Nasty Boys were never entertaining. Just nasty.

Frankly, after 72 years together and 253 tag titles, they just need to split 3D up. Maybe DVon can do a religious gimmick and Bubba, well, he can do a Bubba gimmick, like a cousin to Hillbilly Jim.

Sat: I think it might be time for Team 3D to consider a jump to the WWE. It could help to make them interesting again.

Chad Nevett: I’m not sure Team 3D could work in the PG-friendly WWE right now. I would rather see them either fade into the background a little or really hammer on their ‘best tag team in the world’ label, challenging any and all up and coming teams to prove themselves against the best.

Deathpool Writes:

Low Roads.

I haven’t had a desire to see the Nasty Boys since I was a little kid. I think you could make a case for everyone that TNA has brought in thus far — even guys like Scott Hall and Orlando Jordan — but not them. No matter if Team 3D comes out on top, its just a waste of their and our time.

Sat: Seeing Orlando Jordan’s name in this comment reminded me something I thought of a few weeks ago on Impact and that is Jordan looks a lot like Booker T. Anybody else notice this?

Chad Nevett: Orlando Jordan looks like Whoopi Goldberg. Everyone knows that.

Guest#0439 Writes:

Low road all the way.

The feud hasn’t been entertaining and I doubt the match on Sunday will be. Also, the idea that the Nasty Boys have been brought in to give Team 3D a rub is asinine in so many ways.

Even in their prime 15-20 years ago the Nasty’s weren’t a big enough deal to put someone over and 3D are also old and stale themselves so I don’t see any positives at all in this, just a waste of TV time that along with Hogan, Bischoff and the Band, has resulted in teams like Beer Money and the MCMG basically being non-existent in the past month or two.

Sat: The Hogan era has definitely not been good to Beer Money and the MCMG.

Chad Nevett: I’m amazed that they’re ignoring the likes of MCMG after that great match with Generation Me in the latter team’s debut on Impact. Also, Beer Money is so over and such a favorite that it’s insane that Hogan and Bischoff haven’t recognized that. Baffling.

Guest#4169 Writes:

No need for my usual bullet points this week.

Low Road!

For this to work, the feud needs to be brief and all the matches very hardcore.
TNA could also save this if a third (young) team interjects and lays out both veteran teams.

Sat: I’ve liked the bullet points, but in this case, I agree that this is a low road.

Chad Nevett: Your comment has me imaging a world where every other tag team in TNA came out and laid out both teams after about seven seconds of their match… and then put on some massive match where the goal was to just entertain the hell out of people. I like that world. It’s nice.

really?

low road, not even a debate – it is lose lose for tna….

the shock us all and put on a great match, guess what? the feud will continue to waste time and/or the nastyz will move to tag title shots and stick around even longer….

the match sucks, which we all expect, and it just wasted everyone’s time and proved all the naysayers to be right all along and ranks up there with jenna/sharmell from 2009 and hogan will likely still not give his buddies’ spot up and keep them around doing nothing, but still taking up tv time every week…..

Sat: Going in, I was expecting this to be a one shot deal and for the Nastys to be leaving TNA. But, it looks like the Nastys are around for awhile.

Chad Nevett: I was hoping for it to be a one-shot deal. I knew it wouldn’t be.

The Great Captain Smooth Writes:

Both roads, leaning low. Low, because the time could be used better to get younger talent over, both teams are past their prime, and there is a certain number of fans that doesn’t like the idea and won’t even give them a chance. High, because Team 3-D does have a certain level of respect from TNA fans, it doesn’t look to be the main focus of the show, and there is the mark out factor for the Nasty Boys. I know people have been trashing them, but as someone who grew up watching them, it is nice to see them again. I’d keep them in an “enforcer” type role. They could go around and give assholes the Pity City and their “4 fisted plethora of punches”. (I don’t know what to call it.)

Sat: After reading your comment, Smooth, I think I would rather see the Nastys walking around backstage instead of Hall and Waltman.

Chad Nevett: I would rather just not see the Nasty Boys ever again.

ROH Commish Writes:

High Road.

This will deliver brutal stiff action. 3D has turned shit into gold many times before and this will be no different.

The obvious low road unmentioned is that Nastys are going over for sure. This feud has to last to Lockdown and deliver an expected brutal gorefest. Lockdown could be the end of the Nastys run anyway.

Sat: 3D has done a good job in turning shit into gold, but it looks like they will not be able to turn this massive amount of shit into gold.

Chad Nevett: It’s just shit and there was no possibility of being anything else.

PK Writes:

Low Road (and honestly surprised by the number of High Roads already posted). This is exactly what people in other industries call the “Friends and Family” program. Hulk Hogan is helping out his friends to the detriment of the company. Now, I can appreciate the fact that Team 3D has helped some tag teams in TNA get over. However, this match with the Nasty Boys looks to be awful. The only saving grace would be if this match were to somehow legitimize the Nasty Boys so that BOTH the Nasty Boys and Team 3D could move on to help further the careers of two younger or lesser known tag teams. The probability of that? 0.

Sat: Most of the comments were before Against All Odds, so I would venture to say there are very few high roads out there.

Chad Nevett: I wonder about anyone who’d still vote High Road. Is there anyone? Let us know so we’re aware of your existence, and can ignore you and your opinions in the future.

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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.