High Road/Low Road 04.30.10: Breaking Up Cryme Tyme

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 Orlando Jordan:

High Road: 33%
Low Road: 58%
Both Roads: 08%

Chad Nevett: I expecting this to be mostly Low Roads because Orlando Jordan’s character hadn’t really been developed yet. I was impressed to see very little derogatory comments made (that I saw when I checked late on Friday night) since I was a little nervous that this topic would descend into gay-bashing.

Sat: Even if there were gay bashing comments, they probably would not have made it thru. This is a low road for me; the only positive to come out of this is that Orlando Jordan as an actual character.

BREAKING UP CRYME TYME

High Road:

Cryme Tyme had basically reached their limit as a team. They have been a team for quite awhile now and in that entire run they really did nothing of importance. I think all of these reasons make it a good idea to try something different and see if they can make an impact on their own.

Low Road:

That Cryme Tyme had passed their limit as a tag team suggests that splitting them off will be a failure. It almost always is when the WWE waits this long to break up a team and push them as singles competitors. People don’t care about them as a team, so why are they going to care about them apart?

High Road:

The WWE made the right choice in making JTG the baby face and Shad the heel. I never really bought Shad as a baby face and I think that he have a lot more success as a heel. JTG was always the cool one from Cryme Tyme and I think that will make him a successful baby face.

Low Road:

I would have bought it the other way around more, actually. JTG always seemed like an obnoxious jerk while Shad was goofier. JTG was the instigator of the team, while Shad was the lovable doofus along for the ride. I think that Shad as a face with JTG as a heel would have worked better the more I think about it.

High Road:

Keeping Cryme Tyme on the same show was a smart move because it makes no sense to end this feud after one match. These guys had been partners for a long time and to separate them after one match would have a huge mistake.

Low Road:

The more they work with one another, the less I care. The reason why they’ve been split up is because them together doesn’t work anymore. That includes wrestling one another. Did anyone care about their strap match at Extreme Rules? Anyone? That sound you hear is the sound of no one giving a fuck.

High Road:

I’ve always been a fan of JTG, but I had serious questions about whether Shad would have any potential on his own. Over the past few weeks, I have come to believe that the odds are good that both members of Cryme Tyme will have a successful single career.

Low Road:

I’ve never been high on either member. Both are competent in the ring, but not much more. The only time JTG has looked like he has the potential to make it as a singles competitor was in his match with Chris Jericho last year and, honestly, who doesn’t come off looking great with Jericho as their opponent? There’s a reason why they’ve been joined at the hip for so long and never progressed as a tag team and that won’t change now that they’re apart.

High Road:

This next high road has nothing to do with splitting up Cryme Tyme, but I think it is an important point. If one of the members had been drafted to RAW, then they were either going to appear on Superstars or never make an appearance at all. On SmackDown, both guys have a chance to succeed and that is all you can ask for.

Low Road:

Smackdown will offer both a better chance of being seen in the ring, but any success either man has all depends on what they deliver in the ring and how much they can get people to care about them, and, so far, that’s the real problem.

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.

Terry Writes:

Just the fact alone that Jordan has received as much attention to have a column on High Road/Low Road is a High Road in itself. Before his new bisexual gimmick, Jordan was non-descript. Any attention is better than being non-existent.

Sat: I do agree that this new character as helped Orlando Jordan, but there are a few things that TNA needs to not do with the character.

Chad Nevett: I wouldn’t say ANY attention is better than being non-existent. But, you’re right, for the most part, a memorable gimmick is a good thing even if it’s awful or handled wrong.

Freddy Neuwendyke Writes:

It’s good that they’ve found something for Orlando Jordan to do outside of being a generic black guy or a stooge in some stable. The problem here isn’t getting people talking it’s what do you do when you’ve got them talking? He needs to have something to do. If he’s a wrestler then have him wrestle already. He needs to start interacting with the interviewers and other wrestlers not just standing there ripping off Lady GaGa. Used properly he could be an entertaining character.

Sat: The reason he might not be wrestling is TNA as so many wrestlers to get on a two hour show that they limit some guys to only making appearances, which to me makes no sense.

Chad Nevett: Him having an on-air show (the O-Zone) makes sense. That’s something TNA has been lacking and could prove interesting.

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.

ROH Commish Writes:

High Road.

TNA can mold him into something. Orlando Jordan is a relative unknown. He can work in global title matches and maybe tag teams. His in-ring work is fine. There are plenty of worse workers out there.

Problem could be the screen time. Especially since WWE is firing so many guys, TNA may have a Jordan v Terry program and then just cut Jordan.

Spike also needs to stop editing TNA. It’s TV-14 but doesn’t act like it.

Sat: I think TNA can mold Jordan into something; I definitely would be surprised to see him win a title in TNA.

Chad Nevett: I agree with that last comment since playing up the TV-14 angle is one of TNA’s ways of distinguishing itself from the WWE. Then again, maybe that’s a trade-off with moving to the 8-10 timeslot.

Carlson and Peters Writes:

Low Road

The character is just disturbing. How does squirting mayonaise on yourself in anyway draw fans?

Sat: The mayonnaise thing seems to be pushing things in the wrong direction for TNA. I get that they are trying to make Orlando Jordan bizarre or whatever, but that seems like a bit too much.

Chad Nevett: That was odd, yeah. But, it’s also early, so they’re probably trying to figure out what works for the character.

HBK’s Smile Writes:

I’m going high road for one reason, and it’s not the obvious.

Orlando Jordan is the first openly non-heterosexual male athlete most viewers have been/will be exposed to. He could maybe, just maybe, become a standard-bearer for athletes in sports.

Some people have been hoping for certain athletes in football, basketball, and boxing to come out and announce their homosexuality while still being an active competitor. Obviously, wrestling is different from these sports, but it does match those sports in terms of the masculinity factor (unlike ice skating for example).

Of course, there have been many wrestlers who have been portrayed as homosexual, and these portrayals have been over the top at best. But given the fact that Jordan is in fact bisexual, maybe, just maybe, he will refuse to do things that are offensive and over the top so that he can be an ACCURATE example of a non-heterosexual public figure in athletics.

What are the actual chances of such an accurate example that does not devolve into stereotypes? Given wrestling’s history, probably pretty small. But given what’s at stake, even a small chance is still a chance worth taking. And if TNA does somehow pull this off correctly, not only could they tap in to a brand new segment of fans, they could actually be seen as a positive force in social change. And THAT would give them an invaluable amount of credibility in the public realm. And doing so at the risk of alienating their own core fan base (the Southern wrestling fan) would only add to that credibility.

Sat: TNA could have done an accurate betrayal if they wanted to, but of course they had to the “cross the line” and go with a mayonnaise segment.

Chad Nevett: That Jordan could be a role model for a segment of society is why TNA needs to tread lightly and not turn the character into a caricature or stereotype. Hopefully, Jordan wouldn’t allow that, but who knows. I think an openly gay or bisexual wrestler is great, but there should be more to the character than that.

Jon Writes:

Low Road.

Someone’s sexual orientation is there business. However (and perhaps unfortunately), this is a public forum and as such you get to draw the ire of criticism for your actions. While people may not like to admit it fans of pro rasslin’ tend to lean one way politically… and not in the way that would appreciate the creation of a bisexual character. There are plenty of ways to be edgy, but there are fewer ways to be edgy and successful. TNA has proven it has a very devoted fanbase of about 1.2 million viewers. I think its a pretty safe bet that Jordan isn’t bringing in any new long term viewers. Yes, they get some good pub from the LGBT groups… but they may be risking alienating their fan base. If Jeff Hardy and Rod Van Dam can’t seriously boost TNA’s ratings…. how is Orlando Jordan going to? I’m sure there could be a few interesting storylines about it (like say a Christian zealot Styles vs Jordan) but TNA’s booking team will fuck up anything that might remotely be interesting.

Sat: I’ll think Orlando Jordan’s new character can help a bit, but at this point nobody has moved the dial for TNA.

Chad Nevett: I don’t expect a ratings boost from this, but positive press about a progressive character doesn’t hurt either.

Guest#9974 Writes:

Low Road

Positives:
– We’re talking about it on High Road/ Low Road?

Negatives:
– Wrestling is about over-the-top characters. Taking his bisexuality and magnifying it turns Jordan into an unfair caricature.
– If not already, audiences will be desensitized to his shock tactics and there’s not enough character depth after that for him to remain interesting.
– Wrestling audiences tend to lean to the conservative side. They won’t boo Jordan; they’ll change the channel.

As grim as my analysis may be, this is not a lost cause. I can see a few scenarios where the Jordan gimmick could work a little better.

– Turn him face. Have him empathize with another wrestler who has been marginalized somehow.
– Team him with a bisexual Knockout. The shtick would be a little more palatable with some HBA (Hot Bi Action).
– Drive Jordan to a breaking point. Have his flamboyance be his downfall and cost him matches. Then, one night on Impact, he re-debuts in plain trunks and a shaved head. TNA could draw upon Jordan’s boxing background and knock out his opponents. Then in an interview he declares that the one thing that turns him on the most is winning. (corny line, I know.)

Sat: I think that there will be fans who tune away from TNA because of this. It’s definitely a gamble on TNA’s part.

Chad Nevett: All good points in the negatives there. I didn’t find Jordan’s antics so far offensive, I found them boring. Then again, I don’t shock easily.

Deathpool Writes:

High Road. No matter what people might say, seeing a flamboyant person flaunting their sexuality is going to make people uncomfortable, especially if it’s a guy and he’s rubbing up against another guy without applying a submission hold of some sort.

It’s one of the easiest heel characters in the world, almost like CM Punk’s. Jordan preaches about how people are small-minded hillbilly trash, he’s better than them, etc. If they went this route I think Jordan could get nuclear heat.

Sat: It’s definitely can be a good heel character, but I think TNA needs to have his character keep some kind of boundaries.

Chad Nevett: The existing homoerotic element of wrestling does make a gay/bisexual character possibly problematic. Then again, Jordan has been openly bisexual for how long and it hasn’t stopped anyone from wrestling him (that we know of), so who knows. Of course, every time Triple H makes a lame gay joke, a character like this seems less and less likely to work in the backwards world of wrestling.

The Great Captain Smooth Writes:

Both roads. Low, because certain fans will not be interested in cheering for him, he’s no spring chicken, and there is only so much that you can do with a “bi” gimmick. High, because it’s a gimmick we don’t see that often, a study just came out that said pro wrestling fans tend to be more democratic(I’m shocked.) and the dems are more likely to be gay positive, and if Rico can get over with the crowd, then why not Orlando? Also, if he does well, it could encourage others to come out.

Sat: Rico for awhile did have a tremendous amount of heat. If Orlando Jordan can be a Rico type performer, then it can be a good thing for TNA.

Chad Nevett: There is only so much you can do with a bisexual gimmick, you’re right. I keep hoping they’ll build on that if they’re going to keep it.

JLAJRC Writes:

Low Road for many reasons:

It’s really not original, even with the bi stuff thrown in. He’s basically doing the same stuff that the original Gorgeous George, to Adorable Adrian Adonis, to early Goldust all did to get their heel heat.

Also, I’m really failing to see the bisexual angle here. If you were to not know from online news reports about him, he just comes off like a REALLY creepy pervert who you would want a restraining order against.

Also, Orlando Jordan is not that great a wrestler. He’s ok, at best. Maybe they are hoping that we’ll pay too much attention to the angle to notice this.

Also, in this day and age, where it seems that alot of tv shows have at least one gay character, alot of famous people have come out, we now have tv channels geared toward gay people, etc. is a bisexual wrestler really all that special? Sure, there will always be homophobia, but we are definately a more enlightened bunch today. Heck, two of the most popular shows of the last decade were “Will and Grace” and “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.”

Heck, if TNA really wanted to be original here, they would make Orlando a FACE bisexual wrestler who just wanted to be accepted but is having a hard time. That way, enraged groups would then go on something like “O’Reilly Factor” denouncing it, making viewers curious and have them turn into TNA to see what the fuss was about. Worked for the WWE when they did the Billy and Chuck wedding.

Sat: There are definitely a lot of shows that are having gay characters. I kind of like your idea of Orlando as a baby face bisexual character. That would limit the outrageous behavior that he would have to do.

Chad Nevett: Him hosting his own segment could work for allowing him to be as outrageous/flamboyant as he wants while maintaining a face role. And that context does allow for acts that a regular promo doesn’t.

s1rude Writes:

High road. Despite my complete lack of excitement at the prospect of OJ on the mic or in the ring, I like it because (1) I don’t know how it’s going to play out and (2) I’m actually interested to find out.

I’m not sure how we can say that his main character attribute is that he’s bi. To my knowledge, he had that one spot where he was on the couch with a dude and a chick – so they’re obviously hinting at his sexual orientation, but they haven’t said that it will be the main thing. I get more of a Lady GaGa/flamboyant showman/outrageous performance artist vibe, which could get a lot of heat from rasslin’ fans without playing the homophobe card explicitly. That could help get Rob Terry over in a money feud with folks wanting to see the monster destroy the annoying prima donna.

I also have to give TNA props for trying to develop something rather than just “shocking” us with it immediately or spelling it out for all us dummies. I have faith in them to screw it up royally, but for now, I’m feeling optimistic on this one.

Sat: The reason for the one spot with the dude and the chick might be because the dude got himself fired or something.

Chad Nevett: I’m also intrigued about where this will be going, but in that ‘watching a car crash’ sort of way.

bighustle Writes:

Before I read this article, I just want to say that I’m already ten times more intrigued by Orlando Jordan now than I was 3 months ago. The new character direction hasn’t really gotten off the ground yet, but its already better than what he was months prior. The corny night lounge music, the stupid strut he would do on his way to the ring. It was all so lame and generic. For now I’m okay with the gimmick change because it stands…no…it jumps out at you and demands ur attention. Its still in its infancy though so we’ll see where it goes.

On to the article

Sat: The intrigue factor is definitely there that was not there with Jordan a few months ago. Generally speaking, TNA column do worse than the WWE columns and the Orlando Jordan column is right up there with the WWE column.

Chad Nevett: Hey, we’re talking about Orlando Jordan, so it’s working to some extent.

Bloodied Writes:

Low Road

Wow, another gimmick presenting all us gay and bi folks as sexual deviants. Hoo-fucking-ray.

Christ, I’d kill to see a gay/bi character that was presented like a normal person

Sat: I think if he was normal, then he would have no business in wrestling.

Chad Nevett: Yeah, it’s a fine line. A ‘normal person’ is boring, but going too far makes the gimmick a stereotype. TNA definitely needs to be careful about finding the line between the two.

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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.