Bigpapa42

Okay, so I basically started watching TNA about the same time the Main Event Mafia storyline was starting up. Though I will often watch, I can't really call myself a fan of TNA yet. I'd like to, but I have yet to really find that "hook". The MEM storyline has intrigued me from the start, but there always seems to be as much negative as positive.

Now, I've always liked the idea of major storylines like the MEM, ones that "affect" much of a given promotion. I've also always felt that such storylines should also serve a purpose - primarily creating new stars. This seems like it should be a key concern for TNA, given that most of their stars are aging and were created by other promotions - the entire Main Event Mafia, Mick Foley, Sting... I can't help but compare the MEM to the NWO in WCW, and while TNA has avoided some of the mistakes that WCW made with the NWO, they seem like the could be repeating the error of not creating new stars to replace the old ones... some of whom are the same guys headlining in TNA now.

At this point, there really only four faces who seem likely to get over as part of this whole storyline - Jarrett, Styles, Joe, and Daniels. Three of those four have been world champions in TNA previously, so if one of them ends up with the belt and as a primary main eventer in TNA, it would really just be getting them back to where they have been before. Perhaps if one of them is elevated to true "face of the company" status, but I don't know that's where this is going. I like that they've included Daniels now, but he seems like a throw-in at this point rather than someone they've wanted to use as a focal point all along.

Given the age of many of the guys at the top of TNA, and health concerns of others (Angle), they could be looking at a serious change over at the top within a few years. While they have some younger guys who could step up and main event - Styles, Joe, Morgan, Roode, Storm, Hernandez, MCMGs, Daniels, etc - only Styles and Joe are there at this point. This MEM storyline could be used to have some of those guys get over and put in a position to help carry the company. And it's not happening.

So my question is this - what should be the payoff of the Main Event Mafia storyline? Should there even be one, beyond entertaining the fans for a few months? Is TNA making a mistake in not using this opportunity to push some of the midcard guys?

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God

I dissagree on you with Daniels just being a thow in who they dont really want there. For his returne he was hyped as a star, treated like a star and everyone reacted like he was a star (Minus Tenay who sounded like he was reading off a script). The reaction of Styles showed how important Daniels is while the reaction of Angle showed how good and damaging he could be. Then for the entire match, Daniels was made to look like a star. First man in at Lockdown and one of the last men standing at the end. His interview on iMPACT! was the best i've seen from him. In a few short weeks they have taken a previously mid card wrestler and made him look like a Main Event wrestler. The only thing he is now missing is a title match or two, which i assume he will get at either Sacrifice or Slammiversary.

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Tommy Platinum

I am confused about this too. At the start it seemed like a great idea. I thought it was going to be a fantastic way to get some of the young guys to the top of the company, but then they started throwing a load of ex-WWE veterans into the Frontline, with Rhino, Team 3D etc. That was fine because I assumed the plan was still to use them to get the young guys over, but then I noticed the younger guys wern't even getting in the main events. They were putting on main events like Team 3D vs Angle vs Sting, which is just ridiculous. I don't understand how that benefits anybody.

The main focus of the angle was the friction between existing Mafia members at that time, and the long drawn out will he wont he? situation with Sting's supposed face turn. His feud with Angle took priority over the Mafia vs Frontline feud and any of the younger guys. Meanwhile AJ Styles is competing for the Legends Belt which is ok I guess, but why is he not the focus? You also have Joe running round with a machete.

Now they had Sting vs Foley as the focus, with another old over-the-hill guy keeping the young stars out of the main event. He now has the title, bringing Sting's incredibly boring reign that didn't achieve anything to an end. Lashley seems to be involved too now, which would be a bad decision.

I just think the whole thing lacks direction. What is the point of the whole thing? It certainly doesn't appear like the point is to create new stars.

One thing I disagree with Bigpapa about is the idea that AJ Styles in particular was a World Champion before and thus wouldn't really represent someone being elevated. As you said, he could become the main focus of the show, but also, he hasn't really been near the title since the legends started coming in. The title reigns he had were in a different era of TNA before they had so many big names, so winning it now would be a big deal. Also, they often seem to pretend he has never been Champion before, which probably isn't the worst idea. It makes it a far bigger deal for new casual fans of TNA if they don't know that AJ is a 3 time NWA World Champion. Oh yeah, thats another point, he has never been TNA World Champ before technically. Joe has though.

Daniels isn't even young.

I just thought, a lot of the guys who really need to be elevated in TNA are heels. Guys like the Guns, Storm, Roode should be pushed as singles stars before long. The Main Event Mafia angle can't help heels get over really.

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Bigpapa42

Sorry, I didn't mean that they made Daniels seem unimportant. I completely agree that they did a great job of his return. What I meant was that I never got the feeling that Daniels was intended to be a main player in the storyline. And as much as I'd like to see it, I'm not convinced that they are going to continue to push him as a main eventer.

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RaiZ-R

There are some great points made in this thread. Anyone who wants to search past Main Event Mafia threads, you can see I'm very opinionated on this matter. It was a brilliant idea, and the Impact in Vegas where it happened, felt like something was really changing. The next week though, the whole locker room came out to help Joe and AJ stand up to five age-ing men... Why? We're supposed to fear the MEM, they are supposed to be intimidating, not something the entire locker room (including comedy characters like Eric Young, Black Machismo, and ODB) are willing to stand up against.

Daniels initial return was handled very well, but he doesn't seem to have made a difference to the Frontline as a whole, just AJ and himself. That's great for Daniels, but let's not forget the guy's in his late thirties. I've said from the begining that Daniels eventual return should have been used to galvanise the troops, get them fired up and aim them head on at the Mafia, in the final portion of the Mafia storyline. The mid-card star who should have been pushed by this fued (if I had to pick only one) is Jay Lethal. His appearance as a member of the Frontline should have been done on his own as the very first man to join AJ and Joe. He should have then respectfully ditched the Machismo gimmick. He's had matches in the past with Angle and Booker and held his own, he's over with the fans, and he's talented. Why not push him towards the top? He doesn't need to be given the world title, but he needs big wins over the names in the MEM. Sure Beer Money, the Motor City Machine Guns, Eric Young, and many others, deserve a push, but Lethal is the best example for this fued. To respectfully turn his back on a gimmick that emulates a legend in order to make it own his own merit and fight a force like the Main Event Mafia would have been truely intriguing.

As for Joe, his current gimmick is losing him fans. This forum is testement to that. The Samoan Submission Machine is dying and being replaced by a bloated, passionless Umaga rip-off with a penis painted on his face and a plastic knife in his pocket. It's sickening. Joe's only hope is that TNA create a third faction that he leads. The Nation Of Violence, with Rhino and Lashley, and maybe Morgan. A tweener group out to destroy anyone in their path. Otherwise the whole gimmick change and MEM/Frontline fiasco has been wasted.

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Bigpapa42

Agree completely. Especially on the part about Joe. Met him at a fan fest on WM weekend and I was so tempted to tell him the Nation of Violence think sucks ass... instead, I mumbled some fanboy garbage about loving the Kobashi match...

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E-weezie

I think you pretty much answered your own question. The payoff should be the building of new stars but it's only pushing already over stars who don't need a push. All of the people who could benefit from it aren't involved. A.J styles was already a main eventer as was Joe as was Daniels. It started off as something that could help TNA, now it's something I wish would just go away.

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MattWWF15

Some good points made. Now, I'm only new to this site; but I'll give my opinion on this interesting matter.

I've watched TNA week in and out since it started airing here in australia about 2 years ago. Now, I have a few DVDs {Best of X Division, Best of Jeff Hardy} from thier best years some might say, and back then, they HAD a lot of young, bankable guys. Compare that to now, and there are only a handful left.

Lets look at the young stars who can be pushed into main event status:

Abyss: One month reign? Terrible. Get this Dr Stevie {and Lauren {} } crap outta the way and re-build him as 'The Monster'.

MCMG: If TNA Vince Russo still has braincells in his head, these guys {assuming the fact they are heels - I mark for them...} will win this Team 3D invitational challenge. Though I heard their refusal to bleed is the reason behind their lack of push...

Brutus Magnus: Can be the anti-USA man of the company {fire Daivari}.

E.Y: I personally find him annoying, but the sudden appearance on him on Impact! more often, and his face in the opening video appearing for half a second must mean they have something for him...

LAX: Need to stay as a tag team. Homocide/Hernandez are not singles competitors; and if you've seen roughcut, they like being a team.

Robert Roode and James Storm: Great superstars. Need to main event come the end of this year/beginning of next.

Jay Lethal: Pretty over. Has Charisma. One of the Originals.

Their roster is pretty bleak, and the womes division seems to be coming along nicely; but other than that, all of the people are old guys.

TNA: Raid developmental territories. Dont waste your money hiring Stevie Richards, Trevor Murdoch, and Unknown Japenese guys {No limit}.

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tom2cool

MCMG need yo be pushed more, but it's russo don't expect much. They are my favourite segments in TNA by quite along way along with Beer Money.

Refuse to bleed? Ddint know this. With russo booking this leaves them doing nothing as we know how much russo think's blood helps in any match

God

Shelley refused to bleed during the Team 3D beatdown a while back. Considering it was a week or so before the big finish of the feud he could have easily made the sacrifice. Lethal did it instead and aparently Sabin was willing to bleed aswell. It was really just Shelley that caused the following months of doing nothing. Shelley was supposed to get the title instead of Lethal but his refusual changed it.

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