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Welcome to the first edition of the PWInsider Town Hall. Our first batch of questions centered around Samoa Joe and his recent TNA World Title victory at Lockdown. Only a few responses this week, but hopefully as people get the feel for this column, it will grow with time. But as for this week, here’s what people had to say:
-Did Samoa Joe's first TNA World Title win come at the proper time, or would you have given it to him sooner/later, and why?
Bill Smith: He should have been given the strap sooner. Joe is the face of TNA and should have had an extended run as they came into network TV and eventually Prime Time.
Lee Morgan: Joe’s title victory came 16 months too late. He should have beaten Kurt Angle in their first meeting and closed out 2006 as champion. The second he tapped out to Angle at Genesis 2006, a great deal of mystique left the Joe character. Not only did he lose to an ‘outsider’, but he did so by submission after an unspectacular contest. Since then, he’s been bounced around so much that – even now – he comes across as just another wrestler on the TNA roster. Joe had the charisma, ability and credibility to be the viable face of TNA, but they instead gave the honor to Kurt Angle, who most casual fans still associate with WWE. Joe is lacking momentum, and it’s hard to say if he can regain it.
Mike Wolf: Samoa Joe's title run should have come alot sooner, he is the face of TNA and he should of been the one to beaten Christian Cage For The new TNA World Title. He's been in a directionless limbo since then.
Gregory Honay: It’s hard to say. I disagree with the general consensus that thinks that Joe should have just plowed through Kurt Angle and won the title a month later. First of all, with all due respect, we aren’t talking about indy guys working in ROH, we’re talking about Kurt Angle, and his credentials speak for themselves. I didn’t have a problem with Angle dominating Joe the way he did because he is Kurt Angle. That said, I do think that Joe was put on the back burner for a little too long, and I would have had him beat Christian last year and then successfully defend against Angle in a rematch.
Big Mark Sackwell: Definitely should have come a long time ago. Joe’s momentum was killed dead when he lost the first three match series to Angle, and he’s just looked like an idiot jobbing to Angle and Christian and playing second fiddle to Kevin Nash in the year or so since. He’s a lot like Scott Steiner now in the sense that he got the title, but way past the point it would have worked best.
-How do you think his TNA World Title reign will compare when measured against his infamous 21-month ROH World Title reign?
Bill Smith: Unfortunately due to the booking of TNA it will be no comparison. He will probably lose it in some convoluted, incipit storyline.
Mike Wolf: His ROH Title run was untouchable, I think he'll hold it for 4-6 months if that then lose it to Kurt Angle because TNA LOVES Kurt.
Gregory Honay: We’re talking about two different animals here, and the criteria for success are different. Will Joe hold the TNA Title for almost two straight years? No, absolutely not. The difference here, and again I mean no disrespect to ROH, is that he’s going to be working against much higher caliber wrestlers as TNA Champion, and no matter how good or bad the matches are comparatively, I think that defending the title against Kurt Angle, Scott Steiner, Christian Cage, Booker T, and Sting will sound more impressive than defending the ROH Title against Homicide, CM Punk, and Dan Maff.
Big Mark Sackwell: I don’t see where there will be a comparison. ROH was willing to book Joe in a way that made him look really strong even in defeat. TNA has just shown that they’re willing to book Joe to make him look like an idiot who can’t get it done when the names are in there.
-Who should he defend the title against first and how would you book the program?
Bill Smith: Good question. I can tell you that it should definitely not be Angle or Steiner. Maybe a heel turn for Rhino or Styles but other than that there are no strong heels on TNA right now.
Mike Wolf: If i were booking it i'd have him defend against Kurt Angle. If only to show that his victory wasn't a fluke and he earned the title. He could defend against a legitimate World Champion. It wouldn't be a squash, but it would be Joe constantly punking Joe out until Kurt drives Joe to attack him giving Kurt the upper hand. And in the end Joe retains.
Lee Morgan: A good start would be having him destroy Angle and Steiner at the Sacrifice pay-per-view. I would then remove Angle from the title picture for the foreseeable future, and turn Joe heel on Sting. Book him as they do Awesome Kong, and book him as ROH did during his 21 month title reign– as a KILLER. Joe vs. Sting could be a modern day rewrite of the Vader/Sting feud, and produce some strong, heated matches. It would re-establish Joe as a dominant figure and make Sting relevant again.
Gregory Honay: I definitely think that his first program should not be against Sting. I honestly can’t remember if Joe and Sting have crossed paths in the endless blur of 30 second Impact main events (with a commercial in the middle), but to me that is the big money match they should build to at Bound For Glory. I don’t have a problem with Steiner being the first opponent because it’s a guy that Joe’s worked against before who has put Joe over. At the same time, he’s still a solid enough opponent that he comes in with credibility and will have a good, if not blowaway match.
Big Mark Sackwell: I think putting Joe on top of TNA is a good opportunity to make it the theme of the company by finally elevating some of the young talent that’s been waiting years to break through. I would get Chripstopher Daniels out of the Curry Man gimmick and back to being a serious wrestler and put him in there with Joe. I think Joe had some of his best matches ever with Daniels (better than Styles or Punk), and it would elevate them both. Of course, with this being TNA, that’s exactly what they won’t do.
-Since Joe has had his share of injuries over the last couple of years, how do you think his body will hold up to headlining, especially in light of TNA's increasingly rigorous house show schedule?
Bill Smith: He will be fine. If he is booked smart there should be no issues with injuries outside of a freak occurrence.
Mike Wolf: He can handle it. He's Samoa Joe. The Definition Of Champion.
Gregory Honay: He’ll be fine. We haven’t heard anything about Joe’s injuries in quite some time, and it seems that the brief breaks he has taken over the last couple of years have done him good. I also don’t think they would have given him the title if his health was a problem.
Big Mark Sackwell: I hope he’s healthy, but I think he is, otherwise I doubt he would have gotten the title. Even TNA’s not that stupid that they’d put their title on a guy who could physically break down on them mid-reign.
-Who from outside of TNA would you most like to see come in and work a title program with Joe?
Bill Smith: Bryan Danielson or a heel RVD.
Mike Wolf: If I could see anyone come in from outside of TNA come in and try for a Title shot, it'd have to be Masato Tanaka.
Gregory Honay: While it would be easy to name an ROH guy Joe has a history of good matches with, I still think that putting him in there with a name would be more effective in building him as a legit World Champion. Barring anyone currently under contract to WWE (for the sake of argument, at least), I think the best person to bring in would be Rob Van Dam, who has the name value, fan respect, and can still go.
Big Mark Sackwell: Austin Aries or Bryan Danielson. Even better, bring them both in and do a three way feud over the TNA Title. It’ll never happen, but I’d still like to see it.
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This week’s batch of questions will focus on ROH as they lead into their debut in Manassas, Virginia and their big move into the Hammerstein Ballroom the following evening in New York City.
-Do you think ROH will sell out the Hammerstein Ballroom? If not, do you think they’ll at least break their record attendance from the Manhattan Center?
-In light of Mark Briscoe’s wrist injury requiring surgery, how would you handle the ROH Tag Team Title situation?
-How do you feel about Nigel McGuinness as World Champion since the 6th Anniversary Show? Do you think he works better as a heel champion than as a face champion?
-Should ROH continue to feature the FIP Title on ROH shows, or should they instead concentrate on a second ROH singles title?
-Assuming that a return to the UK, Japan, and the west coast are not imminent, what other geographic areas do you think ROH should expand into and why?
Remember than we’re looking for more than just one or two word answers to these questions, and the more well thought out your answer, the more likely that they’ll be included in next week’s Town Hall. All responses can be sent to stupwinsider@yahoo.com, and then check back next Thursday for the second edition of the PWInsider Town Hall.
