|
Post by gmellos on Mar 21, 2016 11:45:11 GMT -8
Is it utterly sad that the Owner of the NWA got more attention or rather went out of his way to overshadow his talent?!!!! Last I checked it is the wrestlers who are suppose to get over NOT the suit!
I partly agree with this and disagree.
Is it really that much worse than promoters/bookers who put the top titles on themselves? Or keep themselves in the main event picture a majority of the time?
It's not like Bruce doesn't put over the brand or other wrestlers at the same time. In fact he doesn't do anything that any wrestler shouldn't be doing themselves to get themselves over.
It seems like of all the things people want to take swipes at, I don't get this one.
The guy is the owner of the NWA. I think New Japan wanted access to the Titles NOT Bruce Tharpe. Bruce Thrape did not have to put himself in the middle of the angle.
|
|
|
Post by dkm on Mar 21, 2016 12:05:40 GMT -8
Hey NJPW said he was a good character. You also seem to be giving Bruce a lot of credit to be able to influence NJPW on their angle.
|
|
|
Post by tonybrooklyn on Mar 21, 2016 12:29:04 GMT -8
I have always given him credit for being a good character there. As they say, the best gimmick is being yourself, only amped up to the next degree.
All of that said, rookie mistakes like crossing in front of the camera several times are blatant.
Sometimes you laugh with people, sometimes you laugh at them. Based on my experience with my friends in Japan, the entire character revolves around the latter.
Also, how do you think the wrestlers feel, the ones who represented the alliance in Japan, to know that they mean nothing (according to "leadership")? No one was excluded when that statement was made. As I've said before, the brand is an individual now.
|
|
|
Post by gmellos on Mar 21, 2016 12:30:58 GMT -8
Hey NJPW said he was a good character. You also seem to be giving Bruce a lot of credit to be able to influence NJPW on their angle. Ain't that hard to act like a douche when a lot of people say you are one in real life? That is like Mike Tyson staring in a Bio-film about him. Can't that hard to play yourself.
|
|
|
Post by dkm on Mar 21, 2016 17:45:39 GMT -8
As I've said before, the brand is an individual now. Yes, it is. So what? Hey NJPW said he was a good character. You also seem to be giving Bruce a lot of credit to be able to influence NJPW on their angle. Ain't that hard to act like a douche when a lot of people say you are one in real life? That is like Mike Tyson staring in a Bio-film about him. Can't that hard to play yourself. Not uncommon for a lot of people in the entertainment business.
|
|
|
Post by tonybrooklyn on Mar 21, 2016 18:50:13 GMT -8
As I've said before, the brand is an individual now. Yes, it is. So what? Ain't that hard to act like a douche when a lot of people say you are one in real life? That is like Mike Tyson staring in a Bio-film about him. Can't that hard to play yourself. Not uncommon for a lot of people in the entertainment business. As a mark for the brand's history, it's disgusting. When you think of the people who built this brand....legitimate historical figures.....it's disgusting to think one individual can disrespect the brand and use it to get himself over. There is a reason none of the people who helped build the brand backs it now. Think about it. When we assumed ownership, my "catch phrase" about the brand, which was 110% heartfelt was something like this....."I'm not an owner of this brand, I'm just fortunate enough to be a temporary care taker to a great brand. It's my job to leave it better than I found it.....to support it's promoters and wrestlers." We often talked about what the brand meant.....and NOTHING meant more than that logo and letters.....NOTHING. Well....this didn't sit well with someone's ego I guess. The brand didn't define me.....I had a responsibility to it.....it (the brand) wasn't a tool to get me over. I truly believed that I was a caretaker with a responsibility....not someone who should rape whatever value it had left to feed my ego. I had this silly idea that the brand, our championships, promotions and wrestlers should be the focus.
|
|
|
Post by MrWood on Mar 22, 2016 2:04:47 GMT -8
As I've said before, the brand is an individual now. Yes, it is. So what? Ain't that hard to act like a douche when a lot of people say you are one in real life? That is like Mike Tyson staring in a Bio-film about him. Can't that hard to play yourself. Not uncommon for a lot of people in the entertainment business. I don't really want to speak out with any ill towards anyone and we moved on on our own accord but to say the alliance is one person and thats ok is a bit wrong DKM. I do believe Bruce wants to do well with the brand. I just don't know if he has yet found the lane he wants to go down. Parade of Champions is a huge gamble and I hope it pays off, the line up doesn't appeal to me personally but I am sure as long as the guys put on good matches it should get good reviews. With regards to New Japan it is what it is. Did the titles mean more for being in New Japan? Did the guys status grow? At the end of the day the relationship from my perspective wasn't beneficial for the alliance because of it's structure, it's not a promotion that can directly benefit from it. Revolution Pro in the UK are benefiting from their relationship with New Japan because they can trade talent and have super shows together under the Rev Pro banner as Rev Pro have built up a level of sustained success. It works for ROH for the exact same reason just on a larger scale. It's not a knock on the NWA but the NWA was never in a real position to coin in from a relationship. It served as nothing more than a couple extra bookings for the diary. Thats my view any way.
|
|
|
Post by magnus351 on Mar 22, 2016 8:24:54 GMT -8
Hey NJPW said he was a good character. You also seem to be giving Bruce a lot of credit to be able to influence NJPW on their angle. If he was such a "good" character why haven't they continued to use him? If he was such a "good" character why wasn't he booked on The Wrestle Kingdom shows. Personally I think his gimmick was pretty limiting. But that's just me.
|
|
|
Post by gmellos on Mar 22, 2016 10:13:19 GMT -8
Hey NJPW said he was a good character. You also seem to be giving Bruce a lot of credit to be able to influence NJPW on their angle. If he was such a "good" character why haven't they continued to use him? If he was such a "good" character why wasn't he booked on The Wrestle Kingdom shows. Personally I think his gimmick was pretty limiting. But that's just me. He came in to play the Douche Bag owner heel but he doesn't know how to do his job and then take a back seat so the real talent can work. He thinks he is Vince but he forgets the Vince is better at it than he is.
|
|
|
Post by magnus351 on Mar 22, 2016 10:42:30 GMT -8
If he was such a "good" character why haven't they continued to use him? If he was such a "good" character why wasn't he booked on The Wrestle Kingdom shows. Personally I think his gimmick was pretty limiting. But that's just me. He came in to play the Douche Bag owner heel but he doesn't know how to do his job and then take a back seat so the real talent can work. He thinks he is Vince but he forgets the Vince is better at it than he is. Agreed. The problem is that there really isn't NWA talent. Since none are under contract, they are just folk who wrestle for the individual NWA promotions. The only thing he controls are the belts, those three letters, and his character. Sure he could ride the coattails of the certain wrestlers when they go to NJPW. But that doesn't build the brand, it just feeds his ego. In my opinion the NWA was going to be slowly cast aside the moment the ROH deal was announced. They could bring more to the table than the NWA. But hey he got to live his boyhood dream and get to be one of the boys in the world's number two promotion.
|
|
|
Post by MKCS on Mar 22, 2016 11:42:47 GMT -8
I've always thought the Bruce Tharpe "character" (I'm sure it's just him with the volume turned up) wasn't good at all. I remember his first promo for NJPW had people in English on the official NJPW YouTube page making fun of him for having no talent.
He's also too big to be a manager. To me the best managers are 5'10 and under and usually are quite thin so that they can just be launched into the ring, beaten and thrown out. Can't do that with Tharpe because he's like 6'0+.
|
|
|
Post by tonybrooklyn on Mar 22, 2016 13:39:20 GMT -8
I've always thought the Bruce Tharpe "character" (I'm sure it's just him with the volume turned up) wasn't good at all. I remember his first promo for NJPW had people in English on the official NJPW YouTube page making fun of him for having no talent. He's also too big to be a manager. To me the best managers are 5'10 and under and usually are quite thin so that they can just be launched into the ring, beaten and thrown out. Can't do that with Tharpe because he's like 6'0+. As I mentioned before, the NJPW guys liked the character. Kind of like WWE fans like Santino Marella's character. Know what I mean? Of course people were making fun and laughing. Thats the "gimmick" the Japanese like.....that of a clown who mispronounces things and is goofy......but I'm not sure thats how he intends the gimmick to come across. Sometimes people laugh with you, other times at you. The latter applies here. I watched the Japanese react to he character first hand....in the back....they encouraged him to speak poor Japanese (they fed him lines) and make a jackass out of himself. If it comes natural, it's not really hard at all I guess.
|
|
|
Post by tonybrooklyn on Mar 22, 2016 14:34:43 GMT -8
I'm just remembering a story now about one of the words they gave him to use when I was there. Since I don't know Japanese or the word exactly, I will try to draw a parallel. Think of a sassy saying American teenage girls might say. Well...it was the Japanese equivalent to that. They laughed so hard at his execution of that "promo".
|
|
|
Post by Fred Richards on Mar 22, 2016 15:16:10 GMT -8
Hey NJPW said he was a good character. You also seem to be giving Bruce a lot of credit to be able to influence NJPW on their angle. If he was such a "good" character why haven't they continued to use him? If he was such a "good" character why wasn't he booked on The Wrestle Kingdom shows. Personally I think his gimmick was pretty limiting. But that's just me. Magnus hits the bulls eye. Re Magnus: Pro Wrestling 101 teaches promoters to spend booking money on workers with turnstile drawing power. That's what it's all about. If a worker draws, they enjoy repeat booking. It is fine to pay the more than $2000.00 airline fare so your epitaph can read "I worked in a Japanese ring!" Or, you can cajole a colleague into "donating" frequent flyer miles by doing your best to con him into thinking it's mileage spilled in advancement of the value of his/her investment. I sometimes watch AXS TV I saw the match Tony discussed. Three instances of walking in front of the working camera while there was action outside the ring. Rookie mistake and somewhat unforgivable. Nonetheless, it is clear NJPW has a new USA-based company with whom they are doing business. And that is bad for American licensees who pay tribute to the "NEO" (Narcissism Executive Officer). Didn't get this way because of any licensee. Didn't lose it because of any American worker Didn't lose it because of so much as a morsel of bad faith in Tokyo. Lost it because the person who had it didn't have a clue what to do with it.
|
|
|
Post by NWA Fanatic on Mar 22, 2016 16:25:24 GMT -8
As I've said before, the brand is an individual now. Yes, it is. So what? Ain't that hard to act like a douche when a lot of people say you are one in real life? That is like Mike Tyson staring in a Bio-film about him. Can't that hard to play yourself. Not uncommon for a lot of people in the entertainment business. So what? Really DKM??? The NWA was NEVER ABOUT ONE PERSON!!! It was always about a group of promotions and promoters putting on the best shows they could possibly do. I miss the NWA of old and hell NWA of over 3 years ago. The brand should never be about the promoter or owner, it should be about putting on a quality product for its fans/customers.
|
|