High Road/Low Road 11.12.10: Aksana/Goldust Wedding

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).

GOLDUST/AKSANA WEDDING

High Road:

The buildup to the wedding was very good and I would say it was one of the better buildups to an event that we have seen in a quite awhile. The WWE has been mentioning the wedding for two weeks now and I think there was definitely an interest in seeing how things went down which is really all you can ask for an NXT show.

Low Road:

Two weeks is a build? In that nothing else of any consequence was happening on NXT, the build should have been big. It wasn’t anything special and barely got mentions on other shows. It was a standard build, but wasn’t ‘one of the better’ ones we’ve seen recently.

High Road:

The fact that this wedding has been mentioned on RAW and NXT has also helped. The buildup to the wedding has been featured on two shows and that is going to help because it will be seen by more people. The other thing that has been helpful is that most of the major stuff for this angle has been happening on RAW and since that is the show most people watch, there is a chance that they may watch the conclusion of the angle on NXT.

Low Road:

The Goldust/Ted DiBiase stuff is related to the wedding, but doesn’t build the wedding. The Goldust/Ted DiBiase feud should have built to the match between the two that was added on at the last minute to Bragging Rights. The wedding is part of an angle that should service the feud, not the other way around.

High Road:

I have not watched a NXT episode in quite some time. Generally, I just check out a few clips that interested me. However, I watched the entire episode of the wedding. The reason I had for watching the whole show was that I was interested in seeing the wedding and I decided to watch the whole show because I knew that it was possible for things to happen before the wedding. I think the odds are good that the same was true for a lot of people.

Low Road:

Since I live in Canada, NXT still airs on TV and I’ve been watching it because… well, nothing else was on and it’s fun to make fun of the show with my girlfriend. While notable for NXT, I don’t think the wedding drew that many new viewers. The story is cheesy and features a veteran that hasn’t been involved in a story in… uh… and a rookie Divas who is awful on the mic and worse in the ring. Not a big reason to watch.

High Road:

The wedding was a definitely a high road for me because there were two legends at the wedding. I was not expecting there to be any special guests on the show, so I was surprised to see them there. While it was not advertised that they would be there, I think there is a good chance that people will check out the show once they found out that the Million Dollar Man and Dusty Rhodes were on NXT.

Low Road:

Dusty Rhodes and Ted DiBiase were pretty great. I can’t argue against them. But, as you point out, neither was advertised. That makes sense for DiBiase since his presence was meant to be a surprise, but not advertising Dusty? Where’s the upside in that? While I don’t think Dusty would bring in millions of viewers, he would bring in some and not capitalizing on that was a mistake.

High Road:

The wedding between Goldust and Aksana provided for the expected and the unexpected. It was expected that the wedding was going to happen and Ted DiBiase was going to try to buy the priest. The unexpected was the Million Dollar Man being the minister and Aksana slapping Goldust after the wedding was complete. The wedding on NXT was definitely a good thing because it provided to the expected and the unexpected.

Low Road:

The Aksana turn on Goldust wasn’t that unexpected as it was always a distinct possibility, but you’re right about DiBiase being the minister. That was a great surprise. I’m actually disappointed that they turned Aksana like that. When the immigration story began, it was obvious that Goldust would propose and likely that it would go sour like this. I would have preferred them to surprise by keeping Aksana a face and, if they wanted, provide a reason for her to continue to appear with Goldust after getting kicked off NXT (because there’s no way she’s winning).

High Road:

As I state above, Aksana slapping Goldust was unexpected. I think it was a smart move because Aksana should be better as a heel. The only reason that she was working as a babyface was because she was aligned with Goldust and because she had mispronouncing everything.

Low Road:

It wasn’t unexpected, though. It wasn’t a lock or anything, but the possibility was always there and one that I thought was likely from the moment the story began. Keeping her a face, as I said above, would be a way to keep her around after she departs NXT. Now, what reason is there for her to remain?

High Road:

When I look at NXT, I see a major problem and that is the fact that there are no top heels on the show. The only keepers from season 3 seem to be Kaitlyn, A.J., and Aksana. Without turning Aksana into a heel, NXT season 3 was going to produce all babyfaces and the only one that you could really turn into a heel was Aksana.

Low Road:

You would keep Aksana over Naomi? Kaitlyn could turn heel through her association with Dolph Ziggler after her little feud with Vickie Guerrero ended. Besides, NXT is a different show and doesn’t require a mix of faces and heels. The conflict comes from the competition between the rookies, not traditional face/heel dynamics.

High Road:

I’m really looking forward to seeing the interactions between Aksana and Goldust. The dynamic of their relationship has really changed and it will be interesting to see a heel rookie interacting with a babyface pro.

Low Road:

Yeah, couldn’t Goldust just get an annulment and have her deported? In fact, wouldn’t this sham wedding fail immediately because they announced on the show that it’s just to keep her in the country? This has been a goofy, stupid story from the getgo, even by wrestling standards.

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.

Results for Mickie James In TNA:

High Road: 61%
Low Road: 30%
Both Roads: 09%

Chad Nevett: Eh, Both Roads. I like Mickie James fine enough, but it would take a lot of fantastic stuff to have already happened to make me care that much.

Sat: I’ll go High Road. The Knockouts division was getting a bit stale and a new arrival should definitely help out.

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.

Sat: The only emails were for voting purposes, let’s go to the comments.

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 Sunday Night Pacific Time.

Reverand Psycho Writes:

Low Road: Rehashing old feuds done in WWE, a one-dimensional gimmick for a talented worker, and pushing aside better “homegrown” talent for another former WWE star? How can this possibly be a good thing when it’s just more of the same old crap?

Sat: Mickie James has been very good in TNA so far. I think she is motivated right now and she has been putting on some great matches.

Chad Nevett: She’s barely had any matches. They’ve been fine, but it’s easy to be motivated at the beginning. I’m more of the wait and see bunch.

ROH Commish Writes:

Low Road.

Mickie is NOT gonna help ratings. Her debut was awful and any idea that her being in TNA was a big deal evaporated there and then.

Mickie can be sloppy in the ring. Her problem is how she can make botches worse by not covering for the other wrestler. She does not make other wrestlers better. She had many terrible matches in the year leading up to her firing.

Sat: I don’t see anything helping the ratings. I think there is a reason that Mickie was not having good matches for a year and that was because of the Laycool thing. Laycool is a bit out of control right now and I think the other divas are going to be lazy because of that.

Chad Nevett: I don’t think it’s LayCool, I think it’s the entire approach to women’s wrestling that’s resulting in bad matches.

SeanTNA Writes:

High Road. Mickie is a good wrestler and she’s being used. Unlike most of the IWC, I don’t care about someone being from WWE or wherever as long as they’re a good wrestler and unfortunately TNA has signed a lot of “rejects” who aren’t good wrestlers. THAT’S my problem. Not them being from other companies but them not being good wrestlers and Mickie is one of a few good wrestlers that TNA has signed.

“The character is cheesy and comes off as a comedy character more than it does a sincere one. This character could turn James into a joke if not handled properly and that wouldn’t help anyone.”

Even more of a joke than the whole Piggy James angle?

“Why not push Sarita or Hamada, two women just as capable in the ring as James (if not more so) and who have been with the company longer?”

Sarita is getting a push.

Sat: The Piggy James stuff was pretty bad. I don’t think Sarita is getting a push; once she gets to challenge for the title at a pay per views; that’s one I’ll agree that she is getting a push.

Chad Nevett: I didn’t like the Piggy James stuff at all. That doesn’t mean this ‘hardcore country’ character is good either. It’s not nearly as bad as Piggy James, but it’s not like the only way to judge it is ‘great’ or ‘Piggy James.’ There’s some room in the middle.

Guest#8417 Writes:

Both Roads
The High:
It raises the talent level of the Knockouts and that is never a bad thing.
More Knockouts, because the division needed more wrestlers.
Mickie James in cut-offs. I can’t complain about that. TNA should find a jean company to sponsor that.

Low Road:
I don’t believe TNA will do anything with this talent. Look at what has been done with the Knockouts since Bischoff and Hogan have arrived. I like watching the Beautiful People – when they enter a ring. But where did the wrestling go?
What is worse, the Knockouts have usually been the highest rated segments before Bischoff & Hogan. In spite of having talent like Hamada, Sarita, Tara, and Taylor Wild the bookers have decided to go the Diva route.
Say what you will about how WWE handles women, but when Vince found out Lita and Trish Stratus had charisma he built an entire division around them. He only gave up after their successors did not connect with the crowd as well.
I agree that in a healthy wrestling company the World title should be your highest rated segments, but Bischoff/Hogan/Russo seem to want to create that by tearing down the Knockouts instead of booking their World Title better.
Which is a long winded way of saying that TNA will not use the women they have signed in compelling angles. So having Mickie is a waste of talent.

Sat: There is no denying that the Knockouts division has struggled. The main problem has been that Awesome Kong was the anchor for the division and things have really gone downhill since she left.

Chad Nevett: What really bugs me is that TNA does have women who can wrestle very well like Sarita and Hamada (and, formerly, Alyssa Flash and Awesome Kong) and they don’t do anything with those women. Then again, why should the women’s division be any different from the men’s?

Guest#4303 Writes:

low road, only cuz they keep referencing her past, yet seem to have no clue who winter is…inconsistent.

Sat: You can’t fault TNA for this. They probably can’t use her past.

Chad Nevett: I never thought about that, but it is strange that some people move from company to company with the same character/history and others are sold as brand new characters. That’s funny.

gpjunk Writes:

Middle road.

Her being in TNA is a good thing because she is another solid addition to the Knockouts and the TV time they’re giving her would probably if she wasn’t there be wasted on Lacey Von Erich or another recap segments.
BUT and there’s always a but when it comes to the Knockouts they’ve got to use her better than rehashing old feuds from other companies.

Like so many others in TNA the potential is there.

Sat: I don’t mind her and Tara feuding. I would have preferred a one and done match, but what can you do?

Chad Nevett: You could… not book that feud or the match in that manner?

Guest#6150 Writes:

Low Road

No disrespect to Mickie. But it is sad that TNA is once again giving somebody an automatic push just because he or she was a big deal in the WWE while you have women who are a little more talented like Taylor Wilde and Hamada (Who are the Knockouts Tag Team Champions. Do TNA actually care about those titles? Obviously not)just sitting backstage doing nothing.

This just raises the question: How much longer are the TNA originals going to sit and allow TNA to bring in all of these former WWE stars and giving them the push that the TNA originals should rightfully be given?

Sat: I think the TNA originals will sit for quite awhile because they see Gail Kim not doing a whole lot in the WWE except cashing in.

Chad Nevett: Hmm… not being used in TNA for poor pay or not being used in the WWE for good pay…? Tough decision.

Charles Writes:

A high roal and low road for Mickie James in TNA? Are you kidding me.

She’s been in TNA for about a month!!!!

Can we give her SOME time before we evaluate her time there. Good lord! Give the girl some time to get her feet wet and put on some matches for at least 6 months before you guys give the bad grade. But because it’s TNA, you guys have her failing. If it were the WWE, you would be praising her. Biased nonsense!

Sat: Nice to see this complaint again. And if we had done this in six months, nobody would have cared while it seems like quite a few people cared about the topic this week.

Chad Nevett: Wow and this comment even comes a week after our big year-in-review column where we explicitly stated that we do columns on hot/recent topics that people want to read about. Nice to see that people pay attention.

The Ogre Writes:

“The main argument to this High Road is going to be the fact that the TNA should not be mentioning the WWE”

I’ve never understood that attitude. Just because the WWE goes (and almost always has) out of their way to try and make people think they are the only wrestling company out there, or not acknowledge and use their wrestlers’ histories from elsewhere doesn’t mean everyone else should.

Sat: I agree. I think there are certain situations that require you to mention a wrestler’s past.

Chad Nevett: There’s a difference between recognizing someone’s past with another company and using wrestlers’ pasts with another company consistently as a way to push them and as a reason why people should care about them. Too often, TNA falls into the ‘this person is great because they were great in the WWE’ side of things. It’s a fine line… and TNA runs right over it with giddy glee.

Guest#6943 Writes:

Where did this “Mickie James is a good wrestler” myth begin?

Can anyone honestly name a really good match she’s ever had other than Wrestelmania v Trish (which was only memorable for the crowd anyway, they completely screwed up the finish)?

Sat: She has had two good matches in TNA. One with Sarita and with Tara.

Chad Nevett: She also had good matches with Beth Phoenix and other Divas. She was never the best or so good that I would watch one of her matches simply because she was in it, but she’s definitely shown herself to be good in the ring and better than most of the women she’s had to work with.

mogamer Writes:

I’ll pick Both Roads this week.

High because Mickie looks motivated this time around. Her matches so far have been much better than what she was doing at the end of her run in WWE. Of course playing second fiddle to “black holes” like Kelly Kelly and Laycool could do that to a women.

Low because she is feuding with another ex-WWE wrestler in Tara. Why not have her work a program with Taylor Wilde, Sarita or Hamada? You could be elevating some lesser known Knockouts while building Mickie up for the Knockouts title. And honestly her winning the title wouldn’t guarantee a high road, look at Tara’s title runs for an example. Title’s don’t get elevated without the fed putting effort into it. Look at the Tag and Diva’s titles in WWE or the X-Division and TV titles in TNA.

Sat: I really hope TNA waits awhile before giving her the title. I think it would mean a lot more that way. And no stipulations about her having to retire if she does not win the title.

Chad Nevett: But, that’s how TNA Knockouts Championship matches go: you want a title shot, put your career on the line. Because that title is so important, it’s worth risking your career.

Guest#5880 Writes:

Low Road:
The Impact Zone responds to everyone. If there is one audience that you can’t use as an indication of something being good, it’s the Impact Zone audience. They go nuts over the dumbest, worst angles. They’re only useful in pointing out when something is so godawful that even they won’t cheer for it. Put her in front of a regular audience and maybe I’ll care about the reaction she gets.

=

+10

Sat: To a degree I agree, but I felt that certain people get more of a reaction than others.

Chad Nevett: I stand behind my comments 100%. The more I watch TNA, the more I realize that I hate the Impact Zone audience. Instant chants, popping over everything, and showing no sense of being able to distinguish between good and bad…

Snake Writes:

High Road.

Mickie in TNA is nothing but good for the company. Seriously stop and think a moment. Daffney, Kong, ODB and more all gone. Who is on Impact week after week? Eye candy Velvet and Angelina and Tara in a pair of boyshorts. Mickie brings a woman who can wrestle and look sexy at the same time. Maybe this can rebuild their knockouts.

On a side note. TNA’s willingness to mention the past stuff is to their credit. It shows they are not afraid of the WWE legal machine. The mention of old feuds, old names and the like is gutsy and i like it.

Sat: I like mentioning her WWE’s history because it is something we don’t see that often.

Chad Nevett: It is?

Guest#5225 Writes:

Low Road

And I don’t know why, but for some reason, nobody brings out the creepy weirdos like Mickie does. I doubt anyone who threaten to blow up WWE headquarters if Layla or Maryse was fired or threaten people at TNA if Velvet Sky was let go yet some creepy looking guy was that upset about fucking Mickie James being fired from WWE back in April. Ridiculous.

Sat: Maybe we are getting a lot of feedback this week cause all the Mickie James weirdo are reading this week….

Chad Nevett: Thankfully, I didn’t receive any threats for my role in the column.

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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.