Alright guys....here is my review. Watched the shoot last night.
Since seeing the preview, I was stoked for this shoot interview. Its one I have more than just a lil excited about. We know how AJ has exited TNA and we know that some controversy came to an end with Hogan leaving recently and some beginning with Jarrett's recent departure. Styles had been 11 years....plenty to talk about.
HOWEVER, this shoot misses the mark. I give it a C- at best. Highspots chose VERY poorly when it comes to the interviewer himself and attribute most of the failures of this shoot....directly towards him. But let me cover what was said in the shoot....before I explain why I didnt like the interviewer and why this shoot did not live up to the preview we saw.
-Early on AJ referred to a "TNA Stank". He does say "we and us" quite a bit and even keeps track of the number of times he does it.
-States he has never been contracted by WWE
-His #1 goal is provide for his family and not to goto WWE. He would like to work there, but as long as he provides for his family, he will be happy.
-AJ would have no issue going to NXT for a "short time". He would think it would be good to get a look at the "WWE way" and also to get used to their ring. But he would NOT move his family there and would NOT spend a considerable amount of time like some of his previous ROH breathren.
-Said he knew Tyler Black/Seth Rollins would be an absolute star the first time he wrestled him. He has the whole package. Also had high praise for Claudio/Antonio Cesaro. Called him a natural.
-Says he has not kept up with indy wrestling and has no idea who are the up and comers or who are the next big names to goto WWE or TNA
-Said TNA priced his booking fee too high and thats why he didnt take indy bookings
-Interviewer asked him to address rumors that TNA initally offered him a contract that was 50% less than what he was currently making and for less years. AJ smiled, put his head down and hesitated before answering. Seemed like he was confirming it, but he did not.
-He did confirm that the offer was for less and was for only 2 years, not 5 like he had on his last contract.
-AJ came back asking for more money than his current deal, more years and some perks. He wanted his airfare, hotels and rental cars paid for by TNA.
-Wanted to make it clear that he is not greedy for money. But feels that he is still in his prime and has done everything TNA has asked of him. He hasnt been in trouble with the law or caused any bad press for TNA. He is beloved by fans, his co workers and the office. Thinks it isnt a whole lot to ask considering inflation.
-His contract expired on Dec. 15.
- Said he was insulted by TNA's original offer
-Confirmed he is now signed with ROH
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Confirmed that Dixie is NO LONGER in charge of finances-Said Dixie was NOT involved with his contract negotiations this time
-Said they are still good friends though
-Said she lost her checkbook following the Hogan failure
-Said he does not know who makes the decisions when it comes to contracts/money. But does reference people above Dixie.
-Said that TNA could draw so much more if they would spend some money in advertisement, marketing, etc. Wishes TNA had their street team back.
- He and Daniels are responsible for TNA finally signing Samoa Joe.
-Said if he owned a wrestling company, Kurt Angle would be his LAST choice to be World Champion
- Mentions how he hated these guys who came to TNA just to collect a paycheck. Does not elaborate
- Had high praise for Christian. Said he worked so hard, was a ring general and he learned so much from Christian
-When Angle first came to TNA he was a dick. Called Sabin "Pig Pen". No one knew why.
-It got so bad that AJ almost confronted Kurt for his arrogance telling him "This is our home. Not yours. Why dont you go back north."
-But after Kurt got to know everyone better and had his first match, his attitude changed. Realized the in ring competition was a lot better than what he was used to.
- Said he changed the finish Elevation X b/c he felt like Rhino would have fallen from the scaffold and break an ankle. He chose to take the bump, cuz he felt he could safely take it.
-Says he thinks the X Division Escape match, along with other gimmicks that TNA has used, were lame. Also said TNA would just come up with the idea and expect the X Division guys to do it. They never tested it or asked them if they think it would be an issue. Said the escape match is so damn hard to climb out.
-He loved Fortune and thought it could be so much more. Felt TNA dropped the ball.
-He didnt like everyone wearing suits and riding in limos. Said thats an old way to book. Rather would have seen each member be themselves. AJ would arrive on a crotch rocket, Roode in a sports car, Storm in a pick up with monster truck tires, etc.
-Said he never got along with Booker T.
-Said Booker refused to put others over, which is something a few people I know there have also told me.
-Said Hogan could do whatever he wanted without consequence and so could Flair. Said TNA needed someone to stand up to both of them and not let them do whatever.
-Said Dixie never held either one accountable and it became a big problem.
-Hated how Hogan was in it for himself.
-When Hogan first came, he thought this was gonna be great. Everything Hogan touched turned to gold. But Hogan was there for a paycheck and NOT to help TNA move to the next level. It was evident in how during national interviews Hogan was referred to as a former WWE superstar and never mentioned TNA or wanted to put it over.
-Only good thing he had to say about Hogan was that Hogan was open to everyone's ideas. He never squashed anyone's creative ideas and listened. Didnt always use it, but at least had the door open to listen.
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Confirmed Paul Heyman was all but a done deal to come to TNA It didnt happen because Heyman had one demand that TNA refused to meet....100% creative control. Money, years, etc. all were settled. Creative control over booking ended up being the stickler and thats why Heyman DID NOT come to TNA.
-He really wished Heyman did come to TNA. Feels he is a genius. Wishes that Tommy Dreamer, would be in charge of creative as an alternative.
-Believes the Claire Lynch story could have been awesome, if it was played out the way they initially wanted.
-Claire was to be the niece of Dixie...be a Carter and she would be incredibly hot. But the people above Dixie nixed the niece thing, as they felt it bring bad press to the Carter family. They did say they got the "hot chick" though. AJ stated obviously they were blind and she was NOT hot. Not at all. Seemed to have vomited in his mouth.
-Said he felt bad for Vince Russo. Russo was under tremendous pressure fro all around. He got a bad rap.
-Jarrett resigning put a halt to him resigning.
-Said he was very concerned when Jarrett left. If Jarrett, who put his blood, sweat, tears and own money into TNA, would just up and leave.....was this ship sinking so bad that he wanted off?
-Does not rule out a return to TNA or going to WWE or anywhere. He is wide open right now.
All that being said, this shoot falls short of the previews we saw. Basically what you saw in the preview was what AJ said. The interviewer NEVER pressed AJ for additional information. For instance when he asked AJ about who is above Dixie and AJ responded with...."I dont know" the interviewer didnt follow up with a question like "How can you not know or does this speak to the idea that TNA was dysfunctional?" Instead the interviewer would accept it and move to the next question.
The interview seemed more Q and A, than a shoot. Here is a question and here is AJ's answer. Here is the next question and here is AJ's next answer. The best shoot interviews are ones that come off conversationally. It takes place in AJ's home. Perfect setting to sit on AJ's couch and just talk. Instead, it was nothing but a Q and A.
Another issue I had with the shoot interview was the questions were just all over the place. Asking about whether he has heard from WWE in one of the first few questions? Talking about wrestlers who came for a pay check and then just asking about Russo and then back to the wrestlers for a pay check? He was all over the map. No order to it.
AJ is very reserved by nature. The interviewer needed to prod more and ask more follow up questions. I think AJ held back some....but other times, I think he just needed to have the question reworded or followed up with to get more details. AJ isnt gonna sit there and talk and talk. The interviewer was too reserved for this.
The positives were that the interviewer was very organized. He had all his questions written down. While it wasnt in order and jumped around....he was prepared and did his research. A lot of RF shoots are poorly organized and the interviewer doesnt know what to ask next.
I also liked how they got right to what everyone wants to hear about....the inner workings of TNA, his contract, Hogan, etc. They didnt start the shoot with why he got into pro wrestling or his dream matches, his favorite wrestlers growing up, etc. If we want the AJ life story, we will read his book. We want the dirt...thats what a shoot is.
Highspots has done such a fabulous job with Vampiro, Sinn Bodhi/Stacy Carter, and London/Kendrick shoots.....I expected this to be a home run. I would say it was a throw out at 2nd. Anti climatic and poorly executed. Such a shame. I hope someone else will do an AJ shoot interview with the same questions, but just be more hard hitting. Not accepting an answer and follow up....ask to elaborate. Sadly, I cannot recommend this shoot interview.