Barry is on to something with Gunner and Crimzon as a tagteam. These two definitely have potential, but their gimmick-less stints give the fans nothing to really enjoy. Seriously, these guys gimmicks are "I'm an intense dude and don't back down from NO ONE". That's it. Nothing interesting, quirky, or entertaining to talk about or appreciate. Gimmicks and good matches are what made wrestling for me growing up.

Take Jeff Jarrett for example. I absolutely hated him in the "king of the mountain" gimmick where he was basically a shit-talking heel that couldn't lose. On the other hand, when given the gimmick of a delusional heel, like MMA Jarrett, he really bought some entertainment. Remember that video where he was beating up the kids? It was one of the few times I aknowledged TNA as doing something right. MMA Jarrett was one of the few things that even the staunchest TNA hater thought was a good, funny gimmick.

It's not completely hopeless for me, yet. Look at Bully Ray. TNA did a bang-up job of actually building this guy into a believable heel. There's moments, when he's doing his thing, that I actually have to remind myself that this is Bubba Ray playing the part of an asshole. That's a pretty impressive feat when you take into account just how much of a bitter, jaded fan that I am. The guy generates genuine heat, and not what the fans collectively call "X-Pac heat" which is basically the term for when a guy gets booed not because he's a good heel, but because the fans hate him period and feel that he has absolutely no business inside a ring. I'd be surprised if he doesn't get the strap in the near future, after it goes to Roode, then Hardy. But then again, this is TNA and I can almost guarantee you they will screw up the Bully Ray character too, as they never seem to fucking know a good thing when they see it.

As for the women, Barry, if you're just comparing them to WWE, then I would have to agree with you, but if you factor in some of the indies like the all-women's fed SHIMMER, you'd find yourself second-guessing. I'm as much a fan of Velvet Sky shaking her ass and pointing to her starfish as the next one, but she is absolute shit on the mike and in the ring. If you wanna see some women really go at it, youtube Sara Del Ray, Cheerleader Melissa, MisChif, or Lufisto, and that's not even including the japanese bitches, who go at it just as hard, if not harder than the mens. Check out the vid below if you haven't already seen it. I went ahead and dug up the version with the ICP on commentary, as their wrestling commentary is second to fucking none. It's not the most well-executed women's match, but it does go a long way in establishing the benchmark for the work-rate of female wrestlers in Japan. But yeah, I'll take the knockouts over the Divas in the ring, on the mike, and on my dick, any day.