Last night’s big angle at Bound for Glory got chins wagging in the immediate aftermath, as Kim Couture confronted TNA Knockout Tara – real name Lisa Marie Varon — during a triple threat Knockouts Championship match. What became evident within nearly half an hour was that the shoot-like confrontation was indeed scripted and seems to be the beginning of a new storyline for the former WWE Women’s Champion and Knockouts Champion.
The drama, adapted from the real life war of words between the two in interviews, will now play out this Thursday night on Impact. Though not confirmed, it’s likely Couture will be in attendance at tomorrow night’s taping or film something in advance. So is TNA doing the right thing by cashing in and bringing the feud onto their soil? Perhaps surprising to some of you, I would say yes.
It seems like a good business choice by TNA to bring in Couture and have her feud with Tara, it didn’t seem like they were going to have a fight anytime soon in the actual MMA industry. TNA allows them a platform to have it out, while also gaining some industry buzz from both MMA and wrestling audiences. Considering that both are contact sports and physical, it seems like a fitting extension from one into the other, right? I do think there’s some cross-promotion benefits for both.
I can understand why fans wouldn’t want this to occur, fearing it may overshadow competition among the Knockouts. Why promote someone who isn’t even in your company over the girls that work for you? True. But I can’t help but feel a little curious to see where this goes, and it is not as though Couture is Jenna Morasca. And I am certainly curious to see if TNA will allow Tara & Couture to have a real shoot MMA fight at their next pay per view.
That said, having read the Wrestling Observer website just before writing this, it seems there’s been little buzz created about this in the MMA media & Couture is not considered as having star power. Perhaps this is subject to opinion however. TNA’s likely hope is that this will create buzz within the MMA audiences and MMA media leading to people watching Impact and maybe ordering the pay per view, if they do fight. If they do, I’m sure the media will pick it up and follow it through to the PPV.
In all, I’m impressed by this move on both a business level as TNA has picked up something of a hot thing outside their circles and brought it into their realm; and I’m also impressed on a level of what this means for an iconic veteran in Lisa Marie Varon. TNA bringing in someone outside the company to come in and work with her shows they are willing to put stock in her. I’m sure she’s really excited to get stuck into this feud and perhaps that will show in her work as Tara on screen.
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October 20, 2009 at 12:22 am
Isn’t it a bit early for us to be judgmental regarding an angle before we actually know/see what comes of it? It could lead to a cross-promotional event with Strikeforce for all we know, and wont even end up in a TNA wrestling ring. It could lead to TNA/Strikeforce working together to co-promote a MMA event on NBC later this year that would feature Bobby Lashley and Tara.
I do agree with that that it seems TNA is putting stock into Tara, as they are willing to build her as something other then just a wrestling Knockout!
October 20, 2009 at 1:03 am
So here’s my concern. While Kim Couture’s shoot style involvement was cleverly handled, attracting a surplus of attention to a match that may have otherwise gone unnoticed, people should be seriously considering what this means for Tara. Couture is not going to be a long term prospect for TNA; Tara is. But somehow I doubt Couture would have agreed to anything unless it meant she was going over Tara. I say this because I assume her credibility means a lot to her. Of course, TNA could becomes a vehicle for a real MMA contest between the two women. If their clash is ultimately scripted by TNA, I just don’t see how Couture is going to come off worse. After all, the WWE paid Floyd Mayweather millions for Big Show to job to him. What I have a problem with is that ODB was more or less a bit part in the feud that everyone has been wanting to see: Tara vs Awesome Kong. Couture’s unexpected arrival now puts paid to those plans, while ODB’s retain of the title seems meaningless. So far into her first championship, ODB seems to have no presence whatsoever.
October 20, 2009 at 1:24 am
I hate to disagree, but I do not see this going well at all. TNA has tried to mix MMA and wrestling before, and it was a disaster. Granted, the fact that Tara has actual MMA training would make the fight better. However, wrestling fans to buy their tickets and tune in to watch wrestling. If they wanted to watch MMA, they would. I’m sorry, but I just see the fans shitting all over this if/when it happens.
October 20, 2009 at 1:58 am
It’s too early to tell what’s going to happen, but why would we assume that this is gong to be a pro wrestling angle? Kim Couture has ties to Strikeforce, as does Bobby Lashley. Maybe this will be a cross-promotion for a real MMA fight: promoted on TNA, fought for Strikeforce on Showtime and some kind of financial deal. Part of Tara’s appeal to Couture and any MMA promoter would be the potential of bringing wrestling fans in as viewers. And if Tara wins (I have no idea how good Kim C. is), maybe a high-profile fight with the Queen Bee of Team Couture: Gina Carano. Normally a fighter with one bout wouldn’t get that fight, but again, Tara has cross-promotion appeal.
October 20, 2009 at 2:05 pm
Ask the average MMA fan what wrestling company Tito Ortiz and Frank Trigg appeared for. Half will say, “They were on wrestling?” Most of the other half would guess, “WWE,” and these guys are much bigger names than Kim Couture.
These things didn’t create buzz because, unless you’re a wrestling fan, you don’t really know or care what TNA is, and the problem is worse when you’re using someone who is not an established MMA fighter. No MMA fan is going to pay to see Kim Couture pretend to fight when most aren’t going to pay to see her have a real fight.
I think Kim is awesome, but unless you are doing this angle with Carano or Cyborg it’s a waste of time and money. Even then, it would probably be a waste unless you were doing it in WWE.