TNA writer, Vince Russo has talked about his respect for the Knockouts division on his Facebook page.
When asked whether we’d be seeing any ‘bra and panties’ matches in TNA, he writes:
I don’t think you’ll be seeing any bras and panties matches–I respect our Knockouts way to much. But you will see other creative matches.
Good to know! But I have to wonder whether a drunken street fight two weeks before an announced PPV match with the same two Knockouts counts as a creative alternative?
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January 11, 2010 at 8:21 pm
No Bra and Panties matches but mud matches where the knockouts were wearing bra and panties happened or did TNA forget about that…..hmmm so much for knockout respect.
January 11, 2010 at 8:30 pm
Armando, did you watch that iMPACT! and understand the reasoning for that mud match?
And I would be scared if I were a Knockout or a big fan of any of them. Russo has a scary mind. haha
January 11, 2010 at 8:58 pm
Yea Bra and Panties matches are bad, but apparently strip poker and mud-wrestling are fine ways to show respect for the knockouts as wrestlers.
January 11, 2010 at 8:59 pm
“I don’t think you’ll be seeing any bras and panties matches–I respect our Knockouts way to much.”
This is the same guy who had Kevin Nash book the Beautiful People in a mud wrestling match, right?
January 11, 2010 at 9:44 pm
Of course there won’t be any ‘bra & panty’ matches, because Russo is the master of the “_____ on a pole match.”
January 11, 2010 at 9:47 pm
i’ve never understood the unsolicited hate towards russo. especially as neither company release, iunno, weekly scripts with who wrote what on them. from what i do understand, he was the main force behind ‘the attitude era’, something which many many wrestling fans want to relive in the present day (and that was full of pregnancies, oaps, gravy bowls and bra & panties).
as for the current booking of the knockouts, it’s the lesser things like, as melanie points out, the drunken street fight before the ppv, or even odb winning that tournament that annoys me rather than any strip poker/makes sense in context mud match.
January 11, 2010 at 9:48 pm
haha, vonvile, so true! i remember that classic(!) jay lethal/sonjay dutt feud over socal val. i kept waiting for the “socal val on a pole match” to happen! still am waiting
January 11, 2010 at 9:52 pm
@Armando
Wow, I honestly never thought that photo of Maryse I photoshopped onto Jesus’ body yesterday would catch on this quickly. It’s nice to know my “artwork” has finally found solace on the internet. lol.
January 11, 2010 at 9:56 pm
“as for the current booking of the knockouts, it’s the lesser things like, as melanie points out, the drunken street fight before the ppv, or even odb winning that tournament that annoys me rather than any strip poker/makes sense in context mud match.”
To the gimmick matches the Knockouts have had that people have knocked, it fits whoever is doing them.
TBP think they are hot stuff. Nash booked the mud match and got the best of all three involved. Velvet’s ego is so large that she didn’t care she was “degrading herself” as long as SHE was the ratings maker. Lacey is so dumb that she didn’t care she was “degrading herself” as long as TBP were the ratings maker. And Madison felt so left out of the match that she was just happen to be involved. That’s three different scenarios for the same group.
That’s actually clever booking. But since some many people put the Knockouts on a f’n pedestal, it’s impossible for them to try to do anything with them that doesn’t include spotfests and no character building. Cuz, you know. That is what wrestling is about.
January 11, 2010 at 10:02 pm
Yeah, I wouldn’t really trust anything Vince Russo has to say. Especially if he’s claiming to have respect for anyone.
January 11, 2010 at 10:04 pm
The women booked for the mud wrestling match weren’t even the companies more polished female wrestlers, it’s not like it was Alissa Flash, Sarita or Hamada in the match was it? It was some hot blondes who fitted into the match well and it was a bit of fun – TNA has only done this sort of matches for their women a few times – so everyone needs to stop bitching and get over it.
January 11, 2010 at 10:21 pm
Lol omg Tiffany it’s yours? Ha I’m in this live journal community called oh no they didn’t and there is this person in it who’s screen name on there is maryse and they had that icon. Haha I shall definitely be giving you credit! Sorry hope you didn’t think I stoled it
I was gonna ask that person in oh no they didn’t if they made it to give said credit but now that I know you made it, I’ll credit you!
Ebmich- either way if he respects the knockouts so much they could’ve thought of another angle for the beautiful people. So your comment is invalid
January 11, 2010 at 10:33 pm
Two words, Russo: Jenna Morasca.
I’m kidding. Haha.
Vince Russo is a bit chaotic with his booking and over the years it’s been both a gift and a flaw. With the Knockouts, the booking sways from inconsistent to inexplicable, but the one thing I do admire is that you can never truly predict the outcome of a match; whereas on WWE the booking is often so transparently in favour of who’s most popular. In TNA, half of the time wrestling ability seems to count as a factor.
As for respect for the Knockouts… well, the gimmicky stuff that involves the Beautiful People works well within the ethos of the stable, but so long as mud matches and lingerie matches don’t interfere with the title pictures, I won’t complain much. Whenever the frivolous has taken place, there’s usually been a flipside of serious competition. There’s an element of tongue in cheek with TNA as well, whereas WWE were wearing the voyeuristic so thin they were almost exploiting the Divas for a couple of years.
January 11, 2010 at 10:40 pm
TNA is really starting to PISS ME OFF with all of these smart remarks about the divas. you have so much respect for your knockouts huh.. look at THE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE they show more SKIN in one match than the raw and smackdown divas put together and look at ODB i dont remember a diva wrestling in a regular match and having half of their &%$#! hanging out and on top of that it looks GROSS UGH. ok we get the divas division aint like it was back in the day but at least their trying.
January 11, 2010 at 10:44 pm
lol, it’s no problem Armando. I made it for the lulz and showed it to a friend. I’m more than happy to spread the praise of Marysesus. I just find it funny how quickly it’s made its way back here to haunt me. Haha.
January 11, 2010 at 10:47 pm
Tiffany, is that image hosted anywhere? I’m rather tempted to have it as wallpaper for my phone. I wouldn’t mind preaching the religion of Marysesus, personally. Haha.
January 11, 2010 at 10:56 pm
@kerry246.
It doesn’t matter if its their the most polished female wrestlers, or not. They’re still women and if he claims to respect the knockouts way too much then he wouldn’t of put them in a Mud wrestling match basically wrestling in their B&P. No one is giving him a hard time, or bitching – it’s just obvious there is a flaw in what he said. Are TBP their most polished knockouts? No. But they’re still knockouts, none the less.
January 11, 2010 at 11:01 pm
lol, enjoy: http://i45.tinypic.com/5oegp2.png
January 11, 2010 at 11:29 pm
paparazzi, tna are pissing you off and have no respect for the knockouts because they DON’T tell them how to dress?
January 11, 2010 at 11:31 pm
Thanks, Tiffany. Lady GaGa is so 2009. Haha.
If you really want to attempt lulz, perhaps send it to the lady herself? You never know, she might just have it flash on her entrance movie next week. Haha.
January 11, 2010 at 11:38 pm
Yup that’s why they use the KOs belt as a bribe
January 11, 2010 at 11:54 pm
Kaledrina, No thats just some of it and its the little comments here and there that some of the knockouts AND PAST DIVAS that are knockouts now make. its like ok lay off we get that you dont do all that bra and panties,dance competition diva stuff jeesh.
January 12, 2010 at 12:00 am
Mud wrestling, nonstop closeups of Velvet’s ass, strippoker, letting women get drunk before a fight. Yeah, lot’s of respect. Wasn’t Russo a newborn Christian?
After all the rave reviews of the Kongmada-Saritaylor match, maybe as a sign of respect, give all the knockouts a higher salary, they are still heavily underpaid compared to the male wrestlers who put on boring matches every week.
January 12, 2010 at 12:45 am
So Strip Poker, Mud Wrestling, Some of them almost wrestle in Bra and Panties, Velvet Entrance, Hiring Jenna, A drunk champ, Playboy, Tara who i think is the best KO right now! WWE must respect their ladies too!
January 12, 2010 at 1:11 am
midfights, strip poker and bogus title changes really shows your respect!
January 12, 2010 at 1:16 am
i think people need reminding that velvet sky spent many years in the indies having those kinds of matches. more often than not, she would strip herself. if the knockouts showing some skin annoys you, then i don’t think you should be watching wrestling. to be fair to velvet, she’s been showing less skin in her recent wrestling attire than taylor wilde, tara and probably awesome kong
the drunken streetfight is no more disrespectful than the gimmicky matches half the male roster end up in. and unfortunately it fits odb’s gimmick. the fact that the majority of the knockouts have some sort of gimmick, let alone a voice and the chance to prove themselves in backstage segment after segment shows, to me, that they do have the respect they deserve.
i think there’s a big difference between respecting the workers and respecting the fans. if tna doesn’t fully respect anybody, it’s the latter.
January 12, 2010 at 2:53 am
Strangely enough, I have no trouble with a drunken streetfight though it ain’t exactly classy, and I agree that it suited ODB and men have those kinds of gimmicky matches all the time. I’d take that over strip poker and mud wrestling, but NO, having all those kinds of things shows a weird kind of respect a la “I want you to objectify yourself because I RESPECT you”. I’m not a prude but I’ve always HATED TBP’s entrance–it ain’t targeted “for” me but I still think it’s disgusting. In the end, if the wrestlers don’t agree to it it probably won’t happen, so maybe they don’t see it as disrespect themselves.
January 12, 2010 at 3:52 am
on the beautiful people’s entrance, it was some velvet as talia was doing with april hunter in the indes for quite a while. one rumour behind their falling out was april accusing velvet of stealing the entrance from her to use with angelina lol. so, yeah, from what i gather it’s not as if these knockouts are being forced into doing things they don’t like.
i don’t understand how people are claiming that hiring jenna morasca shows disrespect to the knockouts, though? she was a zlist celebrity and wasn’t brought in as a wrestler. if anything, her match vs sharmell lasted longer than 75% of the diva matches over the last couple years, surely her and sharmell were respected enough to be given that time, even if it was a shambles?
January 12, 2010 at 3:52 am
*something and *indies.. ugh.