When it comes to empty promises, utter letdowns and generally failing to deliver on grandiose declarations, no company has ever been more of a repeat offender than TNA. Whether its a groundbreaking announcement or a shocking return, TNA usually misses the mark with their definition of either one and it rarely matches up with the same expectation held of the fans. Perhaps the biggest example of this was their long running storyline heading into Bound For Glory 2010 and the arrival of They. With Abyss crowing about the arrival of the mysterious unnamed group for what seemed like months on end, a date was eventually set for the enigmatic They and their coming out party. They would materialise at Bound For Glory on 10-10-10 in a reveal that was far from a perfect ten on the fans scorecards. When the three-way main event for the World Title between Kurt Angle, Jeff Hardy and Mr Anderson began, it was widely assumed that They were on the horizon and the arrival was imminent. Sadly for the wrestling world, this prediction was true and They had arrived in the form Eric Bischoff, chair in hand, looking about as intimidating as a new-born kitten on a bed of pink feathers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRLl-vkDvf0 But never fear grapple fans, soon enough the ever-heroic Hulk Hogan fresh out of back surgery would enter the fray to save the helpless combatants from said chair-wielding kitten. The Hulkster meant business and would immediately storm the scene and by storm I mean gingerly waddle down the ramp like Walter Jnr from Breaking Bad. Upon his arrival in-ring several minutes later, Hogan and Easy E soon made their intentions clearas Jeff Hardy (thats Jeff Harvey to you, Mike Adamle) grabbed Hogans crutches and wailed both Angle and Anderson before covering the latter for the three count, securing the belt and swerving everyone in the process. Originality 4 life, brother nWo Style! A myriad of random personnel would then enter the frame in what was seemingly a random fire drill from the Gorilla Position, as Abyss and Jeff Jarrett both hit the ring to pose with the new title holder. What was more shocking than the finish itself was the fact that this random group of people congregating in the ring were not, in fact, conducting a fire drill, but were actually members of the new group. In classic TNA logic, the stable consisting of Hardy, Hogan, Bischoff, Abyss and the Jarretts were all supposedly on the same page despite being the biggest bunch of misfits since The Oddities danced their way onto the scene in 1998. It was the cocktail no-one ordered and with good reason. The only interesting thing to come out of this swerve finish was the prospect of a Jeff Hardy heel run something which had never really been attempted before and the one thing that felt genuinely original about the entire storyline. Sadly for TNA, that same Jeff Hardy would eventually let his personal life take its own heel turn, resulting in the biggest debacle in the companys short history as a clearly impaired Hardy would stagger down the ramp to face off against Sting in a nine second farce that effectively ended the Hardy heel turn experiment. Sadly, the They faction quickly redubbed Immortal (cos Hulkamania will live forever get it, brother?) would last considerably longer than Hardys heel run, spanning from October 2010 until April 2012.
Occasional wrestler, full-time gym rat and lifelong lover of the grapple game. Would probably buy you a shot of Jack at the bar in exchange for witty banter...and preferably more Jack.
@MartynGrant88 for more wrestling-related musings and weight room wisecracks!
