The Main Event Mafia

What are your thoughts on this new stable. I think it has it's good and bad points. The bad points being that the stable is full of old-ish stars who are still trying to stay in the main event, even near the end of their careers, when the main event spots should be mostly filled by the young up and coming talent.

The good points being that all the younger superstars get to work with more experience stars for a long period of time and will hopefully get over when they finally defeat the Mafia.

Now what I'm worried about is this storyline turning into another NWO type storyline with far too many members on each side. At the moment, it's OK as you have four members of the Mafia in Sting, Angle, Nash and Booker facing off against Joe and AJ and you could possibly add Jay Lethal and Consequences Creed to that. However, you have the possibility of more older talent which is not needed coming in to join the Mafia eg Flair, Scott Hall etc and lots of superstars joining Joe and AJ like Eric Young, the MCMG etc.

This storyline has the potential to be great for TNA as it might draw in old WCW fans who enjoyed the NWO story and it also gives the opportunity for a number of young stars to get over. However, it can also backfire if too many members join each side and the Mafia end up defeating the young stars.

I don't think this is a very good idea. I like power-hungry stables, but I am not sold on the "older guys help younger guys by working with them" aspect. For me the ideal example of an old guy helping new guys would be Finlay in the WWE.

He constantly has matches with less experienced guys, and he helps them upping their game and giving them victories over a credible contender. Nothing like this is to be expected from the Main Event Mafia, who will probably hog main events for the next few weeks/ months. And main events are places where, traditionally, there are very few young guys.

As for more people joining each faction: Didn't we already have some super-stable a while ago with the Angle Alliance and the Christian Coalition? Whatever became of that?

Anyway, I have the feeling that big stables are tough to handle storyline-wise. Maybe for starters they should establish the Main Event Mafia as a serious stable with the Young Guyz as serious opposition before giving each stable a thousand members.

Kurt Angle joined TNA and set up the Angle Alliance with I think Robert Roode and the Dudleyz. Kurt then tried to recruit Tomko and AJ from the Coalition which he managed to do. He then asked Christian to join the Angle Alliance but Christian refused. After a few months, Angle turned on AJ who turned face and went back with Christian. Tomko and Roode left the Alliance and it was basically just the Dudleyz and Angle vs AJ and Christian.

I think that's what happened anyway. I am sure someone will correct me if I am wrong.

The Coalition and Angle Alliance was just TNA bringing a few story line fued's together, that's all the 'stable' ever consisted of, I hated it like that, the only guy's that fueded were the guy's who were fueding before being brought to the stable, if that make's sense? Like Cage had Tomko, AJ and Abyss and if I remember, they were fueding with Rhyno (AJ that is) and Sting (Abyss was fueding at the time), Sting once joined to carry a fued with Angle, just a big fuckin' mess imo, this should be alot beter than either the Coalition or the Angle Alliance.

This new stable is built around one story line, and while you are right to be comparing it to a WCW stable Rocky, it is actually more fitting to be comparing with the Millianaires Club and the Young (Blood? or Guns? cant remember lol). Gotta say this is the best thing in TNA in quite some time.

A great story that WILL help the younger star's get up that next level, think about it, the Main Event Mafia, in the main event who are they going to be facing, the younger guy's, as a result the younger star's are too in the main event.

Good point about the younger stars being in the main event as well. However, how many clean wins will the young stars actually pick up over the Mafia during the course of the storyline? I don't think that many and therefore the young stars are made to look weak by jobbing to the Mafia most weeks. If they share out the victories, then fine, but I just can't see it happening.

Also, who do you reckon will be the young star to take the strap off of Sting or do you reckon one of the Mafia will turn on the rest and join the young stars?

Also, I have a feeling that Christian is going to play the Sting role in this storyline. By that, I mean, he won't decide straightaway which side he is joining, he will mix around with the two factions before making his final decision. I reckon he will end up joining the Mafia in the end.

I think that the Main Event Mafia will likely be very dominant for the first little while, as all heels should be, before the tide turns and the young guys manage to battle back and eventually get a decisive victory over them, with AJ possibly taking the belt from Sting.

As for Christian, if he fails to beat Booker at the next PPV, then he is forced to join the Main Event Mafia, sorta like Rey Mysterio in the LWO.

Does Christian lose on purpose to Booker T and then bring the MEM down from the inside?

I think that would be a good way to get Christian Cage involved in this rivalry big time without having him go after the title and that would let AJ and Joe go after that, it wouldn't be much of a storyline for Cage at the start but as it starts to unfold Christian could then appear to be a big player in this story, then after AJ wins the title and the young guys get there deserved recognition then Christian and AJ can have a long programme for the title.

That being said its all about Christian's contract situation, do TNA want to make him a major player if he could be on his way back to the WWE? or do they just bury him for now so his impact if he does go back to WWE will not be built up on any push he receives in TNA

I really don't think they can afford to bury him if they are looking to keep him. If he's constantly losing, then I would reckon he is much more likely to say goodbye to TNA.

I do think that in regards to him being involved with the Main Event Mafia, he will probably try to disrupt things a bit, but I don't think he would be portrayed as losing to Booker on purpose.

No I didn't mean for him losing to be portrayed in that way, I mean if Booker beats him say without using his finisher then Cage can play the MEM man to a tee until the time comes when things start going wrong, by that time Cage will be scene as a trusted member only for him to turn on them when the time is right and reveal it was all a rouse

i like it...its a really good idea, but it is a direct copy of the nwo/millionaires club angle. i just wish that they had used the guys they did for the MEM stable. am kinda lookin forward to seein how cage works out with him been invited to join MEM.

I can definately see Cage lose to Booker and joining the MEM but I don't know whether he will stay face and try and bring down the MEM like Gaffer suggested or turn heel and attack Joe or AJ. Like people have said, it depends on whether Cage is returning to WWE or not. Personally, I think Cage is aiming to return to WWE and because of this, I don't think TNA want to involve him too much in this angle.

I reckon he will join the MEM and turn heel. He will then be ordered to take out AJ but fails. The MEM then attack Cage and Foley makes a match between Sting and Cage for the TNA World title where if Cage loses, he must leave TNA. During the match, the MEM gets involved as does the new generation who help Cage. Cage narrowly loses and makes a speech thanking the fans before leaving.

After watching this weeks Impact, I really think that this angle is picking up some steam. I really like the fact that in interview segments now, Sting no longer wears his makeup and instead chooses to wear a suit and sunglasses, which really fits with the new persona they're trying to build for him, now they just need to apply that same concept for when he's wrestling. Without the makeup, they are stripping away the old Sting that the fans connect with.

I also liked that a bunch of guys joined up with Joe and AJ, but why do they have to get Eric Young involved? And the shows ending, with Steiner being revealed as the 5th member of the MEM was great, especially when he himself wouldn't attack Petey. Will be interesting to see where this goes, with Steiner possibly trying to get Petey to join him once more.

Guns, while I am still not a big fan of this angle, I am buying into the psychology of it, I think I need to give it more of a chance, I just hope it continues to progress but not too fast but doesn't drag on, My main gripe is that they will try and get about 6 months out of this which for me would kill it

Yeah it may well go a bit too long, TNA has a habit of doing that, like the Booker T vs Robert Roode fued which was great but went probably 2 months longer than it should have. I'll stick with it though, and a long fued for this may work well I'm not really sure yet. If I get bored of it though, I'll be sure to let you know.

I personally am not sold on Sting being a member of MEM. Every time we have seen the MEM cut a promo and rundown everyone else, Sting is the only guy that never speaks. All he has contributed has been a few eye rakes during his matches recently. I know he is doing this to protect his image, but I feel it's dumb. He either needs to be in it all the way or not at all.

A classic Steiner promo this week to open the show. I was disappointed that Petey wasnt mentioned as hes Steiner's protege, and they had a long running story with that coming to fruition. The way he wouldnt hit Petey with the pipe was good but the next week in a 10 minute rant on the 'New Blood' or whatever theyre called and no mention of him.

I can see this being a story which attracts many to TNA as at the moment there is no real 'story' on national TV in the Wrestling genre. Another thing im loving that theyre managing to achieve so far is that the fans are split over who to support as, apart from Angle, most of the MEM are quite over with the fans, with them getting a decent pop from the crowd. Be interesting to see how they play this as they cant just have them run in to make a dead cert heel faction, theyll have to do something pretty huge.

I love the choices for the 'New Bloods'. Lethal is a great wrestler and the face of the X Division for the past year. Eric Young similar to Lethal although has been held back recently due to his Super Eric gimmick but now hes free of that im sure hell progress as a wrestler. Creed is the next big name in the X Division and can hopefully bring the high flying and high risk attitude to the title which hasnt been there for a couple months. The Guns, probably the best tag team in wrestling today, maybe ever in terms of great work together and great tag team moves, nice transition from cocky tweeners to faces going on at the moment. Finally, ODB. Not sure about her inclusion as she doesnt really have a womens opponent unless Khan comes to Steiner and MEMs side. Never the less she is incredibly over and a good solid womens wrestler.

Can see this being the best story in the last few years and so far they have done eerything very well and for the first time in months im regularly tuning in to a wrestling show, eager to see the outcome!

It's an interesting idea for a stable, and having only seen the most recent impact, think that its pretty good.

That being said, it seems to be X division vs real division for the most part, which is somewhat silly, as they've done that before several times. (at least twice since i've started watching).

With luck it'll turn out right.