House of Mirrors: Pacman Jones

by theoriginaljd, Six Pack Sports Report

History is full of great debate. Questions that remain unanswered like "what came first the chicken or the egg?" or "can you get pregnant through anal?" Luckily for you - the huddled masses - Epic Carnival is here to settle these arguments once and for all. House of Mirrors is your favorite Carnies taking a look at one another and debating the mysteries of the universe. This week the EC writers take a stab at debating blogfrica's favorite stripper punching t-e-a-m player, Pacman Jones. As the Titans attempt to take food of Pacman's table the Carnies debate: Was the signingby TNA of Pacman Jones a good move for anyone involved?

Stan and Rupert (Ghosts of Wayne Fontes) - This could potentially be a great thing for all those involved. It's only a matter of time before some heavily caffeniated PETA protesters storm the ring for a full scale animal rights Battle Royal. The PETA folks will of course utilize the full arsenal of dog accessories as weapons and armor, such as leashes, bones, lamp shade face protectors, and spiky belts. I say tremendous upside potential all the way.

Adam Best (Pacman Jonesin') - Since I'm in the Pacman Jones business, I thought that I'd chime in on The Namesake here. I think this is brilliant. TNA co-founder/wrestler Jeff Jarrett really impressed me with this move. Say what you will, but I haven't watched wrestling in over five years and this Sunday I'm going to be watching Hard Justice, the TNA pay-per-view where Pac will make his wrestling debut. How many other guys or girls like me will be checking out TNA for the first time this weekend because of P.J.? A ton. This is an extremely savvy marketing move. Furthermore, it's a good P.R. move for Pacman. Let's face it, NFL fans and wrestling fans are often the same person, and often that person is white. It will be a lot easier for Pacman to reach these fans with his helmet off playing a face (good guy) wrestler than it would be as a strip club-frequenting thug. Jarrett and Co. are obviously doing this for the money and pub, but I think the organization cares about both this fellow Tennessean and the Titans (the organization has worked with Titans players in the past). TNA also will want to keep him out of trouble to protect its own name. The time he spends wrestling will keep him in shape and out of trouble. Plus, I've heard that Pacman's pretty damn good inside the squared circle. This is a win-win-win for the fans, Pacman and TNA.

JA (The Feed) - It's a great move for TNA. I haven't watched wrestling in forever, had never heard of TNA Wrestling and now I have. I'd suspect I'm not the only person in that group. Paying for that much publicity would probably be beyond their means but now their company's name is all over sports media. Even if he never makes an appearance because of the restraining order that the team filed against him, the company has been a huge winner. I don't know if its a good move for Jones, especially since he's burning bridges with the Titans and the NFL which won't make coming back any easier. It keeps his name out there, no publicity is bad publicity or so they say, but I don't think he's going to win over any hearts and minds by jumping into the wrestling ring. The restraining order is probably a blessing in disguise because it stops him from risking any kind of injury while giving the story even more legs. Also, I'd regret not mentioning that given the frequency that wrestlers seem to drop dead this would seem to negatively impact his life span and that's a solid vote in the bad move column.

BD (Sports Show On Mute) - I would have to say no. After watching his interview on First Take Thursday. I think Pacman's even more of an idiot then I already did. I kinda hoping he gets hurt and voids his contract. Laughing at my Titan fan friends would be the best part. But, Pacman doesn't deserve to play in the league. No matter how good he is and I'll be glad when he's officially gone.

dswinder (Sons of Sam Malone) - No it's not a good move...If he plans on ever coming back to football, why would he even think about risking injury by wrestling...No matter how fake it may be, it's still a dangerous thing to be involved in...As far as the Titans and the NFL go, it seems like an undermining move...It's like he and the TNA are saying, "You won't let me play...Fine I'll get money and exposure another way..." The Titans or ol' Roger should put a stop to this...

BOHChris (Blog of Hilarity) - I think it's ultimately frustrating. I'm going to go through the rest of my life wondering, "Well Pacman's great, but Kevin Federline beat WWE Champion John Cena; who would win in that clash of the titans?" But we'll never know because Pacman apparently decided he prefers backyard wrestling. Thanks, you cocktease.

Kyle Smith (Doberman On The Diamond) - Bad move, Pac-Man. Especially since the Titans just filed a restraining order against you to get you to stop wrestling, saying,
"Regrettably, we feel it necessary to explain our action today," and, "It is obvious from the player's conduct that he is ignoring this aspect of his agreements with the club."
So Pac-Man pissed off the Titans, and undoubtedly Roger Goodell. Smart move.

theoriginaljd (Six Pack Sports Report) - I could not love this move by both TNA and Jones more, not because I think it was a good move but because I think it's such an unbelievable disaster from every angle. I mean neither side benefits from this - and whenever you can enter into an agreement where nobody comes out ahead you've really managed to do something special. Think about it - Jones has obviously offended both the Titans and the NFL which I am sure isn't the best career move for a guy already appealing a season long suspension. On the TNA side of the coin - you're not going to get a significant bump in ratings from people who just can't live without Pacman Jones. Sure you got some publicity, and you might hook a couple people who want to see a train wreck but he won't be good in the ring, he can barely speak which leads me to believe that he won't be very effective in an entertainment role and what is left? I just don't see any benefit that is worth the bad publicity (like ESPN slamming Jones for a solid week over the wrestling thing). If you were already a wrestling fan you had probably watched TNA when they brought in guys like Kurt Angle and Christian Cage you know talented wrestlers so the idea of Pacman Jones won't change your opinion. If you weren't a wrestling fan before is seeing Pacman Jones really going to change things? The Pacman debut pulled a 1.0 rating which is an improvement of zero percent from last weeks Non-Pacman show. I just don't think there was any real benefit to TNA by bringing in Jones, and obviously he has not gotten anything good out of it so like I said earlier - it's an everybody loses relationship. Much like that time I requested Susan the transsexual masseur and paid for the happy ending. That she-male was all teeth, wait what were we talking about again? Oh right Pacman Jones was not a good addition to the TNA roster for anyone involved.