Note: References to WWE will be made not with the intention to compare the two promotions but to highlight TNA’s effectiveness as an alternative broadcast.
On June 19, 2002, Jeff Jarrett and his father, Jerry, introduced TNA (Total Nonstop Action Wrestling) to the world of wrestling enthusiasts.
It first debuted as a weekly pay-per-view event and it would not be until two years later that they would expand to provide a weekly broadcast known as Impact!
After nearly seven years of weekly programming, TNA has come far from being an incomplete business plan; it has become one of the two national promotions in the United States, the other being World Wrestling Entertainment.
While TNA has had its fair share of success with the ever popular X-Division (cruiserweight division) and a solid tag team division, it has unfortunately been a victim to poor writing and bad booking at times.
But like any other promotion, TNA will have to go through the process of trial and error before they find their secret BBQ sauce of success.
TNA aims to be the alternative to the WWE, and thus they should strive to create a difference between them from the “other company.”
It must be a positive difference, so they may appear more appealing to wrestling fans in contrast to WWE’s weekly soap operas.
As a child, I was taught that you should practice what you preach.
If that is the case, TNA should fire their image consultant right away for suggesting a blatantly clear slogan that promotes what the company should be doing.
Crossing the line doesn’t mean poking fun at the WWE all the time or referring to them as the other company.
If you really like to, then show the stones and address them by their name: WWE.
Crossing the line wouldn’t necessarily mean showcasing excessive violence on TV, and it definitely doesn’t mean quibbling about who should apologize to whom.
TNA is chock-full of potential; that is no joke. As far as in-ring competition is concerned, I applaud the roster for putting in so much effort and dedication to perfecting the fine art of wrestling.
When it comes to handling its superstars or for that matter, story lines that might affect aforementioned superstars, TNA has a lot to learn.
Let me provide you with a comment from our Co-Community Leader, Shane Howard:
“TNA fails to do what they said they are about. They claim they are an alternative but in reality, they look like WWE-lite. It's a damn shame they aren't trying to be alternative except for when they make up their gimmick matches.”
I believe this comment was right on the mark, it couldn’t have been put better.
Why does TNA fail to capitalize on their homegrown talent and instead cling to the stars who should be in the alumni section?
What are the current issues of TNA and how can they be resolved?
Let’s take a look, shall we?
The X-Division
It is the heart and soul of TNA, this division which was once the focus of the entire show, it was what made me a TNA fan and I was stunned to hear that such notable stars as Johnny Devine, Sonjay Dutt and Petey Williams were released.
In this area, I would have to say that TNA had created a successful alternative to WWE’s mid-card by providing wrestlers with agility and athleticism so much so that not only were they successful in high-flying spots, but their in-ring skill is also quite the spectacle to witness.
A three-way feud over the X-Division title between A.J. Styles, Samoa Joe, and Christopher Daniels would eventually see the three of these athletes in the main event scene, with both Samoa Joe and A.J. Styles holding the company's top titles.
Many of its current stars are part of the tag team division and now that the X-Division champion, Suicide, is involved in a feud with the likes of Lethal Consequences and the Motor City Machine Guns, it seems that the division will be getting a fair amount of coverage.
The Issues
The division is hell bent on using gimmick matches, and almost every title defense involves four competitors.
Whatever happened to a good old singles contest?
If there are four wrestlers in the ring, it is twice as hard to effectively showcase every single one of the competitors’ abilities and put them over with the fans as opposed to having two wrestlers giving their all in attempt to attain the division’s prized possession.
Currently, the only storyline involving the X-Division is the “Who is Suicide?” program. While having one storyline involving multiple stars promotes the idea of having everyone participate isn't necessarily a bad idea, it does leave a lot to be desired.
It is granted that time constraints are set in place, that is why I would suggest the company stop airing those ridiculous "Cross The Line" promos every other five minutes.
Instead, they should offer to have all the webographies of wrestlers exclusively on the company website in order to better utilize the remaining time and build compelling story lines that force the viewers to stay tuned.
That would prevent the regular channel surfing disease viewers are prone to catch whenever watching TNA or in this case any pro-wrestling broadcast.
Moving on…
Women’s Division: TNA Knockouts
When the Knockout division was started at Bound For Glory ’07, TNA acquired a lot of exceptional talent with both beauty and wrestling skill.
Most of these women had not only great in-ring talent but they had what the majority of the WWE Divas were and are still lacking, characters and personas.
When a superstar debuts on TV, his/her responsibility is to take their character and work with it in order to get themselves over with the crowd thus ensuring their employment as well as their future in the company.
While the fans embraced both Divas and Knockouts, it was the latter that must be commended on their effort to actually make their characters stick out of an ordinary crowd.
A great example of how TNA capitalized on this is The Beautiful People.
When Angel Williams and Talia Madison first debuted, they were generic pretty face baby face divas. But then TNA turned them heel and created possibly the most despised female tandem in wrestling today.
The Issues
After having done well in the past two years, things have drastically changed and for the worse.
TNA has turned Kong into a face without regard for her bloodthirsty ways, and have made The Beautiful People a bunch of dumb blondes whose stupidity knows no bounds.
I could understand why they turned Kong into a face, capitalizing on her increasing popularity would be a healthy source of income.
But true to her core, she is a monster who knows naught but destruction. It’s funny, now that I’ve said that I will be cheering the next time she gets in the ring simply because these people are here to see a TV-14 show and if they get what they want, why won’t they cheer?
A recent trend has emerged which consists of taking very talented and developed characters and shifting them around in personality (Kong to being a face, Roxxi to the "Hardcore" Knockout who swore all the time, ODB to being out there looking for a date through video submissions and then being held off TV)
If TNA’s Knockouts are to once again become the alternative to WWE’s divas, they would have to go back to the drawing board and approach feuds and characters involved in those feuds very carefully.
Engaging the fans is one of the essential ingredients of a successful feud, the others are in-ring competition and legitimate and logically sound story lines.
Although, there must be a variation of little to a lot of suspension of disbelief but never reaching to the extreme highs as that would just leave a bad taste in the mouth of the viewership.
Celebrity Involvement
This has not been stressed enough before by my fellow writers, but celebrity involvement in the world of wrestling must be kept to a minimum.
Although it may give TNA a little publicity, the focus of the show may be diverted in favor of these Hollywood stars and that would make for an unsatisfactory product overall.
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