Another TNA Knockout Knocked Out: What's Next for the Division?

Yesterday the public received word that Daffney was injured in a dark match on Impact. 

According to Dixie Carter via Twitter, the results seem to be relatively positive: "Daffney has been released from the hospital. She has a deeply bruised sternum & a severe stinger (temp spinal trauma) but no nerve damage."

There doesn't seem to be any time table for her return to TNA, but at least according to Dixie, zombie-hotness herself "will be okay." 

Today we have another update, again via Dixie Carter's Twitter page that TNA's other best knockout (at least in my humble opinion) has also been injured: "HATE these reports. Angelina Love suffered a partial bicep tear & complete ulnar collateral ligament tear at iMPACT taping. Out a few weeks."

I'm not a doctor, so I won't pretend to know how long a partial bicep tear and a complete ulner collateral ligament tear would keep someone out of ring action, but a few weeks?  That's it? 

Obviously, losing these incredibly talented ladies for even a short amount of time is a huge blow to TNA and a knockouts division that has had to endure the unfortunate loses of Awesome Kong, Traci Brooks, Alyssa Flash and Gail Kim in the not too distant past.

I don't mean to paint a picture where TNA is a victim in this situation. If anything, they're a victim of their own bad judgement. Before Hogan/Bischoff took over, the knockouts division was robust and consistently among the highest rated segments on each week's Impact. 

Fast forward a few months. The KO division is still the top rating draw, only the division has been cut in half. Take away Angelina Love and Daffney for even a short amount of time and you're left with Tara, Madison, Velvet, Lacey, ODB, Sarita, Hamda and Taylor. 

Of course, the latter three or four women are seen about as often as other TNA milk carton talents such as Shark Boy and Kiyoshi.

What if either (or worse, both) of these women had gone down with serious injuries for several months?  Call me crazy, but maybe it's not such a smart thing to marginalize the division that continues to lead in the ratings each week. 

I've said it before and I'll say it again:  The Knockouts division needs to expand to at least fifteen women. 

Create some real competition for the KO Championship belt as well as the tag titles, but more importantly, create a scenario where if one or more women go down with injuries there are still plenty of other ladies capable of filling in so the division (and presumably the ratings) won't miss a beat. 

Here's hoping that Hogan, Bischoff, Russo, Carter and anyone else with any real stroke in the company realizes this dilemma and starts the ball rolling on some quality female talent acquisitions. 

If not, TNA could very well find themselves with another missed opportunity to improve in the ratings (see Division, X).