TNA Impact! Wresting: Viewership Doesn't Crack Top 100 List Thursday Night

If there is one thing that is not going well for TNA president Dixie Carter's "Dixieland," it would be the lack of viewers watching the show.

TNA Impact! Wrestling, which aired its first show of the new year this past Thursday night, did not get off in the right track in 2014. Instead of celebrating the new year, the dust was being collected on the champagne bottles.

The Thursday, January 2 edition of Impact! Wrestling failed to land a spot on the top 100 cable television shows list that evening, per TV By the Numbers. Failing to make the list, which tracks the top 100 shows of the evening ranked among adults 18-49, is certainly not a good sign for TNA to kick off the new year. 

Furthermore, Impact! Wrestling received no favors Thursday night, as ESPN's Sugar Bowl college football game scored 16.339 million viewers, easily landing the No. 1 spot on cable television. Coming in a lone second was History's Channel Pawn Stars with just 4.03 million viewers.

A Further Analysis

Not being able to crack the top-100 list could put a dent in the new year's celebration for TNA. Even with AJ Styles returning to the show and hyping a World Heavyweight title match, Impact! Wrestling was simply no match for the rough competition on Thursday night.

Hopefully this kind of result will light a fire under TNA, which struggled throughout 2013 with declining viewership numbers and poor attendance. Although many consider the departures of Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff as a positive step forward, TNA will likely have to suffer in the early stages as it rebuilds its image and product.

By rebuilding these areas displayed on television, the future could be bright with a roster filled with young, fresh talent looking to make their mark in professional wrestling. For the past few years, TNA focused on an older generation of stars who were simply past their time but were well known in the industry.

With 2014 in full swing, TNA is doing the complete opposite, building a company once again from the ground up.