TNA Wrestling: Why Tournaments Are Exactly What the Promotion Needs

Hoping to end its New York City tapings on a high note and generate new buzz for the struggling product, TNA Wrestling inserted a major tournament into its program. The tourney was cleverly titled “Gold Rush.”

Looking to turn its fortunes around after weeks of lackluster television ratings, TNA may have struck gold with its latest tournament, which saw former world heavyweight and X-Division champion Austin Aries defeat Mike Knux, MVP, Tajiri, Mr. Anderson and Abyss. Unlike a typical wrestling tournament, which normally sees the winner become the No. 1 contender for a championship belt, TNA added a new twist.

That twist was that the winner of the NYC Gold Rush Tournament would get a title shot of his choosing. This means that Aries, who won the tournament on last week’s edition of Impact Wrestling, can compete for any championship belt of his liking.

For TNA, its Gold Rush Tournament may be the start of a new trend. Given its struggles with viewership and inability to gain momentum, the promotion is in need of an instant boost, and featuring tournaments such as the Gold Rush may create new interest in its product. Unlike most tournaments, which follow basic protocols such as the winner becoming the new No. 1 contender for a certain belt, TNA made the switch toward having the wrestler left standing to call the shots.

TNA Wrestling

Moving away from basic rules and creating different and exciting approaches for tournaments may be TNA’s golden key toward generating viewer interest. In a time where the promotion is clearly struggling to hold onto fans and become an attractive alternative against the WWE, tournaments like the Gold Rush could be vital to the company’s lifeline.

Wrestling fans have been seeking new choices for years since the fall of WCW in 2001. TNA can certainly capitalize by designing exciting, high-paced, unpredictable tournaments with the winner calling all the shots, keeping each champion on his or her feet. For TNA, the Gold Rush Tournament should be the foundation of future programming ideas to help elevate the brand and help provide a true alternative for wrestling fans.