TNA is Cleaning House: Could the Latest Shake-Ups Improve Its Product?

Rumors always run rampant through the Internet wrestling community, and fans have not been at a loss for discussion topics since reports broke that TNA founder Jeff Jarrett was allegedly shacking up with Karen Angle.

At first, no one knew what to think or—in the spirit of TNA's willingness to exploit such emotional topics as the death of Jarrett's wife—what to believe.

Was this all part of a big storyline leading to yet another feud between Jarrett and Karen's ex-husband, Olympic gold medalist and current TNA World Heavyweight Champion Kurt Angle.

Or was this a situation of reality being stranger than fiction? After all, TNA had only months ago finished a storyline in which A.J. Styles was having an affair with Karen, at the time still married to Kurt.

The truth of the matter remains to be seen, as neither Jarrett nor Karen Angle have come out publicly to address the issue.

But within the confines of TNA headquarters, changes are being made that seem to add a sense of validity to the claims and allegations being tossed around.

According to reports on various pro wrestling news sites, those TNA employees with close ties to Jarrett are being removed from their positions and Angle, whose contract is set to expire this fall, is demanding more of a role in the backstage dealings of the televised product.

Creative team member Dutch Mantel, who has been with TNA since its beginnings in 2002, and agent Savio Vega, both close friends of Jarrett, have been released from the company.

Reports also speculate that other close friends of Jarrett—including B.G. James, referee Slick Johnson and even Jim Cornette—are also worried about the stability of their roles in the company.

James, who wrestled in the WWE as Jesse James of D-X fame, left his role as an active wrestler earlier this year to focus on backstage efforts. Johnson continues to serve as a referee, and Cornette has been oddly absent from television for quite a while.

Rumors have also surfaced there may be some changes to the commentary table coming soon. Don West and Mike Tenay have been with the company since its foundation.

Right now, everyone seems focused on trying to figure out what exactly is going on, which is most definitely an important step in forming a legitimate game plan, but it also never hurts to look forward to the future.

The question many seem to be overlooking at present is what impact these changes may have on the overall product in TNA.

One doesn't have to look far to find someone with an opinion that the company has grown stale and lame or that it has sunk deep to the depths of the sea of professional wrestling, floating only slightly above the lost-forever World Championship Wrestling.

A change of scenery might not be all that bad in TNA right now.

As stated before, many of the people who are believed to be affected by these changes have been with the company since its beginning. While this gives them an unrivaled sense of familiarity with the product, it also creates a perceived sense of burnout.

Could it possibly be that these guys have gotten burned out or run out of their own ideas? Could they be reaching into a bag of magic tricks only to find out fellow creative team member Vince Russo replaced all their cards with options from his playbook?

New faces will hopefully mean new ideas and a new direction for TNA. The creative team has needed to be shaken up for a while, and a full-fledged replacement of nearly the whole team could be the solution.

If it takes new writers six months to really get into the swing of things before they begin to turn things around, that's still a better option for the fans than experiencing six months of the same drivel that's falling off Ted Turner's dinner table onto the board room table in Nashville.

As for Angle, as long as he doesn't develop a self-serving mindset, it wouldn't be a bad idea to bring him into the creative process. He's no stranger to the business and likely has several ideas that could help elevate TNA to the next level.

No one would want to see Angle consistently winning the world title or holding every title in TNA (again), but if he's willing to truly help build and put over the stars of tomorrow like James Storm, Robert Roode, and Matt Morgan, let him have a shot.

All Jarrett's stroke has given us has been continuous pushes of men past their primes capturing gold they have no business holding, while simulataneously destroying the credibility of his own homegrown stars.

In regard to the announce team, again, one would be hard pressed to find anyone opposed to change.

Don West has become a thorn in many people's sides, and TNA currently has at least three guys who could play the role of color commentator much better and more proficiently.

TNA should adopt a three-man announce team, comprised of any combination of Mike Tenay, Mick Foley, Kevin Nash, and Taz. Tenay should stay involved, as he is quite proficient as a play-by-play announcer, and any of the others would fit in nicely.

Two of the others could even be used as heel and face commentators, while Tenay remained neutral, focusing on the in-ring action rather than the storyline antics.

In conclusion, it's always unfortunate to see anyone lose their job. But men with the resumes and stature of Mantel and Vega should easily be able to find work somewhere.

But these changes may end up being for the best in terms of producing a creative, fresh product for both the wrestlers and the fans to enjoy.

Here's to hoping things begin to turn around in TNA. It would be nice to do it without any more job loss, but in order for that to happen, each employee in the company needs to be prepared to step it up, give 100 percent, and prove their worthy to be employed there.

Source for rumors and reports: tnawrestlingnews.com