TNA ReACTION: TNA's Newest Mistake

With the inception of TNA’s new show ReACTION premiering on June 24, it’s now become even more obvious that Eric Bischoff and Jason Hervey had a bigger agenda than that of improving TNA as a product when they signed contracts with Spike TV on Oct. 26, 2009.

If they were truly in TNA to benefit TNA, there would be some differences in programming rather than dishing out dog crap just to collect a paycheck.

Eric Bischoff and Jason Hervey signed on to TNA to basically use it as an experiment from what I can tell. Hell, if it’s not their company, who really gives a damn if it goes under in the process of their experiments?

You may have noticed the odd camera views and subtitles in the backstage segments on TNA the past couple months. TNA is using a 7-D camera for "Hervey-Cam" backstage segments running on iMPACT!. Jason Hervey of The Wonder Years fame directs them and uses his own camera crew.

With these new camera angles came the idea of a show called TNA ReACTION, which is nothing but these backstage segments, but for an entire hour. These segments make up the show, which I assume is meant to buff up the following iMPACT! as it is aired in the time slot right before.

While TNA ReACTION is a neat concept, I think TNA has more important issues to worry about then to buff up their already lacking storylines.

TNA ReACTION, as compared to WWE programming, would seem to be like the now defunct WWE Confidential from back in the day, which means it should be a Saturday night 11pm time slot sort of show that comes as a last resort for TNA, or just a way to get their product spread out more.

There are a few main concerns I have with TNA ReACTION.

The first concern is that while these new camera angles are cool and interesting, it also shows the effects of editing. While watching iMPACT! every Thursday, I don’t want to be reminded of the fact that it was taped either four days ago or 11 days ago every time I see a backstage segment. The camera angles depreciate the idea of a live broadcast.

Secondly, while I see these commercials for TNA ReACTION, I find myself thinking, “What a waste of an hour.” Adding an hour on a night when TNA’s only competition is WWE Superstars (which is already behind iMPACT! in ratings) will not do a thing for ratings.

You are buffing up story lines that many people are becoming bored and tired with, hence the poor ratings that have not changed a bit since the Hogan era. At least put TNA ReACTION on a different night, maybe Wednesday at 10pm or Saturday night at 11pm.

Lastly, when you think about TNA ReACTION as a TNA program, you should come to the realization that TNA has been given a third hour of programming each week...an hour of which they are simply throwing away by using this concept. If Eric Bischoff and Jason Hervey weren’t in TNA to only benefit their pocketbooks, then they would have realized this too.

This third hour of TNA programming could be pivotal for what TNA can achieve. This third hour could be the extra airtime TNA needs to give the originals the recognition they deserve but have been lacking since Hogan brought in the likes of every WCW has-been or WWE flunky. This third hour could be what reinvents wrestling.

But as for now, this third hour will be something that nobody really wants to watch but is going to because it’s on before iMPACT! For now, this third hour will be an extra thousand dollars for Eric Bischoff and Jason Hervey. For now, this third hour will get no ReACTION from TNA diehards who are yet again disappointed.