Tuesdays at TNA: How Can the ECW Pay-Per-View Benefit TNA's Future?

Ever since Tommy Dreamer went on Impact and delivered his "I hate Vince for screwing ECW" promo on Thursday (despite getting paid there for nine years when Vince could have just let him rot), I've heard all kinds of complaints:

It's another poor attempt by TNA to capitalize on nostalgia.

This is the fifth attempt to say goodbye to ECW—remember One Night Stand? Why do this again?

Why are they doing this without Paul Heyman? Epic fail!

What about the young stars of TNA, who are once again getting buried? I can hear Helen Lovejoy now: "Will someone pleeeeeeze think of the children?"

My initial reaction when TNA President Dixie Carter stated that this pay-per-view would have nothing to do with TNA was that of sadness.

As I started to save my money for the eventual "Rise and Fall of TNA" DVD, I read this very insightful article from former ECW alumnus Lance Storm about the ECW/TNA angle (who by the way, which you can read here):

http://www.stormwrestling.com/072610.html

From the website "If they completely remove the TNA roster from the PPV it can be sold as a reunion show and over the next few weeks of television they can just promote the guys who will be appearing on the show and start hinting at the fact the TNA guys are upset with Dixie of bringing these guys in and giving their PPV spots to them.

With this established it opens the door for the TNA guys to Invade the ECW show, and restart the conflict that had everyone excited four weeks previously when they first thought there was going to be an ECW Invasion.

This gets TNA right back where they started but with two very important added benefits.

They got the one extra PPV bump (assumingly) out of the reunion show, and now with the TNA guys being the “Invaders,” the guys who attacked ECW they come off as the cooler, anti-establishment guys.

The young TNA guys are going against Dixie Carter’s wishes trying to take back their own show."

After reading that article, all I have to say is: I completely agree with Storm. Not only because he's one of the greatest wrestlers alive, but he seems to have such an objective knowledge of what works and what doesn't. 

I think TNA has been trying to find a way to justify bringing in these well known veterans such as Hulk Hogan, Sting, Kurt Angle, and now the ECW alumni.

It's to alert the casual fan of their product (although better marketing would also do that), and to elevate their younger stars to the point where the casual fan will stick around to watch them. 

By making the TNA guys go up against the upper management for ruining their chances at a pay-per-view payday, it could make them look as if they are serious about making their name known. 

It would get the IWC fans on their side and force TNA to place guys like AJ Styles and Samoa Joe in the main event where they belong. 

For those who don't think that TNA's younger stars aren't getting over, just go back to the Samoa Joe-Jeff Hardy match from last week.

The IWC was salivating over a potential feud between these two, and I don't even need to get into the awesomeness that is Beer Money-MCMGs, the best tag team feud since the late 80s. 

Think about this: say that TNA decided to keep this feud stretching into September, when they go up to the Hammerstein Ballroom.

Having the ECW alumni and today's stars of TNA battling in the Northeast is the perfect way to extend their brand into that market.

Bottom line is that TNA can benefit from this if they do what Storm suggested. Besides, if nothing else it can lead to the return of the Saskatchewan Hardcore International Title!