The Push vs. the Job: Who 'Deserves' the TNA Mega-Push

In the very first edition of PvJ we discussed what it means for a given WWE Superstar to receive a "push," and possible reasons as to why a given superstar that has earned a push takes precedent over one we may feel deserves that same push.

Today I want us to take a look at TNA's product in a similar fashion.

The Push: A Company’s Business Model

As I've stated previously, the end product of a company’s labor will really determine the individuals that receive the push. Whatever a company specializes in will determine whether a wrestler rises to the top or sinks into mediocrity.

TNA has taken pride in distinguishing their product as something entirely different than what is offered by their competitors.

At one point in time TNA's slogan was "We Are Wrestling."

Regardless of how we personally feel about TNA's product, we must remember that the company envisions itself as a pro wrestling company. So, for the sake of this piece, we will acknowledge TNA's product as such.

From this point on, the men and women that are in-ring talent for TNA will be referred to as "wrestlers."

However, this moniker has created several huge problems for the eight-year-old company.

TNA is often seen as the number two wrestling promotion in the United States, trailing somewhat behind the standard-bearing WWE. Most fans and TNA employees would readily admit that TNA views the WWE as direct competition in the footrace for profits and adulation.

BUT, if the WWE views itself as a sports entertainment company and TNA views itself as a pro wrestling company, are they really in "competition" with one another?

The answer is no.

One can arrive at this answer by merely looking at the ratings each company brings in. The number of pro wrestling fans that tune in to TNA each and every week pales in comparison to the sports entertainment fans that religiously tune in to the WWE weekly shows.

Theoretically, TNA is not even going after the same fans attracted by the WWE's product. The wrestlers in TNA are not marketed to have the same appeal as the superstars of the WWE. They don't make the same media rounds, appear in the same television programs, and appeal to the same fans.

Having said this, it's almost delusional to believe that TNA could compete with the WWE because they're not even in the same "division," so to speak. 

But TNA's continued efforts as a pro wrestling company to compete with the WWE have brought about a noticeable change in their product.

The company's "We Are Wrestling" catchphrase disappeared quietly into the night as their product slowly began to take on a few of the undesirable aspects of sports entertainment.

From matches that "tell a story," to constant backstage promos and vignettes, and even with a lack of focus on two divisions—the Knockouts and X-Division—that were known for athleticism and innovative creativity, TNA has in many ways moved away from highlighting the pro wrestling side of their product.

In other words, the company has yet to really define itself. 

It envisions itself as a pro wrestling company and we respect it as a pro wrestling company, but its product reeks horribly of sports entertainment.

This lack of a well-defined identity has a tremendous effect on the wrestlers that have received or will receive the push.

TNA Wrestlers vs. Former Superstars

With the groundbreaking partnership of TNA with Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff came more ambiguously vague and undefined language to describe job descriptions, on-air roles, and TNA's product itself.

In whatever position he has with the company, it cannot be ignored that Eric Bischoff is more than likely responsible for the sudden surge of former superstars appearing inside of TNA's pro wrestling company.

It is a well known fact that Eric Bischoff has a penchant for hiring "stars" that have gained huge fan followings throughout their many years of wrestling. 

To Eric Bischoff wrestlers are not synonymous with the organizations they've worked for prior to joining TNA or any other company for that matter. These wrestlers transcend the institutions they work for and become household names capable of bringing certain levels of fans and attention to any given company upon their arrival.

That's all well and good.  But that's where the problem lies within TNA; wrestlers transcend the companies they've worked for (Kurt Angle, Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, etc...).  On the other hand, superstars (i.e. sports entertainers) are KNOWN for working for and in the sports entertainment industry.

Therefore, if your pro wrestling company hires a slew of superstars can it really be said your company's focus is on pro wrestling? 

This is one of the many reasons why several fans disagree with TNA's rampant hiring of future endeavored WWE Superstars.

The real truth behind this tactic is that it obviously hides the fact that the company has no real direction for its product or its talent. Until recently TNA fell victim to the same problem WCW encountered during its dying days.

Fans at that time became more enthralled with watching for the next WWE Superstar to jump ship rather than the actual in-ring product and its quality.

Back in April 2010 I was one of very few folks that lobbied for the then future endeavored Shelton Benjamin to steer clear of signing a TNA contract. A good number of fans gave the generic statement of saying that Benjamin "would be better utilized in TNA."

Five months later, an article by Matthew Hester points straight back to the issue I was trying to speak on.

The more time and money TNA spent on courting and hiring "stars" took away precious energy that could have been better utilized developing the company's homegrown talent and pushing them as the faces of their pro wrestling company.

TNA's inability to do this has essentially caused them to flip flop incessantly between individuals who deserve a push and have earned a push. With no definition and no real defined method of developing a wrestler and their persona, the door in TNA was opened to anything and everything.

More often than not the wrestlers that deserved a push in TNA were not the wrestlers that earned that push (Abyss).

Sometimes a wrestler that earned AND deserved a push were given one, only to have it unceremoniously dropped for no real apparent reason (Samoa Joe, Desmond Wolfe).

A case here and there popped up where a wrestler that earned AND deserved a push was given one for approximately one month, but was dropped in favor of a more important storyline or feud (Jay Lethal, Eric Young).

There were even a few occasions where wrestlers who had not earned OR deserved a push were given one under the guise of "pushing the younger talent," (The Band, Rob Terry, Orlando Jordan).

I can think of a handful of frustrating instances where wrestlers were given pushes for no real damn or explainable reason (Sting, Brian Kendrick, London Brawling).

These things happened because the company's business model has yet to really be defined. Without this definition, the "stars" that they hired stand at the forefront of the company's programming in order to attract new fans to the product.

However, the company's homegrown wrestlers become afterthoughts and accessories to the feuds and story lines involving the "stars."  In most instances these wrestlers are the only bright spots in the company's programming, but are essentially treated as stepping stones for the "stars" to take the center stage.

Hence the situation with Rob Van Dam's Championship reign in TNA.

A.J. Styles, arguably the most recognizable face of TNA, held the TNA World Heavyweight Championship for seven months before being defeated by Rob Van Dam.

From September 2009 until April 2010, Styles defeated the likes of Sting, Kurt Angle, Samoa Joe, Christopher Daniels, and others to retain his title. In that time TNA even paired him up with Ric Flair and turned him heel to develop his character.

By April 2010, Styles came into his own as a heel in his own right. His reign was a breath of fresh air amidst an era in mainstream pro wrestling where the belts changed as often as people change their underwear.

Six weeks into the company, after defeating Sting in a nine second match and having a few tag team victories, Rob Van Dam became the number one contender for Styles championship and defeated him to become the new TNA World Heavyweight Champion in the same night.

Where has Styles' character gone since then?

He's currently the TNA Television Champion, a title in which he promised to defend every single night on TNA Impact since capturing the gold in July of this year. 

It is now September, and he's only defended the title once since then.

Meanwhile, RVD has gone on to carry the company's top prize and successfully defended it against Styles, Desmond Wolfe, Sting, Jeff Hardy, Abyss, and others. 

The belt was stripped off of Van Dam after he sustained "severe injuries" from an attack by Abyss. That was on the August 19th edition of Impact.

If you haven't read the spoilers for the next two episodes of Impact, I won't reveal the harsh reality of the state of both Styles' and Van Dam's TNA careers at this point.

The point is, Rob Van Dam was given the push due to his status as a pro wrestling "star."  It can be said that Van Dam deserved to be given this push, but after six weeks of being in TNA, can it be really said that he earned that push?

Who did he defeat other than Sting and Jeff Hardy in order to be thrust into the spotlight so quickly? What other championships did he win in TNA by working his way up the ladder before defeating Styles soundly and clean in the middle of the ring?

Rob Van Dam was given his push because he attracts fans. He's a "star" and has even said that both he and Jeff Hardy have that particular appeal to fans. His work outside of the company warranted his run as the company's top dog.

On the other hand, apparently A.J. Styles doesn't. Even though he was getting over with the fans as a heel, is one hell of a wrestler, and rightfully earned AND deserved his championship push, A.J. Styles—in the eyes of those in charge at TNA—was not a "star."

That is the bottom line on why Van Dam's championship run in TNA is problematic; for a company that proudly boasts its credentials as a pro wrestling company, they certainly didn't have a problem with placing a superstar as the face of their company.

That isn't a dig at Van Dam's wrestling abilities, either. Think logically about the point I'm making. If "wrestling ability" is the focus of TNA's product and what intrinsically distances it from the WWE's product, then why was A.J. Styles reign dropped in favor of Rob Van Dam?

Again, Rob had not faced any opponents in TNA in one-on-one situations other than Jeff Hardy and Sting. In those six weeks, Van Dam didn't even face half the people Styles defeated to retain his championship.

Hell, I don't remember if Van Dam even faced A.J. Styles in that time.

But in one single solitary night, Van Dam not only defeated another "star" in Jeff Hardy, but also defeated Styles clean to win the company's top prize. Was that because Van Dam is a better wrestler than Styles or because he's a bigger star than Styles?

I can say this about Van Dam's push; it for damn sure wasn't because he earned it by defeating the best in TNA.

In the end, it's all about how the company views itself and what they're trying to get across with their product.

In closing, I'll leave you with Paul Allen's thoughts about the current state of Impact's creative direction. You can read the piece in full here at Gerweck.net.

"You know what’s more controversial? Taking the title off of someone immediately after an injury without having them looked at by a doctor or to determine if they are to mend. What makes the matter worse is that this champion was promoted as the new face of TNA.

"This champion beat not only a multi-time WWE champion in Jeff Hardy but also beat TNA’s “IT Guy” in reigning champion AJ Styles. To add to the issue no one got the benefit of this booking. RVD got over on two guys and no one benefited by him returning the favor.

"I am just as big of an RVD fan as anyone else but couldn’t they found something to protect RVD’s status and elevate another talent?"

I look forward to your rebuttals and comments. I also want to remind you that the piece about Sheamus is coming soon. I realize the irony of making these "big surprises coming soon" claims while talking about TNA, but I implore you to be patient. This one is taking me longer than I anticipated.

Class dismissed, you can now go and play.