TNA's Demise

I sit right now at my keyboard at a crossroads; I am not a fan of the 'sports entertainment' created by Vince McMahon and used to be a huge supporter of TNA wrestling because it was the biggest challenge to the WWE out there.  TNA seemed like the rebirth of real professional wrestling...at first.  At first TNA was full of young, talented, popular, and over talent that seemed to be a part of an up and coming promotion that could one day be great.  Triple X, America's Most Wanted, Amazing Red, A.J. Styles, Jerry Lynn, Ron Killings, and Abyss put on a great show week after week.  Later the likes of Petey Williams, Michael Shane, Kaz, and Samoa Joe came in and added to the spectacle and already awesome entertainment they produced at the Asylum.  As I watch tonight though, I can only wonder who is going to be Kayfabe Commentary's guest on the "How would you have saved TNA" edition of Guest Booker.

As time has gone on I see TNA dying, and has now reached the point where it deserves to be put down if someone doesn't step in immediately.  Right now as I type, it is 9:15 Central Time which is an hour and 15 minutes into the October 10th, 2010 TNA Impact.  So far there has been one wrestling match that was a female version of the Fingerpoke of Doom and lasted five seconds.  In other words in 71 minutes of this wrestling show, there has not been so much as a hammerlock.  It's been 75 minutes of commercials and old people talking; it may be called Total Nonstop Action, but right now there's been more action in the freaking Taco Bell commercials than in the main program.  And to make matters worse they finally just gave me a match 75 minutes in, and it was a 2 minute disqualification, then back to more people talking.

The X-Division has gone from top tier talent that made the show worth paying to watch every week to a filler belt more on par with the WWF light-heavyweight title in terms of importance.  The woman's division has gone from ODB, Awesome Kong, and Gail Kim to four blonds I can't tell apart and don't care about for the most part.  The tag team division still has (in my opinion) four good teams, but most of those teams have been around for a while and already wrestled each other several times so there is little new to see there.  Last is the TNA heavyweight title, which has a fair number of good wrestlers competing for it, almost all of which being WWE castoffs.  None of them can be called young up and comers.  Where are the 20 year olds who are the future of TNA?  Where are the guys who can wrestle for 45 minutes and keep the fans interested?  As far as I can tell it's all in the indy scene and Ring of Honor.

By the way, Impact just ended.  Right before the main event STARTED.  In the two hour TNA Impact broadcast, there was SIX FREAKING MINUTES of actual wrestling.  Total Nonstop Action my ass.

Anyway, to my main point.  We have some elections coming up next month in this country and it has inspired me to start campaigning.  Me for head of TNA booking.  My campaign slogan, "I can't do any worse."  Seriously they've got a whole heap and sh@tpile of GREAT talent but can't put on a half-decent show?  If I didn't know any better I would think that running a show that bad with talent that good has to be intentional, but no they are just almost impossibly stupid and incompetent.  It is enough to make me want to throw up looking at the wasted opportunities and failed chances.

Hernandez, one of the greatest wrestlers around today is inactive for no good reason.  Super Mex is being wasted so Abyss can spend three months building up the arrival "them".  And "They" turn out to be a crappy, half-assed, and recycled version of the nWo led by Hulk Hogan and Eric Bishoff, not exactly the future of wrestling.  10 years down the road all Hogan and Eric are capable of is promoting themselves, my how things haven't changed.  We had to lose Sonjay Dutt and Chistopher Daniels so we could get the Nasty Boys for a couple days.  Jeff Jarrett chased away Jerry Lynn because he kept having matches that were better than the main event.  Petey Williams and Homicide weren't used anymore and chased away because nobody could think of what to do with them.  Well, when you've got guys that talented and your writers don't know what to do with them, don't get new talent.  GET NEW WRITERS!!!!

As new GM of TNA I will make these pledges:

1. Renew the TNA X-Division and bring it back to weekly 'Holy sh*t' and 'this is awesome' chant-inspiring action it once was.
2. A five minute limit on cutting promos and a ban on opening shows with something other than actual wrestling.
3. Fire Vince Russo and Eric Bischoff.  Keep Hogan, Jarrett, Flair, Foley, and Nash out of the ring (for the most part) if not letting them go altogether.
4. I will work to occasionally find and build talent rather than constantly buy WWE's castaways and rob from the indies.
5. I will not promise 'big surprises' and 'big changes' until they are signed and sealed.  If you buy a TNA PPV under the promise of something big happening, something big WILL happen!
6. A minimum of 3/4 of air time will be devoted to actual wrestling in actual matches.
7. We will devote far more air time to developing the young guys to ensure that the company has a future rather than just keep using the same guys that ran WCW out of business ten years ago.
8. I will work to develop stories that make sense and are believable rather than the vague, cryptic, and ridiculous tripe we see from TNA today.
9. No "Fingerpoke of Doom" endings for titles, no whoring out to celebrities for publicity, and no having titles change hands on air just for a cheap ratings boost.
10. And most importantly, I am an actual wrestling fan and will not be a writer who happens to be working for a wrestling company.  Therefore I have a respect for professional wrestling fans and will do my best to promote professional wrestling.  If I fail I will admit I failed rather than blame you for my lack of success.

Well, that's my platform and I hope you like it.  I have no experience but hey, I CAN'T DO ANY WORSE.  If you like what I have to say let me know and more importantly pass this message along and go to TNA's website to tell Dixie Carter and TNA management that you want Russo and Bischoff out and Ryan Delaney in.  Be sure to give them my contact info if you are on my side: [e-mail]