Top 11 Things TNA Can Do To Force Itself Into the Spotlight

In the over nine years since TNA Wrestling first hit the scene, the brain trust of the company have made several moves in an attempt to grow the company.

They have moved time slots and brought in several big name talents.  They've even added a castoff or two from the television series "Survivor."

Obviously, some of these moves have been more successful than others.

While TNA Wrestling has grown significantly over the past nine years, they have struggled to get over the proverbial hump and evolve past their image of a second-tier company behind World Wrestling Entertainment.

The question has always been, what can TNA do to get over that hump?  How can TNA Wrestling force their way into the spotlight at a time when pro wrestling itself is down in popularity?

Well, not that Dixie, Janice or Bob Carter asked my opinion, but here are 11 things (in no particular order) that I think would help TNA take that step.

1. Decide Who Their Audience Is and How Best To Attract Them

When TNA got their start, doing weekly pay-per-views at the Nashville Fairgrounds, they developed a product that cultivated a strong and passionate following with a focus on the younger talent via the X Division and tag team division.

As the product has changed, so has that fanbase.

With a focus on names that gained their fame in the wrestling business in other promotions and, in some cases, different decades, the TNA fanbase has drawn more fans of those talents at the cost of the fans who enjoyed the focus on the younger talent.

People within TNA, such as executive producer Eric Bischoff, have said in interviews that the audience TNA is trying to attract is the audience that their TV network Spike TV was trying to attract—18-34 and 18-49-year-old males.

If that is still true (granted Spike has recently announced they are now looking to re-brand and add 18-34 and 18-49 females to their target demographic), then TNA really needs to take a look at how to attract that audience.

According to Media Life Magazine, the top five cable networks for 18-49-year-olds are ESPN, USA, FX, The History Channel and MTV.  The top five broadcast network shows were all NFL-related.

You look at those networks and shows and what they have in common is intelligent programs with easy to follow and entertaining storylines such as FX's "Sons of Anarchy," USA's "Burn Notice" or sports programs like the NFL, where it's all about having someone to root for and to root against.

These are elements you can definitely say are lacking in the current TNA product. 

2. Improve and Expand Its Relationship with Spike

In the seven years since Impact debuted on the network, TNA's relationship with Spike TV has been solid, if not spectacular.

Impact has grown from a one-hour show on Saturday nights to a two-hour show in prime time on Thursdays.  However, it was no secret that the pride and joy of the network was their deal with the Mixed Martial Arts promotion, Ultimate Fighting Championship.

That has come to an end as UFC has taken most of their programming (one year of the Ultimate Fighter reality show as well as UFC Unleashed through 2012 remains) to the FOX network.

This opens up an opportunity for TNA that they must take advantage of.

While the relationship between TNA and Spike is showing more signs of growth since UFC's announcement—such as Spike TV contributing to taking Impact tapings on the road like this week's in Knoxville, TN.—it needs to grow even more.

Cross-promotion with some of Spike's other brands would help TNA get their name out as well as their talent.

There have been rumors of Bellator Fighting Championships coming to Spike and Bellator fighters have appeared on Impact.  It would give TNA wrestlers extra credibility if that was reciprocated with athletes like Matt Morgan, Kurt Angle and Samoa Joe in the booth at Bellator events. 

I can't see why we haven't seen noted gamers like AJ Styles and Kazarian on Gametrailers TV, an intimidating figure like Samoa Joe on Repo Games,  guys with military backgrounds like Gunner and Crimson on Deadliest Warrior, James Storm enjoying the adult beverages on Three Sheets or Bar Rescue or the Knockouts on Blue Mountain State.

3. Find Their John Cena

It doesn't benefit TNA to emulate their competition in World Wrestling Entertainment, but there is one thing WWE, as well as most sports and entertainment franchises, do that TNA needs to catch up with:

Establish their franchise player.

No matter the success of a CM Punk, Randy Orton, Sin Cara or a Rey Mysterio, there is no doubt that John Cena is the franchise and face of WWE.

The person who fills that role in TNA is far less clear.

Is it Hulk Hogan?  Sting? AJ Styles?  Kurt Angle? Mr. Anderson? Jeff Hardy?  Rob Van Dam?

It seems like the company has run with several different guys but have never gotten fully behind any of them.

Going into Bound for Glory, the company's biggest show of the year, Sting, a man with only a couple of years left in the ring tops, has been positioned as the top babyface with Bobby Roode (who will battle for the World Heavyweight Title at the show) and Crimson getting moderate pushes as well.

TNA needs to look at WWE and who is going to be that guy who, like Cena, you want representing the company on talk shows and other events.  Who is the guy you want people to think of when they think TNA or Impact Wrestling?

In 2010, Jeff Hardy was one of the most popular wrestlers in the world—trailing only Cena and Edge in Google searches among pro wrestlers.  His jump to TNA was a huge coup for the company and many felt he would be that guy.

Unfortunately, his demons and issues with the law have removed that option.

Matt Morgan has the look of a franchise guy and is someone Hulk Hogan has mentioned as possibly being that guy.  Unfortunately, he's never gotten that big push.

Mr. Anderson, at one time, was the hottest guy in the company but has faded in recent months with a number of face and heel turns.

AJ Styles has always had the look and impressive in-ring skills to be a draw with both women and young kids like Cena.  His mediocre microphone skills have always been held against him though.

Bobby Roode seems to be the guy the company is considering now.  We'll see how long they stick with it.

Whoever it is, TNA must get fully behind them and stay behind him.  Not even Cena became the franchise in a few months.

4. Show Consistency

Remember this guy?

That is Desmond Wolfe who, after two critically-acclaimed matches with Kurt Angle in November and December of 2009, was one of the hottest acts in the company.

He was then put in less stellar feuds with wrestlers like Abyss and put in a short-term tag team with Magnus before being released in June.

In TNA's defense, Wolfe's health issues were a key factor in him leaving the company, but he is far from the only victim of a long-standing TNA tradition of pushing a talent and then giving up on them.

Guys like Jay Lethal and Orlando Jordan were once mentioned as future superstars by TNA executives like Eric Bischoff only to no longer be with the company.

Then, there are the angles/storylines.

Head of Creative Vince Russo has long been known as a guy who comes up with good ideas to start angles, but struggles when it comes to formulating an endgame.

Samoa Joe being kidnapped by masked men and sending a video of him being captured, only to come back to Impact a few weeks later and wrestle a match with no mention of what happened, is just one example.

The battle between Fortune and Immortal, that was once a key feud, has faded without really having a resolution.

I'm not going to bother with the "Fire Russo" chants, as I do feel there are areas he can be beneficial in (such as promo writing), but the company seems to be lacking consistency and long-term thinking.

In Russo's defense, he's been writing a two-hour television show as well as monthly PPVs for years.  It is more than understandable if he is burned out.

However, if he is, the time to bring in fresh blood and ideas to give him a break may be now.

5. Resist the Urge to Continue to Force Square Pegs in Round Holes

AJ Styles is one of the best professional wrestlers in the world.  He can fly with cruiserweights or brawl with a guy like Bully Ray.

One thing he can't be is Ric Flair.

However, that is what TNA had him attempt to be for months, starting at the beginning of 2010, before eventually splitting him off from Flair.

One thing TNA management has struggled with is accepting the strengths and weakness of some of their talent.  The company has a number of talented in-ring wrestlers who may not have that same level of talent on the microphone—as well as talent that has great skills on the mic and limited skills in the ring.

Hulk Hogan has referred (both in interviews and on the TNA DVD Immortal Forever?) to some of the TNA talent as the "5-star match wrestlers."  He has said those wrestlers don't see the "big picture"— which can be inferred to mean having microphone skills as entertaining as their matches.

Unfortunately, not everyone is going to be able to talk butts into the seats.  So why not leave that to those that do and let the in-ring guys make sure that those butts in the seats leave with their money's worth?

Guys like Sting, Mr. Anderson, Flair, Hogan, Eric Bischoff, the Pope D'Angelo Dinero and Bully Ray give TNA an ample supply of guys that can handle the talking.  Let them.

Meanwhile, let the talented wrestlers get the most minutes for their matches and let them do what they do best. 

You get the best of both worlds and, hopefully, the best of the wallets of two different wrestling fan demographics—the entertainment fans and the fans that love the in-ring action.

6. Continue to Build Their House Show Market

One of TNAs biggest strengths are their house shows.

Without being saddled by questionable booking or long drawn-out promos, the talent are allowed to do what they do best, wrestle, and the fans leave happy.

Stop me if any of that sounded familiar.

The house shows are also bolstered by TNA sales guru Don West, who has developed a reputation of being able to sell TNA-branded ice to the proverbial Eskimo.  This, of course, means even more money made at house shows via merchandise sales.

Being that the house shows are such a potential goldmine, one wonders why TNA doesn't do more to promote them.

Upcoming house shows get a passing graphic on episodes of Impact and don't get much more locally where the shows are held.

This has improved somewhat with TNA's new business relationship with Direct Auto Insurance, who hold meet and greets with TNA talent at Direct Auto locations the day of, or leading up to, an event.

However, most shows don't get much publicity.

Why not have meet and greets the day tickets go on sale to increase advanced interest?

TNA could also take a page from the books of older promotions and do a better job of promoting the upcoming house shows on television.

During promos, why not have wrestlers say that they are coming to a town to continue their current feud?  Just the mention by some wrestlers of upcoming shows can do a lot.

Also, I feel house shows have never gotten the perks they should.  The occasional angle development or title change at a house show will send a message that you shouldn't miss the shows and should come out.  

7. Take Impact on the Road or Decide How to Get the Impact Zone Crowd to Care

Anyone that has watched recent episodes of Impact, or a PPV, have seen the difference between shows held in the long-time home of TNA, the Impact Zone at Universal Studios in Orlando and on the road for recent shows in Huntsville, AL.

The shows at the Impact Zone seem to be a case where there is a wrestling show and a funeral broke out.  Any reactions by the fans at all have been few and far between.

Meanwhile, the recent tapings in Huntsville were full of energy and a live crowd that really brought a greater appeal to the show.

If a promotion wants to be taken seriously by fans, they have to be seen as a product that gets fans excited.  Excitement is something you see less and less from the fans at the Impact Zone.

The preferable solution to this is to take Impact on the road full time.  Whether or not TNA can afford to do this, even with assistance from Spike TV, is debatable.

If going on the road full time isn't an option, TNA must get the fans in the Impact Zone to care again.

That's a group of fans, and tourists, that have seen wins, losses, titles and specialty matches all become meaningless.

It's not something that can be done in one set of tapings, but all of that has to change. 

A good start would be pairing your best wrestlers together in some terrific matches.  Making title matches and title reigns more rare and special would also help.

It would be a gradual process but the rewards would be worth it. 

For years, the Impact Zone crowd was hot.  It can be again.

8. Embrace Your Strengths

Robert Roode and James Storm exemplify tag team wrestling.  Not only have they shined as a unit in feuds with other top tag teams such as Team 3D, the Latin American Exchange and the British Invasion, but they were also parts of two other top tag teams, Team Canada and America's Most Wanted.  Those teams had great feuds with teams like Triple X, 3 Live Kru and AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels.

All of these feuds have taken place in TNA.

Tag team wrestling has proven to be a strength of TNA, as has their X Division.  However, in recent years, those strengths have not been as large a focus as they once had been.

The tag team division now consists of tag champions Mexican America who have feuded with a makeshift team of The Pope D'Angelo Dinero and Devon and recently undercard team Ink Inc..

The X-Division, long known for high flyers and skilled in-ring talent, has suffered due to a confusing reign by 6'8", 350-pound hardcore wrestler Abyss.  The division has developed some focus in recent months with the addition of the highly talented Austin Aries, a 225-pound weight limit and a bunch of new (albeit young and green) talent.

However, the division comes off like the opening match/curtain-jerker group.

At one time, the X Division showed the ability to main event a PPV—resulting in the Samoa Joe/AJ Styles/Christopher Daniels X-Division title match that is still considered one of, if not the, greatest match in the company's history.

The tag team division also was the main event at a PPV when America's Most Wanted and Triple X battled in a steel cage which featured the infamous Elix Skipper cage walk that is still shown today.

While the focus has diminished from the X Division, the competition has introduced Sin Cara, who has become a huge merchandise seller.

Sin Cara, who is a X Division-style wrestler, was formerly known as Mistico and worked for the CMLL promotion in Mexico.  TNA once had a strong relationship with CMLL—even having some of their talent appear on the company's World X Cup event.

One has to wonder, if TNA had continued to focus strongly on the X Division, if Mistico wouldn't be selling those masks for TNA right now.

WWE now is rumored to be looking to improve their tag team division.  TNA needs to build on their strength, before WWE makes it theirs. 

9. Hold Talent to a Higher Standard

There's no need to go too deep into this topic.

If you want more than you ever want to know on this subject just read what I previously wrote about it here:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/854809-tna-wrestling-continues-to-build-up-their-resume-of-neglect

TNA needs to hold their talent, both on screen and behind-the-scenes personnel, to a higher standard.  Consequences must exist when you aren't giving 100 percent.

That's how successful businesses remain successful.

10. Don't Get Caught Up in the Internet and Social Media

TNA has made great strides when it has come to using Twitter, Facebook and other social media.  However, you have to take into account that not everyone uses those sites—at least not for their wrestling information.

The company seems to use Facebook and Twitter to do everything from advertising their meet and greets to being a big part of getting the word out about their ticket sales for their live events and announcing their latest merchandise.

TNA needs to realize they have a 2-hour infomercial that reaches millions of people every week in Impact.

That needs to be your main resource to get news.  Twitter, Facebook and the TNA official website are preaching to the converted.  Those are your fans that already know what's going on and are already buying.

Impact is what people that are just casual wrestling fans will watch and may get hooked on a product and need to know if a show or meet and greet is coming to their town.  It is where fans could see a wrestler wearing merchandise that they'd like to wear themselves.

That's when you direct them to TNAwrestling.com. Hopefully, you produce a shirt or a piece of merchandise that sets a trend.

11. Focus Harder on Establishing an Identity

Not to bring up the competition in WWE, but what do you think of when you hear the terms Hell in a Cell, Wrestlemania, Money in the Bank or Royal Rumble?

You think of World Wrestling Entertainment.

TNA has struggled to come up with things that are unique to TNA.  They do have the Ultimate X match, the all-cage PPV of Lockdown, the X Division (see #8 on this list) and...well that's about it.

Their biggest PPVs, Slammiversary and Bound for Glory, don't really grab people—some even debated until recent years (when Slammiversary returned to being held in Orlando) which was the biggest PPV.

Ultimate X has suffered from over use.  You see Money in the Bank once a year, the same for Hell in a Cell.  That's why they are considered a far bigger deal.

TNA attempted to add a unique product to their resume recently with the Bound for Glory series.  While there were some issues with it, that is something with potential that they should consider bringing back next year.

The King of the Mountain match seems to have been abandoned, but it would benefit them to develop a new match type for the PPV which would put the show on the level of Lockdown and Bound for Glory.

TNA needs to stand out.  It is their only way to get into the spotlight and no longer be seen as second-tier promotion that wants to be the WWE when it grows up.