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LAST NIGHT'S EDITION OF IMPACT SHOWS THAT TNA HAS A LOT OF HARD WORK AHEAD OF ITSELF

One of the best kept secrets among wrestling fans today is how strong TNA's three hour PPVs are. There are routinely at least 1-3 great matches on each show, in front of a hot crowd, and the shows have been well worth the $29.99 price tag for PPV. The last PPV featured one hell of a six man tag with Team 3D and Rhino brawling all over the place with America's Most Wanted and Jeff Jarrett quicker then you could chant ECW or think Memphis. There were a lot of fun matches on the show, including AJ Styles vs. Petey Williams and Abyss vs. Sabu among others. Christian Cage made his big debut with one hell of a promo. However, just two weeks later, there's no real buzz. The TNA product, while nowhere near stale, still feels like it's in a bubble, in secret from the average wrestling fan that might enjoy the alternative product.

TNA simply doesn't have enough time to get their product over to their current audience on Spike TV, much less garner interest from newfound viewers. In the current context of a one hour program, TNA is unable to get across how special their product can be, how credible their athletes are, and how important their matches will be. It was never more evident then it was watching last night's dizzyingly fast paced episode of TNA Impact, where you were forcefed a number of segments, but in the end, which really stood out?

Over the course of last night's episode, TNA needed to get over Sabu vs. Abyss in a barbed wire match, Samoa Joe vs. AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels' injury, Christian vs. Monty Brown, Christian gunning for the NWA title, 3 Live Kru's issues with Kip James, Rhino gunning for Jarrett, Zbyszko vs. Raven, the Turning Point PPV lineup, and the debut of Jackie Gayda, as well as present several wrestling matches, factoring in commercial breaks.

When the end of the hour was up, nothing was truly memorable in the mindset of their fans. There was nothing for fans to get emotionally attached to, and there wasn't even an opportunity for anything to get to that point in the fans' eyes. There simply is not enough time to anything to stick and catch the viewer's interest and bring them back next week. Before anything has a chance to seem interesting, TNA is off onto the next segment and storyline.

While Spike TV has pushed the idea on TNA that they want a fast paced, action packed hour every week, the promotion needs to dig in and explain to the network that by doing so, they are spinning their wheels in the mud and not building for the long-term future. If TNA doesn't present any of their storylines or characters as something truly special, the fans won't respond in kind. In Impact's current state, TNA doesn't even have time for a weekly segment where they run down the lineup of their next PPV. Things need to change.

Last night's Impact featured what could have been several memorable segments. AJ Styles vs. Chris Sabin was a very good match. The 3 Live Kru segment was more heated then one would expect with BG James and Konnan both doing a really good job on the mic. Christian's promo was decent. In the end though, what should have been major storyline points instead felt like a rushed tour of TNA.

The biggest causualty of this was the Rhino video feature, which looked to be great but was suddenly over before it began, far, far too soon. The segment on gave fans a chance to truly get inside Rhino's mind, but TNA rushed off to the next segment before it truly had a chance to register with the audience.

It's understandable that TNA is trying to get as many performers TV time and to get over as much as they can, but it's the law of diminishing returns. WWE has run the "Crash TV" concept into the ground and it's time for TNA to do something different.

The Rhino video feature is a good example of TNA having a chance to do something that differentiates themsleves from WWE. Even if TNA has only two minutes to dedicate to a similar feature because of how Spike TV wants the show formatted, then why not run two minutes every week over the course of a month on Rhino or one of the other performers? Create an ongoing series looking at Rhino's training for the title rematch against Jarrett and how upset he is about losing the belt after he won it. Look at the legacy of the belt. Build up the credibility of the challenger and champion by having other wrestlers giving their picks on the match. Have outside experts, like Mike Tenay, Don West, etc. give their thoughts on strategies that each wrestler has to put into their matches. Build up the credibility of the title and the wrestlers. WWE goes in the sports-entertainment direction, so run the other way as hard and as fast as you can. [Note: Since this article was posted, TNA's website announced there would be another Rhino profile on next week's episode.]

The current state of the show is also hurting the introduction of new characters. When TNA debuted on Spike, there was talk that Samoa Joe was going to be held off several weeks in order to do vignettes and features building to his debut so he made a larger impact. Beyond a video feature on Joe vs. Jushin Liger, I don't recall anything that made him feel like a bigger star when he debuted. Six weeks later, the promotion has it's biggest acquisition ever in Christian Cage and he's just another guy in the back being interviewed by Shane Douglas? That hardly gets across the idea that he's a special attraction that walked out of WWE to be with the edgier, cooler company. He's already treated as just another TNA wrestler, when it needs to be the exact opposite in order for his jump to mean something to the average fan.

Until the day comes when TNA is given a regular two hour timeslot, which is what they truly need in order to allow for deeper characterizations and longer matches that spotlight it's stars' athletic credentials, they have some hard decisions to make. By continuing on it's current track, Impact will feel like a processional of angles and matches with no rhyme or reason because TNA is trying to get over far too much all at the same time. For all the hard work that those in front of and behind the cameras do, it's all for naught if the promotion doesn't find certain things to focus on. While it's true TNA is only six or seven weeks into their run, the signs are already there that there is a lot of work still to be done for TNA to reach its potential.

In my opinion, for TNA to grow and garner a larger fan base, they need to settle down and focus inward. My advice to TNA would be to sit down and find three things that it needs to get across over the course of an hour and focus on those storylines and characters. The promotion already has a largely talented roster that can and will go all out when it's time for PPV. The trick is using Impact to get fans to that point. This will not be an easy process and there will be mistakes made as well as those who second guess any decisions, but for the long term good of the company, there has to be a feeling of "less is more" to help get more personas over.

TNA promotes itself as "Wrestling Reinvented", which is a tremendous tag line, but the promotion must truly reinvent the way they present Impact for their own long-term good.

Mike Johnson can be reached at Mike@PWInsider.com.

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