PWInsider - WWE News, Wrestling News, WWE

THE FINAL COUNTDOWN IS ON: LOOKING AT TNA AS THEY MOVE TO TWO HOURS, THE INTERNAL MOVE THAT NEEDS TO BE MADE AND MUCH MORE

This Thursday marks the most important date in the history of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.  It's a statement that has been made before by and about the promotion - for their debut on PPV, the signing of Kurt Angle, the move to national television and now, finally the capture of the elusive golden carrot that is a two hour national primetime series.  

Everyone who has followed TNA or has cared to read about the promotion for the last several years all knows the story of this promotion by heart.  The talent roster is second to none but the creative aspect has been one that, for the most part, has frustrated performers and viewers alike.  Every time the promotion would seem to take a step forward, something else would happen that seemingly sent them back a step or two.  Big names would be signed but after a few months, nothing seemed to change in terms of their momentum and even the momentum of the company itself.  TNA's imminent death was predicted more often than not.

One of the major reasons given for this was that the promotion simply didn't have enough time to properly promote their talents, have quality wrestling matches and produce video features and personality profiles to create deeper, more meaningful performers in and outside the ring.  It was a fair excuse.  

I can't even begin to count the number of times that the promotion seemed to be on the road to something special only to quickly cut away and go to another segment.  If it was enough to make me tear my hair out, I could only wonder what the average person at home was sometimes wondering while watching this high speed, dizzying TV show.

As of this Thursday, however, all excuses and reasons, no matter how well reasoned or logical, are no longer allowable.

TNA now has two hours in primetime on a weeknight on a network that is obviously behind them and wanting to see the company grow and become a second pillar to their programming behind the UFC brand.  TNA has a roster of talents second to none.   They have talented names that have been developed nationally in their own promotion (Samoa Joe, Abyss, AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, Robert Roode).  They have national headliners (Sting, Scott Steiner, Kurt Angle) who while they (arguably) have seen their best days already pass, they can still provide quality entertainment and good matches if presented in the right light.   TNA has former national names (Team 3D, Christian Cage, Raven) that have proven they can draw money on top in the right scenario and can help make more new stars without hurting their own momentum.  They have top flight in-ring performers (Motorcity Machine Guns, LAX, Senshi, The X-Division and a host of other underutilized performers that everyone reading this could name off the top of their head) who their audience wants, more than anything else, to see break out and cut loose with kickass matches.    TNA has former national names (Tomko, Matt Morgan, Christy Hemme, Rhino) that have/had potential and yet still haven't been given a chance to fulfill it. They have the best talker in the entire history of professional wrestling, Jim Cornette, in a role that completely devalues him (and for the love of God, please someone make him the Machineguns manager!) but there's always potential for that to change in the future and give the best manager of all time a chance to have a kickass final national run.

Seriously, what company wouldn't kill for 95% of the current TNA roster?

TNA also has a most interesting and entertaining x-factor in an audience in Florida that wants to cheer and scream and have as much fun as their free ticket will allow because in the case of many of those fans, they deep down believe in the company with all their hearts.  With the exception of the ECW Arena or the Hammerstein Ballroom, I have never seen a more electric gathering of fans in one venue, ever, including most Wrestlemanias.

The biggest question for the promotion has been (and will always be, as long as Vince Russo is there in any way, shape or form, since the most vocal fans will always scapegoat him) the creative process.  While TNA's PPVs have been, for the most part, entertaining at times, Impact has traditionally been a weekly series populated by a litany of run-ins and interferences (see any episode), over the top sports-entertainment angles (most recently seen with the Karen and Kurt vs. Sting story or Abyss vs. Judas in scenarios popularized during Undertaker's WWF run), and matches that look great on paper that would fulfill that potential if held anywhere but inside a TNA TV taping at the Impact Zone because they would either end up with a match too short to stand out or presented in a way that leads to the mid-card performers looking secondary to older, already exposed names.  To be blunt, the viewers, the performers and the management of the company deserve better.

For some fans (and even some wrestlers), the presentation of Impact is enough to make them want to kick their televisions because logic is often ejected in favor of force-feeding as many segments and performers as possible into an hour.   While the second hour will be a welcome change and one that has fans hopeful, it has to be met with changes in the TNA creative philosophy.  There needs to be a move to for stronger, more logical booking.  There need to be feuds between wrestlers who the audience want to buy really want to kill each other out of sheer hatred, something the promotion touched upon during the Samoa Joe vs. Scott Steiner feud.  There needs to be a presentation of the undercard wrestlers as up and coming stars (such as Joe, AJ and Daniels were in 2005) as opposed to comedic afterthoughts that get wrecked by the top names every time they come into contact with them.  

The crutch of run-ins and interference and ref bumps and DQs need to stop.  It's been seen and done to death in TNA and elsewhere.  On the same network, MMA fighters are losing clean and by decision every week yet lose none of their momentum while gearing for the rematch.  While a big part of that is the reality aspect of a pure, real fight, there's no reason that can't be duplicated by TNA in a worked environment.  Their recent PPV preview show building to the final Joe vs. Angle match is proof the company can do such a thing.  Fans need to see there are winners and losers and they need to see them in quality matches because a great performance in losing clean will do more to build say a Jay Lethal than losing a short meaningless bout due to a cast of thousands popping up.  Give the viewers a chance to see who these performers are, as people, not caricatures.  

TNA has all the components needed and necessary to take the entire wrestling business and set it on fire, turn it on it's ear and run with the ball.  The wrestlers are there, the fans are there, their licensees are in place to work with the promotion and profit from TNA's successes.  If TNA can provide a quality product, the word of mouth will eventually be there and as we've seen with the fandom of ECW and Ring of Honor, that word of mouth goes a long way in building a true diehard foundation of loyal followers.  The fans that have given up on professional wrestling will more likely than not never return, but that doesn't mean the promotion can't cultivate a new generation of fans that want to be entertained by professional wrestling in a way that WWE doesn't provide. 

For many years, everyone has been waiting for that one moment when TNA finally turns the corner and goes "big time".  This Thursday is that day.  TNA's window of opportunity is here and it's up to the promotion and it's management to make the most of that chance.  It's time for a change, for an evolution, for an improvement from what has been the norm for TNA.  Every performer on that roster is there for a reason, so give them a chance to shine and earn the money they are being paid.  Give every fan who cares to tune in and watch this product the truly alternative product they have been hoping to see from day one.  Pro Wrestling, presented differently, not a re-hash of WWF Attitude or WCW's dying days.  It's time for TNA to stand up and not say "We are Wrestling."  It's time for TNA to figure out what the hell the TNA brand means and run with it, good and bad and to take it to the next level.  There will never be a better time for that chance to be taken.  There is no second "golden carrot" to be caught.  It's time for TNA break out all the goods and finally be what every wrestling fan wants them to be.

If TNA can accomplish this, all of the critics and doomsayers of the company that have lurked above like vultures waiting to pick the flesh from their bones will be shot to hell once and for all.  If TNA doesn't, there are no excuses left to be made by anyone internally or outside the company. 

It's game time, it's the seventh game of the World Series, it's the Super Bowl.  It's up to TNA to make sure that they are victorious at the end of the day and not the pro wrestling equivalent of the New York Mets.

Thursday, 9 PM, SpikeTV.  Gametime.

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

 

If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here!

• Tweet