PWInsider - WWE News, Wrestling News, WWE

WHY LAST NIGHT'S REVEAL WAS THE BEST THING TNA COULD HAVE DONE (EVEN IF YOU HATED IT)

As I watched last night's TNA Impact Wrestling closing segment, I couldn't help but laugh to myself. I wasn't laughing at the angle and I wasn't laughing at the negative feedback I knew it was going to get (and boy, did it) but I was laughing because wouldn't you know it, Hulk Hogan was right.

All TNA needed was to go live weekly.

That realization hit me last night watching the show's ending. Now, no matter whether you thought the twist of AJ Styles and Dixie Carter helping a pregnant junkie being the secret (and just WHY did Christopher Daniels know about this woman, anyway? Perhaps Daniels is the father of her demon seed?) was insanely ludicrous or ground-breaking, there was one reality through all of this.

You didn't know it was coming and that's why it was the best thing TNA could have done.

Had the show been taped on Tuesday a week ago and aired last night, I'd have a different feeling. After all, if you are the average person, unless you are meticulously taping every wrestling show that is fit to be broadcast, you likely wouldn't have cared about the angle, the reveal or perhaps even the Impact episode. You may have read about it and then moved on, shrugging by the time that it aired. You invested yourself by reading about it and maybe made a mental note to catch the RVD vs. Jeff Hardy match (or Joseph Park, whatever your poison) via DVR later. There was no feeling that it was critical you needed to watch, because it wasn't.

By going live, TNA has created a situation where the majority of the audience that cares about pro wrestling needs to watch, because that's the only way they can follow the company live as it happens, and let's face it, there's a reason Raw will always be the WWE flagship over Smackdown - and it ain't because it's on Mondays, but because it's live and "anything can happen." Impact now has the same feeling.

There's no chance for a preconceived notion about the show to be created, no chance for criticism of the show to be voiced and no chance for Impact to be something that is dismissed without viewing it.

Now, the audience can still do all those things, but ONLY after the show has aired. By then, TNA has you. TNA has created a situation where the audience that watches and dissects the show now has to be emotionally invested in watching the two hours plus (including the online segments and post-game show) before that discussion has happened.

By going live, TNA has pulled the control of their product and how it is depicted back into their own hands and that's a good thing.

Now, as far as why last night's reveal was the best thing the company could have done, no matter whether you saw it as bad acting or a campy twist, here's the reality - no one could have predicted it.

While people may not have liked it (although I can see some female viewers interested in seeing where the twist may go, because obviously this is just the start of a new direction), they certainly couldn't have looked at it and said, "Eh, same old sh**."

Maybe you loved it. Maybe you hated it. But, you had to watch an entire Impact episode to get the payoff, and there was a lot of good wrestling and angles underneath the last segment.

So, the reveal was the best thing the company could have done, because it opens them up to an entirely new dimension for the audience the follow - and with the show airing live, more fans than ever have the potential to actually invest and watch.

It's not a stretch to say that right now, out of every promotion out there, TNA is the only one with any sort of real feeling of momentum. At a time where everyone from WWE management to your local indy promoter is trying to figure out how to get eyeballs on their product, TNA is doing just that. They haven't conquered the world yet but they sure took a nice, firm step forward in the last month.

So, rant and rave about how stupid the ending was or why you liked it - because TNA already won. They got you, most of you anyway, to watch...and more importantly, to care. Email to the site and responses to our post-show polls are up. That's a huge sign that you are out there, watching, and caring.

I hate to say it, but Hogan dropped the leg on everyone. He was right. I'll really be saddened if TNA reverts to their old taping format this September...and even if you hated the end of Impact, so will you....because they are giving us a reason to care about TNA.

Mike Johnson can be reached at Mike@PWInsider.com. He suggests "Evel" The High-Flying Life of Evel Knieval - American Showman, Daredevil and Legend" by Leigh Montville for your reading pleasure.

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