While TNA has done a lot to differentiate itself and make itself an alternative to WWE, it seems to have taken two steps back for every step forward. Whether TNA will actually become enough of a force that they register on Vince McMahon's radar or not is yet to be seen, but if they want to stand a chance of getting that far, they'll need to make a few sweeping changes to their weekly product.
Before I get into that, I would like to say that while TNA isn't perfect, I can applaud their attempts at injecting some fresh ideas into the tried and true pro wrestling formula. Whereas WWE has stuck with the tried and true style of interviews and vignettes, TNA has attempted more of a "reality show" style interview that makes the audience feel they are simply "peaking in" at the backstage goings on. TNA has also introduced its Gut Check segment which some will argue is simply a WWE Tough Enough imitation, but has effectively kept new blood flowing into the roster.
These ideas have kept TNA from fading into the background, but it hasn't quite reached that next level. If that's what TNA wants, they'll have to break out of their shell and the monotony of their current product.
"The Hogan Mistake"
Perhaps the biggest and most glaring issue facing TNA's weekly programming is that it largely resembles a hybrid of vintage WCW and Hogan Knows Best. When TNA was founded, it was dedicated to the idea of giving young wrestlers their big break. Guys like James Storm, A.J. Styles, Bobby Roode, and others who would have otherwise been completely overlooked by WWE, were given a chance to shine on a national stage.
Fast forward a decade later and you'll find that the weekly storylines now revolve around ex-WCW/WWE/ECW cast-offs. The most prominent of these are Hulk Hogan and Sting. For the last year in particular, TNA has been far too concerned with the personal family drama of the Hogans (including a love story that resembles a poorly realized on-screen rendition of a Taylor Swift love song) and the friendship between Hogan and Sting.
This would all be well and good if every single episode of Impact Wrestling didn't start and end with Hogan in some capacity. Virtually every show begins with Hogan coming out to cut some kind of promo, and even when it doesn't, it involves some wrestler (usually Aces and 8's) coming out to call Hogan out. With World Champion Bully Ray firmly embroiled in the Hogan family's drama, the World Title and Hogan are now virtually inseparable.
Just a couple of weeks ago, Hogan "stood up" to Aces and Eights and Bully Ray, and after getting beat down mercilessly at the hands of nWo v.201, Hogan emerged the following week as Mike Tenay asked, "How can you not respect the courage and the nobility" of the Hulkster. This is the type of angle that could've been used to propel a young up-and-comer, or even a well-established younger star, to new heights, and instead it is simply another vessel to showcase Hogan week in and week out.
Just a couple of weeks ago, Hogan "stood up" to Aces and Eights and Bully Ray, and after getting beat down mercilessly at the hands of nWo v.201, Hogan emerged the following week as Mike Tenay asked, "How can you not respect the courage and the nobility" of the Hulkster. This is the type of angle that could've been used to propel a young up-and-comer, or even a well-established younger star, to new heights, and instead it is simply another vessel to showcase Hogan week in and week out.
Hogan's power is far too great for any General Manager. Even Vince McMahon had the "WWE Board of Directors" to keep him in check every now and again, but TNA has turned the focus of their show on Hogan and his daughter (the President of the Knockouts division) who are not only the main protagonists of every major storyline, but also have the final say on every championship contender opportunity. Entire segments are dedicated to Hogan simply deliberating over who to name as the #1 Contender for the World Title, and it often results in someone like Sting getting the reward, as we saw just last week.
TNA has gone from being an innovative promotion showcasing young up-and-coming stars, to the weekly Hulk Hogan Show. If TNA wants to attract younger fans, and in turn a wider fanbase, they need to keep Hogan's actions largely to the political and less to the in-ring action. Hogan's star power cannot be denied, but his contributions to the in-ring competition should be minimal at best, and Hogan should not be the shining knight of TNA. Leave that spot for someone younger and more believable...and most importantly, someone we actually care about, because whether Hogan wins or loses, he's not going anywhere.
"The 'Ex' Division"
Hogan made a lot of changes when he was handed the reigns of TNA. TNA's iconic six-sided ring was replaced with a traditional four-sided "squared circle". Many of the major young stars of TNA ended up taking a back seat to older, more familiar and established stars brought in around the same time.
But perhaps the greatest heresy committed by the Hogan regime was the utter decimation of the fast-paced, adrenaline fueled X-Division. Guys like Jay Lethal, Sonjay Dutt, Chris Sabin, and the other X-Division stars were left in the dust in favor of the more traditional one-on-one action familiar to the wrestling community at large.
Hogan has recently attempted to revive this division by appointing Kenny King as the X-Division Champion. Hogan also established that the "new" X-Division would feature exclusively Triple Threat matches, and has brought back men like Dutt and Petey Williams to help bolster the waning X-Division roster.
Having every X-Division match be a Triple Threat will keep the variation of the matches to a minimum. Realistically, there are only a handful of finishes under Triple Threat rules, which will make it difficult to come up with original ideas every week. Yes, this will keep the in-ring action fast and furious and ensure that there is as little breathing room as possible, but the end results will not vary enormously from week to week, espcially since the X-Divison title won't be on the line.
If TNA wants to gain momentum, they should take this division back to its roots: Ultimate X and a wider variety of X-Division stars. Treat the X-Division Title like a television championship and have the champ defend on TV every week. This will keep fans invested in the division and the characters, even if the matches aren't always as unique as we'd like them to be.
"Knocked Out"
Similar to the X-Division is the Knockouts Division. With Brooke Hogan at the helm, it has fallen almost completely off the mark from what hardcore TNA fans are used to.
WWE takes a lot of flack for their Divas division. Classic Divas like Sable, Chyna, Trish Stratus, and Lita have given way to what many believe are simply glorified supermodels in wrestling attire. TNA's Knockouts Division was always hailed as a true alternative for "real" women's wrestling, and often showcased characters that were believed to be outside the mold of what WWE would ever showcase. Yes, there were girls like Velvet Sky and Angelina Love who would've gotten on in just about any company, but we also had women like ODB, Roxi, and Awesome Kong.
TNA's Knockouts Division has now devolved into an almost identical roster to WWE. Yes, ODB is still around, but her character is seldom pushed. Yes, Velvet Sky is the Knockouts Champion, and it is well-deserved. And yes, we have women like Gail Kim, Tara, and Mickie James who are arguably three of the greatest female competitors in the world, but what we are missing is the "alternative" look and feel that TNA offered in its glory days.
If TNA wants to continue to differentiate itself from WWE, it will need to provide a true alternative to WWE in every respect, not just when ratings are on the line.
"Towing the Coompany Line"
Probably the most glaring issue with TNA, and the one that really keeps it from growing, is the fact that TNA has always considered itself "the second-largest" wrestling promotion in the world.
No matter how big the company gets, no matter how many fans turn out or tune in every week, TNA has always made it very apparent, sometimes even stating on television, that they are a second-rung wrestling promotion. Every other week, Hogan comes out and tries to pump up the fans by explaining that they are part of a "growing" movement, and something that will only get bigger. This would be fine...if it didn't happen every other week.
It's no secret that the key to television is marketing. Every moment on that screen, TNA is trying to convince people they are worth paying to see, whether it is in pay-per-view buys or ticket sales. So if you're trying to sell yourself, it makes no sense to sell yourself as second-best.
TNA knows it's not as big as WWE. The fans know TNA is not as big as WWE. Rather than seeing that as a shortcoming, TNA should be using this as a positive avenue to differentiate itself from WWE in every aspect. No one wants to tune into to the "second-best" wrestling program. If TNA is a "growing" company, why not just tune back in a few years when it's "full-grown"?
TNA has an annoying habbit of catering to the "smart marks" in the audience, rather than attempting to attract the wider demographic of casual wrestling fans. Many people criticize WWE for marketing toward a younger demographic with stars like John Cena, but WWE can afford that gamble. Meanwhile, regardless of what TNA attempts to do, the ratings remain the same because everything from the storylines to the stars to the program rating, are geared toward a demographic of males ages 18-35, and most of them have already fled to MMA and similar products for their entertainment.
Of course, this could be a good way to stand out from WWE, but it hurts TNA's opportunities for exposure. Ken Anderson could be a great spokesperson for the company if his handle wasn't "The Asshole". Velvet Sky could be on talk shows if she didn't run around the ring with her butt exposed (not that I'm peresonally complaining). All these things have kept TNA where WWE was about fifteen years ago: it's the company that parents are afraid to let their kids watch because of the violence, sex, and language. And with all this in the way, TNA hasn't been given the recognition it deserves because the only people watching are the ones who know where to find it and who follow it religously.
TNA recently took its show on the road, and I wonder how ticket sales are doing? Are they really filling arenas, or are they simply doing what WCW did to give the illusion of a full house?
The biggest problem with going on the road at this particular time is the main storyline revolves around a faction who is threatening the livelihood of the company. Unlike the much maligned "Invasion" angle in WWE, this is TNA's first attempt at real exposure, and it's squandered because many of these fans are seeing these stars for the first time and are immediately asked to care about them and the well-being of the company they work for. TNA is a young company with just a decade under its belt. WWE had over thirty years of growth behind it when the "Invasion" angle was used, and it didn't exactly go over swimmingly there, either. The only reason we are taught to hate Aces and Eights is because Hulk Hogan is opposed to them. Great heels like Christopher Daniels and Kazarian are met with complete indifference because nobody recognizes them (again, "smart marks" excepted). Rather than re-introduce themselves every week to fans who are seeing themselves for the first time, angles are written to last months instead of weeks, and that hurts because most fans have not been following TNA for months and will want to know who these people are before the bell rings.
Of course, this is all designed to keep Hogan as the constant spokesman and face of the company. That's all well and good--until it detracts from the in-ring action. Any time that could be spent on introducing these new fans to the various characters of TNA is spent embellishing on the character of a man who has been well-established for almost forty years.
If TNA wants to reach the next level, they need to stop talking about "the company". They need to cease focusing on threats to "the company". They need to put the action back in the ring and make feuds personal between the wrestlers. Feuds like Kurt Angle vs. Samoa Joe or Styles vs. Daniels are key examples of truly great feuds in this company, and could really turn fans on to what kind of action they can expect if they tune in or attend a live event every week.
"Talking the Talk"
The opening segment of any wrestling program is the key to setting the tone for the rest of the night. At a live event, the opening segment can make or break the energy of the crowd. On a television, the opening segment will determine how many viewers stay tuned for the next two or three hours, and how many people change the channel in the first five minutes.
One symptom of both WWE and TNA is that their opening segments are almost always promotional segments. Now, I understand that this segment often lets viewers know what the main event is for the night, and can also serve to recap what happened the week before.
But in this age of YouTube, official websites, podcasts, Twitter, Facebook, and a million other news feeds, there's no reason to recap the show before the theme song hits. Fans should know the main event for the following week, or at least have a good guess, before the show goes off the air. That's what makes us tune in each week: the idea that there is something to look forward to. Again, this is basic storytelling principle: show, don't tell.
Instead, the first ten minutes of each show is spent talking and setting up the main event. Once again, TNA has a chance to set itself apart from WWE by shooting its stars out of the a figurative canon at the start of the show, with the action kicking off fast and furious. Instead, they have simply followed the trend rather than setting a new standard. This is a common theme throughout TNA as it seems to take its cues from one particular defunct wrestling promotion.
TNA should let its in-ring action speak for itself, and leave the promos to a maximum five minutes for the major segments. There's no denying that TNA's action is faster-paced than WWE, but what shows through in TNA is that their matches don't tell the stories as well as WWE does. Watch a C.M. Punk match. Punk is a great talker, but that talk would be for nothing if his in-ring work wasn't as well-suited to concluding those creative threads. Guys like Jericho and Ziggler are other prime examples.
For all the talking in TNA, it's a shame TNA's matches don't do a better job of continuing these threads. The action is often so fast, it's hard for the audience to keep up with what's happening. No one will ever think that Michaels vs. Flair from Wrestlemania XXIV was either man's best performance, and the match will never win the "fast and furious" race, but there are layers of emotions at play that made it the most memorable match of the night. Undertaker vs. Triple H from Wrestlemania XXVIII is another great example of a slower match filled with emotion that became one of those moments that will live forever in the minds of those who experienced it. TNA needs to learn how to create these moments, and another Hogan/Sting feud has so far not been the answer. Finding two charismatic stars and pitting them against each other can do just this. I felt TNA had potential with the Angle vs. Joe and and Angle vs. Styles feuds, everything else feels borrowed and worn-out. TNA needs to make Slammiversary and Bound for Glory its own Summerslam and Wrestlemania. Fans need to believe that they are witnessing something they cannot find anywhere else: and something they will remember forever.
I know I'm doing a lot of criticizing of TNA here, but it's only because I want them to succeed and really push WWE and the wrestling industry to a new level. But they will never do that if they continue to view themselves as "going somewhere" instead of letting fans know it simply doesn't get any better than what they're seeing now.
