4 things to help TNA

Somehow, unintentionally, this is becoming a TNA oriented blog. That hasn't been my intention. But, like good ole WCW, TNA gives me so much to say about what they're doing wrong that I can't really help talking about it. I'm going to try and be positive and give TNA 4 solid ideas on improving their show and their ratings.
My first idea is really simple: Re-establish Kurt Angle as a wrestling machine. At this moment in time, the TNA title doesn't really have what we like to call "prestige." It's a vanity plate, basically. It doesn't mean anything. That can change, and it can change quickly by making Kurt a crazed man obsessed with out performing his opponent. It wouldn't take much, either. Just have Kurt take on someone in the next main event, looks like either Petey Williams or Scott Steiner, and nearly lose. Let him win because AJ or Tomko helped him. Then have him determined to prove that he is better than the other wrestler, and take to training behind closed doors. Let Tomko guard the door, while Kurt and AJ (Since he was such a great amateur in Region 3) train. Have AJ scream like he's being stretched by Stu Hart, and even let him get a sprain or "broken bone." For the next PPV, show how much Kurt has improved. Then let him go on a "Killing Spree," choking out or making others tap out with some new MMA style submission holds. Keep this up for months, and you have a credible titleholder and a belt with "prestige."
The next idea is in a similar vein, and that is for TNA to take their time before Booker T gets a title shot. Have Cornette offer Booker a chance at the title, and have Cornette say it's because the management want to increase the buyrate for the next Pay Per View. Then Booker T comments on how he wants to be a champion because he's earned his spot, not because he's a famous name. He wants to respect those who have been in TNA longer than he has and let them have their chance. Then have someone like Robert Roode mock Booker for considering himself famous. Let them feud for a while, and hopefully they are both elevated by the feud, even though Booker T comes out on top. THEN give Booker a title shot. Don't let him win it the first time, though. Make the crowd get on their knees and beg for Booker to win. THEN give it to them. We like it like that.
The third idea is to re-establish the X Division title as a wrestling belt. For too long it's been based around gimmicks. It has been especially bad since the Jackass angles. Let the guys wrestle Jr. Heavyweight matches that blow the socks off of the fans. Have a few TV matches with time limits, and let the guys just get going when the time runs out. Then give them tons of time on the PPV's to just wrestle. The fans will buy the PPV just to see what they can do without a short time limit. Then you've also shown that the guys in the X Division can go just as good as the Heavyweights, just at their own speed and with their own style.
Finally, and this is a good one: Let the fans think Joe is going to leave. This is the hardest to do without hurting the company, but it's a rewarding one. Since Joe did his "shoot" promo Sunday night, let him keep going with the idea that he's unsatisfied. Let him establish that he loves the TNA fans, and that he doesn't want to offend them, but he's losing his passion for wrestling because of guys like Kevin Nash and Team 3D. Have Cornette tell him to "Lead, Follow, or Get out of the way." Joe decides that he really doesn't know what he wants to do, and ask for a few weeks to go home and think it over. Before he leaves, let Booker T say something heartfelt about getting from the business what you want. In the following weeks, continue the Team 3D feud with the X Division. Have 3D boasting that they dominate the midgets in the X Division, and that there isn't anyone who can take the X Division belt from them. Have them set up a match at the PPV with Team 3D vs Any two X Division stars who think they can take the belt. Introduce the first, Eric Young. Already having jumped Lethal, Shelley and Sabin, have 3D ask for his partner. Young says that he couldn't get Lethal, Sabin or Shelley because Team 3D demolished them. So he had to call in a favor. Is it Sharkboy? No. It's Joe. Not the Samoa Joe we've been seeing, but the Samoa Joe that held the ROH title for 2 years. The Joe that held the X Division title for so long. The Joe that doesn't back down from Bubba Ray or Devon. The crowd goes banana!

These aren't guaranteed, but they're worth a shot. It would help establish a few months of television that would actually satisfy every grouping of fan. Now if I could just move to Nashville and get in on the ground level, I'd work my way up.

You can tell JJ how you think TNA could improve here

Discuss TNA and their booking here

Why TNA's women's division is bad business...

This morning, instead of reading for class, I was reading on "Da Board," specifically in the "TNA comments" thread. There was an interesting discussion going on involving DK and SamoaRowe (who also has a blog on "Da Site") about the TNA Women's Division. It's a great discussion which you should get involved with, and it actually inspired me to write an entry for all my fan. While I agree with both of them, I have to agree more with DK. The problem is that at this moment in time, TNA needs to focus on itself as a business. It needs to MAKE money. How do you do this in wrestling? By putting out a product and MAKING names out of your wrestlers. Wrestling is a competition based industry, but it's still an industry.

I think this is a place where wrestling as a whole needs to learn from MMA. Make young stars in the undercard by putting them in quality matches, while you exploit the names of the older fighters to bring people in to watch. This is actually what WCW did right during the nWo era. The problem is, the older guys wouldn't let the younger guys step up to the next level. The fans then start to catch on that the business is a work because guys like Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit weren't getting title shots in spite of the fact that they were more talented than guys like Randy Savage and Kevin Nash. You stop believing that your guys will make it to the top, and you give up on them. I think that Goldberg actually kept WCW afloat for an extra year or two just because he finally broke through.

Now as for TNA, they've botched this repeatedly. Multiple times with Raven, Rhino & especially Samoa Joe. Instead of saying "Hey, lets take this guy or any other star who really established themselves in TNA and make them a new household name" the way WCW did with Sting, Goldberg, DDP or Booker T, they decide "Hey, lets pay big money for a star from WWE or WCW" like Angle, Nash, Steiner, or Christian. They keep trying to import excitement instead of earn it. Sometimes this works (nWo anyone?), but most of the time it won't. Baseball, Football, Basketball and Hockey understand this, and that's why most of them have minor leagues or rely on College Sports. The guys they draft prove themselves at a lower level before becoming a true star. There are exceptions, but it's generally the rule. There are teams, like the Yankees, who don't have to live by this, but unlike TNA, they have actually MADE money.

Until TNA actually learns this and brings in their own excitement and by that make money, they really can't experiment with something like a women's division. Do you think the NBA would have started the WNBA if it didn't have a strong enough financial base to absorb the initial loss of capital that a new league would bring? No. Would Major League Baseball have welcomed the Marlins and Rockies, or the Devil Rays and Diamondbacks had they not had enough of a fanbase to expand to four new cities? No. TNA adding the women's division is like the NHL expanding to new franchises next year, in spite of the fact that the league can barely make it with what they have right now. It's bad business. It's risk that doesn't show any true sign of reward now or in the future.

I know it's true that SHIMMER is actually doing a decent job of putting on Women's based cards, and they are possibly making money, but what TNA doesn't get is that SHIMMER's success will not necessarily translate to TNA's success. That's like Court Bauer or Ron Black starting hardcore wrestling companies MLW & XPW respectively and expecting a rabid chant happy mutant fan base just because ECW had one. TNA's women's product is not SHIMMER's wrestling product, even with the same workers. It's not guaranteed success. Ask Bauer or Black. They'll tell you.

Honestly, until TNA can actually start creating their own stars consistently, I think they're wasting time and money with a women's division. I'm not saying that their female talent aren't good, because they have a better women's division talent wise than WWE. What I'm saying is, from a business perspective it's an investment that is way too much risk for the little reward it brings at the moment. Ironically, though, you could say that about the company as a whole.


You can tell JJ how you think TNA could improve here

Discuss TNA and their women's division here

Some suggestions for TNA

I spent two hours watching Impact this afternoon, and boy are my eyes tired. Okay, that's not the best way to start a blog entry, but it's something. I actually DVR'ed the show this week and made the effort this afternoon to review it, but I found the job near impossible because I wouldn't be able to write anything that would actually be worth reading. Especially since there wasn't that much worth watching.

I'll start with something basic. Build up your champion. TNA failed MISERABLY in that regard in this episode. First off, Kurt's WIFE goes to find out about Scott Hall for him. That's right, his WIFE is doing his dirty work. Not only is his wife doing his dirty work, but she's doing it in segments that make MAD TV look like good acting. Angle now looks as if his wife wears the pants in the relationship, and I'm forced to mention MAD TV in my blog. Thanks a lot, TNA. Then we go to yet MORE backstage segments involving Angle and his wife. Angle's wife propositions Scott Hall. Yeah, right. Then Angle finally gets the marbles to confront Hall, and he gets pinned to the wall by a guy who most casual fans won't remember. This makes me yearn for a Taz-like Champion who kicks tail and takes names. This is TNA, though. The only dominant champ in their history has been Jeff Jarrett. Think about that.

Here's an idea that helped make Nitro and Raw so successful during the Monday Night Wars: Don't run any out of the ring segment over 1 minute. Seriously. This includes the backstage segments, any interviews, and anything that doesn't have wrestling in a ring. Several times during the show I was tempted, nay, encouraged to fast forward my DVR through a segment just to watch some wrestling. Anything non competitive that lasts over a minute encourages people to channel surf and find something MORE interesting on another channel. Not something you want when you're producing a TV show.

One idea that's apparently been pushed by Kurt Angle lately is to make the matches end clean. SEVERAL matches tonight either had screwjobs or run ins. Take it easy. I've heard that they've been better about this lately, but I didn't see it in this episode. Every time I opened my eyes it seemed like someone was running in. AJ Styles, Tomko, 3 different chicks, Black Reign, Team 3D, Tomko AGAIN and Rick Steiner. What a mess. There ARE better ways to book wrestling than the run ins. Seriously, guys.

Finally, I'm going to say one last thing. This has been my greatest complaint about TNA over the past several years, and I'm not about to let up: The commentary is miserable. During the Christian-Kaz match, they talked about the PPV, the Road to Genesis special (Saturday Night on Spike TV), Scott Hall's return, and Sting's partner at the PPV. All that BEFORE the commercial break in the middle of the match. Not halfway through and they already talked about something else. This is unacceptable. You're supposed to sell the action in the ring, and then that action will sell the Pay Per View. No matter how much you remind that there is a Pay Per View this weekend, we're not going to want to purchase it if all you're doing is talking about it.

I'm not saying all this because I don't like TNA. In fact, I want to like TNA more than any other product out there. I just can't get into it because it's so miserable. Just working on these 4 simple things will greatly improve the product, in my opinion. It's just that simple.

You can tell JJ how you think TNA could improve here

Discuss Impact and the Pay Per View here