New Beginning and New Plan for TNA

[mike1215]

It's now or never for TNA. The money is running dry and the ratings are even dryer. Here's my 10-step plan to help improve the product.

I have watched every single episode of Impact since 2009 and I have always given TNA my full support. TNA has been better than WWE in most talent and entertainment aspects for the past couple of years; I have argued this point and will argue this point to anyone who is willing to have a mature, unbiased conversation about this topic. But things have now changed. WWE is now better than TNA from an entertainment standpoint-- there's no doubt about it. TNA has to do something different, and it has to be done the second BFG goes off the air.

1. Let the new breeds run the show. The title picture should only consist of Roode, Styles, Aries and Samoa Joe. I also like Anderson in this aggregate despite not being a "new breed". If they could sign John Morrison, he would also be world championship caliber.

2. Stop giving former stars away for free, use them to put new breeds over. Wrestling fans love when former stars return to the ring. That's why the loudest pops you'll hear in new age wrestling are when surprise entrants resurface at the Royal Rumble. Build more VALUE in the Jeff Hardys, Kurt Angles, Jeff Jarretts, Hulk Hogans of the world. Similar to the Rock's most recent run, put them on screen maybe a a dozen times a year. Have them incorporated in storylines throughout the year, but only let them wrestle during the Big 4 PPVs. Pair them with the new breeds who are in the championship picture, but not wrestling for the belt. Having former stars on TV every day completely wipes away the kind of nostalgia that draws casual wrestling fans. These guys can get the new breeds over with the right kind of build-up and promotion. RVD made WWE more money in one night on Money In The Bank than he made TNA in the entire 2-3 years he was with them. But since that night, his stock has devalued more and more each week. Eventually he will be an afterthought in WWE as well unless he disappears for a while.

3. Speaking of former stars, Hogan, I love you, but you have to go. You are consuming exponentially more than you are drawing. I'd like to see TNA part ways with him on a positive note in case WWE refuses to pick him back up. A once-a-year appearance by the Hulkster in a match on PPV (tag team, special referee, guest commentary) will draw HUGE bucks.

4. The one exception to former stars: MEM Sting as GM, but don't run the show around him. Sting should be the Goro of TNA; the King of Kings. Nobody can beat him, so he manages the entire organization and makes all of the decisions. He should not get tied into many storylines (if any at all). But he must be the enforcer. The feared dad who makes all the young men gasp when he makes an appearance.

5. Clearly defined championship picture, mid-card and tag team division. We talked about the World Title picture. The mid-card should be clearly defined with guys like Knux, Magnus, Storm, Gunner, Hernandez, Robbie E, Kazarian, Daniels, Wes Brisco, Eric Young. I'd even like to see them bring in some semi-known names (but not big enough to draw big) like a Carlito or a Matt Hardy to make this division more relevant. This group of wrestlers should battle for the TV title under traditional TV title rules. It should be defended during EVERY TV episode and should have a 10 minute time limit. The TV title is essentially a king of the ring storyline each week. Other mid card storylines will sprout from this large group of wrestlers fighting for the same prize.

Guys like Sabin, Kenny King, Petey Williams, Chavo Guerrero, Sonjay Dutt, and any other indie, cult-hero wrestler should comprise the X-Division. This division shouldn't mean much on the grandscale of the TNA championship picture. However, it should be an energy booster, a spot fest and a niche segment of TNA to merit its claim of NON-STOP ACTION. There should not be PPVs dedicated to this, nor should it represent a large chunk of TV time, but it should be there each and every week.

6. Hire the best looking women you can find in the business for the KOs division. This would be another niche segment of TNA. They would be known for broadcasting beautiful, sexy women on TV every week. Taryn Terrell, Tessmacher, Velvet Sky, Mickie James and Gail Kim can all stay. But they need way more than that. Why the hell they didn't hire Ivelisse Velez is beyond me. She needs to be the first one brought in. Scout the indies and bring in the beauties. Bring back Lacey von Erich if you need to.

7. Go back to the basics with traditional backstage interviews, promos, announcing and commentating. Take a page from Ring of Honor. Wrestling is fake and we all know that, but we still love pretending it's real. We love charismatic mic work and not just from the wrestlers, but from the commentators. BE CORNY. Believe what's happening in front of you is REAL LIFE. SELL US. Emotion is going to make the product seem much more real than a biker gang storyline.

8. Take a break from stables and power-control storylines for a while. Storylines should be about nothing but championships and pride. If guys aren't fighting over a belt, they are fighting over things guys actually fight over in real life: who is better, who's reputation needs redeemed the most, someone tried hitting on someone else's girlfriend. Heels don't have to be evil in everyones eyes. They don't have to do things that everyone will hate. And the same goes for faces. It's pretty simple if you ask me. Let the audience decide who they agree with and don't agree with.

9. Total reform of entrances. We need louder, more interesting, more custom entrance music, videos, taunts. Set the wrestlers up for success. Let them play their characters and let their characters make an impression. Give new viewers a reason to get curious about the unfamiliar names on screen. TNA has never had good entrances ever. I've seen better entrances in high school gym wrestling events. Make it TNA a spectacle-- gladiators from different backgrounds living different lifestyles (GIMMICKS) all competing to be the best

10. The last step is simple: be organized. Everyone in the organization must be on the same page and have a clear understanding of the direction of the business.


Things to keep:

Keep the four-PPV/year format with two special events each year. January: Genesis, March: Lockdown, May: Hardcore Justice, July: King of the Mountain, October: Bound For Glory.

Keep the 4-sided ring. Six-sided rings will not be taken seriously by anyone besides internet marks.

Keep the program on Spike TV (if they'll still have you). This product needs to be about serious, warrior-like competition, beautiful women, pride and celebration. People who are interested in those things watch Spike TV.

Keep Dixie Carter off television for most of the year. They have been doing a good job of this.

Things to consider:

Thursday nights are quietly becoming a very popular night of the week to go out. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights are the only evenings left where people are sitting in the house watching TV. I would advise moving Impact to Wednesday night if at all possible.

Cut ties with Taz. Eric Bischoff on commentary would be great. He and Mike Tenay would be a golden heel-face combo. Cut ties with Christy Hemme unless she still has the ability to dress skimpy (I can't tell if this can happen from week to week). And assign JB to do all in ring entrances and backstage interviews.

 

[Zeven_Zion]

I agree with everything minus the 1st point. That kind of happened already, or is close to happening.

Still, if you honestly think TNA's biggest problem is the product itself - you're in for a rough ride. It feels like TNA's biggest problems are backstage, not on the air. Whether it's Dixie's role as a leader, or the staff, or how they handle business, something's wrong.

Can the product be better? Absolutely. Are they not as good as they can be? Absolutely. But it doesn't all lie on the shoulders of the guys on the screen. TNA seems dysfunctional behind the scenes with an overly nice Dixie at the helm. So nice that I doubt she runs the company herself but instead listens to this guy and that guy.

In a way, Hogan is right. TNA needs someone like Bischoff. A man or a woman who's out there to bite competitors in the ass and has a lot more passion and drive. I don't think Dixie's like that. I think she loves all the wrestlers, she loves all the fans, she loves interacting with them and she's contempt with what she's got going on.

Not to sound sexist but women aren't exactly the type of leaders who will go out for blood. Men are. Men have egos and a pair of testicles that make them to go out there and try to be the best. We have the drive a lot of women don't. Not saying women are not passionate, it's just that men's passion for something is more "vicious" than women's passion. We wanna wreck shit and be the best. Do women? I don't know.

Her gender is a factor despite what people might say.

In short, I think Dixie is AMAZING for PR. She loves interacting with the people, she's good at spinning shit in a positive direction, she's passionate about social media and knows how to use it right. PR Dixie is amazing, Leader Dixie? I don't know about that. It would be nice if she could somehow step down and give the President status to a guy like Bischoff or anyone who's willing to risk and deliver something that "bites", while maintaining Panda Energy's influence and aid.

Can TNA be backed up by Panda Energy without Dixie on top? Eh, that's a difficult answer. Probably not. Besides, who else is there to run a wrestling company? Hogan? Bischoff?

Outside of the McMahons, who's even remotely interested in investing in wrestling? Wrestling is lacking good writers, booker and so forth these days. It's ran by people from the 90's.

You know, we all want young blood in the ring but I think that wrestling DESPERATELY needs young blood behind the scenes, typing out those scenarios and coming up with storylines. Young guys and girls passionate about wrestling, with fresh ideas and a new outlook on wrestling. I'm sorry but if wrestling keeps getting written by Hollywood rejects and wrestling personalities who failed one too many times, I don't see either company becoming much better any time soon.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

What you are listing out here isn't all that outrageous. It's something of a collective and more refined version of what a lot of the complaints centered around TNA are at the moment. There's little there I really disagree without side the first point, which I think would be TNA committing main event suicide. I get wanting to see fresh faces around the title picture, but that does not, IMO, mean it needs to become a reverse glass ceiling whereby non-TNA "originals" are not able to compete or move up to compete for the WHC.

While Roode, Styles, Aries and Samoa Joe are all fantastic main event caliber performers, limiting that class to only those four isn't the right decision either.

For the record, for a while it would work, but at some point you need to introduce new threats, and I'm not in the boat that says just because you happened to work for WCW or WWE before coming to TNA that you are damaged goods and don't deserve a fair shot at TNA's biggest prize. Guys like Hardy, Bully Ray, etc. still deserve to be there.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

It's now or never for TNA. The money is running dry and the ratings are even dryer. Here's my 10-step plan to help improve the product.

You can assume all you want about TNA's money issues but you don't really know.

I have watched every single episode of Impact since 2009 and I have always given TNA my full support. TNA has been better than WWE in most talent and entertainment aspects for the past couple of years; I have argued this point and will argue this point to anyone who is willing to have a mature, unbiased conversation about this topic. But things have now changed. WWE is now better than TNA from an entertainment standpoint-- there's no doubt about it. TNA has to do something different, and it has to be done the second BFG goes off the air.

Let's hear it.

1. Let the new breeds run the show. The title picture should only consist of Roode, Styles, Aries and Samoa Joe. I also like Anderson in this aggregate despite not being a "new breed". If they could sign John Morrison, he would also be world championship caliber.

How are any of these four new breeds?

How are these four/five guys alone going to keep main events from getting stale? Other than Joe, I feel like they've been a part of the main event scene here and there for the last couple years. How much success did it bring?

2. Stop giving former stars away for free, use them to put new breeds over. Wrestling fans love when former stars return to the ring. That's why the loudest pops you'll hear in new age wrestling are when surprise entrants resurface at the Royal Rumble. Build more VALUE in the Jeff Hardys, Kurt Angles, Jeff Jarretts, Hulk Hogans of the world. Similar to the Rock's most recent run, put them on screen maybe a a dozen times a year. Have them incorporated in storylines throughout the year, but only let them wrestle during the Big 4 PPVs. Pair them with the new breeds who are in the championship picture, but not wrestling for the belt. Having former stars on TV every day completely wipes away the kind of nostalgia that draws casual wrestling fans. These guys can get the new breeds over with the right kind of build-up and promotion. RVD made WWE more money in one night on Money In The Bank than he made TNA in the entire 2-3 years he was with them. But since that night, his stock has devalued more and more each week. Eventually he will be an afterthought in WWE as well unless he disappears for a while.

Don't you see the problem with this? You can't pay these guys to sit at home. They want to make a certain amount of money and in order to make that amount they have to work X number of dates. Otherwise you are paying them to make you no money or to detox (low blow).

3. Speaking of former stars, Hogan, I love you, but you have to go. You are consuming exponentially more than you are drawing. I'd like to see TNA part ways with him on a positive note in case WWE refuses to pick him back up. A once-a-year appearance by the Hulkster in a match on PPV (tag team, special referee, guest commentary) will draw HUGE bucks.

Again, how do you know how much Hogan costs or brings in? He's been a part of TNA for three plus years. He got re-signed a year and a half ago. That tells me he wasn't such a financial burder at the end of 2011 that it was worth parting ways. Are you telling me it has changed that much since then?

On top of that you say he costs exponentially more than he brings in then you say bring him in to "draw HUGE bucks". That works nice in theory and all but Hogan is going to want to still get paid. Why would Hogan just do the one off appearance? Especially for a company that is letting him go.

4. The one exception to former stars: MEM Sting as GM, but don't run the show around him. Sting should be the Goro of TNA; the King of Kings. Nobody can beat him, so he manages the entire organization and makes all of the decisions. He should not get tied into many storylines (if any at all). But he must be the enforcer. The feared dad who makes all the young men gasp when he makes an appearance.

Like Hogan, Hardy, and Angle is Sting willing to do this? I don't know what Sting brings to a GM role that Hogan or anyone else can't.

On top of that, GM's help guys get over and promote matches. You're taking this role partially away and expecting guys like Styles, Roode, and Joe to hype the main event. They can't do it. They don't have the charisma. Aries maybe but only for so long.

5. Clearly defined championship picture, mid-card and tag team division. We talked about the World Title picture. The mid-card should be clearly defined with guys like Knux, Magnus, Storm, Gunner, Hernandez, Robbie E, Kazarian, Daniels, Wes Brisco, Eric Young. I'd even like to see them bring in some semi-known names (but not big enough to draw big) like a Carlito or a Matt Hardy to make this division more relevant. This group of wrestlers should battle for the TV title under traditional TV title rules. It should be defended during EVERY TV episode and should have a 10 minute time limit. The TV title is essentially a king of the ring storyline each week. Other mid card storylines will sprout from this large group of wrestlers fighting for the same prize.

I'm not really sure how the current championship picture is not well defined. The TV title would make for nice filler but if we don't care about the guys getting a shot we are going to lose interest fast.

Guys like Sabin, Kenny King, Petey Williams, Chavo Guerrero, Sonjay Dutt, and any other indie, cult-hero wrestler should comprise the X-Division. This division shouldn't mean much on the grandscale of the TNA championship picture. However, it should be an energy booster, a spot fest and a niche segment of TNA to merit its claim of NON-STOP ACTION. There should not be PPVs dedicated to this, nor should it represent a large chunk of TV time, but it should be there each and every week.

I agree with this part. Let them go out and almost kill themselves to get the fans in the right state of mind. I do like the once a year Destination X special, though. I also think it did ok in the ratings if I am not mistaken.

6. Hire the best looking women you can find in the business for the KOs division. This would be another niche segment of TNA. They would be known for broadcasting beautiful, sexy women on TV every week. Taryn Terrell, Tessmacher, Velvet Sky, Mickie James and Gail Kim can all stay. But they need way more than that. Why the hell they didn't hire Ivelisse Velez is beyond me. She needs to be the first one brought in. Scout the indies and bring in the beauties. Bring back Lacey von Erich if you need to.

Easier said then done. Isn't this what WWE has been bashed for doing with the Kelly Kelly years and even today? The women don't draw. They have their purpose but it is only to do so much. If money is tight, this is not where it should go. Plus, aren't WWE going to outspend them every time if there is a beautiful woman out there who may be able to wrestle?

7. Go back to the basics with traditional backstage interviews, promos, announcing and commentating. Take a page from Ring of Honor. Wrestling is fake and we all know that, but we still love pretending it's real. We love charismatic mic work and not just from the wrestlers, but from the commentators. BE CORNY. Believe what's happening in front of you is REAL LIFE. SELL US. Emotion is going to make the product seem much more real than a biker gang storyline.

I'm the last person to defend Aces and Eights but it worked for like a month.

But my main point for #7 is this - if you want charismatic mic work, best to rethink having Joe and AJ be one half of your main event scene.

8. Take a break from stables and power-control storylines for a while. Storylines should be about nothing but championships and pride. If guys aren't fighting over a belt, they are fighting over things guys actually fight over in real life: who is better, who's reputation needs redeemed the most, someone tried hitting on someone else's girlfriend. Heels don't have to be evil in everyones eyes. They don't have to do things that everyone will hate. And the same goes for faces. It's pretty simple if you ask me. Let the audience decide who they agree with and don't agree with.

Yes, TNA need to lighten up on the stables and power-control stories. But don't throw the baby out with the bath water. There are good non-traditional stories to tell.

9. Total reform of entrances. We need louder, more interesting, more custom entrance music, videos, taunts. Set the wrestlers up for success. Let them play their characters and let their characters make an impression. Give new viewers a reason to get curious about the unfamiliar names on screen. TNA has never had good entrances ever. I've seen better entrances in high school gym wrestling events. Make it TNA a spectacle-- gladiators from different backgrounds living different lifestyles (GIMMICKS) all competing to be the best

Good music is insanely expensive. I agree that TNA's music and entrances suck but this is way harder to fix than anything else you've mentioned. If TNA had someone that could produce good music they'd probably be working in the music world making a lot more money. Maybe TNA can hire Robin Thicke once his 15 minutes of fame run out .

10. The last step is simple: be organized. Everyone in the organization must be on the same page and have a clear understanding of the direction of the business.

Sure, but I'm not sure they are this has been what makes their TV product so poor.

Things to keep:

Keep the four-PPV/year format with two special events each year. January: Genesis, March: Lockdown, May: Hardcore Justice, July: King of the Mountain, October: Bound For Glory.

Keep the 4-sided ring. Six-sided rings will not be taken seriously by anyone besides internet marks.

Keep the program on Spike TV (if they'll still have you). This product needs to be about serious, warrior-like competition, beautiful women, pride and celebration. People who are interested in those things watch Spike TV.

Keep Dixie Carter off television for most of the year. They have been doing a good job of this.

Things to consider:

Thursday nights are quietly becoming a very popular night of the week to go out. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights are the only evenings left where people are sitting in the house watching TV. I would advise moving Impact to Wednesday night if at all possible.

Cut ties with Taz. Eric Bischoff on commentary would be great. He and Mike Tenay would be a golden heel-face combo. Cut ties with Christy Hemme unless she still has the ability to dress skimpy (I can't tell if this can happen from week to week). And assign JB to do all in ring entrances and backstage interviews.

I don't know. I definitely think there is too much competition on Thursday nights so that switch may help but there are people in the wrestling and TV indutries that know more about that than you and me (seriously, isn't Thursday still a huge night for TV?). I wouldn't miss Taz but how is Bischoff any better or will get people to tune in. JB would be fine.

 

[joeg]

Ivelisse wasn't hired because of her attitude. She didn't want to be in NXT & she probably didn't want to be in OVW where the Gut Check people had to go.

 

[dtroppe]

Oh this is absurd. You started losing me when you send TNA is on the same level or better with talent than wwe. Then you said John Morrison could be world champ material.

Outrageous! Wwe has the best talent in the world. Any wrestler will tell you that. And Morrison wasn't ev ic material in wwe, but yeah let's make a guy that most people don't know the face of the company. Good idea.

 

[Tyrant25]

I agree for the most part, though this does seem like a glorified version of what fans have been begging for. I especially like your ninth point about TNA staying away from power control storylines. They come off as completely artificial. The difference between WWE's corporate storylines and TNA's corporate storylines are that WWE's storylines are built around the people that actually run the business. Is it believable that a "biker gang" has taken full control of the company? TNA just needs to stop with this.

I do not agree with keeping the four-sided ring. EVERY wrestling company has a four-sided ring; the six sides gave them uniqueness. Now it just seems like they want to be WWE. And what happened to the King of the Mountain match? Why did they get rid of such a great concept? Like you said, Hogan needs to go. I don't know who was running TNA around 2005-2007 but they need to come back (I think it was Vince Russo).

 

[It's Damn Real!]

I agree for the most part, though this does seem like a glorified version of what fans have been begging for. I especially like your ninth point about TNA staying away from power control storylines. They come off as completely artificial. The difference between WWE's corporate storylines and TNA's corporate storylines are that WWE's storylines are built around the people that actually run the business. Is it believable that a "biker gang" has taken full control of the company? TNA just needs to stop with this.

I do not agree with keeping the four-sided ring. EVERY wrestling company has a four-sided ring; the six sides gave them uniqueness. Now it just seems like they want to be WWE. And what happened to the King of the Mountain match? Why did they get rid of such a great concept? Like you said, Hogan needs to go. I don't know who was running TNA around 2005-2007 but they need to come back (I think it was Vince Russo).

With good reason — it sells the sport. The six-sided ring drew exactly zero extra fans that a four-sided ring failed to do. In fact, I'd say them going back to the four-sided ring has likely earned them a fan or two extra from the channel-surfing crowd who'd immediately recognize a four-sided wrestling ring in the nano second's worth of attention they might have given the channel in passing.

You know what else is unique to wrestling? Having an actual monkey on commentary. Literally. Find Chim Chim the Chimpanzee who wears a tuxedo. What's that you say? Horrible idea? Well, that's debatable because chimps are entertaining as hell, but the point is that something being unique does not make it a good idea. A proven record of sale might, however, and I'm not so certain the six-sided ring has that.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

With good reason — it sells the sport. The six-sided ring drew exactly zero extra fans that a four-sided ring failed to do. In fact, I'd say them going back to the four-sided ring has likely earned them a fan or two extra from the channel-surfing crowd who'd immediately recognize a four-sided wrestling ring in the nano second's worth of attention they might have given the channel in passing.

Do cable subscribers still channel surf? I figure most use the guide and look for names or stations they like out of the 300 options that they have.

That being said, four or six doesn't matter to the non, casual, or loyal wrestling fan. It's not like people can't fathom two extra sides and recognize it is some type of combat sport. Not realizing it is pro wrestling is likely to get them to stop and figure out what their watching as opposed to quickly flipping away by immediately knowing it was pro wrestling.

It may be too late and I've never gotten a drop of support for this but I thought the moment they put Hogan on TV they should have called it Hulk Hogan's Impact Wrestling. His name is catchy and recognizable. People stop when they see him or his name. TNA Impact means nothing to people. That branding ship has probably sailed at this point and it certainly doesn't make the product any more entertaining but I think it may have helped three years ago.

 

[enviousdominous]

3. Speaking of former stars, Hogan, I love you, but you have to go. You are consuming exponentially more than you are drawing. I'd like to see TNA part ways with him on a positive note in case WWE refuses to pick him back up. A once-a-year appearance by the Hulkster in a match on PPV (tag team, special referee, guest commentary) will draw HUGE bucks.

Hogan needs to be humble enough to admit that his act is redundant and mundane. There's no Russians stomping on the American flag or overly jingoistic audiences anymore. There's no Roddy Pipers tearing up little kid's signs, and even if there was it would be one of the younger star's who should fill the hero's spot. Hogan was big when you could be big only for posing and flexing to a rock-and-roll soundtrack. Getting rid of him, even temporarily, will NEVER happen. It's too much to ask of him that he consider his welcome overstayed, in his mind he is the only thing holding the company together.

6. Hire the best looking women you can find in the business for the KOs division. This would be another niche segment of TNA. They would be known for broadcasting beautiful, sexy women on TV every week. Taryn Terrell, Tessmacher, Velvet Sky, Mickie James and Gail Kim can all stay. But they need way more than that. Why the hell they didn't hire Ivelisse Velez is beyond me. She needs to be the first one brought in. Scout the indies and bring in the beauties. Bring back Lacey von Erich if you need to.

Bring back Lacey Von Erich? Oh good grief, there went half of your credibility. Have you seen that woman perform? Rather, have you seen that woman bob around the ring like a confused TBI patient with a botched hip replacement? She's Kerry's kid, that's adorable. She wrestles like she was trained by Jackie Gayda. I agree that the women's division deserves more emphasis on tv, but it's going to take a long time and some clever writing to erase memories of the knockouts acting out scenes of after-dark softcore when they weren't having slap fights in the ring.

8. Take a break from stables and power-control storylines for a while. Storylines should be about nothing but championships and pride. If guys aren't fighting over a belt, they are fighting over things guys actually fight over in real life: who is better, who's reputation needs redeemed the most, someone tried hitting on someone else's girlfriend. Heels don't have to be evil in everyones eyes. They don't have to do things that everyone will hate. And the same goes for faces. It's pretty simple if you ask me. Let the audience decide who they agree with and don't agree with.

I see TNA having the same dilemma as WCW did. It's a kind of cognitive dissonance that could make a psychologist millions in book sales. WCW had heels that wanted to be loved, not hated. Hogan, Hall, Nash, Steiner, Flair and Dennis Rodman. They wanted to be bad, but respected. This is very unfortunate for the face they're put up against, as that face has to match wits with a loud mouth jackass who's using cheap verbal jabs at you (not the audience) to get over and your responses have to appear altruistic. If they ever tried to involve a tangible aspect like throwing Kim Page from a moving vehicle or burying Flair in the desert, their execution was so ridiculous that the fans were better off just pretending like it didn't happen as the writers did as well. Now in TNA we had "heel" Bubba Ray extolling his genius for "fooling" us all, because turning on Brooke Hogan is something that apparently can grip an audience by the throat. Without rambling too much, I'll just say that TNA will inevitably fail if they attempt to carry out any of the rational choices you presented.

 

[shalliin]

Your thread is well thought out and a lot of effort went into it to make it seem like a series of rational points, the only problem is that some of them contradict each other or cancel each other out. Others are simply not very ... well not the smart thing to do.

All points quoted belong to mike1215:
It's now or never for TNA. The money is running dry and the ratings are even dryer. Here's my 10-step plan to help improve the product.

I have watched every single episode of Impact since 2009 and I have always given TNA my full support. TNA has been better than WWE in most talent and entertainment aspects for the past couple of years; I have argued this point and will argue this point to anyone who is willing to have a mature, unbiased conversation about this topic. But things have now changed. WWE is now better than TNA from an entertainment standpoint-- there's no doubt about it. TNA has to do something different, and it has to be done the second BFG goes off the air.

I have to disagree here already. Most of TNA's storylines since 2009 have been badly rehashed versions of what WCW was doing when they started to fizzle out. There have been bright spots with the in ring action, but to say that over all their in ring work has been better then wwe's is just too difficult to believe. With terrific matches from the likes of Punk, Bryan, Cena(yes, I think Cena is good in the ring when he gets the chance to show it) Taker, HBK, HHH, even Brock and Rock. Throw in some of the best work of their careers by Kane, Henry and others and match vs match, WWE far better then TNA. The Joseph Park/Abyss story is more interesting then the Cena/Punk, Cena/Rock, HHH/HBK/Taker, HHH/Brock stories? as the music states, no chance in hell, ya got, no chance.

1. Let the new breeds run the show. The title picture should only consist of Roode, Styles, Aries and Samoa Joe. I also like Anderson in this aggregate despite not being a "new breed". If they could sign John Morrison, he would also be world championship caliber.

Roode is the newest in the main event picture but none of these guys can be considered new blood in any way. Joe and Styles been with TNA almost since the beginning and were the top stars not named Jarrett for the greater part of its existence. as good and athletic as he is in the ring, Morrison is missing something that prevents him from reaching that next level and being a real champion. Often compared and vaunted as the next HBK, he hasn't panned out and isn't suited for that role. He's more of the next mr perfect or ted dibiase. Great workers who just weren't cut out to be the leaders of the pack. As for Anderson, he's good enough to sniff around a title but not to be a serious contender unless it's a transitional role. And having only these guy working for the title is just plain foolish. I bet if they did this, you'd complain that they are doing with them what wwe is with cena, forcing them in our face and not letting other guys try and get over. There is a lot of talent in the roster, and some of them might be worthy of a title shot. James Storm and Hardy, Kurt Angle among others are always strong worthy options at least for short term runs. Bully Ray has done a solid job in a revamped career.

2. Stop giving former stars away for free, use them to put new breeds over. Wrestling fans love when former stars return to the ring. That's why the loudest pops you'll hear in new age wrestling are when surprise entrants resurface at the Royal Rumble. Build more VALUE in the Jeff Hardys, Kurt Angles, Jeff Jarretts, Hulk Hogans of the world. Similar to the Rock's most recent run, put them on screen maybe a a dozen times a year. Have them incorporated in storylines throughout the year, but only let them wrestle during the Big 4 PPVs. Pair them with the new breeds who are in the championship picture, but not wrestling for the belt. Having former stars on TV every day completely wipes away the kind of nostalgia that draws casual wrestling fans. These guys can get the new breeds over with the right kind of build-up and promotion. RVD made WWE more money in one night on Money In The Bank than he made TNA in the entire 2-3 years he was with them. But since that night, his stock has devalued more and more each week. Eventually he will be an afterthought in WWE as well unless he disappears for a while.

TNA doesn't have the exposure to build more value into the likes of the names you listed. NO ONE gets famous playing for the Toledo Mudhens when there's a strong team in Cleveland. WWE is the MLB and TNA is Triple A. ROH is kind of like the Japanese Majors. Not quite up to top level, but producing worthy competitors that often shine in the bigger limelight of the larger league( ie Punk, Bryan), but who can also falter and flop (ie Colt Cabana, Anderson, and too many to list)
RVD made more money for wwe in 1 night then he did tna in 3 years? I highly doubt this on just the sheer logistics. If this is true, then RVD must have cost TNA about 100times when he was bringing in. He got a large pop, but I doubt he sold or brought in very much money at all when he returned to WWE. With TNA he likely helped sell some tickets and a lot of merchandise during his time there. And his fading relevancy is something that happens to every wrestler that switches a company. Comes in with a bang then fades. WWE had same thing happen not long ago with Matt Bloom(Tensai). Came in as a challenger facing Cena, now in a bad team with fellow chunkofile Brodus Clay.

3. Speaking of former stars, Hogan, I love you, but you have to go. You are consuming exponentially more than you are drawing. I'd like to see TNA part ways with him on a positive note in case WWE refuses to pick him back up. A once-a-year appearance by the Hulkster in a match on PPV (tag team, special referee, guest commentary) will draw HUGE bucks.

I agree that Hogan has to go, but honestly, he doesn't draw anything anymore and not even only having him show up 1x a year would have an appeal. His real life issues and other backstage problems have made him a pariah and he sucks the energy out of anyone working with him.

4. The one exception to former stars: MEM Sting as GM, but don't run the show around him. Sting should be the Goro of TNA; the King of Kings. Nobody can beat him, so he manages the entire organization and makes all of the decisions. He should not get tied into many storylines (if any at all). But he must be the enforcer. The feared dad who makes all the young men gasp when he makes an appearance.

Can't have it both ways. Either Sting is a complete office guy with no physical work, or he's a part time wrestler. Doing what you say would be terrible, and frankly they tried it already. It failed big time. remember his insulting ripoff of heath ledger's joker? what is it with this ass clown and ripping off dead celebrities. first it was brandon lee and the crow, not heath ledger as joker. guess it's jealousy since his acting career bombed huge. so he's felt the need to rip off the best roles of beloved tragic actors who died too young.

5. Clearly defined championship picture, mid-card and tag team division. We talked about the World Title picture. The mid-card should be clearly defined with guys like Knux, Magnus, Storm, Gunner, Hernandez, Robbie E, Kazarian, Daniels, Wes Brisco, Eric Young. I'd even like to see them bring in some semi-known names (but not big enough to draw big) like a Carlito or a Matt Hardy to make this division more relevant. This group of wrestlers should battle for the TV title under traditional TV title rules. It should be defended during EVERY TV episode and should have a 10 minute time limit. The TV title is essentially a king of the ring storyline each week. Other mid card storylines will sprout from this large group of wrestlers fighting for the same prize.

Guys like Sabin, Kenny King, Petey Williams, Chavo Guerrero, Sonjay Dutt, and any other indie, cult-hero wrestler should comprise the X-Division. This division shouldn't mean much on the grandscale of the TNA championship picture. However, it should be an energy booster, a spot fest and a niche segment of TNA to merit its claim of NON-STOP ACTION. There should not be PPVs dedicated to this, nor should it represent a large chunk of TV time, but it should be there each and every week.

And you say you've watched every impact since 2009. The only consistently good matches in they've had have been in the xdivision. It's the one thing that brought them close to being a major player in the game. When they started pushing down the xdivision focusing on the heavy weight champ is when they started loosing their place. The xdivision was as they said 'not about weight limits, but about no limits' and has consistently been the highlight of their shows. Every major star (if you can think of a minor league having a major star) that has carried TNA did so when either hodling or pursuing the xdivision in a far more interesting and entertaining series then anything they've ever done with the world champ. Styles, Joe, Aries, Daniels, Kaz all shined best when chasing or holding the xdivision belt. Let the old foggy gang have the world belt, TNA's real championship has always been and should always be the xdivision. It was the best thing about TNA.

6. Hire the best looking women you can find in the business for the KOs division. This would be another niche segment of TNA. They would be known for broadcasting beautiful, sexy women on TV every week. Taryn Terrell, Tessmacher, Velvet Sky, Mickie James and Gail Kim can all stay. But they need way more than that. Why the hell they didn't hire Ivelisse Velez is beyond me. She needs to be the first one brought in. Scout the indies and bring in the beauties. Bring back Lacey von Erich if you need to.

Again shows how little you really know. The KO's are another of the defining positives of TNA. Sure most are largely eye candy, but all of them are pretty capable in the ring as wrestler's as well. Unlike the diva's in wwe, they are an actual women's wrestling division, instead of a beauty contest gone physical. There might be 2 or three actuall wrestlers among the WWE Diva's, but almost all of TNA's KO's can work a match. Lacey was there for her looks and her name, and honestly was not ready to be in the ring. She might have improved by now, but I doubt it.

7. Go back to the basics with traditional backstage interviews, promos, announcing and commentating. Take a page from Ring of Honor. Wrestling is fake and we all know that, but we still love pretending it's real. We love charismatic mic work and not just from the wrestlers, but from the commentators. BE CORNY. Believe what's happening in front of you is REAL LIFE. SELL US. Emotion is going to make the product seem much more real than a biker gang storyline.

Wrong. Just plain wrong. Be Corny? What is wrong with you? Emotions are invested by fans in storylines when announcers make it believable. being corny just reminds us to not believe what we are seeing, that everything is a planned and plotted stunt rather then an athletic competition or a violent attack by a vicious group or mad man.

8. Take a break from stables and power-control storylines for a while. Storylines should be about nothing but championships and pride. If guys aren't fighting over a belt, they are fighting over things guys actually fight over in real life: who is better, who's reputation needs redeemed the most, someone tried hitting on someone else's girlfriend. Heels don't have to be evil in everyones eyes. They don't have to do things that everyone will hate. And the same goes for faces. It's pretty simple if you ask me. Let the audience decide who they agree with and don't agree with.

Again this is something they tried and something they still try and promote, as they are always talkign about how 'Wrestling Matters' on their show. Remember a year or so ago they tried to introduce a ranking system? SO that they would have an official list of the top ten and only guys in the top ten could challenge for a belt or a higher rank. It just faded away and they stopped mentioning it altogether like it never existed.

9. Total reform of entrances. We need louder, more interesting, more custom entrance music, videos, taunts. Set the wrestlers up for success. Let them play their characters and let their characters make an impression. Give new viewers a reason to get curious about the unfamiliar names on screen. TNA has never had good entrances ever. I've seen better entrances in high school gym wrestling events. Make it TNA a spectacle-- gladiators from different backgrounds living different lifestyles (GIMMICKS) all competing to be the best

Actually their entrances are pretty decent. Sure they lack some of the polish of a wwe entrance, but honestly, the wwe crew should receive awards for the work they do, and if it wasn't wrestling, but any other type of live event, they would be up every year for things like the emmy's and golden globes. TNA simple doesn't have the funds or talent in their crew to match that, but still manage for the most part to be pretty good at their jobs. Certainly better then WCW during the NWO heyday's. As for the guys playing their characters- if they aren't playing their role from the second they step out behind the curtain, that is a failing of the performer not the production crew. The entrance video, music, pyro are supposed to ENHANCE the performance of the wrestler, not DEFINE and dominate that performer.

10. The last step is simple: be organized. Everyone in the organization must be on the same page and have a clear understanding of the direction of the business.

Probably the only thing you posted I completely agree on. There doesn't seem to be a diffinitive final voice in charge of everything with TNA. A lot of what they do seems to be a trickle down of lesser ideas thrown together hoping something sticks. At least with WWE, there is one voice, one authority that has final say over EVERYTHING.

Things to keep:

Keep the four-PPV/year format with two special events each year. January: Genesis, March: Lockdown, May: Hardcore Justice, July: King of the Mountain, October: Bound For Glory.

Keep the 4-sided ring. Six-sided rings will not be taken seriously by anyone besides internet marks.

Keep the program on Spike TV (if they'll still have you). This product needs to be about serious, warrior-like competition, beautiful women, pride and celebration. People who are interested in those things watch Spike TV.

Keep Dixie Carter off television for most of the year. They have been doing a good job of this.

Things to consider:

Thursday nights are quietly becoming a very popular night of the week to go out. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights are the only evenings left where people are sitting in the house watching TV. I would advise moving Impact to Wednesday night if at all possible.

Cut ties with Taz. Eric Bischoff on commentary would be great. He and Mike Tenay would be a golden heel-face combo. Cut ties with Christy Hemme unless she still has the ability to dress skimpy (I can't tell if this can happen from week to week). And assign JB to do all in ring entrances and backstage interviews.

4ppvs? you list 5. I can agree that one a month is too much, but if you do go with a 4/5 ppv system, keep them in months that aren't near the wwe major ppvs.
Stay with Spike, mainly because almost no one else will take them. As for the focus, don't try and get into a beauty contest between the KO's and the wwe Diva's. Make the KO's the only real serious woman's pro wrestling division. Sure, having attractive women as valet's and ring announce/interviews is okay, but the wrestling should be done by people who are wrestlers first and woman second. Hell, I'd say try and get Beth Pheonix, Nattie Neidhart, Tamina Snuka over to TNA. Those three ina division with Velvet, Angelina, Taryn, Tara, Gail Kim, Mickie James? You could do whole shows just on KO matches and be a hit.
I consider myself an old school fan, but I liked the 6sided ring. It brought an interesting twist to the matches that was unique to TNA. I can understand why they changed since they started bringing in more and more WWE rejects or has beens who couldn't deal with the different angles and turns in the ring and it was from what I hear a stiffer mat to land on, so there were health issues to consider as well. But it brought excitement and interest to a stale art.
I can't say one way or another about Dixie. She doesn't bring anything that important to the mix, but she's not hurting anything by being there either. Unlike Hogan and Bischoff, who are nothing but poison.
Which brings us to Taz. Taz does seem to have lost interest in his job. He's reached the Heenan in WCW stage. He's finally caught on that TNA is bush league compared to what he had before and clearly resents that he's stuck there. He tried drumming up interest in his going back to wwe, but they didn't want him. replace him if you want but there's not really anyone to replace him with. Unless they somehow got matt stricker to come over. He might be able to interject some life into their commentary.As for bringing in Eric, why? He's been horrible at everything he's done for them so why put him right in every one's face as a commentator. It would be like wwe deciding that Vince should get back on the mic as the back stage interview and color commentator. It would make no narrative sense in the storyline, and just kill any momentum that could happen at ringside.

 

[darkrain888]

Here's my steps to improve the product.

1. Let Hogan go. This is probably going to happen in the next few months when his contract ends. That extra money could be used to sign AJ Styles to what he wants.

2. Here's where I have difficulty in understanding TNA. They let go of some wrestlers over the summer and now they want to hire new talent? I'm guessing they want unproven wrestlers to pay at a cheap rate rather than Matt Morgan for example, who've been around long enough and know what's a fair salary. Remember tho, you get what you pay for.

3. Number 2 was an opinion, I'll try and stick to steps on improving.

4. There's a mixed reaction on here by fans regarding the six-sided ring. I say bring it back. It doesn't make it look like a rookie league in wrestling. It looks pretty cool, just like the Octagon looks cool in UFC.

5. I'm all for signing new talent and it seems as though they are going that direction. With the problems that were going on in OVW, they can always look elsewhere or get another developmental league if they so wish. WWE had around 3 back in the day.

6. If it is true that Spike TV has a say in creative, well, they need to limit what Spike wants. I'm sure some of what they want has been part of the problems that TNA is facing. Negotiate if need be on that issue but not to the point where Spike lets them go. Spike does have an upperhand here in that ROH could always be picked up, or another promotion like Dragon Gate USA, Lucha Libre USA, etc. Spike has other options for a wrestling show and TNA knows it.

7. Continue on the road. They are doing the right thing by this.

8. Revamp the knockouts division. People may ask with what time and the answer is simple. The same time they've had the last few years. They made it work, before they can again. MsChief would make a great addition if they can get her. Look at other Shimmer stars and raid their talent the way McMahon raids ROH's talent.

9. Revamp the X division. Granted its improved in recent weeks but its a far cry from what it was in TNA's early days.

10. AJ Styles is the face of the company. I like Jeff Hardy but someone mentioned being watered down when you jump from company to company. I can understand that. AJ Styles is to TNA what RVD was to ECW. Too bad ECW (the original promotion) didn't capitalize and make him champion. May have saved the promotion for a while longer. TNA needs to capitalize on AJ as the face of the company. He's been champ before, but lets give him a Bobby Roode-like reign, this way when people think TNA, they think AJ Styles and vice versa.

11. It was mentioned about power trip storylines etc. I agree. Keep them at a minimum if at all. I liked it better in the WWF when President Jack Tunney made rare sporadic appearances. Let the wrestlers build their feuds with wrestlers. The wrestler vs authority figure is so played out.

12. Let go of the MMA wrestlers. They aren't making an Imact.

13. Some people have mentioned John Morrison not having "it". I do agree something is missing but I think its more of backstage politics having played a role. He would make a great addition to TNA and challenger for the TNA world title. As for RVD not being great in TNA? I disagree. Also for those saying his WWE return hasn't been great? I disagree as well. I thought it was going to flop but hes got a great reaction, and being a part timer he isn't expected to do anything but put talent over.

14. Paul Heyman once said that Taz is nothing but a fat commentator, and not a very good one. His commentating abilities aren't up to par, and as much as I liked him in ECW and his early WWE days, Taz isn't this threat he once was. Being a commentator due to injury, well he had to do something, but I just don't think commentating has been it. I agree that he seems to have lost interest. I say Mike Tenay and bring back a "heel" Don West. I liked that team. And ABSOLUTELY NOT about bringing Bischoff as commentator. Gotta keep him far away from TNA as possible. Someone mentioned McMahon being horrible at commentating but I think he was one of the best. He wont do it now and it makes sense.

Well those are my steps. They are doing a few things right by staying on the road, getting rid of Brooke Hogan, and limiting their PPVs. The reason I didn't mention ring entrance and production value is because that would cost extra money that TNA doesn't have extra right now. Should they utilize some of these ideas, perhaps they will and then they can work on that after. The talent is there, they just need better storylines, and a better, more organized plan.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Do cable subscribers still channel surf? I figure most use the guide and look for names or stations they like out of the 300 options that they have.

That being said, four or six doesn't matter to the non, casual, or loyal wrestling fan. It's not like people can't fathom two extra sides and recognize it is some type of combat sport. Not realizing it is pro wrestling is likely to get them to stop and figure out what their watching as opposed to quickly flipping away by immediately knowing it was pro wrestling.

It may be too late and I've never gotten a drop of support for this but I thought the moment they put Hogan on TV they should have called it Hulk Hogan's Impact Wrestling. His name is catchy and recognizable. People stop when they see him or his name. TNA Impact means nothing to people. That branding ship has probably sailed at this point and it certainly doesn't make the product any more entertaining but I think it may have helped three years ago.

I mean, my parents do? So does my brother. Maybe they're just weird, antiquated people, but the overarching point is that the six-sided ring was "unique" for the sake of being unique. It offered zero in terms of new ability or edge. There is/was nothing you could do in a six sided ring you couldn't in a four and vice versa, so what was the point? I get that it's "different", but it also alienated a lot of TNA's veterans who couldn't work properly in it having trained their entire lives in a four-sided ring.

As to the branding, I'm with you, sort of. Attaching Hogan's name to it would have irked a lot of IWC fans, but may have actually been an eye-catcher. To me, nothing sounded better than "TNA Thursday Night Impact". The show is "Thursday Night Impact", TNA is the company and then you could even attach Hogan's name to it if you wanted to get really loquacious — TNA Thursday Night Impact with Hulk Hogan.