"New" Policy On How To Handle Talent On TV

[ABMorales787]

It has been reported that there is a new company policy within TNA as to how they are using talent.

The new policy is that if the creative team does not have any storylines for a performer, that they simply will not use that talent on TV. This is the reason that wrestlers such as The Pope, RVD and others have been off of TV for long stretches.

I wrote it as "new" because in reality, this is just a formal acknowledgement. TNA's done this for a good while now. Most notably since 2010 when you had Jay lethal pushed for a month, vanish, and then Pope was getting a push and so forth.

With TNA's product today, it's solid with simple storylines and a straightforward idea with what they want (James Storm as top face, A Double's push and so forth) But at the same time, TNA is grown to the point that the roster's star power is too big for it's own good TV wise. As a result former World Champions like Mr. Anderson and Rob Van Dam have to full blown leave TV to allow a steady stream of talent flowing. Yeah, you could say "these guys deserve airtime regardless" but if it weren't for that, guys like Austin Aries, Zema Ion the Joe/Magnus team and so on would not get as a fair a shot at the spotlight as they get.

I realize it's a bit harsh, but it's a sacrifice worth making for a bigger investment. Guys like Anderson and RVD have a good enough resume to bounce back as soon as they are needed and we get guys like Austin Aries and Magnus headlining Impact Wrestling once in a while.

 

[ThisIsLCS]

So Tell me this....Would it really be THAT hard, that if there is nothing "Creatively" for these people, to just let them come out and Put on a good match?

No need for a story line, no heel or face, just two guys showing off their talents and entertaining the crowd.

 

[Maikeru_1979]

So Tell me this....Would it really be THAT hard, that if there is nothing "Creatively" for these people, to just let them come out and Put on a good match?

No need for a story line, no heel or face, just two guys showing off their talents and entertaining the crowd.

they do this. they are called dark matches (or superstars in WWe). and they happen before events. at least this is what dark matches should be used for. evaluate talent and see what needs to be worked on

 

[OneTooManyPunts]

This is a good move by TNA, IMO. Too often in the past, TNA has flooded Impact with talent because it simply tried too hard to use too many people in a two hour time frame. It seems they are finally starting to settle in to the idea of not only pushing the younger, home grown talent..but also in using their time more wisely.

One of the things Bruce Pritchard 'reportedly' wanted to do when he came to TNA was slow the pace of the show donw. If you are going to slow it down, you have to thin it out, otherwise what is the point.

 

[Zeven_Zion]

So Tell me this....Would it really be THAT hard, that if there is nothing "Creatively" for these people, to just let them come out and Put on a good match?

No need for a story line, no heel or face, just two guys showing off their talents and entertaining the crowd.

So you want wrestling without the storylines. Do you listen to porn?

This is nothing new. Not in TNA, not in wrestling in general. The problem with TNA, I believe, is that they signed a bunch of wrestlers on long term contracts and these fellas can't get out of them and TNA won't fire them because they are reserve talent and they probably pay them per appearance. They wouldn't want to get out of them either, because in most cases TNA lets them do house shows and you never know when you're gonna get your shot with TNA and let's face it - they'll never make it in the WWE. They have to go through FCW and THEN to the WWE and even then it's shaky, none of the fellas TNA doesn't use will have a shot in the WWE so might as well stick with TNA.

This is not a doghouse situation, this is a situation of TNA doing a lot of shit at once, which I'm fine with. It's content and I like content. But look at a guy like Magnus. TNA had zilch for him since Wolfe got sick or whatever happened to him. He was useless. Now he's in a great team, featured prominently, just had a Main Event and happens to be a tag team champion.


People need to freaking come to terms with a certain thing in TNA called ROTATION OF TALENT. The lower and mid-card guys will eventually go off the card to make way for the people that are not used. It used to be Kendrick, Aries and Shelley in the X-Division, then it becae Sorrensen, Kash and Aries, now it's Aries, Shelley and Ion. Rotation.

We'll always have people bitch someone isn't on the card, and that's fine. They can't have everyone on there, even the almighty WWE doesn't use JTG and Curt Hawkins on every show. That's their role, they have nothing for them, if TNA needs them they'll use them, just like they used the likes of Magnus.

 

[Oldschoolersrule]

Its also a cost cutting issue as well. I read in one of Mark Maddens columns where he stated that during his time in WCW, the company payed out and lost a lot of money on travel expenses for the unused talent. If you don't need them at the current time, why pay them to stand around behind the curtian?

 

[Lowdown]

So Tell me this....Would it really be THAT hard, that if there is nothing "Creatively" for these people, to just let them come out and Put on a good match?

No need for a story line, no heel or face, just two guys showing off their talents and entertaining the crowd.

This is a good point. This tends to be the case with some of the weekly KO matches, like the one on last week's Impact. One of the arguments was how could booking pair two KO's from different tag teams to go against Mickie and Velvet. Granted that when WWE has matches with no plot or storyline, that's what Superstars is for. But TNA doesn't really have that luxury or another televised show, so unless you're in attendance chances are you're not going to see the dark matches.

Its also a cost cutting issue as well. I read in one of Mark Maddens columns where he stated that during his time in WCW, the company payed out and lost a lot of money on travel expenses for the unused talent. If you don't need them at the current time, why pay them to stand around behind the curtian?

Oldschoolersrule also makes a point in cost cutting. Considering that backers of TNA might not have deep enough pockets to pay everyone on the roster per appearance, its smart to save money wherever possible. How this sits well with certain talent like RVD, Pope, etc, I have zero clue. Now most of the roster that hasn't been seen like Steiner and Abyss is currently working Ring Ka King, which is garnering more exposure and thus a little more revenue.

 

[midgensa]

My biggest problem with this is that it rewards the creative team for being shitty at their jobs.

I like that it has allowed the rise of people like Roode, Storm and Double A. But, honestly, it is kind of ridiculous for this company not to Anderson and RVD on TV when they have them at their disposals.

It means that the creative team is having a very difficult time thinking of stories that are not directly related to the top of the card and chasing the title or "control" of the show. If they cannot think of other stories and angles for top tier talent ... in the long run they are in trouble anyways.

 

[ABMorales787]

My biggest problem with this is that it rewards the creative team for being shitty at their jobs.

I didn't realize TNA's creative team was responsible for TNA's TV programming deals. Shame on them for not cramming 20+ guys into a weekly 2 hour format.

I like that it has allowed the rise of people like Roode, Storm and Double A. But, honestly, it is kind of ridiculous for this company not to Anderson and RVD on TV when they have them at their disposals.

"Disposal". Where exactly do you wanna cram them in? There is no space. It's either this or jobbing to the other guys. I'd really hate for guys like Anderson, RVD and such end up like The Miz, Christian or John Morrison who went from main event pushes to jobbing to whoever was the point of interest.

It means that the creative team is having a very difficult time thinking of stories that are not directly related to the top of the card and chasing the title or "control" of the show. If they cannot think of other stories and angles for top tier talent ... in the long run they are in trouble anyways.

No. The reason there are no storyline ideas worked for these guys is because if there were any developed, there would be no place to put them in. You'd end up with messier booking. Take the feud Devon and Pope had. It started last June. It ended January at Genesis. Why? Well because it progressed so slowly due to other stuff needing airtime. No one cared at first, even less by the end. If there were another major TV show for these guys to simply go out and have a good match, then that would be great. But there is none available so sadly whoever isn't on full focus is simply not gonna get any until further notice.

 

[Tired0FthePeople]

They can't have everyone on there, even the almighty WWE doesn't use JTG and Curt Hawkins on every show. That's their role, they have nothing for them, if TNA needs them they'll use them, just like they used the likes of Magnus.

The only issue I have is this...look at who you named. WWE doesnt use JTG and Curt Hawkins. They are a long way away from the talent and prestige of RVD and Anderson. I get that you have to have some kind of 'rotation' or whatever, but how do you not have Pope, RVD and Anderson in your rotation? Having those men on your program will surely help sell PPV's and boost ratings. (not saying it would be by a TON, though.) If anything, RVD and Anderson could be put in a program against one another...so what its been done, programs are always done, done and re-done.

Someone mentioned not wanting Anderson and RVD on TV so they wouldnt be jobbing like former champs Miz and Christian. Miz and Henry are jobbing because they are in hot water, for 1, and just because the E does this doesnt mean TNA would have to do it.

If you cant have everyone on the show at the same time, at least get rid of the Garrett Bischoff stuff and all the crab that's surrounding that and replace it with people who'll undoubtedly make more people tune in. Cut out the Eric Young singing to ODB backstage segments and just do a little bit better booking. Im not bashing TNA...I actually quite enjoy it but its no reason a show like this trying to increase its numbers shouldnt have two of the most fan-favorited(i know thats not a word lol) performers in all of wrestling on the sidelines when they can cut some things out to get them in.

 

[Rayne]

I didn't realize TNA's creative team was responsible for TNA's TV programming deals. Shame on them for not cramming 20+ guys into a weekly 2 hour format.

Then why hire all of them in the first place? We are talking about the guys on contract, not the pay-per-appearance cast. If you only have so much work available, you hire the amount of people you need to do it. They aren't signing contracts simply to keep people away from the WWE; if the WWE wanted those performers, they could outdistance TNA/IW easily on the money front. If TNA/IW wants to poach from ROH, they can- no one in their right mind would sign a long term deal with ROH, I like the promotion there but the people who are in it obviously want more for themselves.

It comes down to TNA/IW hiring too many people. I suppose keeping them off television on some kind of rotation is "a" solution, but it sure isn't a good one. It's also a loud, sharp signal to people who are being written out that TNA/IW has no plans for them in their long-term future. Mr. Anderson, take notice.

This reckoning's been coming for a while. Expect a lot of the stars that aren't getting much airtime to slowly, almost invisibly leave TNA/IW. It's in TNA/IW's interest to make their departures as silent and nondramatic as possible, but it's also in their interest to have them depart. Not a "OMG over 40" reaction, but when they trim out the people they don't need and aren't using, they don't have to pay them or write stories for them, and can focus on the people who are out there making the money.