A Question for Those Who Have Given Up on TNA

[It's Damn Real!]

One of the most common tropes in internet wrestling circles is lambasting TNA for their historic reliance on picking off the top (or sometimes the bottom) of WWEs scrap heap. They're routinely eviscerated by fans, many of whom claim they won't watch for this reason, for being unwilling or unable to build their own stars (even though this isn't true) without requiring that initial WWE-crafted stepping stone to prop themselves up on. Even I can admit that at times, this is entirely justified. But it isn't always, and it's really aggravating when every signing, including the ones that TNA effectively succeeded on their own with (EC3, Bram) are still shit on out of the gate because of their tangential ties to WWE or NXT. Even if those ties are almost non-existent, where the talent never went far in either league.

That said, let's assume tomorrow that TNA manages to entice a whole new crop of independent talents to sign with the company. Some are really over, some less so, but all are of much more fan interest if for no other reason than the fact they aren't associated with WWE or NXT in any way.

Quick prelude: I haven't done the timeless, error-free legal legwork to assure this list is iron clad, so I admit that I might be treading on an exclusivity contract here or there. Forgive me. But this is just a thought experiment anyway, and I'm basing these guesstimates on common knowledge and a few keystrokes into a Google search. If they're not dead on balls accurate (it's an industry term), it's not intentional on my part.

That said, let's say that among this group of independent stars includes Chuck Taylor, Candice LeRae, Cherry Bomb and Pepper Parks, Will Ospreay, Joey Ryan, Zack Sabre Jr., Ray Rowe and Hansen, Matt Taven, Anthony Nese, Jay Lethal, and others.

Would this be enough to entice you into watching again? If the answer is still no, is there a specific signing, or a specific group of them that would get you to give them another opportunity? Or does your position on watching TNA hinge on something else entirely (like it not being run by Dixie Carter, for example)?

Basically, what I'm really trying to find out is, for those of you who have legitimately stopped watching, what would get you to legitimately start again?

 

[sMark]

For me to watch TNA again, they need to bring in more talented indy guys, hire some famous TNA originals back (Roode, Daniels, Kazarian), add some legit star power to the top of their card (RVD, Angle, some legend who can still wrestle, some Japanese star (and i mean Star!) maybe even Batista), some ex WWE guy who still young and full off potential (Christian Cage circa 2005 as example) and give him push and be focus more on wrestling matches than boring storylines (face it, TNA never was able to do them right, competition and in ring action is what put them on the map in the first place). But this will never happen. Indys roster is thin today, thanks to NXT, unlike 10 years ago, when WWE was unwatchable and TNA was the answer for good wrestling programm

 

[Hem]

TNA needs to hit a complete reset button and go off TV for 6 months.

During the six month period the following things need to happen:

1) Write out storylines.
2) Work on production values.
3) Organize the roster.
4) Hire/Fire
5) New management.

When I say write out storylines I literally mean book people in advance so that they don't book themselves into a dead end due to the last minute writings. TNA is often illogical and seems lost in its stories so they should have stories written out with proper endings and also alternatives in case of injury or some unforeseen circumstances.

TNA may not be as rich or as heavily funded as the WWE but boy does it seem like a poor mans show. They need to book smaller arenas or maybe go back home to the impact Zone and create a new set. The stage, ring, titantron, cameras all need to be tweaked or replaced to look more high class.


The one thing I never understood about TNA was that the top draw (Jefd Hardy) spent a lot of time floating around as Willow or in the tag division when he should have been the poster boy. They need a main event crop, mid card crop and a sperate tag team and X Division. EC3, Drew, Mike, Jeff, Matt etc are all top tier guys while Bram, Storm, Crimson etc could handle the mid card and new teams ans X Division talent could be hired.

TNA has a mixed talent pool right now with some heavily talented guys and guys who don't do anything. They need to get rid of the extra weight like Eli, Camacho, Grado,Melendez etc and hire new guys who are talented like the Briscos, Sabre etc etc.

The main point here is NEW MANAGEMENT. Dixie needs to get out along with all of her yes men. A person who can handle a whole company need to come in with a new team and completely renovate the company. Jim Ross is currently my top name for this job since Heyman is with the WWE for the future.

Also getting merchandise improvements and giving people their own t shirts instead of the standard TNA t shirt would be fresh.

I feel like I wrote three times what I normally write for freaking essays... Only for TNA.

 

[thebigbadfox]

honestly there is no signing (other than stealing top flight wwe talk) that would make me watch again.
To me the main reason I stopped was production value....
It use to look feel like an alternate to wwe.... it felt like I was watching the competition.... yea there writing was crap and continuity was shit, but at least it felt better than it is now.
I know with the smaller networks less money is coming in.... but it feels like I am watching ROH or some other small promotion that is on some knock off channel at 230am.... (don't know if that makes sense but Ive seen some low level wrestling promotions on tv at 230am and later)
So unless Cena Bryan Punk Orton Rollins Lesner went over there (which never would happen) they need to then make it look and feel like its the big leagues.
Oh and a close second would be hiring a real announce team and not "shout everything" Josh Matthews and The Pope.

 

[Charismatic Enigma]

honestly there is no signing (other than stealing top flight wwe talk) that would make me watch again.
To me the main reason I stopped was production value....
It use to look feel like an alternate to wwe.... it felt like I was watching the competition.... yea there writing was crap and continuity was shit, but at least it felt better than it is now.
I know with the smaller networks less money is coming in.... but it feels like I am watching ROH or some other small promotion that is on some knock off channel at 230am.... (don't know if that makes sense but Ive seen some low level wrestling promotions on tv at 230am and later)
So unless Cena Bryan Punk Orton Rollins Lesner went over there (which never would happen) they need to then make it look and feel like its the big leagues.
Oh and a close second would be hiring a real announce team and not "shout everything" Josh Matthews and The Pope.

Basically a lot of this, mixed with a bit of "fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."

I was there for the weekly PPVs, I was there for the move to Spike, Dixie Carter, to the January 4th kick off of the "New Monday Night Wars", I was there for the Bischoff Hogan era, the move to DA, Billy Corgan, John Gaburick, the move to Pop, etc. etc.

Throughout it all, it just feels like lots of hype with no real follow through. If anything the hype usually under delivers and makes me wonder why I wasted my time getting invested.

As far as production values, their primary color is blue, which most of us associate with SmackDown. WWE's B or C list show that the majority of us don't watch because it's taped and nothing of importance ever happens on it. As someone who works in the creative industry I can't begin to tell you from a marketing standpoint how stupid this is. They need their own identity. Raw=red, Smackdown=blue, NXT=yellow. Even GFW is doing green.

Secondly, I DESPISE the 6 sided ring. Maybe just a personal preference, but this is pro-wrestling, and a lifetime of watching has my brain hardwired that wrestling takes place in a square, period. It doesn't add to the action in anyway, it just feels like a weird gimmick.

Lastly, consistency. When you're shows are taped 4 months out, how does that lead to excitement? I want to feel the energy! It doesn't have to be live every week, but there's something about the social element that engages people, remember calling your friends "Holy shit, did you see ____?!" there is none of that in TNA, and if there ever is, it's gone the next week. They have guys get fired and appear on months worth of TV even after they're gone, or situations like Hernandez and Lucha Underground, it just feels so amateur.

Their identity is all over the place, are they TNA, are they Impact? I remember a few years back when they had action figures in Toys R Us, and their guys were on potato chip bags, it started to feel like they were legit. I think at this point, there is really nothing they can do, outside of a complete reset/rebrand. They have great talents, but their reputation has stunk up so many people's perception of them, when you read online that they aren't even paying the wrestlers (and if they are it's peanuts) that doesn't get me excited to invest in them. I would love a legit #2 company, and under the right circumstances they could've been that, but at this point I think it's just too far gone.

 

[Cereal Killer]

Wow, never thought I'd ever have to post "what would get me watching TNA again." I was watching for over 10 years and in 2014 I'd had enough. I've checked the results here and there and have looked at what people have to say about the current product, it had eventually got to a point where I realised the only way they can change is if management changes.

But let's just say that one day Dixie Carter makes a few changes, that would have to include returning to authenticity. I feel that for a long time now, TNA has been about creating that nostalgic feeling. Whether that involves reminding people of WCW's days, ECW or even TNA's hey day. I mean, why was Beer Money reformed? They haven't even been broken up for that long. They think the way to bring fans back is by re-doing what they did pre-Hogan days. Go back to the similar way of doing things, yeah, but don't pretend that it's 2008. Keep it fresh and keep the storylines straightforward with a good direction. Right now it doesn't seem like they know exactly what they want on their product.

Also, they don't seem to have that polished professional look they had going on when they were rebranded to Impact Wrestling. I get that indy vibe now and to many, that's a turn-off. So the overall image of the company could be polished.

Finally, I personally prefer matches that are more WWE styled, so based on the story portrayed in the ring perhaps, rather than the flips, twists and kicks with all the weapons. Last time I watched, there was a lot more of that and as well as being a less popular style, it has that small time company stigma attached to it. I'm not saying have every star wrestle like Hulk Hogan; the level it seemed to be at in say 2012 seemed appropriate. I think that relates to the whole nostalgia thing with trying to be how they were in let's say 2005 and also pay homage to ECW.

So really, it's just about being authentic, coming across as very professional and also having some sense of direction in their main product. All factors which are very important, to me at least and would probably get me watching again. It's just unfortunate that it doesn't seem like we're going to get these changes anytime soon.

 

[Radical]

When I first started getting into TNA wrestling it was about 2007 or 2008, I believe, when top stars were AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Christopher Daniels, Abyss and Jeff Jarrett (among others, of course). I got interested in the show because compared to WWE I did find TNA to be more "non-stop action" and matches were entertaining and I thought the characters were good as well.

I actually liked the fact that there didn't seem to be too much talking and if there was, it seemed quick and to-the-point and then back to an action-packed match!

I also really liked the X-Division matches. Lots of great action matches and characters involved.

It was pretty easy to access because it was on basic cable channel Spike TV.

I watched on and off until around the time Aces and 8s storyline finished up.

I stopped watching because the show wasn't on my main channels anymore and because, honestly, I have so little interest in seeing EC3 unless I know he's getting beat that I just can't bring myself to watch the show if he's a main focus or champion on the show.

I know in wrestling fans are supposed to hate the heel but not in a way that makes them not want to watch.

Another reason I stopped watching is because my time is limited and, while I do appreciate catching a few good clips of the show online, I can't bring myself to spend more time watching TNA when WWE, as bad as it is sometimes, is still the biggest show around and Lucha Underground is currently my favorite non-WWE wrestling show that I am willing to give some of my time to.


The question is: what would get me to watch again?

It would be pretty hard to get me to really watch again. Sorry to say, but I think those days are over.

I appreciate the good work that is going on over there and when wrestlers I appreciate are signed and have work over there, like Jeff Hardy, Kurt Angle, Abyss, Manik (when he was there), I'm glad they are getting some sort of living wage out of what they do, but I won't be able to watch consistently anymore.

Unless, TNA actually gets some sort of Invasion angle into WWE. That might be the only way I end up watching.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Basically, what I'm really trying to find out is, for those of you who have legitimately stopped watching, what would get you to legitimately start again?

Speaking as someone who legitimately has not watched a single second of TNA television since before Bound For Glory 2014.... I truly do not know at this point. Their idiotic booking decisions drove me crazy for years. They got me to come back a couple of times in recent years, once for when the Main Event Mafia was going to come back, and then a second time for Bobby Lashley's World Heavyweight Championship reign. Then they drove me away for good with Bound For Glory 2014. Drew's win almost made me want to give the product another chance, as I was a huge fan of his.... but the glaring problem for me is "it's still TNA".

The creative team has GOT to go. Dixie Carter has GOT to go. If they could somehow get back to where they were 6 years ago, be on a channel people have actually heard of, and without all the idiotic booking decisions (push their own talent, not the WWE rejects).... Then maybe. MAYBE I'd watch again. In all honesty I will probably never watch TNA ever again. I couldn't take it anymore. Do they even have PPV's anymore other than Bound For Glory? I cannot fathom how they are still in business, and that is not me trying to wish financial failure on them.... It's not.... It is me trying to understand how they somehow keep surviving despite all the strange decisions they make. The short answer would be "be awesome again" but there's just too much damage that cannot be undone in how they are perceived as a brand in my opinion.

Despite this, I do genuinely hope they can turn things around and actually BE the alternative to WWE that they thought they were 6 years ago. It would take a miracle, I just don't see it happening, and they have not given me a reason to watch again. Hope that answers your question, IDR.

 

[Hyorinmaru]

Well a station I have would be a good start. If they did this I'd at least check in on occasion.


What I loved, what got me hooked was the X-Division and as they grew their roster their women's division. These were the strong points that I was excited for every week and had me coming back for more.

In order for me to even want to watch again they need to at least start bring both of these divisions back to what got me interested in the first place and continue doing it on a weekly basis. And as I stated a channel I have.

 

[TheMaskedNewton]

I reckon the biggest thing that turned me off is the number of talents that they lost. You can't really get behind anyone, with a worry that the said talent may not even be with the company after a few months. I was digging this new version of Beer Money and now Roode is no longer with the company. Seriously, at one point the only news that came from TNA was that so and so talent is no longer with the company. I think TNA handles storylines much better than WWE. They present their talent on alternative weeks mostly so no talent is over exposed. No one seems under exposed either. TV matches are good and kept short most of the times. But they don't show great matches that much. So for me, it's only about number of people on the roster and the quality of those people that they need to keep in check. And yeah, the production values too.

 

[saint_edward]

I used to love TNA, more than WWE. The ring, the matches, the feel of it, it was all different. They seemed to care about the Women's wrestling with Kong and Kim putting in performance after performance.

The X Division with AJ Styles, Daniels, Kazarian, Sanjay Dutt, Low-Ki, Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin, Samoa Joe! The card also had Scott Steiner, Petey Williams, Jeff Jarrett, Eric Young, Beer Money, Freakin' Sting, they brought in Ken Anderson and Angle. You've got Abyss (and I know he was a Kane/Taker/Mankind hybrid). The roster in the mid-2000s was stacked with quality talent and since then there have been others too like Austin Aries but they haven't held on to their legends like WWE have.

Those of us who watched it, who invested heavily at the beginning watched Hogan come in and SAP out the money. We saw Dixie Carter who just doesn't have it as an on-screen presence. We then watched as the guys who put it all on the line for TNA weren't paid and left whilst cheaper wrestlers took their place. Storylines stopped making as much sense and there were clusterfucks of factions.

The parts of TNA we loved got pulled apart in front of us. If they don't give a shit about their product and the people who put them where they are then why should I.

 

[duckbutter]

I have been a lifelong wresting fan of over 30 years and always chose NWA/WCW, Mid-South, and ECW over WWE, so the following comments are not as a WWE mark. Though I do still watch WWE, my comments are simply from someone who loves wrestling.

The only time in its history that I found TNA even remotely interesting was when Dusty Rhodes was writing it. That's it. Even then it wasn't spectacular. I had high hopes when Kurt Angle signed. His feuds with Desmond Wolfe and Samoa Joe were good, but overall the hope I had in him to truly help create an alternative brand fell completely flat.

Same could be said for Sting, Booker T, Christian, Jeff Hardy, Mick Foley, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, DDP, Hulk Hogan, Scott Steiner, Ric Flair, the Dudley's, RVD, and Eric Bischoff. All of those guys had been marquee names before coming to TNA and the same thing happened every time. While their stories may have been interesting at times, the rest of what was happening around them failed miserably and made the product overall less interesting.

How many times can TNA hit the reset button? Honestly, at this point, they either need to shut the doors or sell to someone who can make the hard decisions. I'm not saying Paul Heyman would have been their savior, but a deal like that with someone who knows how to deal with talent and get the best out of everyone needs to take over if they want to get to the next level.

They need a major overhaul and getting rid of Dixie Carter, Jon Gaburick, and any other WWE retreads in management would be a good start.

Short of those things happening, as well as CM Punk and Brian Danielson coming in the door at the same time, I just don't see myself ever watching TNA again. I have been burned too many times and have no interest in investing any of my time in it. And that makes me sad.

I really want an alternative that isn't tied to the WWE brand to make wrestling great again. Without competition we get what we are getting every Monday night: mediocre storytelling and over-hyped muscleheads being shoved down our throats.

 

[Rayne]

Well, I cancelled my cable since I've stopped watching TNA, can't say I miss it all that much, so it would take quite a bit with things in their present state for me to start watching TNA again. But for the sake of discussion, let's pretend that this afternoon TNA announces that you'll be able to stream all episodes of Impact from their website after they air.

Right now, there's no reason why I don't watch TNA, but there's no reason why I feel I should either. Back in 2007ish when I started watching TNA, it was because there were plenty of people excited about the product, so I figured I'd check out what people were so excited about. (If you want to get attention, start a riot; look at our presidential campaign.) It turned out that I liked the product they were offering, and when their product changed significantly in 2009-10, I lost interest.

There isn't that buzz around TNA that there used to be, even in the Hogan era. No one really talks about what's going on in TNA, besides IDR trying to start conversations in here (and bless him for trying). There's no real reason for me to change my routine any.

So to answer the question as to what it would take to get me to check out the product again (beyond my interest as towards the economic viability of non-WWE players in professional wrestling)..... I'm not even sure that's possible right now. For instance, I look back at how I got into WCW- I first started checking it out when Lex Luger crossed over, and started watching regularly when the nWo launched. I first started watching TNA when someone handed me a card after a wrestling event which had Kurt Angle wrestling some Christian Cage guy, and said 'holy shit, that's where these people went, let me check this out!' There aren't any big names who are going to cross the line anytime soon; all respects to Drew Galloway and apologies to Mustang Sally, but TNA's world champion is a guy who I remember best as one-third of the Three Man Band. I don't know most of the names on the roster, and couldn't name any of the last five X-Division champions if you gave me six names to choose from.

You need those anchor guys to make the rest of the roster look good, and hey, maybe there's someone with a brain inside of TNA who's going to put James Storm in that role. Right now, TNA has a roster of mid-card guys in their top spots, and people show the same level of excitement in the product.

 

[Pay Per Ghost]

Not now.

I saw that a buncha guys have been signed but there is no buzz. They will all have a chance to do something with their careers so let's see. They need a good pool and will have to execute something that has't been done before. Something that taps into the social vein of the times.

Maybe a Trump like character, someone who is bigoted but powerful.

Don't get me started on what turned me off, I gave up on those ***** after trying a few times.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I haven't watched TNA for probably about 3 years now, or close to it, and I couldn't watch it now if I wanted to as I don't have the POP network or whatever it's called. I can't accurately gauge the product now if I wanted to, so I can't legitimately say what I think is or isn't wrong with TNA. If what I've read from various other fans over time and from dirt sheet writers is accurate, then there's just this endless sense of impending doom going on, that TNA just constantly seems to be in this state of limbo or that people are just waiting for the other shoe to drop so that TNA is forced to shut down. I'm not saying any of it's true as I can't fairly say as I haven't seen it with my own eyes. I mean, if you base all your information off of just what fans online and dirt sheet writers have to say, then you might as well stop watching wrestling altogether because none of it's worth a damn. NXT gets a lot of praise, and rightly so as I watch it weekly, but I bet some of that praise would go away if NXT was on a regular television network with a TV deal because it'd lose some of that "cool, underground vibe" that it has. Even if the quality was still high where it counts, namely the talent, the storylines and the booking, some would focus on that particular change with the formula and relentlessly attack it with mind blowing exaggerations in order to try to turn others onto their perception.

Most of the information and stories surrounding TNA for a very long time have been about its financial issues, the difficulty with paying talent on time, how long it can continue to go, etc. I just simply seem to hear almost nothing positive about TNA anymore, though I've no doubt some of it is exaggerated, there's just seems to be this overwhelming sense of TNA's demise happening at some point. If what I hear is accurate to any reasonable degree, then there just doesn't sound like much going on that has me at all interested even if I could watch it.

 

[oneguy]

Well you seem to be missing the point completely even though you touched on it in your post. You mentioned yourself that TNA story lines are weak and yet you think that all TNA needs to do is bring in certain performers. You don't get it it though. TNA can have Austin, Rock, HBK, Hogan, Cena, Punk, Bryan, AJ Styles, and whoever the Indy darling of the month is, and as long as their stories suck, people won't watch it regardless of how good the matches may be.

TNA needs to hit a complete reset button and go off TV for 6 months.

During the six month period the following things need to happen:

1) Write out storylines.
2) Work on production values.
3) Organize the roster.
4) Hire/Fire
5) New management.

When I say write out storylines I literally mean book people in advance so that they don't book themselves into a dead end due to the last minute writings. TNA is often illogical and seems lost in its stories so they should have stories written out with proper endings and also alternatives in case of injury or some unforeseen circumstances.

TNA may not be as rich or as heavily funded as the WWE but boy does it seem like a poor mans show. They need to book smaller arenas or maybe go back home to the impact Zone and create a new set. The stage, ring, titantron, cameras all need to be tweaked or replaced to look more high class.

Jim Ross is now with NJPW and has no experience running his own promotion.
The one thing I never understood about TNA was that the top draw (Jefd Hardy) spent a lot of time floating around as Willow or in the tag division when he should have been the poster boy. They need a main event crop, mid card crop and a sperate tag team and X Division. EC3, Drew, Mike, Jeff, Matt etc are all top tier guys while Bram, Storm, Crimson etc could handle the mid card and new teams ans X Division talent could be hired.

TNA has a mixed talent pool right now with some heavily talented guys and guys who don't do anything. They need to get rid of the extra weight like Eli, Camacho, Grado,Melendez etc and hire new guys who are talented like the Briscos, Sabre etc etc.

The main point here is NEW MANAGEMENT. Dixie needs to get out along with all of her yes men. A person who can handle a whole company need to come in with a new team and completely renovate the company. Jim Ross is currently my top name for this job since Heyman is with the WWE for the future.

Also getting merchandise improvements and giving people their own t shirts instead of the standard TNA t shirt would be fresh.

I feel like I wrote three times what I normally write for freaking essays... Only for TNA.

Jim Ross is now with NJPW and has no experience with his own promotion. To expect him to be able to help TNA is too optimistic.

honestly there is no signing (other than stealing top flight wwe talk) that would make me watch again.
To me the main reason I stopped was production value....
It use to look feel like an alternate to wwe.... it felt like I was watching the competition.... yea there writing was crap and continuity was shit, but at least it felt better than it is now.
I know with the smaller networks less money is coming in.... but it feels like I am watching ROH or some other small promotion that is on some knock off channel at 230am.... (don't know if that makes sense but Ive seen some low level wrestling promotions on tv at 230am and later)
So unless Cena Bryan Punk Orton Rollins Lesner went over there (which never would happen) they need to then make it look and feel like its the big leagues.
Oh and a close second would be hiring a real announce team and not "shout everything" Josh Matthews and The Pope.

Haha. Josh Matthews sounds like a dork and The Pope sounds like a mental ******.

 

[BestSportsEntertainer]

1 - No one watches it

2 - Constantly changing their channel and start time

3 - Too many swerves

4 - They try way too hard to be WWE 2.0

5 - Commentary is just AWFUL

Yeah I mean TNA is okay, but WWE is wrestling. Every other company is irrelevant.