Is it "cool" to hate TNA?

[TheHitMark-SirJoseOle]

Now what should be said about people that are TNA haters, well first of all hate is a very strong word. In fact I think on most of these postings the word use is very unfounded and outright foolish. But that is beside the points. If you don’t like TNA simply because you are not a fan of its wrestlers that is fine but leave it at that, there is no need for some of the senseless rants and lustful amounts of hate that I read from a lot of posters. It’s one thing to have an opinion but it’s another to make a groundless diatribe that consists solely on four letter words and close minded mentalities.

As far it stands right now in the world of wrestling, WWE is the best, that’s a “No Sh*t Sherlock” type observation. However, despite their status I personally do not feel that they are an entertaining product like they were back in the bygone eras. But that is just my opinion, even with their ratings not being what they were since the then-WWF during the Attitude era, you still can’t argue success. And believe me I dislike so many aspects of the product now but I won’t disrespect the success and the ability for the company to keep itself on top of the wrestling world. However, just because you are the best doesn’t always mean that you have the best. Again that’s just my viewpoint, and I’m not trying to get anyone to agree with me.

On the TNA side of things, I am not especially taken with their product either, but I don’t hate it. They have tried to make certain changes and have not met the success that some within the company as well as hardcore fans were hoping for. However, to speak in the positive about their attempts despite their lack of success (i.e. the Monday Night time slot) they still have done one thing that none of these other promotions like XWF (Jimmy Hart’s ill fated promotion) had done, and that was take a chance. To be honest it’s hard for me to really enjoy anything from either side but I think the hate towards TNA is rather childish and immature on most people’s parts when posting on this forum and others like it.

The reason I think a lot of people like to harp on all of TNA’s negatives is because they are people who are loyal to the WWE brand. In a lot of ways I won’t knock that either, people have a right to watch what they want and like what they want. But to totally focus on TNA’s negatives just shows a lack of critical thinking and true appreciation for a company that was trying to do what so many people have pined for since WCW was sold to WWF in 2001 and that is an alternative. Now that we have had a company try it, it’s sad to see so many short sighted people just lambasting any efforts that TNA is trying to make in their attempt to get further recognition. Every successful wrestling company has taken time to establish itself. WWE (as the WWWF and then the WWF) didn’t just become THE wrestling promotion when they become an entity that shot off from the NWA, and WCW despite their corporate backing just didn’t spring overnight either. For the fans that care to know, the seeds of WCW were planted when the NWA’s affiliate the Jim Crockett Promotions started promoting events in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Now I do know that Crockett Promotions had money woes and that’s why they became WCW, and we all know what happened with AOL Time Warner’s attitude towards WCW. But nothing can change the fact that they were a very successful promotion for decades.

TNA isn’t a “dead” promotion like many others tout it as being, the biggest disadvantage that I think they have is the fact that the original Monday Night Wars created a precedent that set such an amazingly high standard for anyone to compete with. Before Nitro came on the air no one ever talked about TV ratings between WWF and WCW. But once Nitro did happen it changed wrestling on prime time cable television forever. Now I am not claiming to be a business man or know anything about wrestling beyond my love for it as a fan. I am just making general observations. TNA has outlasted upstart promotions like World Wrestling All-Stars and have managed to be on cable TV while ROH (while a great pro wrestling product and offered only on HDNet) has not yet managed to do the same. Judging by the fact that all promotions even the great WWE empire had to get their start somewhere is what’s preventing me from hating TNA or throwing in the towel and calling them doomed.

I also don’t waste the energy to believe all the speculation and dirt sheet mongering that most web sites talk about, which more often than not is greatly exaggerated and sometimes completely false. Hopefully most logical fans will find a way to avoid the influence from such farce and find a way to formulate their own opinions instead.

But at the end of the day, I always say it’s nice to have an alternative and hopefully TNA can continue growing. After all there are folks that own Playstation and XBOX 360, and there are those that drink both Coke and Pepsi, so by that rationale there’s nothing wrong with liking WWE, TNA and even ROH (I know they’re not part of this topic but I still thought I’d bring that up). Again, “hating” something is just not a constructive way to go.

 

[triple_b2k]

when I was in elementary school, it was cool to hate wcw. I was a wrestling fan outcast because I actually preferred it to wwf. for a lot of people, yes I believe it is cool to hate tna because it's competition to the top product, wwe.

personally I don't hate tna, I just have no interest. I tried watching it tonight (saw the aj styles, jay lethal, and kazarian match) but the match wasn't very interesting. I can't judge the product based on this one match but it didn't make me want to watch the show anymore.

wwe will always be the top dog and the fan favourite because it's been around for so long and continues to do well. unless there is an unforseen meltdown in the company (probably when steph and hhh take over haha) they'll always have the fan support and any other company is crap.

 

[shattered dreams]

I don't really think so. TNA simply is bad and they've brought so much of this stuff on themselves. I mean how can you not get on this company for being bad? Everything from midgets to implied rape to power rings and so on. The company attempted to fight WWE and got knocked on their ass. Every big and bold prediction they've made has fallen apart and it seems as if there's little upswing to them. In other words, it's they may be hated on a lot now, but they've brought every bit of this on themselves.

TNA has a midget on one episode, WWE made one the focal point of a huge story. This implied rape crap is really getting old and ******ed. How is some peoples sick perverted minds any worse than Orton actually assaulting a woman in the ring and invading their home? Nothing implied about that. WWE would never dress a guy up like someone from wrestling history and give them a random big push cough swangle cough. Speaking of corny, how do people actually make it through those guest host segments? I mean how can you not get on both for being bad if that is the criteria?

 

[TheHitMark-SirJoseOle]

TNA has a midget on one episode, WWE made one the focal point of a huge story. This implied rape crap is really getting old and ******ed. How is some peoples sick perverted minds any worse than Orton actually assaulting a woman in the ring and invading their home? Nothing implied about that. WWE would never dress a guy up like someone from wrestling history and give them a random big push cough swangle cough. Speaking of corny, how do people actually make it through those guest host segments? I mean how can you not get on both for being bad if that is the criteria?

shattered dreams, thanks for bringing that point up about the WWE's storylines. That is one thing I did forget to tackle in my previous post of how I have come to not like WWE like I had in the previous eras of the organization when it was the World Wrestling Federation. I don't care what any of the fans on here try to do to defend Vince McMahon and the WWE on how their PG format has made everything all better. In my mind it does not erase the reams upon reams of archive footage that you can go through and see scenarios with 80 year old women exposing themselves, giving birth to hands and let us not forget the future son in law of Mr. Vinny Mac dressing up in a Kane mask and outright simulating necrophelia. Yes, for those with the short memories WWE did a storyline where Triple H accused Kane of getting his rocks off by having sex with a stiff. I'm not defending any of TNA's storylines that might cause controversy like the Orlando Jordan angle but let's not forget that WWE has had their fair share of sensationalism.

Oh and one other thing i forgot to mention that I don't think anyone else talked about, the TNA "haters" whine about TNA taking pot shots at WWE on air. Well then I guess these poor souls suppressed the memory of Billionaire Ted, The Nacho Man and The Huckster. Don't get me wrong I find stuff like that to be entertaining all the way around. But if you TNA haters can't stand the fact that TNA says negative things about WWE on their program then explain to me how Vince's antics in the old days were any better?

 

[Phenomenal]

It dont bother me if people hate TNA, the people who hate TNA are Vinni Mac fanboys who are fat and are gonna be virgins till 40 anyway.

And the people who watch TNA are former WWF/WCW/ECW fans because WWE is shit and have no other alternative.

Westling will always have flaws, its FAKE, how can it not make mistakes. If you dont like it, then dont watch it.

 

[onemandynasty08]

One thing that many fans seem to think is that a wrestling company can be built in one night. WWE was not built in one night, and neither will TNA. WWE is 52 years old, and TNA is not even 10 years old yet. Even though times have changed and it's easier to build recognition than it was years ago, wrestling companies don't become star companies overnight. The great WWE Raw didn't pull 4.0 and 5.0 ratings when they first started. Their ratings in there first year were in the 2.0 range. It took them almost 3 or 4 years to consistently begin to bring in 4.0 ratings. We also must realize that the wrestling fanbase is definitely not as strong as it was in the WCW/WWF(E) wars. Some fans believe they have outgrown it. Some have found interest in other things. It takes time to build up a company. TNA is going to have flaws, but I believe that they are going to soon find that one thing that will change their company for ever.

One example of this would be Apple. Apple didn't become the company that it is overnight. Anybody remember those old ugly computers that Apple use to make years ago. However, they found the something that worked for them and they ran with the ball. Now they are one of the biggest companies in the World. Who knows maybe TNA could be the next Apple when they find their own identity.

 

[TheHitMark-SirJoseOle]

One thing that many fans seem to think is that a wrestling company can be built in one night. WWE was not built in one night, and neither will TNA. WWE is 52 years old, and TNA is not even 10 years old yet. Even though times have changed and it's easier to build recognition than it was years ago, wrestling companies don't become star companies overnight. The great WWE Raw didn't pull 4.0 and 5.0 ratings when they first started. Their ratings in there first year were in the 2.0 range. It took them almost 3 or 4 years to consistently begin to bring in 4.0 ratings. We also must realize that the wrestling fanbase is definitely not as strong as it was in the WCW/WWF(E) wars. Some fans believe they have outgrown it. Some have found interest in other things. It takes time to build up a company. TNA is going to have flaws, but I believe that they are going to soon find that one thing that will change their company for ever.

One example of this would be Apple. Apple didn't become the company that it is overnight. Anybody remember those old ugly computers that Apple use to make years ago. However, they found the something that worked for them and they ran with the ball. Now they are one of the biggest companies in the World. Who knows maybe TNA could be the next Apple when they find their own identity.

You said it man, I just wish we had more people like you on this thread to keep discussions like this engaging and more enjoyable, instead of the hate filled diatribes that a lot of closed minded people like to perpetuate. Because at the end of the day that's how a debate on a topic should be. Too often these conversations denigrate into a "TNA can't compete with WWE because they aren't putting up 4.0 ratings and what not.", people tend to forget that it did take WWE years to build their fan base. Thanks man for throwing out some good points here, because you really never do know where TNA is going to end up in a few years, they've made it this far, who knows where they can go next!

Keep up the good postings onemandynasty08

 

[FitFinlay4Life]

One thing that many fans seem to think is that a wrestling company can be built in one night. WWE was not built in one night, and neither will TNA. WWE is 52 years old, and TNA is not even 10 years old yet. Even though times have changed and it's easier to build recognition than it was years ago, wrestling companies don't become star companies overnight. The great WWE Raw didn't pull 4.0 and 5.0 ratings when they first started. Their ratings in there first year were in the 2.0 range. It took them almost 3 or 4 years to consistently begin to bring in 4.0 ratings. We also must realize that the wrestling fanbase is definitely not as strong as it was in the WCW/WWF(E) wars. Some fans believe they have outgrown it. Some have found interest in other things. It takes time to build up a company. TNA is going to have flaws, but I believe that they are going to soon find that one thing that will change their company for ever.

One example of this would be Apple. Apple didn't become the company that it is overnight. Anybody remember those old ugly computers that Apple use to make years ago. However, they found the something that worked for them and they ran with the ball. Now they are one of the biggest companies in the World. Who knows maybe TNA could be the next Apple when they find their own identity.

Dear One Man Dynasty (or is that One Mandy Nasty), love the post and couldn't agree more. Thing is a lot of the haters have jumped on the band wagon because Hogan didn't realise this model and TNA lost some ratings ground because of it. I feel they are now starting to address this and hopefully ratings will grow 0.1 by 0.1 - the one thing I haven't seen disputed (even by the haters) is their talent.

 

[gd]

You definetly get some major e-cred for hating TNA. Lots of people go pride themselves in being the first to use a clever analogy to explain how much TNA sucks. As of late, I've been one of those people criticizing TNA at each and every turn. Not because I want them to fail, but because it has been bad of late.

In fact, I want nothing more than for TNA to succeed. Late last year/early this year I thouroughly enjoyed watching TNA at all times. Even now, TNA definetly has it's fair share of positives (Angle, ummm, there has to be something else. You get my point.) I'm sure TNA can't be in the dumpster forever. Instead of looking at it as a company that has a chance to be great that constantly shoots itself in the face, I'm going to look at it as a primarly shitty company that surprises me with moments of brilliance at times. Makes things seem much better.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

One thing that many fans seem to think is that a wrestling company can be built in one night. WWE was not built in one night, and neither will TNA. WWE is 52 years old, and TNA is not even 10 years old yet. Even though times have changed and it's easier to build recognition than it was years ago, wrestling companies don't become star companies overnight. The great WWE Raw didn't pull 4.0 and 5.0 ratings when they first started.

TNA has been around for nearly a decade and they've been on Spike for close to 5 years now. This is a crutch that far too many fans lean on whenever TNA winds up failing at something. TNA's age, or lack thereof, wasn't harped on nearly as much when they decided to go head to head against WWE. It didn't stop them or their fans from talking a lot of trash about WWE when they went up against WWE. When things look up for TNA, you hear vast levels of praise for TNA and trash talk towards the WWE from a large number of supporters. When things look bad, then they dust off the same old lame excuses for why things look down. Excuses like "TNA is less than 10 years old" or "Spike doesn't advertise TNA enough" or "TNA Management doesn't know what it's doing". Either TNA is in the big time or its not. It can't be the former when it's convenient and the latter when things are down. I'm sorry, but it's a bullshit double standard.

I do want TNA to succeed, I do want it to grow and produce a quality product. But I'm not hating on TNA, I think they're producing a shitty product and they have been for a while. Just because TNA is called an alternative to WWE doesn't automatically mean that it's a quality alternative.

 

[onemandynasty08]

WWE was founded in 1952 if I'm correct, Raw began in 1995... WCW began in 1988, Nitro debuted in 95... TNA began in 2002, IMPACT! debuted like a year or so later... WWE had been going for 40 years and they didn't pull at 5.0 rating from the start and neither did WCW. Even though we here at WZforums are wrestling fans, the truth of the matter is that is wrestling is just not as popular as it use to be. SmackDown! doesn't pull 2.0 ratings anymore, RAW is struggling to stay in 3.0 ratings, yet everyone always seems to mention TNA's 1.0 rating. If anything, I believe that a 1.0 rating could be weighed to the equivalent of the 2.0 ratings that WWE got when Raw first began.

While IMPACT! did begin in 2003, it began as a Friday Afternoon show on Fox Sports Network, so that doesn't even really match up to Raw's status. They've been on Spike TV for about 5 years. They got a TV deal in the midst of their building process. WCW and WWE had been on TV in other outlets before they got their TV deals. I think that alot of TNA's fans are those who are apart of the Internet wrestling community, where as WWE has a more generable fanbase. There are still many general wrestling fans out there who probably know nothing of TNA or those who tuned out of WWE may not even want to give wrestling a chance again.

I think TNA is in the process of weeding out what works and what doesn't work. If anything I think in a way they are listening to their fans. I'm not sure if anyone has noticed, but Hulk Hogan has started to show up less and less on IMPACT! each week. They are trying to find out what works and what doesn't. I think IMPACT! is personally more watchable than RAW in my opinion.

 

[T2KFreeker]

I can agree that it's the "Cool" thing to do to hate TNA. I constantly read comments like, "If you don't like WWE, then you don't understand the business." Uhm, well how does that work? I've been watching Wrestling since the early 80's and lived all over the place because my Pop was in the Marines. I can honestly say that I watched quite a bit of wrestling and WWF/WWE has never been my favorite company. I used to love Georgia Championship Wrestling, World Class, and the NWA. ECW was great for what it was and I was a mark for WCW during the MNW's. Personally, I only watched WWE at the early 2000's because it generally was all that was on. I had a local station that showed Chaos Pro Wrestling, and I watched them because I was there for a bit until I hurt myself. I even got so desperate for something else that I watched XPW because the local channels carried it and it was something different from what Vinnie Mac was doing.

The point is that the big reason that the Professional Wrestling industry isn't as hot as it used to be is because it isn't as good as it used to be. Before I get shot for that, let me explain. The booking at either of the big two is nowhere as strong as it used to be. Both companies have tons of talent that could easily be the top deck, but it seems that the fans are not allowed to pick who is hot and who isn't. The owners want to showcase this guy or that guy and you are forced into believing whatever they shove down your throat. TNA does not do this as much as WWE does, but they have. Both companies have their problems but there will always be the rift. I know for sure that I can't stomach where WWE is these days because the booking is terrible and I want wrestling so I am relegated to TNA and Ring of Honor. WWE marks need to look in their own back yards before criticizing another company because neither company is really hitting a homer right now. I can say though that I generally enjoy the match quality on TNA over WWE's. I am sorry on the over long post, just feel strongly on this.

 

[TheAnimal]

I think maybe it is more cool to hate Vince Russo, so you hate his product, which happens to be TNA.
I wanted the monday night wars to be successful, i wanted TNA to compete with WWE. Obviously that wouldnt just happen, but they didnt help themselves with that. Hogan came in and they said theyd basically take over the world, that didnt happen and they had to backtrack and go back to Thursday nights.
I think its the stupidity of the decision making processes that we unite in hating. Its not that people hate TNA for the sake of it, but it presents itself as inferior, the commentary is abysmal and their roster is WWE rejects bar a few.

 

[burnout4200]

Yes, Yes, Yes, A million times yes. TNA has it's problems and I'll be the first to admit it. The thing is everyone ignores the good and focuses on the bad. For the past few years, even before Hogan, TNA has been hit or miss. To me all of the hits made it worth the misses because at least it wasn't cookie cutter RAW. WWE sticks to what works, thats smart business, but it leaves me bored after awhile.

Wrestling is just like any other sport. Cowboys fans hate Philadelphia, Dale Jr. fans hate Jeff Gordon, and Yankees fans hate everyone. It's the natural order of things so you can't take offense to it. The underdog will always be shit on by many while being loved by a small and devoted following. Human kind loves conflict. They thrive on it. This is just another small example of that larger point.

 

[X]

Absolutely it's the "cool" thing to do to hate on TNA. Come on, fucking Hulk Hogan, Internet Smark Enemy Number One, is the face of the company now. TNA has been shit on massively for the past six months ever since Hogan came in, sometimes justly, but often times unfairly I've thought. Is the product great right now? Nope, absolutely not. But it's certainly not the worst the product has ever been, we're still given a fair amount of quality wrestling over the course of a month's Impact tapings and live PPVs. I thought RVD and AJ Styles had a pretty fuckin' great match at Sacrifice a few weeks back, and I simply love the fact that Rob Va Dam is being given a fair shake at being the top dog in a major promotion again, something I've long wanted to see. Bad as the booking and Impact can be, if I'm still getting quality wrestling through out the weeks, honestly I'm satisfied. Great angles are always fun obviously, but I watch wrestling mainly for the actual in-ring product, and as long as TNA delivers on that front, I'm satisfied, and I feel they have for awhile now. I mean TNA is nowhere near as bad as it was just a year ago, the product for most of 2009 was almost unwatchable, it was't until the fall and AJ's title win that the company really became good again in my eyes, and I still see a lot of good things in the company (the booking most certainly is not one of them).

But all of that is a moot point, because most of the online smark community is so deadset against Hogan (and I'm not exactly a fan of the man either) that it wouldn't matter if TNA gave us six straight months of Styles-Joe-Daniels quality matches on every show, most of the online wrestling community is still going to shit on TNA, because it's Hogan, and because of his culpability in the downfall of WCW. Like it or not, TNA fans need to get used to it, I know I have, I"ve long since given up hope on seeing TNA being given a fair shake by the IWC again.

 

[MWats]

Of course it's cool to hate on TNA. Now that people are suddenly having boners for Cena, people shift their hate to TNA and Hogan in a poorly veiled attempt to get accepted on the wrestling internet community. Sad bastards they are. But sometimes the hate is warranted, because TNA's storylines often make little to no sense. There are few true faces and heels in the company (which to be fair, is a little bit of the live crowd's fault), there are so many "backstage situations" every week in TNA that you might as well set up a commentary table back there, it is hard to see the kayfabe motive of what the superstars do, and overall, it takes too much effort to try and figure out what's going on.

With WWE, you could not watch for months and pick up any show, barring NXT, and it would make sense due to replays and basic storyline structure. With TNA, you have to literally go and research, or Mike Tenay has to explain to you what is going on. It's too much. Wrestling is more about spectacle and story rather than the in-ring product because frankly, the biggest stars in wrestling history haven't exactly been Bryan Danielsons (Hogan, Rock, Austin, etc.). So yes, it is "cool" to hate TNA, but it's not like they don't deserve at least 60 percent of that hate.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Yeah, a lot of people do like to hate TNA, but some of the TNA bashing is justified. TNA just hasn't been that good lately. The women's division has declined, and tag team wrestling in TNA just isn't what it used to be. TNA was hot when Styles won the world title. He went on to have some very good/great matches with Sting,Daniels, Samoa Joe, and Kurt Angle. But ever since then, TNA has cooled off. The storylines aren't that great, and the high level of quality wrestling matches on Impact have decreased by a lot.

I haven't been a fan of the Hogan era myself, and like X said, most of the IWC can't stand stand Hogan, so they will most likely shit on anything he's involved in. TNA has been streaky and just plain bad at times, so that might be a reason why a lot the hate towards TNA has intensified, and yes, some people probably do feel like it's cool to hate TNA.

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

"Cool" to hate on TNA? Maybe for some. I'm sure there are plenty of people who hate on TNA (here in the IWC) because they like to follow along. Also, as stated before, a lot of younger fans hate Hulk Hogan (or pretty much anyone over 35..unless they can hit big spots), so that always adds to your "cool" factor.

For me to think it's "cool" to hate TNA would be for me to never want TNA to succeed. I want TNA to succeed so badly, I actually sit down and watch the show every Thurs...er, wait...Mond..errr, wait...Oh yeah, Thursday night, sorry, Thursday night. I watch the show every week, even though I'm not particularly happy with what I see.

I thought TNA sucked before Hogan, and I think it stinks with him. It's entertaining, I will give you that. Before Hogan, it was just a clusterf*** in every sense of the word. With Hogan you have more coherent storylines, but they are all corny and cheesy. Not sure which is worse.

I watch and root for TNA. But this is a wrestling forum, so if I don't like what I'm seeing, I'm going to bitch about it. Whether TNA improves under Hogan/Bischoff, Paul Heyman, or Buzz Aldrin, I don't give a shit. I just want a better product. I don't hate TNA (it's better than WCW was in 2000). I just want it to improve.

So yeah, to an extent, I think (for some people) it's cool to hate on TNA. Before Hogan got there, it was the more "sophisticated" fans who hated on TNA. Now, you can add teenagers who want nothing to do with Hogan, and smarks who are pissed the programming has went through some changes.

 

[LigerBomb]

Is it ever "cool" to "hate" something (I'm looking at you Nazi Germany)? I don't know that it ever is, or it to be the case here; it is, however, appropriate to dislike and hold a negative opinion of a damaged, (some would say) inferior, product.

Now TNA vs WWE was only going to end one way[Duh]but it seems WWE have upped their game as a result. [Can't say for certain that was due to TNA's involvement at all]Now even though TNA's ratings have suffered, shouldn't we be glad that they tried? [Were you a fan of TNA, who's looking for their success, how can you be glad they're worse off now then they were prior?]That they had the balls to do it?[Balls, Stupidity, same thing it seems] That they know what to do better if they were to do it again?[Sad thing is I really don't think they do]

My question is; do you watch TNA to see what they are doing wrong or are you a genuine fan who wants to see them prosper and emerge as a genuine threat, a genuine alternative product?

The times I do commit to watching the fiasco I tune in to largely see if they've approached end of days WCW levels of confusion yet.
I'm a genuine fan of Pro-wrestling who would like to see good companies who put out good products be successful due to their efforts and smart business decisions. What I would not like to see is sub-par work being heralded as anything more than it is simply for the fact that there is nothing else to praise, or because people are just that desperate for WWE alternatives that they gloss over genuinely short comings and failings.

 

[Mustang Sally]

Rather than "hating" TNA, I think the thing that might be perceived as cool is ignoring them, which more people seem to be doing since their failed Monday night experiment.

You know what I'd love to know.....and probably never will? Whether TNA pitched Hogan and Bischoff to come aboard, or whether it was the other way around. Did the Dixie Cups seek out these two guys and ask them to rescue their company, or did Hulk and Bisch sell the company on the idea that they would come in and turn TNA into a megaforce that would put WWE out of business? Instead, they're getting lower ratings than before January 4......and it's costing them a lot more money (in payroll) to do it.

In any case, Hogan and Bischoff's reputations must have taken a heavy hit in these last few months and you have to wonder how much longer it will be before they issue announcements that they are leaving "to spend more time with their families" or "to pursue other endeavors."

I don't think it's cool to hate TNA, but from a business standpoint, it's certainly easy to ridicule them.

 

[Krobra]

I don't even know where to start. So, maybe it's best to go back a few years. Back when TNA was new and TNA wasn't crowded with WWE Rejects, TNA had wrestlers that weren't well known and elevated them. Examples are AJ Styles and Samoa Joe. These two were, and are, perhaps one of the best aspects TNA has. They both never stepped foot in WWE, and have a future waiting for them.

Not only that, TNA was a different product. While WWE went PG, TNA kept the attitude persona. It was for adults that still liked the swearing, the hot chicks, and the blood. Don't get me wrong, that is what made the Attitude Era the Attitude Era. But right now, people are moving away from wrestling and to other things, like UFC or losing interest all together.

TNA was interesting and was sometimes enjoyable to watch. That is, until Hulkamania jumped in. When I first heard that Hogan and Eric Bischoff were coming to TNA, I thought this was going to be the boost TNA needed to jump it to WWE level and make better compitition, and make wrestling more interesting. And boy, did Hogan drop the ball.

Not only am I disappointed in the TNA product, I literally feel sick watching it. What the did to the product was pure crap. It almost feels like Hogan did this on purpose. They are doing the opposite to what they should be doing. They turned AJ Styles from a great face to a pussy heel, they brought in the Nasty Boys that should have been buried and never brought back in the first place. OJ is just...oh my god. I am all for equal rights for homosexuals, but seriously. What the hell? Have they ever heard of overkill? And what the hell is it with Abyss and the magical ring?

Not only that, Ric Flair pretty much spat in the face after the WWE gave him a great send off to what was perhaps the greatest farewell of all time. After Ric joined TNA, does it seem like WWE is trying to have someone break that 16 Time World Champion record? Triple H is at 13 reigns, Cena and Edge are at 9 respectively, Undertaker is at 7, and Orton is at 6. i think the WWE would've had not let anyone come pass 16 in honor of Flair, but now since he did this crap, I think they don't care about it anymore.

The only silver lining that is keeping TNA afloat is some of the talent that they do have. Lets start with Kurt Angle. Kurt Angle is one of the best wrestlers they have, and the best in both TNA and WWE. Kurt has gotten way better in terms of health and as a preformer. TNA hasn't dropped the ball with him.

Yes, TNA is crap and I think most people have the right to hate on it for dropping the ball. They thought they had big balls to go head to head with WWE and promised to beat WWE in the ratings. And they failed, miserably. This only pissed off some of their fan base and surely made some leave.

TNA has screwed their product up so much, I can't stand it to watch two of my favorite wrestlers. Jeff Hardy has legal problems right now, and from what I heard, has been sloppy in the ring. I don't know if this is because he is messed up on drugs again, but Jeff will never grace the WWE ring again. That I know for sure.

Then we have Rob Van Dam. He is the current TNA World Champion. I think he should've gone back to WWE personally, but he choose the lighter schedule. If TNA goes under and RVD ever tried to go back to WWE, I don't think that they would take him back, or push him to be a World Champion again. I was ecstatic when he returned to the Royal Rumble, and hoped he would choose WWE over TNA. We'll see what happens in the next few years.

There is a ton of other things I could go into about, but TNA screwed themselves up. They are dropping in ratings, moved back to Thursday night with their tail behind their legs, and have to start from scratch. Maybe if they get their game together, TNA can make a come back and and prove themselves as competition to WWE. But in order to do that, they need to change. They need better marketing, fire Russo, and start getting creative.

I want nothing more that for both TNA and WWE to succeed, and WWE is getting on the right track. They are pushing younger talent, they have recently started to develope good story lines with NXT jumping Cena. WWE still has flaws, but at least they don't have their head up their asses as much as TNA does.

For both to better their game, both need to start getting creative and fixing their problems. Yes, not everyone will be happy. But if it raises ratings, establishes new talent for the future, and making creative storylines, then both will succeed and make a profit.

 

[Tiger Chaos Theory]

The Four most popular reasons that TNA gets flak on the internet (As judged by my random reading of youtube and facebook comments and this forums less knowledgeable or bias posters. This list does not include sheeple following the TNA hate train to social acceptance)

4. The Product is Bad (Booking Wise): A debatable position, but nothing wrong with having you're own opinion on something. Don't like Lethal getting pushed over the last TNA champion, think it's a terrible idea that hurts A.J. and makes Styles look worse? That fine, so long as you have some form of evidence to back this up, it's perfectly acceptable to hate on TNA for what you consider bad booking. I'm guilty of this myself sometimes. It is too bad that most people don't dislike TNA for this reason, but rather as just an extension of the other reasons.

2. It's not the WWE (And they dared to try to take on the WWE) : Don't try to tell me people don't hate on TNA because it isn't the WWE. I've seen it so many times and just saw it right before posting this. Before Jan. 4th, this group was almost non-existent, they had no clue what TNA was and were content to just watch the WWE without taking any interest in smaller federations. It's the reason WWE reject is such a popular insult. These guys weren't good enough to be in a real company, so they go to the place nobodies wrestle.

3. It isn't What it Used to be: Most of these critics say the show is bad and rave about how great the show was before Hogan and Bischoff came in was better. Right, it was better, for about three months. 2009 was one of TNA's worst years. I know what you're thinking, doesn't this go back to the first reason? No, these critics rarely have any viable evidence that they have a clue as to what exactly TNA was before Hogan. They say things like "TNA was way better a year ago" when TNA a year ago was some of the worst television the IWC had ever seen. Every forum on the internet was almost universally against TNA about a year ago, whereas now, you can at least pick out some positive aspects of TNA (Unless you have blind hatred such as reasons 2 and 4).

4(and my personal favorite). It's got Fucking Hulk Hogan in Dude (And ATM Eric):

Absolutely it's the "cool" thing to do to hate on TNA. Come on, fucking Hulk Hogan, Internet Smark Enemy Number One, is the face of the company now. TNA has been shit on massively for the past six months ever since Hogan came in, sometimes justly, but often times unfairly I've thought.

But all of that is a moot point, because most of the online smark community is so deadset against Hogan (and I'm not exactly a fan of the man either) that it wouldn't matter if TNA gave us six straight months of Styles-Joe-Daniels quality matches on every show, most of the online wrestling community is still going to shit on TNA, because it's Hogan, and because of his culpability in the downfall of WCW.

This is the man who single handedly brought on the demise of WCW and ended the greatest era of wrestling for everyone right? He also was the worst performer the ring has ever seen and because of him no young stars got to shine, right? He also killed your childhood by being a bad wrestler right? Fuck man, there is so much hate for this guy on the internet it truly astounds and disgust me. Is there a little bit of truth to the questions I asked? Maybe, but fuck, you'd think Hogan went into each and everyone of these guys houses and played with their little boy parts while humming his Titantron theme. His very association with TNA has to be the most bitched about thing on the internet these days and even some of you posters can't help but inject the "If Hogan left TNA would be better" bullshit into your post.

All of these things make it hip to hate on TNA. While some might make good observations and use their own thoughts to form these opinions, most do not. It's cool to dislike the thing everyone else dislikes. Keyboard warrior A hates TNA because of this, keyboard warrior B hates the too, I'll just side with them to fit in. Bandwagonism runs rampant in humanity and this is no different.

Like it or not, TNA fans need to get used to it, I know I have, I"ve long since given up hope on seeing TNA being given a fair shake by the IWC again.

Oh, I have. Some will just never let go of their bias. So to answer your question, yes, I'm a genuine fan who wants to see them succeed./long winded rant