Is TNA Finally Finding A Balance?

[Indeed]

The past four months of TNA programming have been engaging. The product they are putting out right now makes you want to see what happens next. The story-lines are layered and well paced, the booking has been very logical and consistent, and stars have been created in Bully Ray, Austin Aries, Bobby Roode, James Storm, and so on. When Cornette left TNA, things started to go downhill. TNA from late 2005 to early 2008 was THE best wrestling you could see on television. But when Hogan and Bischoff came on with Russo and Ferrera combined with the loss of Cornette, we saw some really lackluster television and poor business choices. Perfect example being the disastrous move to Monday's.

But now, things have been slowly improving. Members of the IWC who were growing increasingly discontent with IW have now come back around and are watching every Thursday night. The pieces have truly come into place - Hogan is a great authority figure, Bischoff is off television and Flair is gone, and the focus has switched from the ex-WWE guys and the old-timers to the younger talent, especially the homegrown guys like Aries and Roode who will main event D-X. Has TNA FINALLY found the balance they need? Or at least, are they on the right path?

Thoughts and opinions!

 

[#heel420]

I have to agree. Tonight was the first time in years I enjoyed watching an episode of Impact. I usually get bored half way through and turn on the xbox, but this week I was compelled to watch the entire show. And after what happened at the conclusion of tonight's show I can't wait to watch next week. I applaud TNA for putting on a great show. They did their best to capitalize on the momentum from Slammiversary and I hope it pays off in the ratings.

 

[LegendKiller716]

I've stated this in a few different threads already, but before Hogan and Bischoff arrived, I don't think they every saw an episode of impact.

They came in, made a bunch of terrible changes, put there guys on top, and they were completely out of touch. Now that they have been in the company for a while, and have been listening to the fans (to an extent) they're starting to get into a groove.

My only complaint is I wish they would make the divisions more distinct. Everyone kind of blends together. Some people might not care, but I don't like it.

 

[Cereal Killer]

I think that they're on the right path. Focusing on homegrown guys instead of relying on ex WWE guys is great. If only Hogan had did this before. Only problem now though is that there is no 6 sided ring and they don't do the matches they used to.

 

[IT Factor]

While I do agree with most of what the OP said, I do slightly disagree to an extent. The main problem has been inconsistency in my view. Impact Wrestling starts storylines, doesn't do elaborate advancing, and then, drop said storyline with little or no explanation. That has to leave most fans scratching their heads and wondering why. I do think TNA is on the right track with going live and giving more effort with their shows.

The main thing holding TNA back is Hogan & Bischoff. I liked TNA much better when Jarrett was in charge and had Jim Cornette on-air helping with storylines. It was a much better time in TNA all-around and their matches & storylines were more entertaining to watch as a fan. If Impact doesn't panic due to ratings and drop being a live show, I believe going live in addition to changing weekly venues would do wonders for making TNA seem like legit competition for WWE. They have a long way to go before that happens, but, those would be major steps in the right direction towards accomplishing that end.

 

[kirkt690]

i started watching tna when hogan and all of the ex wwe guys came in and it kinda fell especially with the monday night move which was the worst idea ever!!!!!! but i have come back to tna now with roode and strom rising from a tag team all the way to the main event, and austin aries. these guys have made tna interesting. with roode as the champion i have loved tna even more because they dont have the constant world title changes anymore, instead the left the strap on roode and let it run its course and which has also brought out a great feud in the former tag team champions. so yes i think tna has found that balance and they are only gonna become bigger from here on out!!!!

 

[Lancer]

As of lately, yes they are on the right track. Bobby Roode's reign as the World Heavyweight Champion has been superb. You have Aries, who is rising fast and shows no signs of stopping. The women's division is excellent (although it always has been, pretty much). The storylines appear well-thought out, and mapped out with logic and consistency involved.

When the Hogan/Bischoff regime showed up, they tried to make too many changes too fast (the 4-sided ring, Top 10 Contenders, the move to Monday nights). The 4-sided ring has stuck around (except for last year's Destination X), but most of the decisions have run their course or been dropped altogether; maybe because they're listening to the fans, or maybe because they have finally hit a groove in how to produce a well-run TV program featuring exciting wrestling and fan involvement.

I personally have only two gripes: the X-Division and the mid-card. We were promised a "new focus" on the X-Division, which involved bringing in the best X-Division style wrestlers from around the world. Although that did happen at first, the ranks have been trimmed down to Austin Aries and whoever his challenger is for that month. I miss the random X-Division matches placed on Impact (tag, 6-man tag, battle royal, 3 or 4-way matches, etc.) from its inception to around 2009-10. In short, the X-Division is TNA's bread and butter. Bring it back to its former glory, before WWE's cruiserweight show tempts the talent to jump ship.

Finally, the mid-card. Where is it? Right now, it seems to only consist of Devon the TV Champion, Robbie E & T, and Garret Bischoff. Stuff the mid-card a little more, use it as a springboard to the main event, as it should be. I know they only have two hours of TV time a week, but perhaps they can develop a feud between Devon and someone instead of having random matches.

Rant finished. All in all, I am very satisfied and excited about the current state of TNA's show. Perhaps down the line, Bischoff with his TV expertise can obtain more programming, or more time added to Impact Wrestling.

 

[Arashi]

The last two weeks have been amazing, the storyline's like Park/Bully, and Sting's attackers are really good, not to mention the greatness that is Roode, Storm, and Austin Aries, TNA seems to have found a great balance.

 

[IT Factor]

As of lately, yes they are on the right track. Bobby Roode's reign as the World Heavyweight Champion has been superb. You have Aries, who is rising fast and shows no signs of stopping. The women's division is excellent (although it always has been, pretty much). The storylines appear well-thought out, and mapped out with logic and consistency involved.

Agreed. Bobby Roode's reign as World Champion has been the one consistent thing TNA has achieved lately. I've been very impressed with Roode and think Impact Wrestling would be more prestigious if Roode were a long-term champ. Let him ride the wave all throughout the BFG tourney and perhaps have him lose to Storm @ BFG. That main event @ BFG would be great in and of itself. Plus, I like the idea of Storm getting the title and having Roode chasing him for it. Or, TNA could simply let Roode retain the title and make him an even longer reigning champ. Either way, as long as those two guys are the main event, I'm happy with the outcome.

When the Hogan/Bischoff regime showed up, they tried to make too many changes too fast (the 4-sided ring, Top 10 Contenders, the move to Monday nights). The 4-sided ring has stuck around (except for last year's Destination X), but most of the decisions have run their course or been dropped altogether; maybe because they're listening to the fans, or maybe because they have finally hit a groove in how to produce a well-run TV program featuring exciting wrestling and fan involvement.

I admire Hogan/Bischoff seeing things differently and wanting to try new things. Problem is, they sacrificed TNA's identity by doing certain things. Like getting rid of the 6-sided ring, namely. That was pretty much the main focus on TNA being different in the beginning and they took that away the first week being in the company. I will say this, it took balls for them to go head-to-head with RAW when they did and I actually liked the top 10 contender idea. They should've stuck with that and we'd know for sure that whomever was main eventing was fan-voted. That's a unique concept and doing that makes it more efficient by giving fans what they wanna see and more importantly, WHO they wanna see main eventing.

I personally have only two gripes: the X-Division and the mid-card. We were promised a "new focus" on the X-Division, which involved bringing in the best X-Division style wrestlers from around the world. Although that did happen at first, the ranks have been trimmed down to Austin Aries and whoever his challenger is for that month. I miss the random X-Division matches placed on Impact (tag, 6-man tag, battle royal, 3 or 4-way matches, etc.) from its inception to around 2009-10. In short, the X-Division is TNA's bread and butter. Bring it back to its former glory, before WWE's cruiserweight show tempts the talent to jump ship.

I hate beating a dead horse, but, the 6-sided ring. When Hogan took that away, it also took away part of what made the X-Division great. The Hogan/Bischoff duo promised a renewed focus on the X-Division and they've failed miserably. Here's an idea; Take the talentless off of television and take that time and devote it to the X division. Namely, get rid of Brooke Hogan or Garrett Bischoff. They take up WAY too much tv time and you could be devoting that time to X. I did like seeing the return of Ultimate X this last week, though.

Finally, the mid-card. Where is it? Right now, it seems to only consist of Devon the TV Champion, Robbie E & T, and Garret Bischoff. Stuff the mid-card a little more, use it as a springboard to the main event, as it should be. I know they only have two hours of TV time a week, but perhaps they can develop a feud between Devon and someone instead of having random matches.

Again, Hogan/Bischoff have failed miserably in this area. They have no real mid-card and it's because the TV Title hasn't been used. Sure, they brought back some glory by taking it off of Eric Young. But, giving it to DEVON? DEVON? Make that title worthy again and use it like WWE uses the IC/US title. The second most coveted belt in the company and a nice springboard into the main event. Why not give that title to deserving talents like RVD, Hardy, or even Anderson? Anyone not doing anything big in the main event should be gunning for Devon's TV title.

Rant finished. All in all, I am very satisfied and excited about the current state of TNA's show. Perhaps down the line, Bischoff with his TV expertise can obtain more programming, or more time added to Impact Wrestling.

All things considered, your rant wasn't as bad as it could've been. I could think of numerous topics you could've went off about, like I dunno, the tag division being a ghost of it's former glory? As a fan, I appreciate Hogan/Bischoff making the effort and tryin' new things. They simply overestimate coming up with one "big idea" that will take TNA to a "higher level". Don't worry bout that, just do what TNA can do best; focus on wrestling, make it priority, and define ALL divisions. The rest will come eventually as long as Impact can sustain their momentum without shooting themselves in the foot and taking steps backwards.

 

[The Real Babyface]

TNA from 2005 to right before Hogan and all of those old WWE wrestlers come TNA was magnificent. When Hogan first was here and TNA was filled up with all this Imortal B.S., I didn't want to watch TNA anymore. For a year I stopped watching TNA and every month my brother and I would try to watch an episode of TNA. Finally, we watched one episode and it started to look better. My brother and I started to tune in weekly and watch the matches. Since the TNA management started to focus more on new talent and long time TNA wrestlers it has become alot better. Now I'm starting to think TNA is on the right track and I look forward to watching TNA weekly.

 

[Lancer]

All things considered, your rant wasn't as bad as it could've been. I could think of numerous topics you could've went off about, like I dunno, the tag division being a ghost of it's former glory? As a fan, I appreciate Hogan/Bischoff making the effort and tryin' new things. They simply overestimate coming up with one "big idea" that will take TNA to a "higher level". Don't worry bout that, just do what TNA can do best; focus on wrestling, make it priority, and define ALL divisions. The rest will come eventually as long as Impact can sustain their momentum without shooting themselves in the foot and taking steps backwards.

You know I didn't even think of the Tag Division, but that's no surprise either as it seems it doesn't exist anymore in modern-day mainstream wrestling companies. Organizations are more concerned about making the next big singles star, than about creating and sustaining new and exciting tag teams and feuds.

And I agree about the newest "big" ideas taking TNA to a higher level. You don't necessarily need things like that when your programming and stars are perennially good.

 

[IT Factor]

You know I didn't even think of the Tag Division, but that's no surprise either as it seems it doesn't exist anymore in modern-day mainstream wrestling companies. Organizations are more concerned about making the next big singles star, than about creating and sustaining new and exciting tag teams and feuds.

And I agree about the newest "big" ideas taking TNA to a higher level. You don't necessarily need things like that when your programming and stars are perennially good.

It's a damn shame that the tag team divisions in both WWE & TNA have went to virtually nothing. Name one consistent actual team in either fed. WWE has maybe the Usos[when they get tv time] and TNA really hasn't had a solid tag division since Beer Money and MCMGs were getting injured. They did a good thing by making Joe & Magnus a nice wildcard team. Although it seems as though they disbanded them as well. In the old days, tag team wrestling was an almost scientific form that added a much needed pace-setting to the shows and generally rounded out the show. Today, tag team wrestling is a joke of what it used to be which is indeed sad.

It really irks me that Hogan keeps touting these "big ideas" that will elevate TNA just by doing it. That won't save TNA. It's a combination of doing one thing really well[WRESTLING] and a bunch of little things that aren't so little with that combo[like good wrestling, wrestlers, defined deep divisions, etc]. It's not as if some new idea will set wrestling on fire again. Everything in wrestling is pretty much old ideas that need exploring again. Like going back to fundamentals. Defined divisions, wrestling, and attention to your fanbase[and not the weekly Orlando people, the mainstream fans] will do ALOT to boost Impact Wrestling into the major league vs. WWE. Of course, I've been impressed with Impact lately. Ever since they made the switch back to live, it seems more important and the shows have more effort into them. Which they should stick with and not panic about ratings. Just keep giving consistently good shows and the audience will come. Sadly, given TNA's track record, they'll panic and go back recorded. Spoilers, mediocre ratings, and the same slump they've been in since after Hogan/Bischoff debuted. I hope that doesn't happen, but, history isn't on Impact's side for consistency.

 

[DangerousDave]

I've been watching on TV and attending every taping at the Impact Zone since the day Hogan came in. My knowledge of TNA prior to that is only from reading about it and YouTube videos. After watching wrestling since I was 8, I stopped when WCW folded. I tuned in the first night Hogan arrived out of curiosity. I was hooked on TNA after that first show. With that in mind, I'd like to give you my untainted first impressions and observations since Hogan and Bischoff arrived.

My first look at the 6 sided ring had me thinking this is gonna be like another Hogan midget wrestling show that will last 3 episodes and be canceled. It just didn't look like a pro wrestling ring, it looked like a ring that would be used on a gimmick show like American Gladiators. I know you hard cores will say that's what made TNA different, but if I were flipping through the channels knowing nothing about TNA and saw a 6 sided ring, I would keep flipping. Switching to the 4 sided ring is the smartest thing Hogan has done to date. When the switch was made AJ said in an interview that it was a lot easier on the body and you got much better spring off the ropes because they were longer. Bottom line: TNA looks like a real pro wrestling promotion to those who haven't seen it before.

What hooked me that first show was the wrestling. A.J. Styles blew me away and the others on the show told me this is something I could get behind. There were no over the top ridiculous gimmicks like WWE is famous for, it was more old school. I liked the look of the Impact Zone, it was intimate like some of the shows from Crockett's NWA studios in Georgia, with the likes of Ric Flair and Dusty Rhodes. Bottom line: Good wrestling overcame my dislike for the 6 sided ring and I haven't missed a show since.

I also felt kind of at home seeing the old WWE & WCW wrestlers to kind of ween me back into wrestling. Knowing the histories of the old guys gave me something to help build my interest in the wrestlers I didn't know. Bottom line: The old guys were beneficial in bringing in new viewers like myself. My current thoughts on the old guys is fact that there are fewer and fewer of them on TV is a good thing and at this point its in TNA's best interest to keep it that way.

When Hogan brought back the 4 sided ring, to me the formula was complete to get me hooked on TNA big time. I went to my first live TNA event when I bought the Victory Road VIP package in July of 2010. I bought the package because there was an autograph session with about 25 of the wrestlers included. My objective wasn't autographs, but to have my picture taken with Ric Flair. As a side note, Jeff Jarrett was signing and welcomed to to my first live event, his sincerity really did make me feel welcome to TNA. I have been to every Impact taping, ppv, and now, live tv show since.

When I first started going to the tapings the audience was awful. The same marks at the same place on the rail every week. The stupid chants. Poor reactions when the audience was packed with tourist or it was raining and the attendance was down. TNA finally wised up and banned some of the total assholes from the rail or from the arena all together. Now they pick who is going to be on the rail to keep things fresh. Yes, there are some fixtures on the rail, but they aren't assholes and generally cheer faces and boo heels like they are supposed to. Also I notice on TV that the noise levels in some segments are louder or quieter than they are in person. Creative audio editing i guess. Bottom line: the audience is 100% better than when Hogan first came in.

I'm have my own business and like any business, including pro wrestling, you try a lot of stuff that works and stuff that doesn't work. Anything new is going to effect what you are doing now, either in a good way or bad way. This can put your business on a roller coaster ride. I think TNA is doing a pretty good job of keeping the good and getting rid of the bad these days.

Fast forward to now. I think that even though there have been highs and lows over the last couple years, the highs outnumber the lows. TNA seems to be on a roll in improving the product in the last 3 months. The second best thing ever is going live. No more spoilers to dissuade people from watching and it makes it exciting because anything can happen. Slamaversery was the best ppv to come out of the company since I started watching. The long title runs of Roode and Aries are another step in the right direction, they are even building a little credibility with Devon. There are always going to be things that you will love and hate, there is no perfect booking. If there was Wrestle Zone would close down its site. As long as there is a lot to like and a just little to shit on, I'm happy. Bottom Line: Hogan and TNA did some stupid shit and they did some brilliant shit. The product is one hell of a lot better now than when I saw that first show.

 

[ramblinroy682]

Yes...I think it began with the recent changes in creative. Russo out. Pritchard and Lagana in. Russo was stale. He loved the quick flip and the gotcha surprises. Since he's left, we're beginning to see traditional wrestling storytelling that has worked for a long time. Good Guys versus bad guys. It has taken them a little time to figure out who they want as faces and heels. But, we've got actual story lines. They seem to be following through on them. Some have quick payoffs, others are playing out long term, and then you have some that get intertwined.

Currently, you have Roode and his longest world title reign. Who will be the man to stop it? All the while, we're waiting for the big pay off of Roode/Storm. TNA is taking their time on this one and I don't mind one bit. The key will be to pull the trigger at the right time, which might be Bound for Glory. You have the AJ/Dixie storyline mixed in with the Daniels being jealous of AJ. I'm not expecting a huge payoff, but I am interested to see what the outcome will be. Then, you go to Bully/Abyss. I'm not super interested in this one, but it is still a decent storyline and Bully Ray has made it worthwile. I think this will come to a finish soon, just as another gets started. Sting and his attackers. The mystery attacker storyline has been a go to move for years and this one has me hooked again.

Are there things they could improve on? Sure. They have let the tag division go. The TV title shouldn't be on Devon, but at least they're trying to give it some meaning. Crimson was a bit of a flop? Due to injuries, defections, and lack of planning the x-division is in horrible shape. I have a hard time blaming them for Sabin and Sorenson, but they shouldn't have dropped the ball on Shelley.

With all that said, I currently find the TNA product more entertaining than WWE. I have more stories that I am interested in. More characters that I'm interested in. And maybe it's my level of expectation, but they seem to actually be following through on some story lines more than WWE recently. Either way, to me TNA is more interesting currently than it has been in years, and that is a good thing for wrestling.