The Rankings System?

[DethMetal]

Trying to make sure I'm not crazy(although I'm sure that ship has sailed)

So remember a little under a year ago when TNA brought in a rankings system? It was a list of the top 10 contenders of the business. When a guy lost, he moved back and someone took his place. I actually liked it. It added a sense of realism and was interesting to see who was on the system. My questions are:

1. Do you miss the rankings system?

2. Why do you think TNA dropped the ball?

3. Who would be your top 10 contenders now?

Mine would be:

1. Kurt freakin Angle
2. Mr. Anderson
3. A.J. Styles
4. RVD
5. Robert Rude
6. The Pope
7. Kazarian
8. Matthew Hardy
9. Bully Ray
10. Jeff Hardy(He draws, alright?)

DISCUSS!!

 

[Rayne]

It's missed in the same way I miss the feeling of my balls hurting right after someone punts them like a football.

It was an unworkable idea. First, you have to rely on the premise that the aggregate of your fans can determine what the most watchable feud would be. I don't trust the aggregate of TNA fans to be able to split a fucking dinner check, let alone book a wrestling promotion. The idea also forced all feuds to be one, or at most two months long. The idea didn't work in ROH when they tried it; I don't know why TNA thought it would work for a televised promotion, which typically has a more demanding set of fans.

 

[snoopy]

They had to put it on the backburner because it was to hard to manipulate the system. they needed to find a way to get Jeff Hardy in the title picture and so they scrapped it maybe for now.

Hopefully they bring it back after Lockdown without the fan vote part of it. Because ranking wrestler is a built in storyline that can enhance any matchup. And it also differentiates them from the WWE!

 

[neildittmar]

1. Do you miss the rankings system?

I liked the ranking system and miss it as a concept. The fans will always be an integral part of the show. Their input, whether formal (a ranking system) or informal (cheers and boos at an event) is something that the company needs to take into consideration when booking matches, developing characters, building storylines, etc.. However, it's not something that needs to be strictly adhered to as an ironclad rule. Which brings me to:

2. Why do you think TNA dropped the ball?

TNA initially went "all in" in that the rankings had a direct effect on precisely how the product was booked. I think this was the goal from the outset, but it was ultimately an unattainable one. There are so many factors that determine what works and what doesn't, and sometimes giving the fans exactly what they want turns out to be a failure. In smaller doses, similar to what WWE did with the Taboo Tuesday concept, the fans are afforded semi-direct input into the product in a specific area. Choosing the stip for a title match, or the challenger himself would be good ways to test the waters with fans and help shape creative. Consistently giving them the book is not.

3. Who would be your top 10 contenders now?

I always thought 10 was too big of a number. I'm limiting mine to 5 and in no particular order, as the championship scene is very disjointed right now:

1. Mr. Anderson
2. AJ Styles
3. Hernandez
4. Kazarian
5. James Storm - my personal pick as I think he has the potential to be the top heel in TNA if brought up correctly.

 

[Joup7]

i miss the ranking system, but i don't think TNA dropped the ball. i think it was invented to give Kurt Angle his "work his way to the top" angle last year. it debuted with him at #2. He imediatly announced he wanted to start out of the top 10 and work his way up to #1 contender to fight for the title. Every time they redid the rankings, he had just beaten the guy above him and moved up exactly one spot while everybody else moved around left and right. then once he had his #1 contenders shot, it was dropped.

 

[XgringolocoX]

I do like the concept, I just don't know if TNA's was working to well. They should just do something like the Power25 online, then highlight the top of the list during the show.
Evolve does a ranking and has a W-L record for all it's wrestlers. I'm not crazy about it. If you have a chance to see one of thier shows however, GO!! Great wrestling.

 

[UnBEARaBULLfan]

I like the concept and thay could still use it, but base it off of wins and loses not who the fans think should be the #1 contander, thats where they dropped the ball if you let the fans choose your gonna have the same matches over and over cuase thats who they want to see. If you win you move up if you loose you move down keep it simple.

1.Mr. Anderson
2.RVD
3.AJ Styles
4.Kurt Angle
5.Douglas Williams(get him back on tv asap)
6.Pope
7.Kazarian
8.Samoa Joe
9.Matt Hardy
10.Hernandez

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Conceptually speaking the ranking system was actually quite a fresh and original idea, but the basis and rules for it were simply too open-ended in their application for the idea to remain consistent and effective week-after-week, IMO. Too many fans were confused as to how a guy could go from #6 to #4 in two weeks or how a guy could jump from #7 to #2 after a victory one week despite not having competed the week after, etc.

If they had refined the structure of the rules behind the concept so they were clear-cut and unable to be misunderstood or misconstrued the idea would likely still be in place today.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Generally speaking, it's a good idea in theory. It could give TNA more of a "legit sports" feel to it. With the way TNA applied it, I think it probably sounded pretty good on paper but it just simply didn't work out once it was implemented.

The general rules of the TNA Ranking System were kind open ended instead of solidified. For instance, when it was first implemented, how does a guy like Rob Terry rank #9 where Kurt Angle wasn't even in the top 10? What made Rob Terry more deserving to be in that spot than a highly decorated and revered multi time World Champion? How did Abyss get to be the #1 contender over the likes of AJ Styles or Samoa Joe at the time? Little things like that were never explained and a lot of fans saw weak wrestlers placed in spots within the top 10 that shouldn't have been there.

Another big problem was that it basically amounted to single match feuds for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. The new #1 contender would be announced, there'd be some relatively minor build up over the course of the next few weeks, they'd wrestle at the next ppv and then it'd be someone else's turn.

 

[rjoconnell]

I think the ranking system should be based on actual wins/losses lately, not who your personal favorite wrestler is. I also don't understand how BULLY RAY is all of a sudden a contender for the title. Who has he ever beaten by himself? Devon? Come on.

1. Mr. Anderson
2. Rob Van Dam
3. AJ Styles
4. Jeff Jarrett
5. Matt Hardy
6. Hernandez (with a win over Matt Morgan)
7. Matt Morgan
8. Kurt Angle (I don't remember the last match he won)
9. Samoa Joe
10. Pope (because he's not winning, but he's charismatic)

Jeff Hardy is a main eventer, but the man needs some serious help.
All these writers are screaming for Jeff Hardy's firing and banishment from wrestling. I'm not at ALL a Jeff Hardy fan, but to banish another wrestler who needs HELP would be the wrong step to take. Allow Jeff Hardy to take some time off, get him some help, and allow him to come back clean. Or they can just fire him and allow him to keep going down this slippery slope until he's dead or in jail, that's how drugs work, people.

I love Kurt Angle, but his relevance is slipping away.

Matt Hardy actually looks to be in decent shape, way better than the way he looked in WWE, and his match against AJ Styles was probably the best match of the last PPV.

Mr. Anderson is #1 because he's probably the biggest draw TNA has right now, but the asshole bit is getting laid on wayyyy to thick, cut it back, we get it.

RVD is a great in ring performer, but his relevance is starting to faaaaaaaaade.