Welcome to week 23.
This week’s column is going to be shorter then normal due to some circumstances going on at my end (don’t worry, everything’s fine and will be back to normal next week).
Also, this week’s column isn’t going to be written by me. Last week I wrote an article entitled “Why Fans Should Hate TNA†and I expected to be inundated with hate mail. Quite the contrary. In fact, I received several well thought out e-mails and loads of comments, with everyone pretty much agreeing with my argument and my conclusion. So with that in mind, here’s what you, the readers, think of TNA:
For Your Consideration Fans Hatred of TNA
(Note: I’m not going to use anyone’s full name, just first name last initial)
Ken B wrote:
I pretty much agree with all your points. Samoa Joe really should be
champion by now. He, Daniels, and Styles could be doing at least the
buyrates and ratings that TNA does now, and without paying out the
huge contracts that some of the “veterans” are getting. Booking them
and some other young stars with potential would not only get at least
the same audience, but it would help establish TNA as a brand, and
they’d have those stars for years to come, unlike some people like
Sting.
There are some guys that have value from WWF or WCW, but not just
anyone who was cool five or ten years ago automatically deserves to be
hired. A guy like Christian Cage who is young, willing to work hard,
and who has changed up his act over the years is an asset. A guy like
Matt Morgan might at least turn out to be good, as we haven’t seen
much from him. The Dudleys, the Steiners, Jeff Jarrett? Not so much,
as they’re past their primes and aren’t really doing anything new.
I don’t know if they have room for a midcard title right now. Impact
is only an hour long, and they have a PPV every month. It really
doesn’t even seem like they have room for the X-Division lately, which
is a shame. They really need a two hour show.
I’m not sure why any of this would make me hate them, however. Be
indifferent to them, sure, but not outright hate them. To really hate
something, it would have to be an appallingly bad show, maybe even
offensive. The last year or so of WCW qualifies there, as have a
couple bits of WWE (Katie Vick, a lot of diva search stuff, “Mr.
America” and Zack Gowen teaming up) but TNA hasn’t really earned
hatred.
Brad C wrote:
Interesting column. I don’t entirely agree with all of your points (I like Abyss a lot, for one thing, and don’t think Kurt Angle has to go in to his tedious bad ass mode to be a viable main eventer), but your main argument is pretty hard to quibble with. I don’t neccessarily have the seemingly virulent hatred you have for TNA, but my feelings may actually be worse for them; I’m indifferent. I still watch Impact! every week, but I’ve been pretty lukewarm to it for months now. I was feeling the same way last year, before they brought in Angle and Impact! started feeling energetic again (they had a pretty awesome two hour special leading in to the first Angle/Joe match that I really dug). And as much as I’ve tried to avoid the WCW comparisons, it’s getting really hard to, especially with so many has beens cluttering the card and a general feeling that no one in charge knows what the f*ck they’re doing. Add that to Vince Russo’s pattented shitty writing, but an odd lack of Crash TV style trainwreck pacing, and I’m starting to wonder why I’m bothering watching it anymore, especially since none of the matches seem to run longer than 5 minutes anymore. I am enough of a cockeyed optimist to think that the move to two hours might help if it ever happens, but then again, I watched WCW right until the end and still Tivo ECW, so I’m not neccessarily a discerning wrestling fan.
On a sort of related note, it seems like TNA went from being poised to be a legitimate challenger to WWE (back when people were chanting TNA at WWE shows and when Angle had first jumped) to losing their spot as the number 2 promotion in America to ROH. All of the enthusiasm and interest I remember seeing for TNA is dead, and in its place you’ve got all of the ROH bolsterism (which, to be honest, would turn me off of ever giving them a try if not for the fact they developed guys like Joe, Punk, Homicide, London, and pretty much any other new wrestler who I’ve enjoyed in WWE and TNA in the last couple years). ROH has done a great job building a fan base, while it seems like TNA only has people like me, who will watch any pro wrestling you put in front of them, tuning in at this point.
One last point; I’m surprised DirecTV has given you those kind of problems. I’ve had it for two years and never had to put up with the kind of shit you’re going through. I hope you sort it out soon. Or find a better satellite provider.
Dan C wrote:
Andy,
I just read your column, and I have to agree with you
completely. I’ve been watching TNA since they were on
Fox Sports, after I got out of school and started
making money, I started buying the PPVs to support the
company. I was pretty well happy about 70-80% of the
time (Jarrett being the main problem), and I thought
it was much better than WWE. But a couple months ago
I stopped buying, I could tolerate everything if
they just did the right thing with the main event.
First of all, I hated the match of champions last
month, a) it was way too predictible and b) it
essentially screws the rest of the wrestlers. What
the hell is the X division supposed to do for going on
3 months? And now youare telling me that Black
Machismo is going to beat Angle when guys like Joe and
Abyss can’t beat him. Then we have the tag team
division, there are at least 9 teams not fighting for
the belts because first Joe had them and now Angle has
them, and they won’t be contested until the next PPV,
against (I think you’ve read the spoilers) Killings
and Pacman. You’ve got to be f*cking kidding me, a
guy who hasn’t wrestled for what, 3-4 months and a
f*cking scumbag football player who people don’t give
two shits about. Forget about an actual team like
LAX who bust their ass and consistently put on good
matches (except against the sandbagging Old Aged
Nobodies). I dont’ even know what else to say, it
just frustrates me so much, they have so much
potential and just piss it all away. If they had
brain one and actually, they would fire Russo and
Dutch and give the book to Cornette and Raven, or a
retarded monkey, any of those could book the show
better. I think I’m officially done with wrestling,
WWE pisses me off, TNA pisses me off, 24 years and its
time to find something new to watch. Sorry for the
rant, but I liked what you said and I wanted to chime
in. Later.
Dan
Jake G wrote:
That was an outstanding article, thank you so much for bashing TNA cause now a days all I see is WWE sucks TNA is the greatest thing since slice bread and makes feel like someone actually agrees with me when saying TNA is a joke and just a eh promotion. Thank you again that was outstanding.
Geordie wrote:
I just read your column, and i couldn’t agree with you more. Beautifully done!!! One HUGE factor that is playing into the demise of TNA which you didn’t mention was the hiring of Vince Russo. I think that is the biggest problem of all, but as we all know, one could write an entire column on how Russo ALONE is destroying TNA. Anyway, great column, and keep up the good work!
Lastly, Brian wrote:
I gotta say, I keep waiting for TNA to get some idea of what they are doing. It seems like to me that this company can’t seem to figure that a new company (to the masses) can’t keep building constantly around a dominant main heel character. As much as people like to wax poetic about Ric Flair’s 1980s NWA run, as a kid I grew very fed up with the constant heel crap in the NWA and considering that Jim Crockett went under and sold to Turner I guess a lot of other people did too.
You know what’s sad about TNA? I went to a house show back in May at the Louisville Gardens and it was a great show. Maybe the best house show I’ve ever been to. Know why? They just let the guys wrestle and most of the guys were good at that. Seriously, TNA’s booking is that bad. It actively prevents the wrestlers from doing their job.
I read those recent spoilers leading up to Hard Justice. When I read the stuff with Angle’s wife and how it was playing out the first thing I said was “Oh god, at the PPV Karen Angle will turn on Joe and help Kurt win the match.” What the hell kind of swerve is THAT? Anyone with half a brain knew that would happen. And it makes my head spin that they would book such idiotic nonsense surrounding a match of the utmost importance! It was only for every single belt in the company. A match of that magnitude desperately needs a clean finish.
Some people seem to think that this swerve only serves to put more heat on the Joe/Angle rivalry. Why? What makes them think that Joe will get another shot anytime soon, or that he will win that match, or that if the does win that anyone will care at that point? Now we have Abyss challenging at this next PPV and getting his usual lame duck title shot. Spoiler: Mitchell’s new man Macias will cost Abyss that match. I don’t even know that for certain, but I just kinda know it will happen. That’s the maddening thing about TNA. They book these shocking heel turns and swerves that surprise NO ONE. Last year Christian’s heel turn on Sting? Gee, saw that coming a mile away.
You know what’s even sadder? Right now TNA is better than it was this time last year. That whole idiotic angle with Jarrett winning the KOTM with Hebner and Larry Z. aiding him was seriously the worst angle since the Hummer in WCW. I ask the question…why didn’t that angle get more trashed than it did? Did any of that angle make sense? Why did Hebner help Jarrett out? Why did Larry help JJ out? Considering that Cornette had just been introduced as the new commissioner and was ready to wield the axe why on earth would these idiots pull a blatant screwjob to help Jarrett? I never understood what they had to gain by it.
I don’t know. I don’t really hate TNA. Maybe with the 2 hour show they will slow down a bit and let things breathe. The irony of Jarrett’s return as a face is that it would likely work as long as they DON’T do what they inevitably will do, and that is put the belt back on him. He could work fine as the midcard inspirational face, but once he gets overpushed to the main event it’s over.
Thanks to everyone else that took the time to write or comment about this. I don’t want to be the guy carrying the anti-TNA torch but they just keep screwing up and screwing up that it’s hard to root for them to succeed anymore.
Look for my Summerslam Roundtable picks this Saturday and I’ll be back here next Tuesday.
This has been for your consideration.
