A Modest Blog on the Knockout booking

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Over on the Examiner, I posted 20 questions on WWE, the indies , and, naturally, TNA. With Bound for Glory this Sunday, I’ve decided to post an answer column to a different TNA question each day until this Sunday, right here at Pulse Wrestling so stay tuned. Today, we tackle TNA question 6.

6. If the Knockouts draw the best ratings, why isn’t the rest of the show booked more to work like that division?

“A main part of why the Knockouts Draw the highest ratings is because the women are hot. Yeah they are great athletes and not all of them are lookers (Kong, ODB), but for the most part, you have sexy half dressed women out there. Just thank God they put them in situations where they can show either character and/or athletic ability” – G

“Hot women on tv on a network targeted toward men= more ratings.I agree that there should be at least 3 KO segments per Impact. The booking of the division isn’t what is drawing in ratings for them as there is nothing overly impressive about their angles that hasn’t been done with the men.” – Thomas

There were a lot of these answer types that were really difficult in that they overlook one key factor- WWE has “hot” women wrestling too and target their shows towards men, but the women there do some of the worst ratings on the show. We add to that “not all of them are lookers” yet the ones that aren’t are often the ones that do the best ratings, so this can’t be the answer. Maybe people just like good wrestling with good characters?

“And outside of Kong, no one in the Knockouts division has a personality worth getting invested in, or is any good in the ring really.” – Jake Ziegler

Or not, apparently. Most of the Knockouts are acceptable wrestlers, but the majority are not tearing the house down every time out there. All we’re left with is booking then:

“Because the only reason they’re booked that way has to be that none of the people screwing up TNA have a hand in it. It’s like how Frank Miller got to do what he wanted on Daredevil because Marvel didn’t care about it, but with more chicks dropkicking each other” – Brad Curran

So, the problem with the rest of TNA is that those who book poorly are in charge of TNA, while those who run the Knockouts division are an overlooked element within the company. Surely though, that they draw ratings, would get them attention, right?

“Lets have a look at the knockout feuds.
ODB/Kong/Tara for the knockouts title, who from the male division would fill those roles? Im more interested in the AJ Styles/Sting match than anything from the knockouts division so why should they copy that formula for the title match?

Beautiful People vs Sarita/Taylor – theres not a lot to the booking of this one. The teams dont like each other. The only thng that is different about this feud is Lacey and I think we could do without another one.
Hamada/Alissa – Alissa is pissed off about being a doormat for the new knockouts, how would you replicate this feud in the male division? Not many options out there, certainly no good ones.
Hemme/Traci – feuding over who is the best playboy model. Do we want this booking in the knockouts division let alone any other?” – Sayne

Right, so then the attention these ratings garner has made those in TNA make the product more in line with the rest of the show.

Calvin, in the end then, says it best: “I’m not sure. I also don’t know why they’re starting to book them like the rest the show.”

Apparently we shouldn’t wonder about how to make the rest of the show more logical, like the Knockouts, but instead how to keep the Knockouts division safe from being like the rest of the show.

Glazer is a former senior editor at Pulse Wrestling and editor and reviewer at The Comics Nexus.