HeadLocker– Jay Shannon
Fixing TNA!
Our resident philospher, Jay Shannon, takes a look at problems with TNA and how best to fix them. This is part two of his Fixing Wrestling series.
I recently did a column about the problems with the current WWE product. Since I’ve always been about being fair, I thought I’d take a look at some issues that I see wrong with TNA. Just like with my WWE column, I thought I would include some suggestions to help TNA over-come their problems. Truthfully, TNA has less problems than their larger rival.
WCW is dead…let it rest
TNA has been compared to WCW, almost since the start. The company really plays up the whole WCW connection. WCW collapsed under it’s own weight. TNA shouldn’t compare itself to a losing venture. On a recent edition of Impact, Booker T got nostalgic about the wars that he and Sting fought in WCW. When I heard that, I couldn’t help but hear my wife’s voice in my head. When the movie Titanic came out, the other nurses that she worked with went on and on about the movie. Her response was: “It was a boat. It sunk. Get over it.” I feel the same way about WCW.
Solution:
It’s time to move forward. TNA needs to be unique if it plans to survive, long term. Nostalgia is great, up to a point, but it can bog down growth. TNA needs to present itself as The Future of Wrestling. Time to forget about past glories and showcase the young stars. I’m not saying that Booker, Sting, Black Reign (Dustin Rhodes) and others should get pink slips, but they shouldn’t be the center focus of the company. Kaz, Robert Roode, Jay Lethal and Petey Williams should be the ones getting the pushes. Living in the past is a sure way to fail.
Recycled Characters
TNA has some great talent. Sadly, that talent is often over-looked due to the characters that TNA has re-hashed. Super Eric is TNA’s version of The Hurricane. Jay Lethal is a near-clone of Randy Savage. Black Reign is Goldust, reborn. Petey Williams is just a smaller version of Scott Steiner.
The characters had reached the point of staleness in WWE/WCW, several years ago. Hurricane pulled off the mask and cape. Savage ditched the frilly pants and neon outfits by the mid 90s. This goes back to TNA’s desire to embrace the past. TNA needs more balance in their talent roster.
Solution:
It’s time for Eric to give the mask back to AAA. Eric needs to be his own person. Forget Eugene and El Gato and Superman. Dustin Rhodes needs to wipe off the face paint and embrace his Rhodes name. Jay Lethal and Petey Williams are way too talented to be bogged down with someone else’s identity. It’s great that Scott Steiner is mentoring Petey, but Petey needs to find his own niche. Jay’s in the same boat. He needs to shrug off Savage’s shadow and let his talent in the ring bring forth a character.
The revolving door of interview girls
TNA has changed interview girls, twice, in the last few months. Leticia Cline was the interview girl, until just after the Girls Next Door men’s magazine, from Playboy, hit the streets. Without explanation, she disappeared from TV. She was replaced by Crystal Louthan. Crystal has since vacated the interview spot. The newest girl-on-the-mic is Lauren.
All three ladies are/were excellent as interviewers. It would be nice if all three girls were utilized. It just causes a bit of confusion to tune in and have the interview girls constantly changing. Mike Tenay, Don West and Jeremy Borash have been on-board since day one. They provide a stable announce team. The changing girls disrupt that. It’s not a major disruption, but TNA really can’t afford any disruptions.
Solution:
It’s time for TNA to realize that the interview girls are not just disposable entities. Hopefully, Lauren will keep the spot for awhile. If TNA is planning on letting her go, then it’s time to move one of the Knockouts into the interview spot. The most logical choices, to me, would be either SoCal Val or Christy Hemme. They are high-profile members of the TNA crew. Val could end up being the Maria of TNA. I know I just mentioned hating the way TNA mimics others, but the Maria spot was the best analogy I could think of.
Alliances and Invasions
TNA has had working relationships with Mexico, Japan, Puerto Rico, and numerous US/Canadian independent territories, in the past. Lately, those alliances have fallen apart. Judas Mesias was brought in for a war with Abyss. The war went nowhere, and El Mesias went home to AAA. TNA was a member of the NWA, but that came to an end. WWE has pretty much hijacked the best of the Puerto Rican talent, thanks to Carlito (Colon). TNA is facing a shrinking group of friends to borrow talent from.
Solution:
TNA needs to set up a relationship with OVW. OVW could be a feeder-territory for TNA. They need to re-establish their relationship with Japan. TNA would do well to bring back their World Cup tournament back.
Anothe good option would be an Invasion angle. Tomko could bring some of his friends from Japan to attack Kurt Angle and various other American wrestlers. LAX could recruit various stars from the latino promotions (AAA, CMLL, etc…). Petey Williams and Eric Young could spear-head a Canadian battle group. The World War of Wrestling could really ignite some excitement in TNA.
In Conclusion:
TNA is actually less of a broken entity than the WWE. TNA just needs to tweak their program a little. If TNA could get the rest of their ducks in a row, they would be ready for a Monday or Friday night assault on the WWE. Feedback that I’ve received from various readers suggest that fans are getting bored with the WWE. TNA should capitalize on this boredom factor and do their best to draw in those fans. TNA is not far from being a serious threat to the WWE.
– Jay Shannon
JayofPWD@SBCGlobal.net
(4/29/08)
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