wrestling / Columns

My Take On 5.25.12: The Top 10 Things TNA Has Done Right in 10-Years

May 25, 2012 | Posted by Larry Csonka

WELCOME!
Welcome back to the latest edition of My Take On! Yeah, it’s been a while since I popped back with this back in December, but I said that it could always come back, just when I have something to write about. Well, I found something. This year TNA celebrates their 10th “SLAMMIVERSARY,” and I figured that as someone that watched the promotion since day one, that I would take a look back and look at the top 10 BEST and WORST things that the company has done.

Today will be the best.

Now I know that no matter what I put on either list that it will get shit on and ripped apart. That is fine. I am sure I will include things that people disagree with, and have things not on the list that many feel should be on the list. These will be MY lists as someone who, again, has watched since day one and someone who actually spends money on the product. That does NOT make me more qualified to make the lists, it is just background for those that may be uninformed about my background with the promotion. At one time I was not only a huge TNA fan, but I waved the flag for them before it became the cool thing to do. If you agree, fantastic, if you disagree, thanks for reading and I will respect your opinion. All I ask is that you are respectful of what I have presented, and I ask that you share YOUR personal top 5 or 10 if you have the time. I will not claim that this is a perfect list, just what I came up with and what I feel are ten bright spots from the company’s history.

Again, I thank you for reading, and I hope that you enjoy the list…

AND NOW… LARRY’s TOP 10 THINGS THAT TNA HAS DONE RIGHT IN THE LAST 10-YEARS!

#10. Signing Sting


While many people are sick of Sting, and there have been negatives to his run with the company (due to the booking of him, not the man himself) I do overall feel that TNA signing Sting, and keeping him, has been a positive for the promotion. When Sting came into the fold on a full time basis (his short visit early on doesn’t count) he made Spike TV happy. So happy that Spike TV has made it clear to TNA that they love having him on board as one of the main faces of the promotion. Again, they have liked Sting so much that they have supplemented part of his pay for years to keep him involved. The funny thing is that I am not going to discuss “great matches” he has had for the company. While he has had some good matches, Sting has not exactly delivered classics, but there is one more important point that gets him on the list. International TV. When Sting signed on full time with TNA, their international TV distribution grew exponentially. And for those that do not understand what that means, it just isn’t more eyes on the product, international TV distribution is where the money is and had been one of the main sources of revenue for TNA for years. Sting still had a name from WCW, other countries liked him; so they took the chance on TNA. Good matches are great, and I never turn down good wrestling matches, but a guy that can help your company make money like that has to be appreciated.

#9. The House Show Atmosphere


Another great aspect of TNA is their house show experience. While many will mock their lack of attendance and small venues, I think if you have ever attended a TNA house show that you will agree with me. I have been to UFC, WWE, TNA, CHIKARA and tons of other independent shows, and while WWE & UFC are a great spectacle, and CHIKARA is just a ton of fun, the TNA house show experience is something fun and special. From the performers genuinely happy that you are there, to the interaction they do with the fans and their special sales, it is a tremendous interactive experience. On top of all of that, perhaps the best thing about the shows is the fact that everything that people hate about their TV product is absent from the house show scene. While product continuity is great, I always appreciated that on the house shows I have attended, that they were simply fun. No bullshit, no stupid stuff, just a fun wrestling show with performers that are simply appreciative of your attendance. While I do love going to CHIKARA shows, if you gave me a choice between a TNA and WWE house show, I will pick the TNA show 99 times out of 100, because I have always felt I got my money’s worth.

#8. Utilizing the UK Market


And now we go international with #8, because another thing I feel that TNA has done well is utilize the UK market. TNA fully understands that the UK market has been good to them, and while an argument can be made that they can do more, I feel that the yearly tours of the UK (and other areas surrounding the UK) have been well done and successful. They have secured a fine TV deal there, they air Xplosion and at times other shows there along with PPV after it airs in the US, and even set up special appearances from time to time. But more importantly, they have been smart as to not burn out the market. They set up their yearly tour, they draw pretty well and it is a profitable venture. Last year they tapes TV there, which was not only a smart move to make the show look even better, but it also helps to keep those loyal fans happy with the product. It worked so well last year that the 2013 tour has already been announced, along with more TV tapings to take place during that tour. Anything that makes the product look good, and makes he promotion money in the process, that is a good thing, and something the promotion should be applauded for.

#7. The Early Knockouts Division


While it certainly isn’t what it used to be, the early knockouts division was another bright point for TNA. For years it is something that was proposed, but unlike many other things, TNA actually took their time and slowly built up to introducing the new addition to their programming. They announced that the title would be created in September of 2007, and them at the Bound For Glory PPV that year, Gail Km became the first champion, defeating Ms. Brooks, Christy Hemme, Awesome Kong, Roxxi Laveaux, Talia Madison (Velvet Sky), Shelly Martinez, Jackie Moore, ODB, and Angel Williams (Angelina Love) in a 10 knockout gauntlet match. Obviously the highlight of the division was the feud between Gail Kim and Awesome Kong, which was not only a feud that had fans excited, but also delivered some excellent matches. As a fan of women’s wrestling, this was an exciting time to watch the product, because the division was booked well, they were drawing good quarter hours, and the matches were delivering. At times there was a lot of female talent within the company, and as a fan, I will not forget the good times the division provided.

#6. Lockdown


Coming in at #6 on the list is the TNA Lockdown PPV concept. Now, I will freely admit that they do not always use the concept the best. Hell, they continually run cage matches throughout the year and take away from what could and should be a special show. But with all of that being said, I feel that the TNA Lockdown PPV has been a very successful concept for the promotion. First of all, while the PPV took a lot of flack early on, in my opinion (and this year was an exception) the PPV is usually one of the promotion’s better events of the year. Secondly, I do like the all cage format as something different. Thirdly, it has been an event that they can take on the road, and not only could they take it on the road (six of the eight events have been outside of Orlando), but they drew well at times with it. The year Angle faced Joe they did a legit 5,500 in Massachusetts. And finally, the PPV has also been good as far as buyrates go. The show always does above what TNA does for an average PPV, and again, the 2008 event was the culmination of TNA PPV with a reported 65,000 buys. While I can understand why some people may not like the PPV concept, the bottom line is that it has been a success for TNA, and that is all that matters.

#5. Giving Hope For a Fan of Tag Team Wrestling


It is tough to be a fan of tag team wrestling these days, and while this is not a “back in the day” rant, I think that we can all agree that tag team wrestling is just not what it used to be. But through out TNA’s 10-year history, they have had times when their tag team division was not only good, but it was simply excellent. In the beginning we has America’s Most Wanted, who feuded with teams like Triple X, Styles & Daniels, LAX and Team Canada. From there we had Beer Money and the Machine Guns who picked up the ball and ran with it. Team 3D was a fun addition, even though most like to shit on them, but they added to the division. In between there were teams like The Naturals and the New Church, which while not the cream of the crop, had their place and added to the division. Again, it hasn’t been perfect the whole time, but at the end of the day you cal look back and see AMW, Beer Money, LAX and The Machine Guns as four of the better teams of the last 10-years, so they certainly did something right. And as a fan of tag team wrestling, I appreciate that.

#4. The Initial Samoa Joe Run


Samoa Joe really popped up on the radar in his ROH run, and in 2003 won their world title. His title run was one of an unstoppable monster, and for 21-months he owned the promotion as champion, and in that run the highly regarded series with CM Punk earned his praise from wrestling critics. But when he signed with TNA in 2005 many fans were excited because Joe was getting a big chance, but others worried that the same magic could not be captured in TNA. The initial Samoa Joe run was one of the things I look back on and smile at because TNA did things so well with Joe. Joe was a monster, dominating opponents, running all over the X-Division talent, and again having some spectacular matches with the likes of AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels. While not at the level of a Steve Austin, Joe was booked well and I think the best comparison is that he captured the magic that ECW had with Taz. The Samoan Submission Machine was can’t miss TV, and when Kurt Angle came into the promotion, things got even better, but I will discuss that later. That’s a tease. The bottom line is that TNA showed that they could push a new star, they could make him important, and Joe was certainly the right guy at the right time. Sure we can talk all day about how it got ruined and how Joe has seemingly lost motivation over the years, but at the end of the day, the initial run of Samoa Joe was great and something you can look back on and appreciate.

#3. The X-Division


And here is where all of the vanilla midget comments will come in, and that’s fine, but the fact is that at times in the history of TNA, the X-Division has been some of the best stuff they have done. In the beginning it was all about using Jerry Lynn to help build guys like AJ Styles and Low Ki, and it was good. But over the years the division has had different names and faces come in and out, Daniels, Kazarian, Sabin, Kash, Amazing Red, Michael Shane, Petey Williams and a host of others. The match above, Styles vs. Sabin vs. Williams is a personal favorite of mine, as it is the best Ultimate X match the promotion has done. The title, the competitors, the creation of Ultimate X; these are all great things. On top of that, there were the early X-Cup events, featuring the TNA talents against other talents from around the world, many of which ended up in TNA for more dates. Early on in the company’s history, the X-Division themed events to events that the promotion did on the weekly PPV days did higher than average buys, and they even got to a pint that they could main event not only the weekly PPVs with the X-Division title, but one of the best man events in the company’s history was an X-Division title match between AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels and Samoa Joe at Unbreakable 2005. That match smartly main evented over Raven defending the NWA World Title against Rhino. Through out TNA’s history I have been a fan and supporter of the X–Division, due to the quality of matches I have watched over the years, and to the many talents I have been introduced too. Like many thing it has had its ups and downs, but when you get matches like the ones I have mentioned above, and get to see talent like the guys I have mentioned (and not to forget A DOUBLE Austin Aries) I don’t see how you can look at it as anything other than a good thing for the company.

#2. Samoa Joe vs. Kurt Angle


There have been some fantastic matches in the history of TNA, but overall I have to say that the Samoa Joe vs. Kurt Angle has been the best thing that the company has ever done. I explained Joe’s awesomeness during his big run, and the fact was that while Joe as great then, they needed a name that could go out there and have great matches to get Joe over the hump as a big star. Enter Kurt Angle. Angle had his issues with WWE, and he signed with TNA and there was a ton of buzz on both sides of the fence. These two had one of if not the best feuds in the history of the company, and I feel that way for several reasons. First of all they had a lot of buzz when Angle came in. Secondly they had some very good to great PPV matches. Thirdly the feud eventually revolved around the TNA World Title, which having Angle involved at that time made the title feel more important. And finally, this feud did something that TNA feuds tend not to do, IT MADE MONEY. Yes, this feud made money, which while I know some people do not care about that sort of thing, the fact is that if you do not make money, you die. Joe and Angle made money. Their PPV’s did around 30,000 buys most times, with Lockdown doing 65,000 buys, and they did 5,500 in live attendance. Sure we could argue that they have ruined things and that they could have built more from that and I will not disagree with that, but the fact is that we are talking about the BEST, and they were great. Some great TV, some great matches, two great performers, build to a huge title match and the biggest event in TNA history all came from this. As the kids in the crowd say, “THIS IS AWESOME!”

AND NUMBER ONE IS…

#1. Getting The Spike TV Deal


And the single most important thing that TNA has done right or has happened for them is the deal with Spike TV. The history of TNA is so up and down, and while some like to deny it, they have been close to going out of business several times for various reasons. They started early on as a weekly PPV company, but when Health South pulled their financial backing after 11-12 weeks (and there was the drama with them company being fed false information on buyrates) everyone thought that they were done. But Dixie Carter and Panda Energy came along, and have been on board ever since.

The company’s first TV exposure was on Fox Sports Net, which was a bad time slot and a show that TNA was paying to air. When people discuss how much money TNA has lost, this is why, early decisions like this. But it wasn’t all-bad, because they were learning TV, learning pacing and building for a better TV deal. After one year, Fox Sports would not pay for the product, so TNA left. This was another time when the company’s future was in danger, because without TV, you die. After a fun period when they were dark, which saw some of the best booking in company history, the best finally happened.

TNA signed a deal with Spike TV, and is October of 2005, TNA was on the network on Saturday nights, and as they say, the rest was history.

Many people complain about Impact, and I have been one of them. The potential to be better has been there, but I will not discount what they have done. They have the best ratings on that network, while they haven’t grown over the years, they have been consistent and Spike TV loves that. TNA has been willing to promote anything and everything for Spike TV and Viacom, and due to that, Spike has kept them around. They have helped pay for Sting. They have helped pay for TV tapings on the road, and they have been a lifeline for TNA. The bottom line here is that without TV, TNA dies. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that they can survive without it. And now TNA has signed a new deal, they are going live in the summer, they have a new timeslot, and with the relationship they already had with Bellator, along with the King Mo deal, I say in 2013 you will see fight night Thursdays with TNA at 8PM and Bellator at 10PM.

Bottom line, the fact that they got into talks and then secured a deal with Spike TV is the single best thing the promotion has ever done.


And that’s all for this week, contrary to popular belief, this company has done good things over the years.They have given a lot of people work, they have helped fill a void that WCW left, and while they are far from perfect, they have provided me with a lot of enjoyment. Sure I like to complain, but I complain about WWE as well. Again, I am sure I missed some of your favorites, and if I did, again I ask that you are respectful of what I have presented, and I ask that you share YOUR personal top 5 or 10 if you have the time. This is not the end all be all list or any where near perfect, just my opinion and I would love to hear yours.

Next Friday, if all goes as planned, I return and will look at the worst of TNA over the last 10-years.

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Larry Csonka

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