wrestling / Columns
My Take On 5.28.12: The Top 10 Things TNA Has Done Wrong in 10 Years
WELCOME!
Welcome back to the latest edition of My Take On! 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 worst.
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 of the worst things 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 WRONG IN THE LAST 10-YEARS!
NOTE: I am not going for obvious things like Jenna vs. Sharmell, the Dupp Cup, random stipulation matches like the reverse battle royal, the midget jerking it in a trashcan, CHEEKS or other one off style things. I am trying to think bigger when I do this. Don’t get me wrong, that shit is bad, but overall I feel that the things below were way worse for the company. Enjoy!
#10. Failing on the Chris Harris Push Multiple Times
Now in hindsight people will immediately laugh at this, and I understand. When he left TNA and went to WWE, we got the whole “Braden Walker” era, which was a failure, and at that point, Harris was not nearly in the shape he used to be and his career was essentially finished. But there were two times in the history of TNA that Harris was primed to go to the next level in TNA, and they refused to pull the trigger. Early on in TNA’s history James Storm was injured, and they looked as if they were considering pushing Harris. They built him, he had title chances and the Nashville crowd was very behind him, but they refused to go with him. That one I can sort of understand, he was there to fill a gap, and AMW was still going to go on and have a great run. But then later on, they had another chance. Slammiversary 2007 they used Harris as a replacement for Jeff Jarrett in the KOTM match. While he did not win, he was primed for the main event push. He feuded with Christian Cage, and almost everyone thought that this would be his way to the main event. Unfortunately they debuted Dustin Rhodes, who got involved and that led to a feud with Rhodes, and he eventually turned into Black Reign. The feud destroyed what credibility Harris had left, and he never got to the next level. A true story of someone TNA missed the boat on at the time.
#9. Abyss’s Love of Self-Mutilation
Now the funny thing is that overall, I like Abyss, due to the fact that he has been involved in some great matches. I know a lot of people do not like him, and that is cool, but I like the guy. The one thing I do not like is the fact that the guy has had periods in TNA were he looked as if he LOVED self-mutilation. While he has been involved in some fun and really GOOD matches, there have been times where the guy was just getting cut open and bleeding every week. Now, I get that this is basically his gimmick in that he does the hardcore shit, and that he is a monster, but again, there were weeks at a time where he was getting busted open, going through barbed wire, going into tacks and even going into glass. Now I have to say, I love a good hardcore brawl, and I still love some blood in my wrestling, but with Abyss it just became too much at times. I am glad that they stopped it, because Abyss was in this weird place to where he really wanted to become a weird modern day version of guys like Funk, Foley, Butcher and Brody. Now those guys did bleed, and I would never say that they didn’t, but when you constantly do it, it starts to not mean anything, and at the end of the day, you come off as a guy with a self-mutilation fetish.
#8. Stalling Out Monty Brown
One of my favorite guys from the early days of TNA was Monty Brown. Brown was a dude with a good look, charisma, was over with the crowd and had a finisher that looked as if he was killing people. While not the most gifted in ring performer, he guy got it, and TNA was building the guy to become a star. Obviously that did not happen. The guy had momentum; he won a #1 contender’s match against DDP and Kevin Nash and earned his title shot against Jeff Jarrett, which he lost with tons of shenanigans. The fact was the loss was bad, but the way that they did it, they had it set for Brown getting his rematch and comeuppance, where he would have been made and been a big babyface star. Instead of that, the man from the Serengeti would turn heel and join up with Jarrett, and the ship sailed on Monty Brown. I am not saying that he would have been Hogan or even Cena for TNA, but the time was right, he was over and had the charisma to carry the title, at least for a short time. Instead, TNA missed the boat…again.
#7. Always Going Back to Sting
Now some may be surprised to see Sting here, since I praised the signing in the top 10 best list I did last week. Now I still stand by that, because as far as a business decision goes, it has been very helpful for the promotion. But my issue with Sting isn’t really with the man, but how he has been booked. It seems as if every time TNA wants to reboot things, every time they want to have a big show, anytime they want to shake things up, they go back to Sting, and not only go back to him, but also put the title on him. Now there are times for Sting to be in main events from time to time, and there is even a time to put the title on him, but in my opinion they seem to always do these things at the wrong time. Samoa Joe is running hot; lets run the screw job with no revenge have Sting win the title. Jeff Hardy is running as a heel, lets have Sting return and win the title on the SPECIAL Impact taped from NC. Mr. Anderson wins the title from Sting; lets cut his balls off after a month and go back to STING. Now again, I like Sting, he has done a lot to help TNA in many ways and in my opinion he is a Hall of Fame guy, but the fact that TNA keeps going back to the guy in the way that they do ends up hurting the rest of the roster; and that’s a shame.
#6. So Much Focus on WWE & “The Attitude Era”
#5. The Use of Jeff Hardy
TNA and Jeff Hardy is such a curious case. On one hand, TNA is starved for “star power,” so when a talent such as Jeff Hardy becomes available, you kind of have to make an attempt to get the guy. But then you realize that the only reason that Hardy is available the first time is due to the fact that he refused to go to WWE mandated rehab, and you are just asking for trouble. And trouble they got. He first TNA run for Jeff Hardy was a mess, he didn’t appear motivated, he honestly looked lazy on PPV and he no showed several events. And then he was gone, and back to WWE, where he became a huge singles star. So when Jeff decided that he wanted a break from wrestling, you HAD to know that TNA would try to get him again, because the promotion refuses to learn lessons. They bring in Hardy in the wake of police issues, which ended up with Hardy serving some jail time and going on super secret double probation. While he was with TNA, second run, he was made THE GUY, because he was the guy in WWE. But people started to notice that he was having issues, showing up late, looking out of it, and then it all culminated with the Victory Road 2011 incident. For those that missed this gem, Hardy was to challenge Sting for the title at the PPV. But it came out that Jeff was in “in condition to perform” starting from the time he arrived at the arena until match time. People had to reportedly drag hardy to the gorilla position, and then the company sent him out there, on live PPV, to do a 30-second match. Bischoff was throw out there to add some time and tell both guys that the finish was going to be a very quick match, but the bottom line is that TNA sent a man under he influence of “something,” I guess I should throw an allegedly in there to cover my ass, and not only endangered Hardy, but endangered Sting and others by doing show. This was a horrible decision by the company, and when you look at all of the shit that they have gone through with Hardy through the years, the horrible decision was signing Hardy, both times, if we’re being honest.
#4. The Same Main Event Finish For 10-Years
Over the years, TNA has done certain things that have really upset many others, and myself; but I think that the worst part is that they do these things and do them repeatedly that anger many people. Those that do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. And that is exactly what TNA has been doing for 10-years. Now I know that they have not done the finish on EVERY show, and that the title is a bit of an overstatement, but it is there because they have been doing it so often that it really kills you as a viewer, and especially as someone that has paid for the TNA PPVs over the years. For those that have followed, you will know exactly what I am discussing, for those that haven’t; here is a rough breakdown of the typical TNA main event finish. You have a serviceable to great match, the crowd is rocking and digging the match and then there is a ref bump just as the valiant face is about to win. Now you can choose your own adventure, 1) heel uses foreign object to retain and piss off the crowd; 2) heel supporters run in, attack the babyface leaving tons of evidence and sometimes the referee seeing it all, and the heel retains; 3) babyface survives one of the two choices presented, and for no reason we have some form of SWERVE that makes the babyface look like an idiot, and the heel retains; 4) the babyface does something incredibly stupid for no reason, allowing the heel to retain. Some may feel that I am exaggerating, and these are not just done in TNA, but so many times we have seen one of these versions play out, almost monthly, like they have no clue how to do another finish, and people come away pissed off. Maybe, and call me crazy here, but that may just be one of the reasons why people are not rushing to discuss or even buy TNA PPVs.
#3. Samoa Joe and AJ Styles: Not Bigger Stars
When I look at the history of TNA, there have been many missteps, and many of those revolve around Samoa Joe and AJ Styles. When I look back on things, and look at the calendar and see that AJ Styles and Samoa Joe are where they are at this time, I just sit here and shake my head. There is really no reason that Samoa Joe and AJ Styles should NOT be the two biggest stars in the promotion at this moment in time. But they aren’t. AJ has gotten shots, but they always come after down times for him, and by the time they decide to get with him again, people have a hard time taking him seriously. Form making him a goof with a crown to making him “mini-Flair,” they have managed to take a performer that has a ton of great matches and moments for the company and make him nothing more than a bit player, who still had good matches. And then there is Samoa Joe. In my top 10 best list I did on Friday, I discussed the initial run of Samoa Joe and how great and successful it was, along with the great feud with Kurt Angle. But much like AJ Styles, they have constantly derailed him. From main event star to random turns on both sides of the fence to the kidnapping angle with no real explanation and the run where Joe had a giant penis painted on his face and carried a machete around (and hey, lets not forget OKATO), they have done such damage to Joe, and not only do people not take him seriously anymore, but over the last few years, it has been obvious that it has gotten to Joe. I am a big fan of both guys, they are not the typical wrestlers that had been pushed in WWE in the past, and when you add in the quality matches that both have had against each other and with many other members of the roster, there is no reason that the company should not have been able to not only make them stars, but they should also be cornerstones of the promotion at this date and time. Instead, they are just two guys…
#2. (POWER STRUCTURE) Dixie Carter, Jeff Jarrett, Vince Russo, Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff
When you look at all of the things that have kept TNA from moving forward through out the years, I think that was can generally agree that it hasn’t been the lack of talent or the fact that many of them have not worked hard. Not in the least. I have stated for years that the TNA roster is insanely talented, and would stack them up against WWE or any other company. When left alone to do their thing, when they aren’t overbooked or overlooked, the performers can put on one hell of a show.
But I have to say that the power structure of the company is what has held them back, and they will continue too until massive changes are made. Sure they got rid of Vince Russo, but as much as I dislike his booking at times, he obviously was not the sole issue within TNA. They did stupid shit when he was there, and hey, they are still doing stupid shit when he is gone, amazing how that works, huh? Look at Jeff Jarrett when he had the power. He didn’t want Chris Harris getting the push, he didn’t want Monty Brown becoming “the guy,” and Raven’s title win was way too late and way after his heat was gone. Also, lets not forget, when they made the big jump to Spike, it was Jarrett that had to take the title from Raven on a house show in Canada, because he thought that he was the bigger star and should be the champion heading into TV. For as many years as Jarrett has been in the business and for all of the knowledge he has, he has also made many mistakes and should share in the blame.
And then there is Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff. These guys came in like snake oil salesmen, promising the moon to the company, to the guys backstage and to Dixie Carter. And what have they done since they have been there? They have eaten up precious TV time. Ratings are generally the same. Buyrates are not doing well, hell they are generally down and they are spending even more money. Now if the ratings had skyrocketed, I could maybe look past that, but the facts are that they haven’t. They aren’t big fans of the X-Division, so it got de-emphasized, and we even had a n angle on TV about it. The knockouts division has suffered since their arrival. And of course we get to hear from the “TNA trolls,” and that is what these people are, that they have done good, that Hogan needs more TV time, that these men are the answer. But they aren’t. You cannot run fan voting, and then when the fans vote of, say, Desmond Wolfe, refuse to acknowledge that. And then when the fans do it again, you book him into burial to show the fans a lesson. How dare you like someone! These men have done nothing but take money from TNA, and they gave us GARETT BISCHOFF for FUCKS SAKE! But you know what, I don’t fully blame them. They were looking for a deal, they laid out there cards, and they simply found a sucker stupid enough to buy the whole wagon of snake oil.
No, at the end of the day while Jarrett, Russo, Hogan and Bischoff have been bad for TNA; the one to put the most blame on is Dixie Carter. Sure Jeff started the company with his father and did numerous questionable things, like wanting Russo to be a part of things. But Dixie Carter continually enabled him. She let Jarrett do what he wanted due to his history in the business. She let Russo stay for YEARS because of his reputation from “the attitude era.” She constantly said, “OK” when signing checks to bring in stars past their prime, and also agreed to allow them to be pushed over the younger, fresher talent when they were the ones carrying the company for years. And she was the one that bought the snake oil from Hogan and Bischoff. She allowed them to have control. She allowed them to essentially take over because they sold her a bill of goods that had expired long ago. It is cool to bash Jarrett, everyone hates Russo, Hogan and Bischoff are easy targets, but in all of this, people keep forgetting that Dixie Carter allowed this all to happen. And why? Because she doesn’t know jack shit about the business, she knows how to sit, listen, and get talked into things and sign checks. Which is why that her mother took ability away from her. No Dixie, I may have issues with the other four people and the things that they have done wrong, but you deserve the lion’s share.
#1. Moving to Monday Nights… IT’s ALL THEY NEEDED TO COMPETE… FOR REAL THIS TIME… PROMISE
And number one is the fact that TNA decided that they would move to Monday nights to compete with WWE. Now, do not get me wrong, in many ways I respected the decision and thought that at some point that they COULD make the move, but the timing was wrong. They had stars, they had names, but they simply did not have a loyal enough audience to make the move. At the time I wrote a column about the move, and the general feeling is that TNA was bringing a knife to a gunfight. Again, under the right circumstances, I feel that a move to Monday night could have been good, but they failed here, and it hurt the product. The ratings did not deliver, they dropped through out, and they went back running to Thursday nights with their tail tucked between their legs, and they are pretty much back where they started. And that is a shame, considering all we ever here is that it was all they needed.
And at the end of the day, that is the worst part. They cried about, “this is all we need to be competitive, to be a real alternative,” and they failed and failed hard. They didn’t fail due to lack of talent, they failed because they were not prepared to go against WWE. WCW had names, and they had the loyal Turner network fan base, along with the MONEY to do battle. TNA had talent, but they didn’t have a loyal audience willing to choose them over WWE, and the Carter’s were not going to get into a financial pissing contest with Vince and company. And on top of that, the sad thing is that this situation has happened before. They constantly say, “We need this and we need that,” well I wrote this back in 2007…
That was written right before the company went to TWO HOURS on Thursday nights in 2007. Some things never change, and that is the problem. You can say “we need this” or “if we had that,” but once you get it, you actually have to do something with it. Success doesn’t happen just because you wish it. A finely tuned automobile doesn’t rush down the highway at high speeds because you wish it to, no, a genius came up with the car, an expert got the parts and had a team that knew how to properly build it, test it, and make it into that machine.
Bottom line, TNA has the parts, high quality parts, unfortunately they have the boys from shop class putting their machine together.
Again, I am sure I missed some of your selections, 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.
If all works well, I am trying to bust out a “Top 10 TNA Moments” list or something like that before Slammiversary.
The 411 on Wrestling returned on Friday night, and I was joined by Steve Cook to discuss TNA’s lawsuit against WWE, the Chris Jericho incident in Brazil, some of the horrible predictions I have made in my eight years here at 411 (yes, I made fun of myself and we had a great time doing so) and even previewed Saturday’s iPPV that CHIKARA will present. You can check that out here.
Also, THE OCHO~! sports podcast debuted on my Blogtalk channel. The OCHO is the nickname they gave the made up ESPN8 in the movie Dodgeball, and the tagline was, “The Ocho! If it’s almost a sport, you’ll find it here!” THE OCHO is a podcast about sports, by almost sports analysts Steve Cook and Trent Howell. This week the guys discuss the NBA Playoffs, Kobe vs. Duncan, the NHL Playoffs, the best heels in Baseball, NFL collusion, the Top 5 Sports Celebrations and much more! You can check out the show here.
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