Shining a Spotlight 07.12.12: TNA’s Greatness

I’ve been accused a lot of being down on TNA, always blasting it as horrible and all that. But this week, my feelings on the company are pretty high. The fact is that while WWE is in a poor rut, TNA has managed to step up their game big time, pushing aside some poor stuff to give fans real amazing work. This was exemplified by “Destination X,” a great show that gave the X Division a boost but more importantly, one of the best surprises of the year as Austin Aries ended up winning the TNA World title. It’s a great move by the company, showing real paying off for the angle and giving a fresh face to the main event scene. It also shows TNA really serious about growing for the future and making you more hopeful.

Aries

Austin Aries is one of the true success stories of TNA. The guy had been down in 2010, talking in interviews of maybe giving it all up as he was just lost in the shuffle. But for once, the company saw the potential in a guy under their noses and gave him the push he’d been wanting. He took off wonderfully as the arrogant jerk who could back up his actions in the ring, stealing match after match on PPVs so slapping the X Division title on him made perfect sense. He’s continued to rise since, holding off all challengers as he won fans and critics alike to stand out as a true star. So the main event jump was only a matter of time and kudos to TNA to make a big deal of it.

Still, actually giving Aries the belt was a surprise to a lot of us. TNA seemed to be building up to a rematch between Storm and Roode for the title, to pay off the disappointing “Lockdown” ending. It seemed the perfect thing, Storm regaining the title and ending Roode’s long reign. For TNA to actually give it to Aries was a stunning move but one that’s won huge acclaim already from many fans. Aries can be the perfect champ, heelish tendencies but unlike Roode, he’s shown an ability to win his title matches clean and stand up to anyone in his path. I hope that this isn’t a fast turn and they really do give Aries a decent run with the belt as the fans were so hot for this moment, for this to be a “he loses a week later” would be a huge letdown. But the match itself was great and Aries appears to have won over guys booking so we can hope he continues. If he does, it’ll be a great move for TNA, to show they really can develop a major star on their own rather than take some ex-WWE cast-off and push him hard. It’s a great sign for the company in how they really are taking some good steps to leading the pack.

The Current Scene

It’s amazing to many but it’s very true: Right now, TNA is in better creative shape than WWE. Currently, the E is in a “throw whatever we got on the wall and see what sticks” mentality, a move that rarely leads to good stuff. Okay, TNA has the AJ/Dixie soap opera but that’s still not as annoying to me as the entire “AJ’s a crazy bitch” thing eating up so much time on RAW and making you feel sorry two great stars like Punk and Bryan are stuck in this angle. We’ve got that damn “Mystery GM computer” back, Cena still stuck feuding Johnny Ace and don’t get me started on Clay. I’m hoping MITB can give a nice shake-up for titles and such and the reports of influxes of new talent do show WWE recognizes they need to inject new blood so hopefully they can turn it around but right now, the company is a bit hard to watch.

With a few exceptions (get to those in a bit), TNA is doing better. The push for “Destination X” was very well-done, the storyline of Aries risking it all by giving up the X Division belt for a World title shot winning everyone over, the promos between he and Roode terrific and TNA didn’t drop the ball with it, making it all the better. Meanwhile, Zema Ion won the vacant X Division title, another example of TNA building their own star as the guy is great in the ring and coming into his own as a heel. Having Jesse Sorensen returning promises a good feud to come and he should have plenty of great heat on his side following his injury. The PPV showed how the X Division continues to provide TNA with real excitement and the possibility of more major stars to come.

Maybe it’s the exodus of Vince Russo but TNA’s storylines seem much more polished lately. Yes, we have Styles and Angle doing the “whacky tag team champs who can’t stand each other” gimmick that got old years ago but you can’t argue with those two trying to boost the division up. Having Storm return to end Crimson’s win streak was great as Storm was the perfect guy to do it, not too much over but not low enough that it’d seem cheap. Plus, they’ve done a great job building the guy into a sympathetic face, making his upcoming rematch with Roode mean even more. Also, while I had my doubts in it at first, the Joseph Parks/Bully Ray story is one of the most entertaining angles of the entire year. Parks is just so perfect playing the role (yes, I was one of those guys who took a couple of weeks to realize it was just Abyss without the mask) that you can’t help but get sucked into it and it’s paid off with great brawls and more of a boost for both guys. While I wish the TV title got more time, at least it gives something for folks in the mid-card to shoot for and if they get a real champion other than D-Von, it might shine a bit more.

The Bound for Glory series should also provide a bit more excitement. So far, TNA has shown they recognize some of the issues with the first series and are streamlining it a bit, making regular TV matches mean a lot more. That Joe has the lead is good, the guys’ been pushed in the shuffle way too long when he has the ring skills and presence to be a main eventer again. The whole Gut check thing seems to be doing okay so far although I do hope it’s not a case of some reality show where everyone gets in anyhow. Though the idea of Joey Ryan continuing to interfere even after being cut does promise to give him more of a push than acceptance would have. But overall, TNA is doing pretty well to overcome so many of their doubters.

Flaws

Of course, it’s not all perfect. The Knockouts are on a bit of a downturn at the moment and a lot of that can be pointed to the person “in charge.” My respect for Mike Tenay has grown a bit as it takes a stronger man than myself to talk of Brooke Hogan being a “multi-media star” without breaking into laughter and/or tears. Okay, she’s hardly the first person ever to get TV time because her dad’s in charge but come on, does anyone actually buy her as an authority figure in any way, shape or form? The idea of choosing a challenger for Brooke (who’s coming into her own as champion) by just talking over drinks with the girls was ridiculous. The loss of Angelina Love, one of the biggest stars of the division, is a blow although adding Taeler Hendrix might be a good move as we need a fresh face to things. The tag division is in a slump too as the loss of Alex Shelley means the MCMG are gone, one of the best teams out there. Sure, some ad hoc guys may click like Joe and Magnus did but the division still needs some real teams to make things better. Also, while the loss of Bischoff is refreshing, still not totally buying Hogan as the main GM-type, dominating so much time once more. And yes, TNA is still obsessed with pushing guys like RVD and others past their prime as main evetners.

But the fact the current flaws of TNA can be summed up in a paragraph says a lot of how well the company is doing now. True, there have been times they’ve been on a creative roll only to slump into weeks of horrible programming but right now, TNA is the best creatively of the Big Three. Now, they still have a ways to go to catch up to WWE in ratings, merchandise and pure money-making. But with a new champion and better yet, a new focus, TNA is showing just how great they can be when they try and that’s what a wrestling company needs to survive. They’re finally paying off on all the potential at their fingertips and we can only hope that continues to give the company the rise they’ve long promised people.

For this week, the spotlight is off.