The Best Of The Rest 11.07.07: Volume 20 – What TNA Has Going for Them

Now it’s apparent that TNA isn’t losing viewer as their rating stays consist ant, but it surely isn’t growing. People there believe that former E or WCW fame = an audience boost. Well the numbers don’t lie. Bringing such wrestlers as Rick Steiner, Dustin Rhodes, Rikishi, etc. has just been unnecessary. They did nothing to help with the progress of TNA. And people wrestling like Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Booker T won’t help anything but further the notion that TNA has a quest to be WCW. Constant use of The Steiners, The Dudleys, and The James Gang also show that TNA isn’t set on putting forth the alternative, rather a place with some familiar faces. Like “Cheers.” Plastering Kurt Angle, and his oh so smokin’ hot wife, on everything TNA is just a way of saying “hey we don’t have any stars other than pre-made ones.” Which couldn’t be farther from the truth. It’s not like Kurt Angle is undeserving of being a world champion. He might be a on string of moronic incidents, like he DUI, but he’s still one of the top ten wrestlers in the world. I don’t know how someone could argue that. But you understand what I’m trying to say. The entire focus of the show doesn’t need to be on the Angle family. Now inversely, some stars of former fame have come to TNA and truly re-established themselves. Christian is the best example of this. He came with basically the same character but his run in TNA has been vastly different, more productive, and all around greater than his time in the E. His in-ring skills have been perfected, his character has yet to grow stale, he’s having some amazing matches, he’s doing good business for the company. Plain and simple. Sting has been the same way, putting people over, developing his character and doing things people didn’t expect. The thumbtack bump at Genesis ’06 was one of the most shocking things I can remember seeing on a TNA PPV. And yeah, the feud with Abyss earlier this year was horrifying but Sting did everything in his power to make good matches, great promos, and to make Abyss look good. More of the same can be said about Rhino, Raven, and Tomko. Men who have added greatly to the product at different times and have never really seemed to be in the way. Tomko especially has showed great improvement.

Now backing up, what makes matters worse is TNA constantly pairs all these former stars against one another. The main event of the next PPV has nothing TNA written on it. Why not pair Angle with Roode and Sting with Joe, that would be a damn fine tag match. Kevin Nash is good for the company but has no business in the ring. And in possibly a worse predicament, The Dudleys will face a top tag team in the MMG. Now these are the kind of matches that should be happening but it goes wrong with the fresh faces look bad. 3D has not only ran down Shelley and Sabin they are making the X-Division look like a joke. It takes 10 guys to take out Devon and Buh Buh? How the hell are Shelley and Sabin going to stand up and win at the PPV? To fans this is like saying TNA guys can’t compete with WWE guys, much like when Angle beat Abyss and Joe in his first two TNA matches. It’s like when Rampage smashed Chuck in 2003 and the whole “UFC guys can’t compete with PRIDE guys” thing started, only here the company is knowingly making themselves look bad. It makes no sense. And it’s not like Angle and The Dudleys have ever had a problem jobbing and always have seemed to enjoy putting new guys over. It was big deal when Lethal beat Angle clean, much like it would be if MMG beat Team 3D. Not to say they aren’t established, but a win over a decorated team like 3D would be a quite something to fans, and I’m sure Mike Tenay would ramble on about it’s importance. The problem doesn’t too often lie with the wrestling, some of these wrestlers aren’t really to be blamed as they aren’t the ones writing this stuff.

Now where things are starting to get better and better is the tag and women’s division. TNA kicked off the women’s division in a great way and the future looks bright for that belt. The addition of Awesome Kong to the TNA roster was possibly the best since Angle. Quite possibly the best women’s wrestler in the world, it seems like a natural fit that any company trying to start up a womens division would get her. Ms. Brooks and Christy Hemme have both shown constant improvement and drive, and alot of cleavage. We all know has great of a wrestler Gail Kim is. In addition throwing some people in like Talia and such doesn’t hurt anything. They have started things off on the right note for “The Knockouts” and as long as they keep it going this way, this could be the first step in making their show an alternative. The tag team division looks to be clearing up after the shit storm that was “Team Pacman.” The tag battle royal at No Surrender and the main event of iMpact last week are evidence of it. In addition to the AJ-Tomko storyline being one of the best TNA has had in a while, they have turned out to mesh nicely and make one hell of a tag team. The first title defense against LAX has set the bar as to what to expect from one of their title defenses. The tag division is already loaded with the likes of Shelley & Sabin, Triple X, the fore mentioned LAX, Hoyt & Rave and the new champs could really be the shot in the arm that revives the TNA tag division that has been in the slumps for about a year. The same cannot be said for the X-Division however. Since his huge win over Kurt Angle to regain the title, Jay Lethal hasn’t done much of anything. The whole X-Division looks to be in bad shape. When is the last time we saw Sonjay Dutt wrestle a real match? Or saw Petey Williams do something besides the Canadian Destroyer? Yes, we love the move but he is much more than that. TNA needs to figure out what they are going to do with the X-Division and start paying it some respect. They need to appreciate the part of their company that got them alot of their fans.

The main thing I want those who read this column to take away from it is the fact that TNA has much potential, they just aren’t being what they could be. There is a place for vetrans and former stars in every wrestling company, but for an upstart promotion the competition’s rejects shouldn’t be the face you present. TNA’s show is getting better and they deliver with the promos and such. Seldom do I watch and episode of iMpact and not laugh, as many of the backstage segments like Angle’s interrogation are hilarious. So they have that going for them. The matches are getting better in terms of length and quality. They are starting to put more fresh faces in the mix like Kaz, slowly but surely. The problems just come down to the fact that the wrong people are going over, and none of the stars they could have (EX: Samoa Joe, Bobby Roode, Samoa Joe, Eric Young, Samoa Joe, Samoa Joe, Samoa Joe) are getting anywhere. Much like Nitro was back in it’s day, you see the same thing each week. You’d think people would learn from WCW. If TNA doesn’t wise up and realize what they have, they could literally repeat the mistakes WCW made they led them to closing their doors. TNA isn’t in the red yet, maybe they’re not even close, but if this is the forecast and what is to come

Next week I’ll be back to the norm and I plan to open a can of the ass whip with more indy goodness. Also “The Stoppage” will be back as I give a full preview for UFC 78 and I take the first look at Brock Lesnar’s first fight. It has been announced that Lesnar will face off with one of my all time favorite fighters… Frank Mir. WAAARRRRR MMMMIIIRRRR!!! This is going to be something, but more on that at a later time. Everyone out there have a good week and take care. And one last thing, these writer’s need to quit this strike business. If the series finale of Scrubs is the victim of this war, I swear I will somehow convince Necro to destroy the entire writing team. Somehow!!!

Remember feedback, as always is welcome at [email protected]

See you right back here next week.