Shining a Spotlight 10.03.06: TNA at a Crossroads...Again

Posted by Michael Weyer on 11.03.2006

An updated look at TNA's progress and how this could be the make or break time for the company. Plus, reader mail.

In one of my very first columns, I examined the state of TNA and how it could progress. Given the changes in the company over the last few months and their readying for two hours in prime time, I thought it was time to look back at it and examine the state of TNA today.

Frankly, it's not too good. But it could be worse.

TNA is about to reach the age of four and a half years, which is about four years longer than most people gave them a chance for when they first got started. They've established themselves as the biggest competition WWE has had since WCW went under and given a nice alternative for wrestlers and fans.

It's more amazing given the problems they've had, from the weekly pay-per-views to having TV tapings and three hour PPVs in front of non-paying crowds. They've also had to handle Impact being canceled from FSN first before getting it on Spike. But the company has been building themselves up for a while.

However, the events of Bound For Glory and the first Impacts after it give a bigger indication of where TNA is going. It shows that the company is making some strides to really beef themselves into the big leagues. But at the same time, TNA is showing a few problems in their mind-set that may lead to bigger problems down the road.

Let's start with the heavyweight title/main event scene. I know I'm not the first to say it but it speaks volumes that for "the biggest show in TNA history," the main event was right out of 1999 WCW. Now I've always been a fan of Sting but the fact is, the man is getting up there and is not the same charismatic worker he once was. For TNA to put their hopes on him as a main eventer and the guy to carry the company is a bad choice for the company. I don't see Sting lasting that much longer in TNA. Frankly, I'm still shocked he came out of retirement at all. It's pretty clear to everyone this is his big swan song before he goes and yet TNA is acting like he's still in his prime and setting up programs around him. Even Vince McMahon has finally come to realize you can't have Hulk Hogan as WWE champion anymore. Sting is in better shape, true, but the company whose slogan is "the new face of professional wrestling" should be going for someone fresher.

Even TNA doesn't seem to have much confidence in Sting as he wasn't even allowed to do a big post-victory speech. Instead, he got interrupted by Christian. But instead of setting up an obvious Sting/Christian encounter, which seems to have been the plan from Chrstian going heel, they instead have Christian and Rhino going at it again in a barbed-wire match on the first two-hour Impact and presumably Genesis as well. Nothing against Rhino but this feud seemed to come out of nowhere and the street fight at BFG should have been the blow-off for it instead of dragging it out more. Of course, TNA has been dropping the ball with Christian several times. First, they introduced him as a face, which really doesn't suit him. Then they had his NWA title reign on the backburner in favor of the antics of Sting and Jeff Jarrett. While I still don't feel Christian is the guy who can carry a company, I do think he deserves a bit more recognition than he's getting.

Speaking of needing more push, let's talk Samoa Joe. I know I've harped on it before but the fact is Joe is the guy many fans want to see in the NWA title scene. Yet once again, TNA is pulling him back. Having him in Monster's Ball was uncalled for as he's more than just a big beefy brawler. Yeah, he won the match but it still seemed a step backward for him (although I have to admit seeing him and Abyss going at it was pretty cool). Now they're setting up him and Kurt Angle, which seems a mistake as well. Not the match itself of course but having it be this soon. It's not just Angle's health (although that is a consideration as he should be at the top of his game when he and Joe go at it to make sure it's the best it can be). But this has been a dream match even before Angle joined TNA, something to really build up toward and instead they're rushing it as fast as they can.

The Angle question is whether or not he could handle being a standard bearer for the company. If he can keep the health going, Angle can be a great candidate for NWA champion but the fact is, those injuries are taking a toll and he may not be able to keep going longer than a couple of years. Putting him at the top may be good for a little while but like Sting, Angle's shelf life probably isn't that long. Joe, on the other hand, has been hugely over with the fans for a year now, is incredible in the ring, great on the mic and is more than ready to step up to the plate. Hopefully, TNA can recognize that because if they don't, they're letting a huge opportunity for the future slip through their hands.

Now the first set-ups for the title picture post-BFG were a bit lacking. I know a lot's been written about the crazy contender's battle royal but (and I know I'm in a minority), I kind of liked it. Having guys fight to get into the ring first is one of those ideas you're surprised no one's come up with before. The actual action was better to watch then on paper with lots of nice brawls and a good selection of finalists. My problem was how the whole thing meant Abyss gets a bye into the finals of the tournament. Putting aside the fact they've yet to explain who's even in the tournament, having Abyss jump all the way to the finals was a big mistake as it pretty much lets you know he'll win the whole thing and defeats the entire tournament concept. If TNA wants to have Sting/Abyss, just make it that instead of this whole twisty concept.

Let's move on to the X Division. The division has been suffering for a while. Senshi never took off as well as people thought he would and his reign was downright dull despite his nice in-ring work. Then there was the whole "Jackass" bit which was really beneath TNA and the guys involved. Of course, the big thing that would effect the Divison was Kevin Nash treating it like a huge joke and TNA letting him do it. It's just not right that the division that put TNA on the map and made it stand out from WWE was turned into a punchline just to humor a guy whose in-ring work can't match half the X guys. It culminated at BFG with a gauntlet match that started off well but then devolved into comedy with a midget, a woman, a referee, a one-legged guy and D-Ray 3000 (and incidentally, where the hell has he been for the last two years?!). The X Division needs to get some respect back.

The first step seemed to come with Chris Sabin winning the title, which was a move long overdue. For the last couple of years, Sabin has pretty much been the guy put into X Division matches just to make them seem more important with no serious ideas on a push. So a title reign was long overdue. Of course, TNA has already taken the belt off him and given it to AJ Styles. Normally, I'd be annoyed at Sabin getting such a short reign but I actually back up this decision. Part of that, I have to admit, is because I'm a huge Styles mark and love seeing him with a belt again. However, as I mentioned above, the X Division needs to get back to the high-impact, high-action standard it once was and AJ is just the guy to lead it that way. Plus, it frees up Christopher Daniels for a long overdue push to the NWA title scene, which I think he'd do great in.

Now let's examine the tag team division. LAX has been one of the most pleasant surprises of the year, getting over as terrific team much better than I expected. I thought they'd be just a brief championship team but their feud with AJ and Daniels showed how good they really are and thus I'm glad TNA has put the belts back on them. Now, they just need to face some top-level challengers. So far, they seem to be feuding with AMW as TNA appears to be reconsidering breaking Harris and Storm up, which is probably a good move. Presumably, AMW will be going back to faces during the feud which is good as they do have some great heat with the fans. A feud with them will make LAX even bigger and solidify their presence in the tag ranks.

The rest of the tag division is still lacking as the James Gang and Team 3D are still doing their old (and in the Gang's case, it's approaching fossilization) tricks. Also, the LAX success has apparently come at the detriment of the Naturals. For months, they've been getting a push with Shane Douglas as their mentor but the shift in bookers for TNA (which I'll get to in a minute) has apparently pushed them at the wayside. But once again, TNA is facing a dearth of really good tag teams, especially with AJ and Daniels going separate paths. I think it's time they considered putting a few X guys into teams and see if maybe they can click well (like LAX did).

And then we have Jeff Jarrett. I honestly have no idea how the hell they think they can make Jarrett a face. I know he was one back in 2003 but that was when TNA ran in his home state of Tennessee. More importantly, that was before his death grip on the NWA title and need for the spotlight became apparent to everyone. The way they're doing it is bad too. He gives a speech about hardships after losing the belt and suddenly Tenay and West are ready to ignore all he's done over the last three years and hype him up as someone to respect? That is not a way to sell a face turn, especially to a fanbase so hostile to Jarrett as TNA is.

As I said in my column about Jarrett and HHH a few months back, people may love to hate HHH but they just hate Jarrett. The fans of TNA have made it clear over the last year how much they despise Jarrett hogging the spotlight so much. Yet TNA is going to push a face turn on them with Tenay and West no doubt pushing it on fans how they should like and respect and cheer for Jarrett. By doing so, they will be breaking a key rule of the business: Never try to tell the fans who they should boo and cheer cause they'll usually jump the opposite way. It's true that wrestling fans can be surprisingly charitable to heels turned faces but in Jarrett's case, I just don't see how it can work out. At least it seems to drop Jarrett a bit away from the main event scene, which is a good thing.

TNA is at a very important juncture now and how they evolve from here can decide the future of the company. That lies a great deal in the hands of Vince Russo. His first show, the post-BFG Impact, was highlighted by the battle royal that a lot of people thought was way too complicated. And we also have this contender's tournament that they haven't explained at all, which doesn't bode well. Another problem could be how they're announcing the first two-hour Impact will have a barbed wire match between Christian and Rhino. There's two reasons this could be a bad omen and both have a precedence for WCW.

The first is that a big problem for WCW was the decision to "hot-shot" or give away PPV-level matches on free TV, often with no build up. The most famous example is the Hogan-Goldberg match which could have drawn millions as a PPV matchup but instead they gave it away on Nitro just to get a bump in the ratings. The same happened numerous times over the last few years of WCW's run and really did hurt the company. Why would fans be interested in shelling out to get a PPV when that sort of match could be on free TV any week?

Another problem is Russo's affinity for gimmick and stipulation matches. It was one of his staples in WCW and not in a good way. He threw one match after another from a "blank on a pole" match to crazy battle royals and even nutty stuff like the "San Francisco 49ers Box Match" and more. Gimmick and stipulation matches are good for blow offs of feuds and such. But to just throw them in randomly doesn't make for better action or more intense fan interest, it just gets annoying. True, sometimes they can work. Hell, Ultimate X was a gimmick match but it's become one of the coolest matches around. But if Russo keeps throwing out crazy ideas with no care of how important the match itself is, it's going to hurt the promotion.

Another thing that could be a problem is how many of the "old-timers" of TNA are starting to get pushes again like Styles and AMW. This worries me that Russo is starting to look at some of the older TNA stars, the ones who were pushed when Russo originally started with the company. On the one hand, it's gratifying to see TNA letting go of this obsession of late with former WWE/WCW stars. On the other, pushing old stars still doesn't solve the basic problem that there are lots of fresher guys who deserve a push but are being ignored, like Jay Lethal. I harped on this a lot in my earlier TNA column but I have to repeat, if TNA doesn't start pushing some fresher talent, they're going to have a hard time in the future.

They can make new stars. Eric Young is a prime example. For years he mostly a tag wrestler and an afterthought but letting him go with the "Don't fire Eric!" bit has made him stand out as a true cult figure and given him a rise in the company. Alex Shelly is getting over too and there's the chance they might find someone else on the undercard deserving a push. The problem is, if TNA doesn't start giving the newer guys more of a chance, it's going to hurt the chance to get more young and fresh wrestlers in. Why should they try a smaller company with no real chance to take off rather than take their chances with WWE where there are at least more shows and more chances to catch someone's eye?

Finally there's the on-air talent. I love her to death but Christy Hemme has nothing to really contribute so maybe it's time to drop her. I know Cornette's upset about being pushed aside for Russo but hopefully he can keep the ego together. Not only is he a great on-air personality but backstage he can hopefully rein in some of Russo's crazier ideas. As for Nash, while I hated his turning the X division into a joke, I rather liked his commentary during the BFG gauntlet match so having him in that role might be fun. Lord knows we need somebody to be a balance to West and Tenay, who have pretty much lost any respect as commentators with their harping on every TNA PPV being "the greatest night in wrestling history."

Speaking of which, TNA has got to stop this delusion they have that they're bigger than they really are. They harp so much on how cool they are that "everyone wants to wrestle here" which, considering the defection of Monty Brown, doesn't ring any more true now than before. The wrestlers may be, on the whole, better but the company is still a far, far cry from being able to really compete on equal footing with WWE.

Of course, it's hardly helped by their constantly talking about the competition. I found it laughable when Rhino burned the ECW title and talked about "being sick of people trying to recreate the past" while in a company that pushes Scott Steiner and Sting as main-eventers. Ditto for the James Gang and DX and many other comments meant to shoot down WWE. Instead, it just makes TNA look more second-rate, not to mention just gives free publicity to the competition which pretty much shoots the whole concept in the foot.

Getting two hours is a good thing for TNA but they have to be sure to make it work right. They need to give longer matches instead of more interviews and angles and skits and such. They need to push the wrestling but not to give away huge matches for free. Keep in mind, the Impact tapings are for a non-paying audience and TNA is still slow on house shows so they need to save the big money stuff for PPVs. The promotion is still struggling to keep themselves solvent and a wrong move could have disastrous consequences.

I still say TNA could use a TV title to brighten up the mid-card and give some more importance to watching Impact matches. A key thing they have to do is return the X Division to the cutting edge spot it was a few years back with AJ defending it against a wide range of opponents in great matches. They also need to find a balance between veterans and fresher talent and give both equal time. And of course, they have to make sure Russo doesn't go overboard with the same gimmick matches/sudden swerves that sunk his reign in WCW.

Once again, TNA is at a point that could make or break this company's future. They have to decide whether to continue to embrace the past or really start making strides to the younger wrestlers and be a fresh alternative to WWE. I still have hopes they can continue to defy the odds as they have already to get this far. Snagging Angle was a major coup and starting house shows and PPVs outside of Orlando is a great move to establish themselves. But if Russo can't control himself…if they keep pushing old-timers at the main event scene…if they continue to ignore the fresh young talent underneath them…Then as I said in that earlier column, I fear that "The Rise and Fall of TNA" will be on shelves in less than a decade. And that is something no real wrestling fan should want to see.


Might as well bring it all full circle with some reader mail. First off is regular contributor John Bryant on my wrestling family columns:

If you go to Wikipedia and look at the Hart Family Tree, you'll notice that Owen is actually missing. well I know this was kinda pointless but it's important to actually mention that considered two weeks ago you did a column on the Hart Family now onto the Dream match: Ken Kennedy vs Christopher Daniels. Well that's it. Considering I'm a Kennedy mark and obviously Seanie boy is a Daniels mark and Lafave recently did a column on CD, I figured We'd put the 2 against one another. I mean think about it. Ken Kennedy is arguably the fastest and current growing as the one of the most popular superstars today. he reminds me as a mixture of a Young Stone Cold Steve Austin(to quote JBL) and Triple HHH as Kennedy loves to run his mouth and can be a smashmouth wrestler but like HHH he can be methodical in a way that reminds me of the Game or Chris Benoit. Christopher Daniels has been with TNA since the beginning, I mean he has earned the title Mr. TNA, since he has possessed the longest X-Division Title Reign in history(over 6 months) and also one of the most innovative wrestlers especially in his **** if not more matches with AJ styles. add on the famous Unbreakable match and you got my reason as to why CD is a TNA Main Stay.

Didn't see that family tree thing. I think you're the only person holding Kennedy vs Daniels as a dream match as I just think Daniels is a much better wrestler and star overall. Personally, I think Kennedy has great potential too but he's still pretty raw and needs more time to fully develop. But I do think Daniels is deserving of a main event push in TNA.


Ross Lakin has this to say:

Of all the father son connections you missed a few of the very biggest.
Angelo Puffo- Had Macho Man Randy Savage and Leaping Lenny
The entire Von Erik Clan
Afa and Seka on of them is the father of Rakishi and Umaga and Yokozuna
Black jack Mulligan had Kendal and Barry Windham. Barry was a huge star in the 80's tag team div
Dory Funk Sr and Jr
Stu Hart- Owen and Brett
Davy boy Smith- Not sure yet how big Harry will be, but by his name, and size you would hope big things
Bullet Bob Armstrong had Brad and Scott
Jerry Lawler had Brian Christopher
Johnny Valentine Greg Valentine
Butcher Vachon had Luna

I know I missed a lot of names but thought it would be better to highlight just a few examples I thought could speak for many. I did touch on the Harts in the first family column along with the Vachons and Von Eriks. I am sorry I missed the Funks however.


Moving on to last week's column on Magnum and Nikita, Ben Piper has this:

GREAT column, man. Way to take me back. It's incredible to me how many memories your bringing the Magnum/Nikita feud up brought back to me.

I remember the fact that while he was obviously green, Nikita was billed as a true monster heel. He could be defeated, but you absolutely had to be at the very top of the game to do so, which somehow managed to put him over even more.

Magnum was everything that you said. Good looking, charisma, mic skills and good in ring work ethic. And yes, I remember the belly to belly being a finisher, but to be fair, the way Magnum did it was as an off the ropes move and he did it so quickly you believed that the impact upon the mat would knock the wind out of his opponent long enough to gain the pin. (Hey, Tully had the slingshot suplex, so really, how dated are we by now?)

Just to point out a few things... Magnum and Nikita's best of seven series were all Russian Chain matches. (basically dog collar matches) Before Magnum's car crash the cage match between himself and Dusty against Tully and JJ had been set with the stip that if the face team loses, Dusty must retire. The week before the match the crash happened and Tully and JJ were overjoyed, and bragged about how they would rid the wrestling world of Dusty once and for all on TBS's Saturday show, as they were expecting a two on one affair against Dusty. The next week's Saturday TV show opened with the shot of Dusty headed to the ring, with Nikita following, just like you said.

Not sure if you were aware or remembered all of that. Maybe you did and just chose not to include it, so I decided to put my own two cents worth in.

I actually got to shake hands with Nikita once when he was wrestling near my hometown against Lex... (speaking of green)

And yes, I remember the Apter mags filling in the blanks as well...

All around good stuff... Good work... Keep the memory of old school NWA alive...

Magnum did manage to sell the belly to belly more devastating than others have. Surprised you don't see more of the slingshot suplex, that was a fun move to watch too. I'd forgotten all of them were dog collar matches and the exact setup for the cage match. That feud was a real highlight of the old-style NWA, one of those things people just love to remember while forgetting much of the bad stuff the promotion did too.


Jorge Santos has another comment on the column:

Great article man you make a great point if Magnum had not had the accident wrestling today may be quite different. But im tellign you i seen Magnum at the TNA house show in Richmond , Va a month ago and it was just sad seeing him there you could see there was that spark in his eye he really wanted to be out there with the guys and being a part of the bussines again even tho the guy can barely walk but the crowd loved him everybody gave him a standing ovation . Truly one of the great losses of that generation .

I'll back that up totally. If Magnum had kept going, I think he might very well still be involved in the sport in some way today, after a few world titles of course. So sad to see a career cut quite short in such a brutal way. It's why I wanted to highlight it and let some newer fans know how cool both guys were.


Finally, Rusty Nailz has this:

Great fuckin story. We need more of those so the kids can learn something. I mean, I was only a baby when Magnum and Nikita feuded, but I remember reading the Apter mags in the early 90's and I downloaded the Magnum vs Tully cage match where he sticks a spike in his eye! Unfortunately, that match, and the War Games in '91 I believe are the only matches I've seen from either of these two guys. But yea, not to be overly exaggerative, but that was one of my favorite columns in a long time. I'd love to see u do more stuff about the 70's and 80's, hopefully something with one of my all-time favs in the Dynamite Kid.

I do think WWE is letting a gold mine go by not putting more of them on DVD. The Road Warriors disc does have the great chain match from GAB '85 which was great as well as the finals of the first Crockett Cup against Magnum and Ronnie Garvin. Also, that "Best of Steel Cage matches" DVD from a few years back has the Magnum-Tully Starrcade '85 match. But again, I think giving us a "Best of NWA" disc of some sort would be great for old-time fans.


All for now but check out:

Julian counts down the Top 10 Sting matches.

Meehan looks back at past wrestling Halloween costumes.

Evolution Schematic checks out the Dangerous Alliance, one of the best heel stables of all time.

Story Lines tackles Roddy Piper's biography.

Don't forget Column of Honor, Hidden Highlights, Ask411, High Road/Low Road, Fact or Fiction, Triple Threat and the rest.


Next week, I reflect on the one-year anniversary of Eddie Guerrero's death and his memory since. For now, the spotlight is off.