TNA: The New WCW?

 

I’ve read quite a lot of people’s thoughts and opinions on the current status of TNA over the last few weeks, so I thought I’d use my article this week to weigh in on the discussion.

I first became aware of TNA around 5 years ago, whilst flicking through cable channels looking for something decent to watch. The six-sided ring immediately grabbed my attention! It was the sort of thing that immediately stood out as being something different and unique, if not a little on the small side, so I gave it a go. What the heck… it’s wrestling right?

The next thing that appealed to me was the number of wrestlers I actually recognised. From Jeff Jarrett to The Dudley Boys, Jeff Hardy to Scott Steiner, there were wrestlers I knew all over the show. Wrestlers I had forgotten about, who I thought had simply disappeared never to be seen again. Again, this drew me in and kept me watching as I felt an instant connection to the product. A new take on the ‘squared circle’, plus wrestlers I once knew grappling to make it to the top of the mountain one more time and last but by no means least, add a pinch of Sting (no pun intended) into the equation and you have my attention!

Now in all honesty, the first time I turned on TNA, I’m sure I could’ve been forgiven for thinking that I was watching the rebirth of WCW. There were so many similarities, from the style of commentary to the arena layouts, it looked like a re-run of a 90’s episode of Monday Nitro without the huge crowd!

As I watched and read more about TNA, it became obvious as to the company’s ideology for the industry. Base yourself in a permanent location, with the ability to record multiple shows in a single day, reducing travel and in the process, minimising overheads and thus maximising profits. In addition, TNA could successfully attract established wrestlers offering a reduced schedule to that of WWE, whilst giving them maximum exposure to a small, yet potentially growing, fan base. This, combined with their dedication to developing and using new talent (particularly in the form of the X-Division), TNA, on paper at least, had a fresh and genuinely inventive way of rivalling WWE.

However, there’s one problem with this – it’s unsustainable. Restricting yourself to one venue puts a roof on top of your ambition and potential for growth. As TNA are now finding out, to grow you have to travel, and to travel you have to spend money. Tours to the UK (albeit once a year currently) still cost a small fortune to a company like TNA. Even travelling across parts of America to hold televised shows will put a huge strain on finances. Add to this an increased schedule and soon, you’re going to see some of the veterans asking if they can start claiming overtime!

Now I have no idea how much money is behind TNA, but my guess would be that there’s certainly a limit to what there is available to spend and if you don’t have the cash for a ticket, you don’t get to play ball. All you get is a seat on the bench next to Eric Bischoff and Paul Heyman, and left to rot by Coach McMahon!

That being said, I think TNA have done very well at times. Bringing in Hogan was predictable, yet gave some credibility to the brand. Establishing a roster of previously unknown wrestlers has shown TNA don’t have to solely rely on bringing old faces in. While that’s an achievement in itself, I would guess that their success is partially born out of wrestling fans’ frustration with WWE’s current product. Let’s be honest, if Vince announced the return of the Attitude Era on next week’s Raw, how many of us would be disappointed and how long would you give TNA until the final nail goes into the coffin?

I enjoy watching TNA because it’s different. Sure the acting wouldn’t be out of place in a porno, the Aces and Eights are a poor man’s SAMCRO and whatever WWE currently does, TNA seem to follow suit, but it still gives us wrestling fans a choice, keeping WWE on its toes to some extent.

I believe WWE have adopted an arrogant approach to TNA, learning from its experience with WCW in the late 90’s. Rather than taking TNA on, WWE are simply ignoring them believing that they will eventually self-implode, much in the same way that WCW did! Not convinced? Consider this then. How many wrestlers have been poached from TNA by WWE? I bet you wouldn’t need a second hand to count the answer, even though there is undoubtedly some amazing talent in TNA.

I would love to see TNA grow as a brand and pose a real threat to WWE over the next few years. Go about things in their own way, much like ECW did in its heyday! It can only be good for the industry that there’s more than one major promotion to generate competition and motivate all those involved.

Total Non-Stop Action – only time will tell if their machine ends up grinding to a sudden halt!

As always, feel free to let me know your thoughts and comments, and if there’s anything in particular that you’d like me to talk about, just get in touch with me on Twitter @tommymitten

Tommy

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