How to Improve TNA (Part 2)

In Part One of the column, I wrote that TNA needed to be more unpredictable and realistic in order to improve “Impact.” I also wrote that the show needed to be live in order to achieve this unpredictability and realism and also offered some subtle suggestions on how to achieve this.

As I mentioned last week, most of these suggestions are based on Eric Bischoff’s autobiography and his successful creation, Monday Nitro. Here’s four more suggestions on how to improve the show that routinely disappoints almost everyone at Tha O Show:

Suggestion #2 - Be different

In Controversy Creates Cash, concerning the launching of Nitro, Eric Bischoff writes, “We have three choices: be better than them [WWE], less than them, or different than them. We can’t be better than them. They have been around longer, have a lock on the audience, and are good at what they do. We don’t want to be less than them, so we have to be different than them.” Arguably, TNA’s biggest problem is that they come off looking like a rip-off of the WWE - far-fetched, cartoonish gimmicks and all (WWE-junior, if you will - say it in Dusty Rhode’s voice, it’s fun). The best example of this is the Abyss-Judas Mesias-James Mitchell storyline - it’s a carbon copy of the Undertaker-Kane-Paul Bearer storyline from ten years ago, except it’s worse! Does anyone care that James Mitchell is Chris’s father? Does that make you want to buy a PPV? Donnie put it nicely on Tha O Show Radio a couple of weeks ago when he said, “This is a re-run! I’ve seen this movie before!”

But I’ll give credit where credit is due. Who’s the most over wrestler in TNA right now? Awesome Kong. Why? Because she’s different from the other “knockouts” in TNA, and she’s nothing like the WWE Divas, who can only offer the other t’n’a. Global Impact was received well by fans and people within TNA - because it was different. So too is the 6-sided ring. I admit, I used to hate the 6-sided ring; but now I think it’s a good thing for TNA because it’s something no other wrestling company offers.

Now, making Impact a live show isn’t different than Raw, but it can be different in how they USE the live format. For example, Raw’s commercials are so easy to predict: usually, one of the wrestlers is shown to be in some sort of peril, like being knocked out on the outside of the ring, and J.R. asks, “Can so-and-so survive this onslaught?” etc, etc. One of the things I remember from Nitro in its heyday was when Tony Schiavone would tell the audience before a commercial break that they’d keep the cameras rolling so that if the match ended during the break, they’d show us what had happened.

Of course, it never happened. How about TNA actually does end a match during the commercial break - it would add a more realistic element to the show and make it seem like the wrestlers are in control of the match, not the booker(s). Isn’t it a little convenient that in the history of wrestling on live TV, a match has never ended during the commercial break? (At least as far as I can remember) There would be no harm in ending a match during the break, especially if it’s done in a match where what happens after the match is more important anyways, like a post-match promo or run-in. After all, you can always show the audience a replay of what happened when the show returns from commercial.

My next suggestion also involves offering a different product . . .

Suggestion #3 - Push the X-Division

Certainly, this isn’t a new idea by any means, but I think the X-division could play a pivotal role in the success of TNA, now more than ever, especially since the WWE no longer has a cruiserweight division or title (thanks Hornswoggle- just another benefit of this brilliant storyline).

Think about it . . . during Nitro’s peak, the cruiserweights played a vital role in the show’s success, in large part because the WWE roster had no one who could compare with the likes of Rey Mysterio, Dean Malenko, Juventud Guerrera, Chris Jericho, Chavo and Eddie Guerrero, and others. The only thing the “possession” of the X-division storyline accomplished was burying two divisions at once (tag team and X-division). Two of the company’s best tag teams, Team 3D and the Motor City Machine Guns, and two of the company’s best X-Division wrestlers, Jay Lethal and Johnny Devine, were trapped in this storyline for months over the “possession” of an increasingly meaningless belt.

Why does Team 3D hate the X-Division? It seems like they’re serving as voices for the booking committee, which apparently doesn’t give a shit either. Ultimately, the X-Division, with the likes of Lethal, Devine, Petey Williams, Eric Young, Christopher Daniels (Curry Man), Frankie Kazarian and others, can offer something the WWE simply cannot: fast-paced, high-flying wrestling that fits the company’s name (Total Non-Stop Action . . . remember TNA?)

Suggestion #4 - Remove Don West as Colour Commentator

Hell, if I was in charge of TNA, I’d get rid of Mike Tenay as the play-by-play announcer too, but let’s ignore the lesser of two evils for now. Preferably, TNA would replace West with a former ring veteran, just like the fed should have done when replacing JBL on Smackdown. A retired wrestler would be able to explain a wrestler’s strategy in the match, such as why the wrestler is doing a particular move at a particular time.

Possible replacements: Terry Taylor, Kevin Nash, Jeff Jarrett - it doesn’t even matter, as long as it’s not Don West. I don’t even need to address Don West’s weaknesses - Christopher Casúr does a fine job of that every week on Tha Impact Dispatch, so let’s move on. (editor’s note: the write-in campaign for Dan-e-o starts now)

Suggestion #5 - Go head-to-head with Raw

If possible, the debut of Impact on Monday night should be planned when Raw is pre-empted, just like Nitro’s launch was; it would provide an opportunity for TNA to steal some viewers very early on. Apparently, this time around, the Westminster Dog Show will not be pre-empting Raw, but I’m not proposing that TNA should make the move to Monday nights anytime soon anyways. They need to change the product first, ideally by implementing Suggestions #1 through #4. Assuredly, some time in the future, Raw will be pre-empted and that will be TNA’s time to “Pounce!” (a la Monty Brown - where is that guy anyway?)

It’s also important that TNA isn’t afraid to criticize the WWE. Bischoff writes in his book that the launching of Nitro “was also the beginning of my criticizing WWE on air. I positioned myself as a rebel - and WCW as the organization that was going to kick down the doors and command respect. I wanted to turn up the volume. Way up. I was confident - if not overconfident. I wasn’t aggressive - I was hyperaggressive.” TNA will seem more cool, edgy and smart with their criticisms, especially if they’re bang-on. So in the ads hyping the debut of the show on Monday (and they would need Spike TV to help tremendously with the promotion), openly admit that Impact will be gong head-to-head with Raw and say that if you’re tired of leprechauns and having the same-old stuff (i.e., Vince McMahon and Triple H) shoved down your throat every week, then watch TNA Impact.

But instead of getting an announcer over as edgy (as apparently Bischoff wanted to do for himself), put over the wrestlers. Christian’s debut in TNA would have been the perfect scenario for this on live TV - he was underutilized in the fed, and the fans knew it because they were really starting to dig his Captain Charisma character, like when he dissed John Cena for being a Vanilla Ice wannabe. Actually, now that I think about it, that may have been around the time when the fans started to turn on him. Nice work, Christian.

TNA’s roster is just as good as the WWE’s, if not better. For every Triple H WWE has, there’s a Kurt Angle in TNA. For every MVP, there’s a Robert Roode. For every Rey Mysterio, there’s an A.J. Styles. And I’m sure everyone can agree that TNA’s knockout division is much superior to the WWE Divas, who embarrass themselves every Monday. And don’t forget the X-Division wrestlers, as I mentioned above.

TNA seems to have a dedicated audience, that routinely garners Impact a 1.2 rating or so, and I believe this audience will follow them to Monday night. And I do not believe that the move will hurt their ratings - if done properly, there’s only the potential for increase. There’s a wrestling audience on Monday nights that is ready for an alternative - you have to admit, you get the itch to change the channel AT LEAST a couple times during Raw. Don’t you think fans would change the channel from say, the ridiculous Lingerie Pillow Fight that was on Raw Roulette, to anything that the TNA knockouts offer?

Admittedly, TNA does not have the control over the placement of their show like Nitro had with Turner Broadcasting, but TNA and Spike TV seem to have a good relationship, with Spike’s confidence in the product growing steadily - evidenced by Impact’s move from Saturday night to Thursday night; then from late-night to prime-time; and finally from 1 to 2 hours. Impact even out-rated Ultimate Fighter a few times last season (and ECW too).

To sum up, here’s my message to TNA . . . get serious and improve your product - and then go for the jugular.

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