The Reaper's Calling for Dixie
This whole wrestling business is a very funny and all-too-often depressing and unpredictable all in one breath. Those words are never clearer than they are for those involved with TNA Wrestling, or nowadays better known as Impact Wrestling. It’s been a 14 year suicide mission mixed with incredibly memorable moments in the ring and abysmal blunders in the office. Sometimes those trajectories switched in disposition but mostly it was in that order. Even when things seemed better, all of us that were there from the beginning knew that hope was something this company never was equipped to handle.
Things have been buzzing about a ownership change pretty well from the beginning when Jerry Jarrett and his notorious wrestler son Jeff began the company in June of 2002 with a shot in the dark business plan involving weekly pay-per-views to keep them alive. That idea of course failed, after the huge wrestling boom of 1998-2001 the wrestling pay-per-view numbers just simply weren’t what they used to be even for monthly measuring not to mention weekly. People just weren’t interested and this also was at a time when MMA was insignificant at best in the American media culture. So when Panda Energy’s Bob and Dixie Carter became partners and pumped heavy funding into the group, things felt better. Still the show was horribly minor league emanating from “The Asylum” which was nothing more than a makeshift arena at the Nashville County Fairgrounds. Even early on, great talent went through the company such as Chris Hero, CM Punk, Paul London, and various others that would go on to become major stars in WWE or elsewhere.
Those stars never really WERE stars in TNA though. That seemed to be the theme always with that company; sign youngsters with incredible upsides and simply fumble at the 1-yard line when it matters in the pushing of said youngsters. This constant booking snafu plagued almost any TNA top star, especially those who had been part of the foundations of the company in the early days. Because of a lack of homegrown talent, TNA seemed to constantly lose what the importance of a company should be; a vision. There seemed to be a vision during 2004-2005 with a committee that was made up of ex-wrestling personalities and current ones in the case of Scott D’Amore who was a huge part of the way things were done at the time. The problem? Most of this period was during a time with no television to speak of. So much of the best era of TNA wasn’t seen by many outside of our little wrestling bubble. It was just another example of the tide always washing TNA away when things seemed bright.
Rumors are finally rushing in about a true, definitive selling of the company. These reports don’t feel like the usual Internet gossip, this seems to have much of the same roots that the rumblings of WCW’s demise had in 2000 and onward. The story is well known to some and not to many but the facts are that Billy Corgan is trying to put together an acquisition group before the Bound for Glory show this Sunday. The feeling is that if he can’t make the move by then, it’s all over and the potential WWE aquisition would be a very real possibility. Another drop in the bucket for WWE to bolster what would surely be a section on their Network and take the TNA name to the grave it’s been destined for since 2002. It’s a shame, really because the product TNA has been putting together over the last 6 weeks or so has been much better than usual. Aside from the very polarizing, bizarre Broken Matt and Jeff Hardy segments with Decay and others, the wrestling itself has been good. The latest Grand Championship title tournament has been intriguing itself, utilizing the Unified Rules of MMA as a foundation for a new Television title of sorts. Utilizing rounds allows for added intrigue in matches when one can follow the momentum based on the round-by-round scores. So far there have been some really good examples of how this match could be successful, mostly the Drew Galloway vs Eddie Edwards bout just from the top of my head. Seeing TNA in jeopardy even before this Bound for Glory card happens is sad for the reason that the roster has been really performing at a higher level as of late than they had in previous years. TNA’s motiff has always been having quality matches even at the spite of shitty booking all around. Now the booking is average at best, sure, yet there is still enough left from it to allow for some really solid wrestling matches from the talent.
As was the case on March of 2001, no one truly knows what will come of TNA. We could be in for even more years of the company as we have been in the past, or we could be seeing the slow death of yet another national television wrestling product. What SHOULD happen is that all the rest in the race learn from their mistakes. Strike while the iron is hot, don’t leave things to be desired on the table with negotiating, and always be aware of having a back up plan. So much of their fate has rested on those issues and all too often, the company suffered from lack of preparation or simple logic.
TNA’s constantly attempted to evolve. Whether it was their logos or their ring, they always seemed to be in a state of transition from a vile past that they tried their best to erase all the while being addicted to the easy booking fix of yesteryear. TNA is the bipolar bastard child of WCW and ECW in so many ways, toggling between a Nitro reunion tour and a blood fest for no real reason. Perhaps TNA will be remembered as “that place those good guys worked for” in the very near future, one filled with countless TNA alumni continually succeeding in the WWE, something TNA could never afford them the opportunity to do so in the same way.
Things have been buzzing about a ownership change pretty well from the beginning when Jerry Jarrett and his notorious wrestler son Jeff began the company in June of 2002 with a shot in the dark business plan involving weekly pay-per-views to keep them alive. That idea of course failed, after the huge wrestling boom of 1998-2001 the wrestling pay-per-view numbers just simply weren’t what they used to be even for monthly measuring not to mention weekly. People just weren’t interested and this also was at a time when MMA was insignificant at best in the American media culture. So when Panda Energy’s Bob and Dixie Carter became partners and pumped heavy funding into the group, things felt better. Still the show was horribly minor league emanating from “The Asylum” which was nothing more than a makeshift arena at the Nashville County Fairgrounds. Even early on, great talent went through the company such as Chris Hero, CM Punk, Paul London, and various others that would go on to become major stars in WWE or elsewhere.
Those stars never really WERE stars in TNA though. That seemed to be the theme always with that company; sign youngsters with incredible upsides and simply fumble at the 1-yard line when it matters in the pushing of said youngsters. This constant booking snafu plagued almost any TNA top star, especially those who had been part of the foundations of the company in the early days. Because of a lack of homegrown talent, TNA seemed to constantly lose what the importance of a company should be; a vision. There seemed to be a vision during 2004-2005 with a committee that was made up of ex-wrestling personalities and current ones in the case of Scott D’Amore who was a huge part of the way things were done at the time. The problem? Most of this period was during a time with no television to speak of. So much of the best era of TNA wasn’t seen by many outside of our little wrestling bubble. It was just another example of the tide always washing TNA away when things seemed bright.
Rumors are finally rushing in about a true, definitive selling of the company. These reports don’t feel like the usual Internet gossip, this seems to have much of the same roots that the rumblings of WCW’s demise had in 2000 and onward. The story is well known to some and not to many but the facts are that Billy Corgan is trying to put together an acquisition group before the Bound for Glory show this Sunday. The feeling is that if he can’t make the move by then, it’s all over and the potential WWE aquisition would be a very real possibility. Another drop in the bucket for WWE to bolster what would surely be a section on their Network and take the TNA name to the grave it’s been destined for since 2002. It’s a shame, really because the product TNA has been putting together over the last 6 weeks or so has been much better than usual. Aside from the very polarizing, bizarre Broken Matt and Jeff Hardy segments with Decay and others, the wrestling itself has been good. The latest Grand Championship title tournament has been intriguing itself, utilizing the Unified Rules of MMA as a foundation for a new Television title of sorts. Utilizing rounds allows for added intrigue in matches when one can follow the momentum based on the round-by-round scores. So far there have been some really good examples of how this match could be successful, mostly the Drew Galloway vs Eddie Edwards bout just from the top of my head. Seeing TNA in jeopardy even before this Bound for Glory card happens is sad for the reason that the roster has been really performing at a higher level as of late than they had in previous years. TNA’s motiff has always been having quality matches even at the spite of shitty booking all around. Now the booking is average at best, sure, yet there is still enough left from it to allow for some really solid wrestling matches from the talent.
As was the case on March of 2001, no one truly knows what will come of TNA. We could be in for even more years of the company as we have been in the past, or we could be seeing the slow death of yet another national television wrestling product. What SHOULD happen is that all the rest in the race learn from their mistakes. Strike while the iron is hot, don’t leave things to be desired on the table with negotiating, and always be aware of having a back up plan. So much of their fate has rested on those issues and all too often, the company suffered from lack of preparation or simple logic.
TNA’s constantly attempted to evolve. Whether it was their logos or their ring, they always seemed to be in a state of transition from a vile past that they tried their best to erase all the while being addicted to the easy booking fix of yesteryear. TNA is the bipolar bastard child of WCW and ECW in so many ways, toggling between a Nitro reunion tour and a blood fest for no real reason. Perhaps TNA will be remembered as “that place those good guys worked for” in the very near future, one filled with countless TNA alumni continually succeeding in the WWE, something TNA could never afford them the opportunity to do so in the same way.
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