By James Caldwell, PWTorch assistant editor

TNA will return to a six-sided ring starting at this week's Impact TV tapings in New York City, the company announced Monday night.

TNA based the decision on an online poll vote, then played up a storyline that the fictional Board of Directors made the final call for the ring dimensions to change.

The six-sided ring will be re-introduced Wednesday at the first of three TV tapings at the Manhattan Center.

TNA star Austin Aries, who was outspoken against the decision to have an online poll determine the size of the ring, bit his tongue after the announcement was made.

"A self-imposed social media moratorium starts....now. #GettingOutOfMyOwnWay," Aries tweeted.

Caldwell's Analysis: This is TNA continuing to play to one percent of their audience. Recently, it was bringing back Tommy Dreamer for a "House of Hardcore" angle and now it's changing the ring size because of an online poll. It's an identity-less brand run by a directionless management team that makes changes on a whim, like randomly putting the TNA Title belt on Eric Young and seeing ratings plummet, or randomly deciding to offer their audience the chance to change the ring size. Naturally, people voted for change because that's how the audience is trained to join TNA chasing the next change that is presented as "oh, this is the solution." In October of last year, it was TNA partnering with Universal Studios for Impact tapings and a wrestling training facility of sorts that would fuel their "24/7" marketing. That has not materialized.

You look at this company and see a history of changes for the sake of changes chasing an elusive identity. Yet, their identity is tied up in other companies's identities. Look no further than the first three Hall of Fame induction announcements - Sting representing WCW in 2012, Kurt Angle representing WWE and the Olympics in 2013, and Team 3D/Dudleys representing ECW and WWE this year, as Bruce Mitchell captured on the post-Slammiversary PPV Roundtable. Changing the ring for a short-term pop is not the identity TNA has yet to find after 12 years. Yet, creating an environment of chasing the next big change has kept all of the major players involved in keeping this company going. So, instead of thriving and actually carving out an identity, it's been about surviving by creating the illusion of excitement by "chasing the next big change."

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