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There's a misconception that we criticize TNA PPVs because it's fun or enjoyable or we got our kicks out of pointing out the flaws in TNA's consistently substandard and unsatisfactory product. The complete opposite is true.
Because some folks on the Internet rip wrestling for the sake of ripping wrestling and have no points to back up their criticisms, we're roped into that category. For readers who are new to the Torch or new to insider pro wrestling coverage on the Internet, it's easy to assume all wrestling news outlets are the same. (Matt Morgan tried to promote that uninformed, ignorant opinion in a Newsday interview a few weeks ago and he looked foolish in the process.)
The Torch's coverage has always strived for a higher standard of providing evidence, suggestions, and points of emphasis from successful eras in pro wrestling to support our criticisms of TNA's product.
That is our duty to the readers of the Torch. If we sugarcoat our reviews of the wrestling product, we disservice our readers. If we're overly harsh, we disservice our readers.
Bruce Mitchell summed it up best in the PPV Audio Roundtable review of last night's event. He said it would be one thing if we were making these criticisms of the TV product and TNA's business was hot. However, TNA PPV buys continue to drop, they're nowhere close to drawing numbers comparable to WWE, and their TV ratings recently hit 11-month and 13-month lows in consecutive weeks.
The numbers indicate the formula of throwing everything against the wall and hoping something sticks does not work. It hasn't worked in the four years since the X Division peaked. And when TNA did stumble on a formula that works and draws money - Samoa Joe vs. Kurt Angle at Lockdown 2008 - they ran as far away from that formula as possible to return to what's comfortable and what has never been proven to work in the long-term to be financially successful in wrestling.
The following is not a shameless plug, but the truth. If you want to hear in-depth, sound analysis of what went wrong last night at No Surrender from over 50 years of combined experience covering the wrestling business, listen to the TNA PPV Audio Roundtable with Wade Keller, Bruce Mitchell, and Pat McNeill breaking down the booking from top to bottom. It's exclusive to the VIP section, but it is worth every penny of your monthly subscription to understand what went wrong and not just hear a bunch of complaints.
Shane Douglas said this past weekend that Dixie Carter doesn't have the guts to mandate change to the product. I argue Shane was proven right. Otherwise, there would have been a notice on TNA's website this morning announcing that either Brother Ray or the writer who called for Brother Ray to smash Rob Terry over the head with an unprotected chairshot was fined or suspended immediately. That spot epitomized everything that is wrong with TNA. It was unnecessary, it did nothing for the storyline of the Lethal Lockdown match, it was counter-productive, it was very dated from the 1997-1999 ECW era, and it was just plain dumb. (And Rob Terry is in no position to object as he rightfully fears that could cost him his job or at least "respect" among "the boys" who all have taken stiff chairshots over the years themselves.)
Overall, TNA should hold itself to a higher standard for their product. They have the roster, they have enviable cable TV support from Spike TV, and they have steady financial backing. Perhaps they take it all for granted whether they want to admit it or not.
The most glaring weakness of last night's PPV was in the most prominent position on the card in the TNA Title match main event. I could break down the flaws of the rest of the PPV, but it's there in the PPV Roundtable. The main event just captured it all.
Going into the PPV, the focus was on TNA champ Kurt Angle vs. Matt Morgan. That was the prime selling point for this PPV. Yet, TNA did not book Angle vs. Morgan one-on-one in the PPV main event.
Instead, TNA mixed in the A.J. Styles and Sting storyline to water down Angle vs. Morgan. So, at the beginning of the match, there were three babyfaces against one heel, Kurt Angle.
Then, TNA threw Hernandez into the mix to make it four babyfaces against one heel. Why TNA would stack the deck against the heel champion and indirectly draw sympathy to the top heel in the company is beyond explanation. Unless they're planning to turn Angle babyface, this aspect made no sense.
Back to Morgan vs. Angle. In the middle of the match, Morgan seemed to form a murky alliance with Angle, then he kicked Angle in the head at the end of the match. So, did Morgan turn heel, did Angle turn face, or are they back to the same roles on TV this Thursday? Remember, Angle was already the sympathetic figure in this mess. But, because there were too many storylines in the middle of the match, the audience had no chance to digest the Angle-Morgan development.
It captured what is holding TNA back from developing consistent storylines that allow people to invest in the product. There is too much stuff, unclear alliances, undefined characters, no real motivations for anyone on the roster other than to collect a paycheck (exemplified by Scott Steiner playing golf backstage during the PPV), and murky match storylines that the monthly Orlando audience has been trained to ignore. They're trained to sit on their hands and wait until a finish because the storylines aren't worth an emotional investment.
Wade Keller talked a lot about anticipation and patience in his review of last night's PPV. That was the glaring weakness of A.J. Styles's TNA Title victory. It was a good moment to close the PPV, but it was an example of TNA rushing everything too quickly and hot-shot booking.
Shane McKinley said it best in his review that it seemed like TNA decided five minutes before the match that Styles was winning the belt.
The focus was on Morgan-Angle going into the PPV, not Styles on a quest for his first TNA World Title (after a few NWA Titles in TNA). There was no sense of anticipation to see if Styles could pull it off. It was about papa Sting patting little A.J. on the head and letting him win. There was no sense of accomplishment for Styles.
We received an email from a reader suggesting that the Torch staff apparently wants TNA to be WWE because we're too harsh on TNA. Again, that's far, far, far away from the case.
No one wants to see WWE Lite. The wrestling audience wants to see a true alternative. There should be two distinct styles of pro wrestling in the marketplace, but both should hold onto the same basic principles of telling entertaining, believable, credible stories with build-up, anticipation, logical twists and turns, and a pay-off that doesn't insult the intelligence of the audience.
TNA is trying soooo hard to re-create what happened in WWE, WCW, and ECW during the late '90s. The garbage brawl in Lethal Lockdown, the taser in Nash-Abyss, the meaningless table spot in Dinero-Suicide, the useless blood and "why did that even make air?" ref bump in Lashley vs. Rhino, the low-brow redneck jokes in ODB-Deaner insulting a good portion of the remaining PPV audience, and the color commentator putting himself over throughout the show. It's embarrassing. TNA cannot pull off a late '90s re-creation. It just doesn't work.
I was reading an interview with one of the producers of "CSI Miami" (a top rated series that knows what it's audience wants and delivers that formula with discipline) about incorporating new storylines and elements into the new season of the show that debuts tonight. I liked a quote she said about how not to insult the audience.
"You have to be respectful to the audience since they don't want to be inundated. We actually have two new characters (this season)... When you mix a cake, you do it slowly."
Don't want to be inundated. ... Mix a cake slowly."
Two great pieces of advice for TNA going forward. Don't throw it all against the wall. Take your time.
A complete overhaul is still necessary, but TNA appears to be content with what they're doing because we've offered the same criticism for the past 24-36 PPVs save for the Lockdown 2008 PPV that put TNA so close to understanding 2009 pro wrestling.
Until they figure it out, we will continue to critically evaluate the TNA product - just as we do for WWE, ROH, and Dragon Gate USA. Our goal is to be informative and real with our readers who come to the Torch wanting to know whether to make an investment of time and money in TNA's current product. Send feedback on this article to pwtorch@gmail.com and we'll regularly publish reader feedback in the "Torch Feedback" category on the Main Listing.
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