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By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

TNA has their work cut out for them to make the current TV product feel like "their own" to set them apart from WWE. The current setting will not allow TNA to advance past the 1.2 rating ceiling they've hit.

TNA has found the maximum number of die-hard viewers who will tune in to watch the current product. But, they can't add new viewers with this format. It's simple. The setting is not realistic.

If a regular WWE viewer were to be exposed to the TNA product, the person would instantly think ECW or Superstars. The product looks like a Lite version of Raw or Smackdown.

I understand it's difficult to fill 52 weeks and 104 hours of TV every year, but the problem is not the individual storylines or the individual characters. The problem is the overall mixture that you would see from an aerial perspective on the show.

I praised TNA's hype videos for Bound for Glory 24 hours ago. You can read that news story here. A friend called me up to talk about my wedding on Saturday and added that he hasn't watched an episode of Impact since 2008, but he watched the hype videos I posted and he was ready to order the PPV. Realism sells no matter what the storylines are.

The hype videos had the look and feel of a much-more realistic-looking product that didn't include the campy, over-the-top theatrics and PPV-quality match-ups being given away without any hype that the viewer isn't even given a chance to anticipate.

UFC capitalized on anticipation to draw over 5.0 million viewers on a Wednesday night for Kimbo Slice. The lack of anticipation to go with the overall unrealistic setting takes away from the TNA product. Storylines dressed up in realism sell in this era. I don't mind sounding like a broken record saying TNA needs to look at the build-up to Lockdown 2008 with Kurt Angle and Samoa Joe.

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Following are some key clips from this week's Impact including the debut of the Beautiful People's new leader, Samoa Joe attacking Bobby Lashley at the end of the show and hurting his credibility as a killer heel, and Sting and A.J. Styles have a little sit-down chat. TNA Videos from TNA's official YouTube page.

First clip is X Division champion Samoa Joe going after Bobby Lashley at the end of the show. Joe was scripted to blindside Lashley and lock him in his rear naked choke to presumably set up a match at the Bound for Glory PPV.

The problem is Joe committed the fashion faux pas of wearing white socks with black shoes. TNA didn't help by drawing attention to the wardrobe selection with a close zoom near the end. It took away his credibility as a killer heel. It would be like the Freddy Krueger character walking into a dramatic horror movie scene with a noticeable mustard stain on his shirt. Video is below.



The second clip below is from Lacey Von Erich's debut as the newest member of the Beautiful People. Lacey is replacing Angelina Love as the group's leader. It was apparent why Lacey didn't advance past WWE's developmental system because she doesn't appear to have a firm grasp on the basics in the ring. She started with a basic-level clothesline that didn't look good, then weakly applied The Claw that Sarita sold like a real pro to save the segment. Video is below.



Our next clip is the important A.J. Styles vs. Sting build-up for the TNA World Title at TNA's biggest PPV of the year. The story is that Styles doesn't want to offend Papa Sting by saying that Sting is treating the title match like he just doesn't care. Now, this will most-likely be addressed over the next few weeks and we'll see the fire-in-the-belly from Sting leading to the PPV, but Styles comes across like a cowardly babyface champion who won't stand up to Sting a few weeks after he was crying on "dad's" shoulder.

Here's what Styles was scripted to say on Impact: "I'm sorry. Sting, I-I don't mean to be disrespectful, God knows. ... My question to you, in Irvine, Calif. at Bound for Glory - are you ready? Because - Honestly, you know I love you. I don't mean any disrespect for-. But if you don't know. Maybe you shouldn't even lace them up. I-I say that in a loving way. Really - Eh. I do. I love you man. You know that I -."



Clip Analysis: Right now, this overall setting just feels stale. The more realistic setting in the DirecTV specials will do a better job of selling the PPV than Impact is right now. Will the shows improve over time? Yes, but only marginally because the setting is the problem. It doesn't matter what TNA puts in "the setting" because the show and characters don't seem realistic. TNA needs to pay attention to what UFC did with Kimbo Slice to develop his personality as a sympathetic figure that helped draw over 5.0 million viewers. It will work in wrestling.

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