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CALDWELL'S BLOG: A.J. Styles vs. Sting captured TNA's growing pains in one match Oct 18, 2009 - 10:43:40 PM
TNA's World Hvt. champion is still A.J. Styles after tonight's Bound for Glory PPV. Sting is still talking like he's not sure if he's coming back to TNA for another go-around.
Nothing really changed after the main event of the PPV, but the match captured TNA's growing pains as the company tries to find its identity.
Styles, the star-in-waiting, did most of the work trying to create a memorable main event for Sting. He did his best, but the match ultimately was a run-of-the-mill PPV main event that won't stand out as one of Sting's best matches this decade, much less in his career.
During the match, Sting did just enough to get by, which is how many of the veterans with name value have warranted their positions on TNA's rosters. Not only warranted a spot on the roster, but received main event billing more often than they have deserved.
TNA has depended on name value for several years to keep them on TV while depending on the younger stars to keep people interested in the product with solid wrestling and athleticism.
Sting brought viewers to the main event tonight, but Styles kept them interested. Now that TNA has a three-year deal with Spike TV, there are no more excuses for the company to depend on name value alone to command PPV main events and 20 minutes of weekly TV time.
TNA has experienced tremendous growing pains with this mix of "brand name value from older stars" and "developing stars with athletic ability." Sting vs. Styles captured the mix, which hasn't been memorable enough to resonate with more viewers than the current hardcore fanbase.
Now, the time is to see what the younger stars can do. After sufficient build-up, A.J. Styles's next high-profile title defense should be against the likes of Hernandez or Samoa Joe, who was fed to Bobby Lashley at the PPV for all the wrong reasons. But, that's another column.
It's time to see what the youth movement can do after the name brand wrestlers helped secure the three-year deal. Ironically, it was the younger stars who got TNA on Spike TV in the first place. They've waited their turn again. Let's see what they can do.
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