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What's happened in recent weeks that has led to TNA Impact ratings dropping below 1.0 again and hitting a low mark not seen since Oct. 9 of last year?
Well, we don't know for sure what has turned off viewers. We do know for sure what's different. Here's what I'd say are 12 changes in the last few weeks as ratings have dropped.
-Taz replaced Don West on commentary.
-Hernandez has been pushed into a main event singles slot.
-Kurt Angle was arrested and remained on TV.
-Bobby Lashley has been introduced and featured on camera.
-Dixie Carter has been introduced and featured on camera.
-Jeff Jarrett has been off television after being a centerpiece previously.
-A.J. Styles has threatened to retire, but Sting talked the tear-eyed highflyer out of it.
-Sting has made it clear he's old and nearing retirement.
-Matt Morgan has been featured as a prominent antagonist to Kurt Angle and top act.
-The Main Event Mafia have been phased down in terms of TV time.
-Jesse Neal was brought back to TV.
-The World Elite group was formed.
Looking at that list, nothing jumps out as a primary reason you'd have pointed to ahead of time as something that might turn off viewers. The Jesse Neal character is terrible and boring, but he comes in small doses. Sting drawing attention to being old and nearing retirement isn't really new and in theory should lead to people tuning in more often if they're his fans because his time is limited. Dixie Carter was only in one segment. It did terribly in the ratings, but it's not as if it was that long or she did or said anything wrong.
Taz has been okay on commentary. I was hoping to hear a fire lit under him compared to his mundane going-through-the-motions final years with WWE, but that spark just hasn't been there, in part because I don't know if TNA really knows who he is or how to cast him. He's just, well, Taz. "Do your thing," seems to be the totality of the direction he's been given. I miss Don West's unabashed (yet recently disciplined) enthusiasm, not to mention his unmistakable passion for the product and understanding of the storylines and ability to convey all of that in an "everyman" manner. Taz had bigger shoes to fill than most gave West credit for, and that could be hurting TNA.
Styles came across as a whiny and almost pathetic in some of his promos, but his character has been all over the place over the years, so this shouldn't be considered anything that would swing viewership.
If TNA ever thought for a second Bobby Lashley would make a positive difference because, well, he once worked for Vince McMahon and he was in that match that involved Donald Trump, they weren't paying attention to the absolute apathy fans felt toward his premature mega-push or his complete lack of pro wrestling style charisma on the mic or even in body language that a top act needs. But I wouldn't think his mere presence would turn off viewers.
Jeff Jarrett would love to point to his absence being a reason, but ratings were okay for a while after he left TV. But I wouldn't rule out this having a small effect, because it's part of a bigger picture that might explain the dip.
The bigger picture is that for a long time, there were the "very top" guys and then there were "the rest." There had not been a well orchestrated attempt over the past 18 months to build up the credibility of whoever they've chosen to go with as the next rising stars, which right now appears to be Morgan and Hernandez. By rather suddenly, without anything really happening on Impact that justified their elevation, Hernandez and Morgan are being put in main events. I'm all for elevating them, but I fear that for years TNA has made it so clear to viewers that if you weren't a top star in WWE, you aren't a top guy, that fans believed it. A slice of the viewers they have earned loyalty from buy into that and now they're left with fewer of the Millionaires Club types to satiate them.
The question is whether TNA is willing to take that proverbial step back, with the belief that in the long run the only way to grow beyond that 1.1 or 1.3 rating level is to begin a rebuilding process with wrestlers who can perform at a high level in three or five or even ten years. Just about every single wrestler getting a true PPV main event level push in recent years was near retirement and well past his prime. Some were producing decent matches and good promos, some weren't. But the ceiling was established (although some terrible booking hindered whatever potential some of the Millionaires Club stars had left).
The bright spot - and it's a big one - is that while the average rating was the lowest in 11 months, the rating went up every single quarter hour. So within the bad news is something good because it's rare that TNA builds every quarter hour in a show (especially when they start the second hour at a commercial). It might actually be more important than the overall ratings.
And finally, it's worth saying that two or three weeks is merely the start of a potential trend, but not a definite sign of long-term problems. Before any big triggers are pulled, another week or two of ratings should be analyzed.
If you're an Impact viewers, what's your theory on the drop in ratings? Let me know at kellerwade@gmail.com and I'll print and comment on some of your theories. 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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