With “Destination X” firmly planted in the rearview mirror after Sunday night, TNA creative must now turn their focus to building towards TNA’s next big date. That’s right folks! On March 27, the training wheels come off and TNA will go live on Spike TV for 2 hours. There are many questions I have floating around in my head.
Will the producer catch the right spots during a critical match or will the cameras be focused on the back of the heel entrance ramp?
How many times can TNA go “To the back” without the aid of post-production so we can follow the wacky Angle bunch?
The most important question is whether or not TNA can properly build to the March 27 event and then use that show as a launching pad to promote their “Lockdown” PPV set to take place on April 13 in Boston, Mass. TNA will be holding their first set of tapings leading into the March 27 event this week and by taking a look at the spoilers, I’ll be able to better gage what programs, if any, they have set in motion to climax at the March 27 live tapings.
It’s so important for TNA management and the creative team to get together and ensure this live taping is a success. It’s likely that there will be a rabid crowd in attendance. In addition to the regular fans that attend TNA’s Impact tapings in Orlando, Fla., the first wave of tourists will be hitting the town that night as they arrive in anticipation of WrestleMania on Sunday as well as the big ROH doubleshot that usually steals the show that weekend.
WrestleMania weekend shouldn’t just be remembered as a successful weekend for the WWE and ROH, which is almost guaranteed given the lineups and hype surrounding their three events combined (that’s not even counting the Hall of Fame ceremony). TNA can also put their best foot forward and gain some traction in the eyes of the execs at Spike TV.
The Spike TV execs will be watching and if I had to guess, if TNA pops a rating on March 27, they’ll get green lit to run more live editions of Impact in the future.
I’m in no mood to fantasy book the March 27 edition of Impact, but I feel that the most important thing TNA can do is start the hype this Thursday. As often as Tenay says, “To the back” during an episode of Impact, he should mention the “Live March 27 edition of Impact on Spike TV!”
TNA needs to get back to booking feuds that are settled in the ring. Instead featuring angles where everyone hates everyone, the Knockouts division, Booker T and Robert Roode without a woman strapped to their respective arms, and the hype for the upcoming Joe-Angle TNA Hvt. Title match at Lockdown should take center stage
Most importantly the live edition of Impact needs to feel important. TNA has shown they can’t generate buzz for their monthly PPVs, but they desperately need to generate buzz for March 27.
It will not shock this columnist if the March 27 edition of Impact pops TNA’s largest rating ever on Spike TV. This is another watershed moment for TNA. The company can once again capitalize and gain some traction towards making progress in 2008 or continue to tread water and fall further and further off the radar of paying wrestling fans across the nation.
Feel free to email your thoughts on the importance of TNA’s March 27 edition of Impact. Here.
Sean Radican primarily covers ROH for PWTorch including VIP Audio Shows, plus writes about other subjects regularly on PWTorch.com. Look for his takes to be posted on Wednesday and Saturday on most weeks.
