(this letter was recently sent to the headquarters of TNA and it’s management)
“Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire.”
-Reggie Leach
Dear Dixie,
As an ongoing supporting TNA fan I feel very concerned about the TNA product lately. I don’t think you realize what power you hold right now. You have the power over the influence of potentially a million or more internet fans, these fans are the same ones who voted on WWE’s Taboo Tuesday, the same who booed Goldberg/Lesnar during Wrestlemania 20, and the same who make lavish graphics and banners in their forum signature of guys like A.J. Styles, and Monty Brown. The possible influence and effect that TNA can have is endless, yet few people don’t really care who A.J. Styles or Monty Brown is and that comes back to you, it comes back to the booking committee, and the powers that be backstage. I can only make suggestions but here are the things that internet fans like us would like to see, and the potential it could have in the future for the survival of TNA.
Paul Heyman has said before when mentioning his own product…Accentuate the positives, hide the negatives”. This can be said about TNA. I think TNA has the potential to spring the NEW “attitude” and the NEW “ecw” era all in one. The six sided ring which has only been seen in Mexico, the X-Division which has never been seen in the United States, and a NEW world title in the picture (although actually very old) are all things that have been evolving TNA as a wrestling product. Forget about “competing”, just DO IT. Most people already know TNA has BETTER wrestling than the WWE, but you have to prove this on all levels. Instead of the X-Division, its time to make a few major feuds with younger talent and really push the envelope. You make better wrestling, and you make better storylines. The key to the wrestling is to get your younger talent into the limelight. This includes:
A.J. Styles
Monty Brown
Abyss
Jeff Hardy
Ron Killings
Elix Skipper
Chris Sabin
Kid Kash
Sonny Siaki
…and more! This means by pushing the younger talent you need to put the world title on One of these guys. Let Styles run with it again, let Brown have a run with it, even Raven or Jeff Hardy. Fans are starting to compare Jeff Jarrett with Triple H and that’s not good for the IWC. (internet wrestling community) Getting internet fans interested by booking Jeff Jarrett and Kevin Nash in the main event for the world title will NOT work. In addition to the wrestling pull some more indy favorites. Get Kashmere, Brian “Spanky” Kendrick, Jimmy Jacobs, CM Punk, Samoa Joe etc…We in the internet community who in most cases make or break what is popular in wrestling do NOT want to see Nash OR Jarrett as a TNA world champion. Keep this in mind, the “next generation” in wrestling is being main evented by two “old guys”
STORYLINES! This is a simple concept and we see the WWE miss this all of the time. Coming up with storylines is simple especially when like in TNA the wrestlers are not completely developed yet, but they have their own character. Here is 5 quick examples of future storylines…
1) A.J. Styles vs. Jeff Jarrett – Take the title off of Jarrett, KEEP Styles in the world title division and make him a constant champion heading a youong and hungry world title division, this isn’t so much a storyline but a direction, but is needed!
2)Chris Daniels vs. Jeff Hardy – After Hardy wins his match with Abyss he might want to take a trip into the X-Division. Now Daniels knowing Hardy’s past could tell him that he is too “slow” for the X-Division and compare him to the slower wrestlers in the WWE. This could create some good stuff especially if you throw Elix Skipper in there to face is former partner which could be a storyline in itself.
3) Hall/Nash vs. Brown – Brown has tasted the world title, Nash himself has said he wants to put over younger talent, have him build up Brown and beat him down until he can be strong enough to overcome Nash and Hall and make it to the next level.
4) It’s time to put Traci between Shane and Kazarian. Simple feud that would push Kazarian and Shane as singles wrestlers. Lots of potential with this simple yet effective idea.
5) Where is Amazing Red? Make a mystery surrounding where the hell Amazing Red is! You can even make a point for a good tag team feud for AMW, even ripping a mock WWE contract which Vince DID if I’m not mistaken offer them. Make a tag team that can rival AMW, the tag division is great and it needs a good storyline.
Create a mid-card title.
This is important so guys like Siaki, and Kash, Sabin, Skipper, Killings can go for a title without it being the world title, or having to go for the X-Division title. T.V. Title, U.S. title (claim to have the REAL U.S. title) anything would work here. I don’t need to elaborate anymore on this…
SO! You’ve improved your wrestling product as a whole, better storylines and wrestling, a younger direction and some possible new indy names and talent to get the IWC even more excited. Time to make Impact a better show. If not then TNA will be some crappy wrestling show on a Friday afternoon timeslot which no one watches. If you make Impact a better show and get people talking, then a better timeslot could be in the future. The IWC always claim that TNA is nothing but “2 minute spotfests”…The first step to losing this label is to DROP the timer on the top during the match. People see this habitually and know that the match was only 5 minutes and that a 5 minute match can’t be good. Most matches on Raw are only 5 minutes but you don’t see it. Second step is to make the matches BETTER. Why are the Naturals in the main event two weeks in a row? The Naturals are a good team but not main event material. Make the main event important. Make it 20 minutes at LEAST as well. You can make an Impact show with only 3 matches and with some good promos it will still be a show worth talking about. A good main event on Impact would be as simple as double crossing a current feud like AMW and Jeff Hardy vs. Abyss and Kash/Hoyt. Jarrett and Daniels vs. Styles and Nash, or even put the world title or X-Division title on the line. TNA PPV’s are good, but the weekly shows have to be as well. Once Impact starts getting more attention you could see better timeslots and possibly a better network and a two hour show in the future. It’s very logical, the better the show, the more time it gets. Fans need a reason to buy TNA PPV’s and the only reason they have is to watch Styles/Daniels in an ironman match. Try to work your way to the FX network who is bigger than Spike TV, maybe ESPN 2 or even ESPN. Anything is possible…
In closing, TNA has the potential to become a driving force in wrestling, but right now it’s holding back. Don’t hold back, push the younger talent, create the storylines that will spark interest in the internet community along with the great matches on a constant basis, not JUST the X-Division, and let the world know that TNA is BETTER than CZW, or RoH, and of course the WWE. You can’t predict the future, but you can invent it. Thanks for reading.
-Joseph Bachman
Think it will work? Doubt it, but’s worth a damn shot. Here’s a rundown of the TNA PPV.
NWA WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE MATCH
Champion Jeff Jarrett vs. Kevin Nash
…Yeah this match is going to suck. Like mentioned above, we DO NOT want to see this! I’m hoping for like Hall to turn on Nash and for Styles run in and take the title from Jarrett…SOMETHING! ANYTHING! …Prediction: Jarrett keeps the title
IRONMAN X DIVISION TITLE MATCH
Champion The Phenomenal AJ Styles vs.
The Fallen Angel Christopher Daniels
This will be the match of the night. This is almost woth getting the PPV over itself. Match of the year candidate, I know TNA will not let us down for this match. Hopefully Styles will drop the title and they can give Daniels a good run with the X-Division title. Prediction: Daniels
NWA WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH
America’s Most Wanted vs. Kid Kash & Lance Hoyt
This will be a decent match, AMW is great as always and Kash should add a psychological element to this match. Kash and Hoy though will not win. Prediction: AMW
FULL METAL MAYHEM (TABLES, LADDERS, CHAIRS & CHAINS)
The Charismatic Enigma Jeff Hardy vs. Abyss
This is the second reason to buy the PPV. I know some people do not like Jeff Hardy, but with Abyss this could be a reincarnation of Hardy’s TLC days in the WWE. This should be a bloody, brutal match and sometimes we need those! Prediction: Hardy
(other matches…)
The Alpha Male Monty Brown and Diamond Dallas Page vs. Scott Hall and Team Canada’s Bobby Roode
A squash match for DDP and Brown, good tag team, but Brown will hopefully move up soon after this match on his own and get an important feud. Prediction: Brown and DDP
Grudge Match: Dustin Rhodes vs. Raven
Interesting. Raven goes from feuding with DDP, to Erik Watts, to Dusty Rhodes…GIVE RAVEN DIRECTION!!! Hopefully Raven gets direction with a much needed win here, if not TNA is letting down a LOT of Ravens fans. Prediction: (dammit) Dusty Rhodes
Primetime Elix Skipper vs. Team Canada’s Petey Williams
Watch the X-Division elite here, this will be an awesome match an could be the sleeper match of the night. I can see a Skipper/Daniels feud coming so expect Skipper to get the win here. Prediction: Elix Skipper
BG James and Jeff Hammond vs. Michael Shane and Kazarian
I don’t like racing, and I don’t like BG James or Jeff Hammond. Kazarain and Shane are two prime talents that TNA should be focusing on and if they don’t win this match, they better end this feud. Somehow I see them winning though. Prediction: Shane/Kazarian
Well, I’m spent, and I’m hungry. I can only hope that TNA will deliver a PPV so good that even Mike Steele will eat his own words! Don’t worry I still love you Mike! Just not in the Heidenreich/Snitzky way. For everyone who answered the trivia question, YOU ARE SMART! I have to get something harder than…Most people DID answer it right, even if it was a pointless question…so withouot further…stuff…\
HIGHSPOT TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE WEEK!!! – “During the Stephanie/HHH/Angle “love” triangle angle during Summerslam 2000, what was the ROOM NUMBER of the hotel room that Kurt Angle took an unconscious Stephanie McMahon to?
That’s all I have for you, this was the high spot, I apologize, I’m out!
-Joseph bachman
