Hello and welcome to The Trademark Rants. In the last couple weeks, I’ve laid low, really just waiting for news on the future, or apparent lack thereof, of Total Non-Stop Action Wrestling. In what may have been one of the biggest gambles I’ve seen in the wrestling business in many years, TNA decided to allow their contract with FSN to expire before landing a “better” deal elsewhere. Since then, TNA’s negotiations with WGN fell through, and in an attempt to get a Monday Night spot, TNA is now without a national television deal. In other words, it appears (for now, anyway) that TNA is dead in the water. With no national television exposure, no house shows, and all of the expenses TNA incurs, it’s hard to have a hell of a lot of hope for TNA right now. In the world called “Reality”, I, as a TNA fan, simply cannot “try and quell the internet rumors” as the TNA Impact Community and the Street Teamers (of which I’m not a part of, simply because I actually do have to have SOME objectivity here… not much, but just enough to really piss some people off). I’d rather live in the realm of reality that says, “I saw how ECW died without a national TV contract, and it’s only obvious, given it’s smaller, less-loyal fanbase, and the expenses TNA incurs to run it’s product, that TNA is, quite frankly, DEAD IN THE WATER until they get a TV deal… and even then, it’s going to be touch and go for a while.”
It’s rather hard to promote your monthly PPVs when you don’t run regular shows. Actually, it’s hard just to keep your promotion running when you’re not running shows. Even house shows would work. But see, TNA is only running a couple shows this month, the “Slammiversary” PPV, and then a TV taping after that for their international markets. Does TNA believe that they can keep themselves alive on the International Market long enough to garner an American TV deal? Hate to say it, guys, but just because you can appeal to the Lucha Libre crowd of Latin America doesn’t mean you’re going to be able to compete, head-on, with the biggest Lucha promotions in that region of the world.
TNA’s biggest problem, really, is timing, and right now, no company is really ready to take a risk on pro wrestling. The “fad” of wrestling is dead, and the WWE, either intentionally or inadvertently, has drained the wrestling market to the point where mainstream interest is stagnant. New viewers are NOT tuning in. There is NO GROWTH in the wrestling fanbase. In fact, it’s safe to say that the fanbase is shrinking, and has been for nearly 5 years now. The only fans who watch are the same fans who would watch regardless – US. And it’s only because of US that TNA ever took off in the first place. Do you really think that the casual fan would buy a weekly PPV with Jeff Jarrett as the show’s top draw? Um… no. But a ‘Net Mark would, even if they HATE Jeff Jarrett, because, after all, they had Jerry Lynn, and we always kept hearing such great things about Low-Ki and AJ Styles…
We, the so-called “obsessive” and “sexually inadequate” fans of professional wrestling, make of a majority of TNA’s current fanbase, which is both sad and pathetic. And it’s sad and pathetic because of the current state of the wrestling business. Why is it, when WWE’s PPV buys are at an all-time low and the demand for a quality wrestling alternative is at an apex, that any competing alternative is not doing better in the national wrestling market? Why is it that TNA still only seems to draw on the Internet Fanbase when there is a desperate need in the wrestling market for a viable alternative? And why is it that Ring Of Honor, despite their lack of weekly television, is seen by many Internet writers as the “#2 Company” in America when RoH is an obviously regional promotion? Sorry kids, but RoH works a territory. It’s a rather LARGE territory, but it’s still a territory. At least TNA went to the trouble of broadcasting a national television product. When RoH finally gets a TV deal and wants to compete at a truly national level, maybe then they could be #2. But for now, it’s an Indy. It’s a major Indy, but it’s still an Indy.
Perhaps, we could look at the success of the ECW One Night Stand PPV to see what the Wrestling Market is really missing. It seems that, despite all the ballyhooing of Internet Fans, Wrestling Purists, and many WWE Wrestlers, that wrestling fans really do want to see barbed wire and flaming tables. Apparently, ECW did not just appeal to a segment of the audience, as Vince McMahon has suggested. And perhaps, ECW was, in the long run, far more successful as a brand than WCW ever was. Perhaps, just perhaps… ECW was what wrestling was SUPPOSED to become, and someone… rather, a collection of someones, made sure the future never happened. No, instead of celebrating talent in an environment where we, as fans, were not treated like ignorant little children, we get morons in white limos who declare themselves “wrestling ‘gods’” simply because they held a title they never deserved for a year.
And yes, fans, this is the point where I lay into one of my favorite targets, John “Bradshaw” Layfield! Every time I hear JBL trash talk the Internet, I have to wonder why he isn’t down on his hands and knees, kissing our feet for allowing him to receive one more paycheck, which of course will go to vindicated what he did to the Blue Meanie at One Night Stand… But hey, if I was only the WWE Champion for a year because the Undertaker didn’t want to work full time, Eddie Guerrero had a nervous breakdown, and Triple H didn’t want to work Tuesday Nights, I’d probably want to beat the hell out of the Blue Meanine, too. I mean, after all, Meanie has never, and I mean NEVER, been a major star anywhere, but Meanie still commands more respect and admiration, not only from wrestling fans, but fellow wrestlers as well (if 3PW still exists today, someone ought to thank the Blue Meanie. He’s probably the only reason that company still has anything after the infamous Jasmin no-show back in January). So, if I’m JBL, and I’m not getting any respect at all (because, hey… today’s wrestling fan should have no idea that he copped his entire style off of Stan Hansen, who, by the way, could never get over in today’s American wrestling market, no matter how talented he may or may not have been. He may be loved in Japan, but here? Not a chance.), of course I’d want to beat on some Indy Guy who has never been a major player ANYWHERE, but yet, has more respect in the business than I could ever dream of! It makes perfect sense! If you can’t earn respect, beat up an Indy Guy who has it. And, while I’m at it, I’ll talk smack about the only people who actually care enough to still watch WWE, and thus, allowing me to live the lifestyle in which I’ve become accustomed. I mean, I like to eat, and I sure like to have a roof over my head, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t rip on the people who make those things possible. After all, I’m better than them, right? I’m John Bradshaw Layfield! I’m a Wrestling “god”! I’m Stan “The Lariat” Hansen for a new generation, and anyone who doesn’t appreciate me is obviously inferior to me and has no right to speak, or even breathe for all I care. Never mind that a brand of wrestling that has been dead for five years now is more over than nearly every wrestler in WWE these days! Heck, that fact wouldn’t even be true if I didn’t cause Eddie Guerrero’s nervous breakdown last year, but hey, only stupid ‘net marks actually blame my inability to draw heat for Eddie’s breakdown, right? No one in the business actually blames me for Eddie’s blading incident, do they? Of course not! They say it was an “accident” and then, have Eddie drop the title to me because they think he’s cracking under the pressure! Brilliant! And anyone who says otherwise doesn’t know spit because I’ll simply discredit their experiences! How? Well, simple! Are they in WWE? Nope. And there’s no one in WWE who’ll risk their job to truly shoot on anyone in the company, lest they face the wrath of Vince or Triple H. Personally, I’d rather face Vince, but that’s me… All I have to do is talk trash about the very people who make it possible for me to continue making a living, because hey, they’re stupid enough to watch me on TV, aren’t They? If they weren’t, they wouldn’t keep writing about me, would they? Of course not! Never mind the fact that negativity sells! Never mind the fact that most of these people write what they write simply to express what they like and don’t like about the current product! And certainly never mind the fact that I’m a talentless hack who’s only real purpose in the WWE is to be Vince McMahon’s “enforcer” and to make sure that everyone tows the WWE line, no matter how bad the product is! Why else would Vince give me the WWE Title? Do you really think Vince McMahon was going to push Booker T as a Main Eventer? Of course not! He was a standard-bearer for WCW! I’m not gonna job to Booker T! I don’t have to job to anyone I don’t want to! Me and Bob Holly, we can beat anyone up we want, and we get rewarded for it! Bob beats up the Tough Enough kids, beats up MNM, beats up Rene Dupree… he’s even gonna beat up Charlie Haas one of these days… and I get to beat up Eddie Guerrero, Booker T, and RVD (whenever he gets healthy again)! And I get to beat them up because I’m a wrestling “god”! Bow down, pathetic ‘net marks! I am your “god”! Bow before me and worship at the altar that is my white limo with the bull horns! I’m a superstar! I’m a superstar! I’M A WRESTLING SUPERSTAR!!!!
Sorry… I went off into a little rant there. Anyway, I’m going to end it here, because, really, I have nothing better to say. Drop me a line at TheMaverickMJ@yahoo.com, and I’ll see you net time for some more lunatic ranting!
