Imagine how watchable TNA could be if they did the following:
1) Replace Russo with any "wrestling guy" with proven experience. I guess Heyman's out, Cornette's out, Jerry Jarrett's out...doesn't leave many options. BUT GET RID OF RUSSO AND FIND SOMEONE NEW! Russo's been in control since 2005. If Bischoff really does have creative control, no no. One guy.
2) Limit the TV time of any OLD guys....including but not limited to....Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Mick Foley, Jeff Jarrett, Kevin Nash, Sting, ECW guys not named RVD
2a) Get Dixie Carter off television. She serves absolutely no purpose.
2b) Push the talented young(ish) 'homegrown' guys
2c) Whatever WWE does from a creative basis, do the fucking opposite. TNA should be a legitimate alternative to the 'mainstream' product. While WWE is stale, boring, repetitive, too much talk, no wrestling, etc.....TNA should be what? ACTION you morons. Limit the useless promos, have matches. Let the wrestlers do what they do best. Push tag teams, guys who haven't been on top and on TV for a decade, and most of all, TV matches that all do not end by the 5 minute mark.
3) In case I didn't get my previous point across...HAVE WRESTLING MATCHES ON FUCKING TELEVISION
4) Forget the terms "twist" and "swerve"
5) When discussing match outcomes, angles, shows in general...always ask, "Does this make sense?" If the answer is no, then change that shit.
6) Ultimately cater your TV to building up interest in PPV MATCHES!
how hard is this crap?
All of these would help, but the bold has been something i've been saying for many years. On the surface, I can understand copying the industry leader to some extent. The problem, is TNA comes off like a second rate rip off. 'Jersey Shore' is a popular show that does a good rating, but nobody cares about 'Jerseylicious' or 'Jersey Couture', even if you are aware that they exist (they do). If there was a single camera, no laugh track, docu-style sitcom set in an office, it wouldnt do as well as 'The Office' because people will preceive it as second rate. Especially if that show had characters from The Office and constantly made referance to Dunder Mifflin and how great Dunder Mifflin is.
When TNA hit Spike, it was clearly something different. The X Division was pushed as an equal to everything else, with Joe, Chris Daniels, & AJ Styles on top, and guys like Sonjay Dutt, Petey Williams, Jay Lethal, etc underneath. It was fast paced, innovative, and fresh. It stood out, it wasnt the same old tired 'cruiserweight" deal, and the stars of the division were pushed as equals to Jeff Jarrett, Raven, and the rest of the 'main eventers'. They also had the six sided ring, which love it or hate it, gave TNA an identity, and if a casual fan was switching channels and came across it, would clearly show that this is something different.
You have to give people something new. It's no gauruntee of success, but copying the WWE formula
is a gauruntee that you will fail. WCW was always different, but largely struck out until Bischoff created Nitro and gave fans
something different than the usual slow paced, squash match formula WWE had always done. Nitro was fast paced, and never had squash matches. It had weekly surprises (NOT weekly swerves) that made people want to know what was next. Vince copied it, and got his ass kicked for two years until he did
something different and got risque with the Attitude Era.
TNA will never ever succeed unless they do
something different. It's not even really about the old guys, it's about the old ideas.
