Does it really matter?

Hello All

Even though I skipped the blog for a few weeks, I still have paid close attention to the “big boys”; I guess you could call them. And as I have said on this blog a lot, I am not into coming on here and killing anyone, or acting like I could do their jobs any better than they can. But I have to admit, that this is going to be a blog where I take a company to task.

As all of you know, I am a WWE guy, always have been (and maybe always will be), but that does not mean that I can’t enjoy the other companies out there. You can tell from last week’s blog, that I am anxiously awaiting Ring of Honor becoming a big time player and getting on TV every week. I love the business, and think that having more companies on TV, so we the fans can see who these guys are, is nothing but good for the business. That being said though, I have to be honest about how I feel about what is going on with the WWE’s chief rival (at least they are right now) TNA.

If you have been watching TNA for the last 3 or 4 months or so, you have noticed that TNA wrestling on spike on Thursday nights, has changed their name, and are going by the name Impact wrestling. One of their main slogans is “Impact wrestling, where wrestling matters”. If wrestling matters in TNA, there are a few things that don’t make sense to me.

TNA says wrestling matters. To me that means that I should turn to TNA and see nothing but wrestling, maybe a little set up, but a lot more wrestling. Well whenever I tune in to Impact wrestling, the very 1st thing I see is someone in the ring cutting a promo. And not just some quick promo, but a 10-15 minute promo. I totally understand what is going on. They are setting up their show, trying to make sure the audience knows what is coming up later on in the show. I get that. What I don’t get is why is a company that is saying wrestling matters is doing this. There was a video of Mr. Anderson saying that he is not an entertainer, he is a wrestler. He did not want to be more of an entertainer, than a wrestler. But right after that video, he was involve in doing a set up for his upcoming World title match against Sting, that to me, would qualify as sports entertainment, and not wrestling.

Another thing I think TNA is missing the boat on, is the X division. That is a division in TNA where the wrestlers have no limits. They are not just the smaller wrestlers. Some of you would remember the cruiserweight division from WWE or WCW, though the smaller wrestlers are the guys who mainly fight there. But this division is supposed to be the backbone of TNA. For a long time in WWE it was known that the Intercontinental champion was the best wrestler in the company. They guy who could have a great match with anyone. Well in TNA, the X division champion is pretty much the same. There have been plenty of former X division champions, who have gone on to win the World title. Unfortunately, the X division has been almost wiped out. No one is paying attention to it anymore. Even though I watch TNA, I can’t tell you who the top X division contenders are. I know who the champ is, but that is only because he recently won it. If not for that, I couldn’t tell you who it was.

One thing I think they really have messed up is one of the most influential figures in this business. This man has done just about everything one can do in this business. He has shaped the lives of many of the guys in his locker room, and many of us fans have watched him for a long time. But I have no earthly idea what they are doing with him now. The person I am referring to is the TNA world heavyweight champion, Sting. Sting has always been a guy who has face paint, and seemed a little weird and a little off. But now, it seems like he has lost it. Sting now has changed his face paint to look like Heath Ledger’s Joker from the “Dark Knight” movie. And if that didn’t seem weird, he has been acting a little bit off. He has tied up, and kidnapped people. He has done a lot of strange thing. This would not be so bad if he was anyone else, but because he is Sting, a seasoned vet whose character has been over for decades, I just don’t understand what exactly the purpose behind this is.

All of this being said, I know exactly why TNA is doing this. They are going right at the big dog. Their slogan “Where wrestling matters”, is a direct shot at the WWE. And in some aspects, that is great. It is great to see a company that does not rely solely on the entertainment factor of wrestling, but puts stock in the wrestling. But if you keep saying that wrestling matter, shouldn’t there be more wrestling? Shouldn’t you make sure that your audience is given what they were promised? A wrestling show that is far beyond anything else on TV, because on your production “Wrestling Matters”.

AND THAT'S THE BOTTOM LLLIIINNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!