Is Six Greater Than Four?

If you got a chance to read my blog from Monday morning or were able to see the TNA Genesis PPV with your own eyes, then you already know that TNA wrestling has done away with their quirky 6-sided ring and have now gone back to a traditional 4-sided ring.  Now if you don’t know the beginnings of TNA Wrestling, let me quickly fill you in.  TNA was once affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) in their early years.  When they first formed (2002), TNA DID have the traditional ring setup.  It was only after they were in a TV deal with Fox Sports Net that the 6-sided ring debuted back in 2004 on their Impact program.  It has been a TNA mainstay up until this past Sunday.

Now, TNA is in a state of change.  There are new people involved behind the scenes trying to make things better, we hope.  However, I am one of the people who thinks that TNA just lost their identity by the simple act of changing their ring.  I am all for tradition in every sense of the word, but sometimes you need to do things a little unconventionally to get noticed.  TNA was the ONLY promotion in the United States that used a 6-sided ring.  They were known for it.  They created their own brand of wrestling called the X-Division and created gimmick matches based around it.  It was what made TNA unique from every other promotion out there!  Now the 6-sided ring is gone under the cover of “change.”  Hulk Hogan says, “6-sides can only get you so far!”

I’ve heard arguments from both sides.  Some people love the fact that TNA’s finally going to be a “legit” promotion because they got rid of the 6-sided ring.  Some people feel the same way I do, thinking that TNA’s making a big mistake by going back to the traditional ring.  The best way I can put it is quite simply is that TNA WAS DIFFERENT from all other promotions.  Maybe I’m being a little drastic here, but this change in the ring could possibly be step one in the homogenization of TNA to become just like WWE and in turn that could sign their death warrant.

TNA has a loyal fan base that wants nothing more to go to the show and watch, as their company name suggests, TOTAL NONSTOP ACTION WRESTLING!  They don’t want sports-entertainment!  If you got a chance to watch the video from Tuesday night’s post, the second step of trying to silence the crowd has already been implemented.  One thing WWE already does is not allow fans to bring in signs that are derogatory towards their top baby faces.  If TNA starts doing this same thing, as it looks like they’re already starting to do, TNA is screwed because literally overnight, they could alienate their fan base and it could disappear.  They already struggle to get ratings, what happens if people decide not to show up for Impact tapings or PPVs?

There is nothing wrong with a traditional ring setup.  It’s been a staple of professional wrestling as far back as the sport goes, but does the ring even matter?  Not really.  Then you’re probably thinking, “why is he making such a big deal about this 6-sided one then?”  I make a big deal about it because it’s about getting people to notice you.  It’s about a way to market and package your product differently from what everyone is used to.  It’s about getting a person who happened to channel surf by your product to say, “wait a second,” and change it back to see what that was.  TNA has put so much money into their product and their way of doing things that to abandon it now is going to be taking 3 steps in the wrong direction.  I may be just a fan, but when I heard that TNA was going back to a traditional ring, my heart sank a little, and when I first saw the setup at Genesis, it just didn’t look right to me.

Is six greater than four?  Not necessarily as history and tradition tells, but when it comes to TNA and how much they’ve benefited from the 6-sided ring in the past, I definitely think that it is!