TNA: Where Did It All Go Wrong?

With Destination America pulling the plug on all TNA programming by September, it seems fitting to consider whether this is the end for the company, and where all their problems began.

As most wrestling fans will be very much aware of right now, unless of course they are still buzzing after an incredible NXT Takeover: Unstoppable, Destination America is reportedly set to cancel all TNA related programming by September. Only four months into their new television deal, this was reported by Dave Meltzer as a still ongoing story, with details still yet to be confirmed. However, it is believed that the reason behind this decision is Impact Wrestling’s immense cost in relation to the ratings they bring in, and the fact that none of their major advertisers wished to specifically advertise during Impact Wrestling due to its TV-14 rating.

After losing their deal with Spike TV last year, this is another bitter blow to the prospects of TNA’s survival. With regards to quality of programming, Impact Wrestling has really been picking up over the last couple of months, but that has clearly been for nothing. With Destination America not willing to cover the expenses of TNA’s shows, and finding difficulty placing it in their generally family-friendly schedule, the company will seemingly soon be scrambling for another channel with which to broadcast their shows. Whether they find one is another matter.

ImpactWrestling.com

There is a genuine argument that this will be the final nail in the coffin for TNA, and that it is also long overdue. Their seemingly brief stint at Destination America could easily prove to be little more than a stay of execution, and not the rescue act Dixie Carter and other officials would have hoped for. Sadly, their thirteen-year long existence is in serious jeopardy, as without the income or exposure of a network, their roster of wrestlers and Knockouts will very quickly wear thin until the best have completely disappeared.

That begs the question, where did it all go wrong for a company that once had optimism of establishing itself as the Number 2 wrestling organization in the world? I believe wholeheartedly that the problems in TNA span from 2010, when Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff joined the roster. Whilst it would be false and unfair to entirely place the blame on their shoulders, a number of decisions that took place during their tenures, whether affected by them or not, really curtailed their natural progression.

Once given creative reins, TNA began to be run similarly to WCW, without the huge budget that Bischoff had at his disposal under Time Warner. Whilst the company had previously cherry-picked former WWE talent for their roster to supplement their own home-grown competitors, such as Kurt Angle, Christian Cage and Team 3D, these years saw that influx increase dramatically and rapidly. Ric Flair, Rob Van Dam, Mr Anderson and Jeff Hardy all signed on lucrative deals, and were pushed to the main event. In the meantime, their heralded “originals” and celebrated X-Division were pushed aside.

Then, their was clearly the WCW mindset of factions, factions, factions. This began with Immortal, a villainous stable that had the completely unoriginal idea of having a heel Hulk Hogan in charge, and across its eighteen-month existence had 22 unique members. This ridiculousness was followed by the critically panned Aces & Eights, a biker gang whose direction and motive appeared to change week after week, and would end up making close to no impact on Impact Wrestling.

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Creative decisions were far from TNA’s biggest failing. Also, there was their mishandling of finances, a story that has haunted the company for the last five years. They made an utterly nonsensical decision to move Impact Wrestling to live on Monday nights, directly in competition with the most popular wrestling show on the planet, RAW. This was pronounced a failure almost immediately, and this coupled with their decision to tour the world in a hurry drained their finances and damaged their reputation. With the sheer volume of news stories that appear when one types “TNA financial trouble” into Google, it seems a near miracle they have survived this long.

In truth, a lack of financial power and a fervent desire to manufacture their own success too soon was the downfall of TNA, no matter what people may say about their lack of creativity. That might have contributed to a drop in viewership after a while, but it was the company’s belief that if they spent money to tour the globe and gain a greater following both in America and their overseas market turned out to be unfounded. As a Brit myself I will agree they are very popular, but not enough to be selling out huge arenas that can generate significant income. In the end, they tried to artificially accelerate their popularity in a bid to challenge the dominance of WWE, and this blew up in their face in a huge way.

Over time, some of their biggest draws and wrestlers departed in a bid to escape a sinking ship. Christian, RVD, AJ Styles, Team 3D, Samoa Joe, Christopher Daniels, Sting and Hogan all left, talents that a great deal of effort had been put into. Styles himself has cited that he was forced to leave TNA due to the significant pay cut he would have been forced to take, which is a sign that the company is clearly in a worse financial situation than in past years. Their natural progression had been shortly sped up, but their efforts had worked out so badly that it left them playing catch-up with themselves from prior years.

So, is it time for the Impact Zone to shut its doors for the final time? Unfortunately, I think so, and that is with a heavy heart. I have watched TNA for close to a decade, and they have provided some wonderful matches and moments during their lifetime. I have a particular love for their treatment of their Knockouts Division, pushing them like women should be if they can prove themselves in the ring. But, in spite of the talent of their roster, which is undeniable, those in charge simply cannot be trusted now to manage TNA back into a state of recovery. It might be easier to just cut their losses and make as clean a separation as possible.

Hopefully, even the most ardent critics of TNA will feel a tinge of sadness when this inevitably happens. The talented roster will find new roles, be it in WWE, ROH, Lucha Underground or GFW, but this loss will strengthen WWE’s stranglehold on the wrestling business. Competition breeds creativity, and for a brief while, TNA were pushing to provide that much needed alternative that would bring the best out of WWE. But, it wasn’t to be, and now, without a network and nothing but uncertainty to look forward to, it is time for TNA to close their doors and enter the annals of wrestling history.

Next: NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable Review

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