TNA Impact Wrestling in Need of Drastic Changes
By JT Caroll
This is TNA’s time for change: in direction, in name, and most of all, in lack of Dixie Carter.
In 2001, pro wrestling in the United States went from 3 federations to 1. WCW was bought out and ECW folded, leaving only the WWF. In 2002, fans were able to have hope again when a new federation arose, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. TNA gave us hope that we would see wrestling once again outside of the strictly Sports Entertainment realm. However, 1 mistake after another began a decline for the company. Now, as many predicted for years, it appears Total Nonstop Action is Totally Stopped. Well in name, and leadership.
Last year was a controversial time TNA with their leadership. With famous rock star Billy Corgan coming in to assist, to actually becoming President of TNA, briefly. After only 3 months and a court battle, Billy Corgan was out of TNA. The replacement for a long time wrestling fan who understood the fans… Anthem Sports & Entertainment.
Based in Canada, Anthem gained 85 percent control of TNA, with Dixie retaining only 5 percent. The remaining 10 percent belongs to Aeroluxe Marketing, a production company who works the lighting and productions of the shows. Aeroluxe became involved with TNA via their employees and former TNA Wrestlers Ron and Don Harris. Now with the regime change comes the changes to the company, hence the name.
Anthem announced in the last week that they were officially dropping the TNA name, effectively stopping Total Nonstop Action. Going forward, the company will be continuing with the Impact Wrestling name. The feeling is that there is a negative moniker with the TNA name. The first comes from the acronym T&A, which is a moniker for parts of the human body. As adults, we can all get the meaning or be mature with the moniker.
The second, however, is the controversies of TNA. There are many controversies that brought down this once popular federation. Whether you discuss the Hogan-Bischoff hiring, or Spike dropping TNA when learning of Vince Russo was back to TNA. Much worse examples come from the now former Boss herself.
Dixie herself cost TNA’s deal with Destination America (DA) when she accidentally sent an email insulting the President of DA. Said email of her insulting the head was sent… TO THE HEAD OF Destination America. Hey, go big right? Well, that accident led to TNA to lose their 2nd TV deal in a year. What’s sad is that TNA left both TV channels, not because the leaders of the TV Companies changed their mind. They left the channels because of mistakes of the TNA President. But the biggest, and most recent negative moniker to TNA’s name is in the last year.
When Billy Corgan arrived, fans like myself were very hopeful of TNA. I have been a TNA fan since 2004 and knew of its greatness that it had. So to see a big Wrestling fan like Billy come in gave me hope to see it again. Billy Corgan, while being a musician, has been a wrestling fan for decades. He got with ECW in its last stretch, and was a founder the Indy fed Resistance Pro Wrestling in Chicago. So to come into TNA, with actual experience in the business running of a Wrestling federation. Last August, he became the President of TNA, with Dixie taking over the new Parent company. This symbolized that TNA would for certain go in a direction that was more Billy Corgan and less Dixie Carter. It was the regime change that we wanted. However, that would not suffice with Dixie.
After lying about TNA’s finances, Billy went to court, saying the company was insolvent and he was to take over. He backed his claim with a Legal Agreement that he and Dixie made. The Agreement made a clause that if the company became insolvent, he would get majority control. But Dixie was smarter than that in my mind.
Billy and Dixie’s agreement was eventually found invalid by the Court Judge notifying that it’s invalid under Tennessee law. With that, Billy lost in Court, a loss I think Dixie knew would come and here’s why. Billy is a Chicago man who ran an Indy federation in Chicago under Illinois law. Dixie’s a Native Southerner, living in Tennessee for at least the last 2 decades. She’s ran a business in Nashville since the early 90s, she knows Tennessee law. I’m not saying she has a Law Degree, but after 2 decades of business running, you learn the legal ropes. So I believe she knew going into the agreement, that it would be invalid in court if things went bad. Now, this does fall on CorganBilly and his legal team as well for not knowing Tennessee Law. But this shows her horrible judgment process that got us here.
What Non-TNA fans need to do is to see TNA & Dixie in our eyes. TNA was an alternative to WWE, but Dixie’s actions killed our hopes. Dixie Carter is to TNA, what Vince Russo was to WCW. Without their, fans would believe that both companies would be much better and have respect, both then and now. TNA was much better in the earlier years with Jeff Jarrett, Scott D’Amore, and others in creative. When Dixie took away their creative positions and did it herself, TNA began going into the toilet. She wanted to be her own Vince or Stephanie McMahon, and instead, she will be remembered as another Russo.
Both Dixie and Russo got into their companies, WCW & TNA, and their ideas and directions destroyed the company. The fans sang out the same response… Leave Now, and let the company thrive again. However, their egos wouldn’t let them and we came to the inevitable. The difference with WCW and TNA, however, is that TNA is not dead, but it is on life support.
Now with Anthem taking over and changing the name, it is not just a Total STOP of Total NONSTOP Action. It will forever be a Total STOP of Dixie Carter. Dixie Carter is not the most controversial Wrestling Promoter in History. She is nowhere near that of Verne Gagne, Paul Heyman, & Jim Cornette. But she is the most recent entry of a list of wrestling figures that receive harsh negativity for, well idiocy. Like them or hate them, Paul Heyman and Jim Cornette knew how to run a wrestling federation. They weren’t perfect at running a company and that’s why ECW and SMW are no longer here. But Federation-wise they knew how. They still have a following and as controversial as they are, they are respected by the fans. Fans can hate what they say but know that they know what they’re talking about, not with Dixie.
Next: WrestleMania 33 Card Projections 6.0; Post-Rumble
Dixie will be remembered as a bad wrestling promoter. Like Vince Russo, Dale Gagner, and to a lower extent, Bischoff and Vince McMahon, Dixie has a bad reputation. The last 2 will be remembered for building up WCW and WWE to greatness. But Eric’s also remembered for messing up TNA as its decline began after he came. Vince McMahon still owns No.1 WWE, but lost more than half the viewers it once had. Both still have positive behind them. Dixie has no positive view. An owner that wanted to be in the spotlight, she brought down TNA & wrestling because of greed & 15 years of fame instead of minutes. Now her spotlight time is at a close and she, and the TNA name is out of wrestling for good.