A BADSTREET PERSPECTIVE ON TNA’s “MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENTS”
- 09/25/2006 (7:07:13 am)
- Dave Whitaker
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A Badstreet Perspective on TNA's "major announcements"
By: Dave Whitaker
So No Surrender has come and gone. And the "major" announcements by TNA have been made. First, the move to primetime. Second, the signing of Kurt Angle. Are these good moves? Yes, and possibly yes. But are these really earth-shattering, wrestling business altering, Vince McMahon will now shake in his Armani shoes moves? In a word, no.
TNA getting a prime time spot on Thursday nights is a good thing. The 9 p.m. time will surely help viewership. However, the fact remains the show is just one hour. That's one hour a week to promote matches, build storylines, and develop characters. How can TNA be confident in their ability to do that when WWE struggles with those same things and they have four hours a week (two for Raw and two for Smackdown.) When you have such a limited window, something will suffer. Either less promos, less character development, or less in-ring wrestling.
That leads me to a second problem with the new timeslot. The booking in TNA. Their Thursday night shows hadn't exactly been full of good in-ring action and it's probably going to get worse now that Vince Russo is part of creative. Not to self-promote or reveal anyone's privacy, but I have spoken with Vince Russo via e-mail in the past. While I realize e-mail addresses can be forged, I have no reason to doubt with whom I spoke with. So let me preface this by saying Vince Russo seems like a nice guy. I think he belives in his ideas, and that he enjoys the wrestling business.
However, Vince Russo has shown a consistent inability to understand pro wrestling. I'd be willing to bet the finish in the X-Division match at No Surrender was one of his ideas. TNA doesn't grasp that they're not going to attract wrestling fans by doing WWE-style sports entertainment. It's ironic that Jim Cornette is the "Director of Authority" in TNA because I really wish TNA creative (not just Russo but all of them) would remember this quote. "Wrestling fans want to watch wrestlers wrestle." Not have matches ended by laxatives incapacating wrestlers.
Now let's talk about the signing of Kurt Angle. I am a Kurt Angle fan. Great wrestler, great promo guy, just awesome athlete. However, there are two things wrong here. Angle's health apparently has deteriorated over time. He can't bump and take shots like he used to. Which makes me wonder just how far he can go in TNA. But more importantly, this is yet another former WWE guy picked up by TNA. It comes across to me as TNA once again trying to beat WWE by picking up its former stars.
I realize that TNA marks will think I'm just a WWE honk. Not at all. I wish I could like TNA. AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels are great wrestlers. Samoa Joe reminds me of a mid 90's Taz. But they seem to be a company without identity, without purpose, and one that whos's goal is to beat WWE at their own game rather than be a true alternative.
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