Instead of talking about the final taped show of 2013, I wanted to break down the positives and negatives for TNA this calender year. There has been so many ups and so many downs with a company that seemingly cannot find their niche. This article will break down the biggest positives and biggest negatives that the company went through over the past 12 months. We will start with some of the positives.
The Positives
Bully Ray: This guy has been the best heel in the company for an entire year. As champion, he put on countless matches that have been some of his best in his career. In the best shape of his life, Ray was able to really push himself to his limits and feud with guys that I never thought he would be in the same league as. Some of his best work actually came on the microphone when Hulk Hogan was an enemy of his. Ray seems so natural and organic on the microphone and it translated in the ring. It was an absolute treat to watch this guy put on the best year of his career. TNA made the right decision giving him the world championship for such a long time this year. He finished the year last night when Brooke Tessmacher and him split up. He sounded demonic, intense, scary and down right intimidating. This shows you how his year went. He is so dynamic and adapts to the times.
Magnus: The new World Heavyweight Champion of the company is a guy who TNA is putting so much time and effort into. He has the look, the skills in the ring and the ability to only get better. I have liked seeing Magnus being built up for the past six months. I hated the idea of him losing the Bound For Glory series because he is the guy who needed it the most. Magnus became a member of the Main Event Mafia and had a match with Sting towards the end of the year. This is all you really need to know about a guy in the company. Backstage officials felt safe for Magnus to be picked as Sting's opponent for a big match. He needs to be champion right now because the company cannot rely on the veterans who will leave over the next year. I see this company with a big turnover rate coming in 2014.
Bobby Roode, AJ Styles, Chris Sabin: All three of these guys have been positives time and time again. Two of the three were world champions, while Roode was the guy who never put on a bad match. Can we all agree that TNA has excellent talent from top to bottom? It is not their fault that they are not utilized to their fullest potential on a week to week basis. I loved seeing Roode vs. Storm, Roode vs. Angle, Styles vs. Ray, Sabin vs. everybody. These guys are a huge reason that some fans do not watch WWE as much as TNA. They are the reason that people can sit in front of their television sets on Thursday nights and tune into Spike TV. They are basically home grown talent for the company and guys who they should lean on more frequently.
