I have been a harsh critic of TNA for a long time but I am rooting vigorously for their survival.
January, 2015 will be here before we know it and that apparently is when Spike TV and TNA will either continue to work together or not. Regardless of what happens, I hope TNA finds a new cable TV home. Especially now that they seemed to have settled into a more logic-based, wrestling-oriented format.
But big talent decisions lie ahead for TNA regardless of what happens. Top guys in TNA that made “top guy money” in TNA are going to have a decision to make soon or the decision will be made for them. That will be where the rubber meets the road for some of the familiar names that have been a part of the brand for a long time. But that process has begun with AJ Styles, Frankie Kazarian and Christopher Daniels having been made available in free agency. Who will be next?
Costs and revenue will become more closely tied to gate receipts, if the next domestic television contract is not as lucrative a deal as the one they currently operate under. Can TNA become profitable?
If TNA does indeed survive, I hope they thrive. In the territory days, every territory owner could benefit if his fellow owners did well. Not that they shared profits but if the business in one territory was hot, other territories could copy or emulate for their own success. If TNA can get rolling, perhaps it can influence others to copy what works.
If TNA survives, they cannot dare fall back under bad habits they’ve had in the past. They must carve out their own path and can’t afford to be viewed as “WWE Lite”. They must get back to basics, as they have over the past few months.
Matt Hardy is a must for them, as are the Wolves.
I like money. Always have. Why can’t TNA and ROH work together a little? To me, the only time a wrestling company shouldn’t work with another is when they have sold every single ticket to every single event. Neither company can say that so what’s the problem? I’m not a decision maker for either company… as I said, I like money.
Enough about that… good luck to TNA. Hope it all works out!
Onto the WWE, I don’t have time to watch three hours on Monday. But I do have an hour. I want to propose a new format for Raw, one that they can scrap and go back to the old 1997 formula they still work from if they want.
Instead of one, three-hour Raw, how about three, one-hour shows? Here’s the idea:
Give each hour a beginning, middle and end.
Opening match.
Feature segment with some interviews to preview either the main event or a rematch next week of the opener.
Big main event match.
Do it again for hour 2 and then hour 3. Separate talent on each hour.
This format works well for international distribution, perhaps domestic syndication. And what about making seasons? Blocks of 13 episodes. And think about it for the WWE Network, where all of this product will wind up one day. Sitting through a three-hour Raw will be tough when years from now, fans will remember this wasn’t exactly the greatest time in WWE history.
Make theme hours, like NXT Challenge or Royal Rumble Qualifiers. Change announce teams. Make subtle tweaks to the lighting to give each hour a unique feel.
Should ROH and TNA work together? How about a new Raw format? Let me know your thoughts @RealKevinKelly on Twitter.
