Photo by WWE
I recently received an email from a colleague that read, “ I ask you, if a tree falls in the forest, and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?” Translation,does anyone actually care about the upcoming TNA Victory Road? Sure, maybe you will watch it with a friend named Justin, but you likely laugh at him for throwing his money away in such a foolish manner. During an interview with Dave Meltzer, Paul Heyman discussed all of the problems with the current TNA product. His explanation was quite simple, branding is important, but not more important than a quality product. Presenting a product that is filled with great matches and believable storylines is the only way that branding will become effective. Without these elements, you are marketing garbage to anyone that will buy it. While Paul is spot on, there are other problems that TNA must overcome in order to attract fans that would be willing to pay for their product.
First, stop making reference to WWE and the events that have occurred in another company. Discussing another product is not something ever done on WWE television. TNA needs to take the hint and stop making their product look like a WWE copycat. Chris Jericho explained this best, if you do not believe in your product, the fans will not have any desire to watch. Perception is reality, looking to another company for guidance will only make your product inferior. Second, avoid the temptation to copy angles that were presented to the WWE universe. From the Screwjob to the 2-21-11 promo, TNA has copied many angles without any original concepts.
Third, invest some time into long-term planning and map out a direction for the company. Taking this approach would have avoided having Nash and Booker show up in the WWE. Additionally, there would be no constant switching of the title. Putting any belt on three different guys in the span of a few months does nothing for the credibility of any champion in the past or present. Fourth, stop the gimmick matches right away. If TNA would like their product to be an alternative to WWE, the focus should be on actual wresting instead of first blood matches. Fifth, eliminate some of the segments and offer more wrestling action on Impact. Talking is fine when the storylines make sense, WWE presents stories that people care about. However, the segments presented by TNA make very little sense, this is why fans stop watching Impact. Are there all of the problems with TNA? No, but following this list of small changes might actually help re-establish an interest in this dying wrestling company.
