The WWE is making it harder and harder to enjoy wrestling these days … they are like EA with the monopoly on the NFL games … they make madden, and you either buy it or dont have a football game … but technically they are not the only game in town. TNA could be a viable alternative, except they are stuck in the 90s in how they use talent and present it on TV. I loved the 90s and the Monday Night wars, and i’d be all for that if they were using the GOOD parts of the 90s and the Monday Night Wars … but they aren’t lol
They need to do something different, something fresh, something original … or just something other than what they are currently doing
So since I have a site and an opinion I figured … I’d brainstorm how I’d fix TNA … thus the long read ahead of you lol
Television
I liked when impact went live, I loved that they left the impact zone, when they went to Monday’s I applauded … the Thursday slot is awful
Too many good TV shows are on then, The NFL is on then, Award shows, you name it. I like Monday if they only had to compete with WWE because I can see a channel switch getting interest, but you’re battling MNF as well. I propose Tuesday Night
NOTHING happens on Tuesday ever! No competition from anything insurmountable. I would also change the show format, keep the 2 hours except:
8:00 – 8:15 15 Minute Pre show, Talk about what happened the previous show, what to expect on the show that night, angles, and go over the rankings (more later)
8:15 – 9:45 impact!
9:45 – 10:00 15 Minute post show; Show reactions, Angle development, maybe a post-show interview with a star or two
*They should also have at least one outdoor show .. that could be great
Gives the show some structure, something to look forward to, and gives people a chance to get caught up with the product.
In a perfect would, they’d also get a Saturday show … maybe an hour or 90 minutes
A Studio show where they talk about Tuesday, show taped matches, give house show results, interview wrestlers, etc.
Sports Element
TNA needs something new or at least different to stand out from WWE … to become a viable alternative, the production will never match WWE, but the gimmicks and the talent could outshine them. WWE touts (see what I did there) itself as “Sports Entertainment” I saw TNA should truly become sports entertainment, and not in name only
Turn TNA into a true sports competition.
Weekly Rankings
A Mixture of NCAA Football, Basketball and the PGA tour have a weekly list of the top ranked wrestlers, this would be updated in the Pre/Post shows and discussed during impact because this wouldn’t be just some random list, and it would work on a new points system
Wins:
2 Points
5 Points on TV
Automatic angle/ story for wrestlers who haven’t been on TV for a week or two, begging for a match to get points
Losses:
-1 Point
-3 Points on TV
To keep a competitive balance and to penalize losses, the casual fan will pay this no attention, but the die-hard fans will be checking the standings online to see where their favorite wrestler is ranked
- PPV Win: 10 Points
- PPV Loss: -5 Points
- Title win: 10
- Title Loss: -20
A Champion losing his match would really have to win some matches to get back into contention for the title, because the points mean something …
You’ll have to have a certain number of points to be able to challenge for a particular title
World Title: 100 Points or More
US Title: 75 Points
TV Title: 50 Points
Meaning you’d have to have gained at least 50 points to be able to challenge for the TV Title, 75 for US Title, 100 for the World .. if you have not, no shot.
If you were in say US Title contention but had a losing streak and loss points down to 50 … gotta work your way back up
What this does is make matches have meaning and purpose … and consequence
- Clears up the title picture
- Creates feuds
- Keeps feuds from going too long (A drop in points/rankings … program is really over)
- Helps with promos … talking about a win streak, and gaining points, and coming for the title … or trash talking about how someone loss points
- Helps with the commentary, talking the consequences of losing or speculating what the win and points could mean … even the on-air authority could book matches and put a number of points on the line … or a cocky wrestler could put some of his/her points up
Championship committee
An On-Air authority figure could work, and it’s a shame Flair is gone, but maybe they could bring someone new/different in for that role, besides that I’d also have a real “Championship committee”
This group would keep the rankings, book matches, decide championship matchups etc.
I would have that be: Hulk Hogan, Sting, Kurt Angle, Taz, and Al Snow
This keeps them involved but gets them out of the ring unless it’s a big match or something … instead of matches just coming out of thin air we’d see them putting matches together and reasoning why
and at the top of the show announce the entire card including main event
This way if something happens during the show and they “make a match on the spot” you will see who got bumped, they might move that match to next week, the wrestlers involved might get mad, might run in, anything … but it would make sense.
Window Dressing
Titles
Obviously I added the U.S. Title, a secondary Title is needed … a stepping stone to the World Title, but also something else to build programs around
The TV Title MUST be defended on TV weekly if not it’s stripped, and it’s always the main event of the TV Show unless something huge is happening
Bring Managers back
Not everyone can talk effectively on the mic, and it’s not necessary for a star to be able to, that was the beauty of having managers back in the day to get wrestlers over, be their mouth piece … to generate interest from the fans; wrestling needs this and TNA would benefit from bringing in some fresh blood to represent the talent who could be big on TV but don’t have the charisma to pull it off themselves
(Samoa Joe, Matt Morgan, etc) … they could bring in new people or use an Eric Young, Joseph Park, even use Garrett Bischoff to be a weasely heel manager that no one likes, his father can teach him that in his sleep.
Valets are needed too, gotta bring the old school back
Interviews and Promos
Do interviews of wrestlers after wins or losses live on the spot as they exit the ring instead of backstage … give it a post-game feel
Do pre-taped promos that play while matches are going on … remember in the WWF where they’d have another wrestler up in the corner of the screen talking about another wrestler who was in the ring at the time?
Have the pre-taped on location promos … where you can edit and get it right, a wrestler at the gym, at home, the Mr. Perfect/Million Dollar Man style promos
The Season “reset”
With the rankings and points etc. at the start of the year, the points get reset (They will be recorded for “Career Points) but in January everything starts a new, sort of
The Champions stay champions and start off with 125, 85, 65 Points respectively
The January PPV will have matches to determine points for the rest of the roster
Championship committee will pick 4 wrestlers for a four corner match for World Title Contention
The eliminated wrestlers will receive 100, 105, 110, and 115 points respectively
The same for the US title: 75, 77, 79, 81 points respectively
And a group of 10 for a Battle Royal for TV Title contention
5 Major PPVs
- January – Reset as described above
- March – A tournament to rival March Madness where the Top 16 Wrestlers not including the Champ (according to the Rankings) fight in a tournament to become the #1 Contender they have to win 4 matches that night
- May – Something similar to World War 3 (WWE is not using it)
- July – Something similar to WCW’s Beach Blast (again WWE is not using it)
- September – Fall Brawl (again)
Bring these classics back, and reap the benefits of actual logical competition
The Talent
So we go through all of that, but what about the talent? This is how I would have it start out at least:
World Title
1. Champion: Samoa Joe (F)
2. Bobby Roode (H)
3. Magnus (F)
4. Matt Morgan w/ Joseph Park (H)
5. Bully Ray (H)
6. Sting** (F)
US Title
7. Champion: Austin Aries (H)
8. James Storm (F)
9. Jeff Hardy (H)
10. Knux* (F)
11. Kurt Angle** (F)
12. Douglass Williams (H)
TV Title
13. Champion: Anderson (H)
14. Robbie E* (F)
15. AJ Styles (F)
16. Eric Young (F)
(F)/ (H) = Face/Heel
* Retooled Gimmick
**Enhancement Talent … no threat to win the title
Tag Teams
Gotta Bolster the division, using some OVW talent and some different pairings, I think it could work … start with Daniels and Kaz as the champs in a Face Turn to make it interesting (but that won’t last long, they will turn quickly)
1. Champions: Daniels and Kaz (F)
2. Wes Brisco and Gunner (F)
3. Christian York and Crimson w/ Garret Bichoff (H)
4. Alex Silva and Jay Bradley (H)
5. Jessie and Rob Terry (H)
6. DOC and Sam Shaw (F)
7. Randy Royal and Dylan Bostic w/Kurt Angle (F)
(F)/ (H) = Face/Heel
* Retooled Gimmick
**Enhancement Talent … no threat to win the title
X-Division
I would really like a separate All X-Division show, and I would also like to use the 6 Sided ring just for X matches, but … we will go with what we have
No more of that dumb 3 way rule
You will have weight limits … and weigh-ins before matches (make it unique)
Different commentators
Different on-Air authority for the X-Division … maybe a Greg Helms
1. Champion: Kenny King (F)
2. Chris Sabin (H)
3. Joey Ryan* (H)
4. Petey Williams (F)
5. Sonjay Dutt (H)
6. Zema Ion (H)
7. Chavo Guerrero** (F)
(F)/ (H) = Face/Heel
* Retooled Gimmick
**Enhancement Talent … no threat to win the title
Knockouts
First Bring Kong back! But other than that, the KO’s were keeping TNA alive for a good stretch, because they were actually good wrestlers, and the Kong/Kim feud
I say try to get that back and/or try and recreate it with Lei’D Tapa and Taryn Terrell
Also, add a Women’s TV title … gives the other girls something to do (Co Main Event for TV)
1. World Champion: Madison Rayne (H)
2. Gail Kim (F)
3. Mickie James (H)
4. Miss Tessmacher (F)
5. Tara (F)
6. TV Champion: Taryn Terrell (F)
7. ODB (F)
8. Lei’D Tapa (H)
9. Velvet Sky (F)
10. Taeler Hendrix (F)
11. Hannah Blossom (F)
12. Holly Blossom (F)
Stables
Need to have a stable or two to keep it interesting, I’ve always liked those who were treats to win all the belts including women
I also liked when a Stable had a decent opposing stable to mix and match with
… no more take overs or “outsiders” just good old groups that want to win all the gold and prove they are better than everyone
… of course there will be turns and betrayals but, let’s start with something
Stable 1:
Roode
Knux (Retooled)
Lei’D Tapa
Alex Silva and Jay Bradley
Give Roode his own Stable, he’s a good mouthpiece, he goes after Big Gold, has Knux as his muscle and a threat to the minor titles, a strong female enforcer and a cocky young tag team
Stable 2
Jeff Hardy
Wes Brisco
Gunner
Taeler Hendrix
No one can outshining Jeff, but give him some up and comers who could benefit from his endorsement … I can see face paint for all of them and some kind of kick ass entrance
Outside Talent:
There are a lot of people not under contract with WWE I’d like to see in TNA among those:
MVP
Shelton Benjamin
Paul Burchill
Beth Phoenix
Carlito
John Morrison
Maryse
Melina
Low Ki
Kong
Tyler Reks
Nigel McGuiness
I think they all could find a good place in the mix and with the rankings and title breakdown; they could all have something to do
I have more ideas on the commentary, the presentation, and promotion, but my fingers are tired … I think the above would make an excellent start and foundation for a entertaining show and company
… Or, Dixie and the crew can keep doing what they’re doing and I can write a program for a video game to do this … bring back a eFed or something lol
Would you watch?
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