Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle has an ankle lock on fellow wrestler Mr.Anderson at a recent Impact Wrestling Live Event. Photo: Mark Hulser
What is TNA Wrestling?
TNA wresting, known as Total Nonstop Action Wrestling was first created in 2002, right after World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) bought rival companies World Championship Wrestling and Extreme Championship Wrestling. Even though WWE was the premiere brand of wrestling, TNA felt that over time it would be able to create a WCW style company. They have been able to find diamonds in the rough in professional wrestlers to work for them such as A.J. Styles and Robert Roode. The company’s expansion has also allowed them to scoop up talent from rival WWE and Independent Organizations like Ring of Honor. These names include some of the most well known wrestlers in the world, including Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle and former WCW Legend Sting. Yet the company, now into its 10th anniversary, has struggled to find its niche.
The Changes
Hulk Hogan takes time to stop and sign autographs for some wrestling fans while promoting TNA wrestling. Photo: Mark Hulser
The first seven years of the company had been ok, but even with top shelf talent in Kurt Angle, Sting, and Samoa Joe, the ratings were still not even close to what WWE was pulling in. There would also be live untelevised events that would only sell about half of the seats. A WWE event, regardless of it being untelevised always either sells out or is nearly sold out to this day. So on October 27th 2009, TNA received a much needed boost. The legendary Hulk Hogan and former WCW Head Eric Bischoff were brought in to give TNA a makeover. Drastic changes were made throughout the company. Examples of those changes were turning the original six-sided ring into a standard four-sided ring and changing the entire focus of the company. New names were brought in and current stars were either given their walking papers or given a new gimmick. The biggest gamble was putting TNA Wrestling on the same time as WWE Monday Night Raw. Unfortunately, even with the help of Hogan and Bischoff, TNA has still not even made a dent in WWE’s ratings and at one point was forced to move their weekly show back to Thursday nights.
Why Are These Changes Not Working?
Wrestler Jeff Jarrett (White and Gold Trunks) has his counterpart Crimson in a headlock in front of a suspect crowd at a recent live event in Brooklyn. Photo: Mark Hulser
It is very hard to determine why these changes have not produced the expectations of TNA brass. Every few months, it seems as if more changes are made and the changes appear not to be the right moves. Whether it is shaking up the storylines, or bringing TNA on the road to other states besides Florida (which is where they are based), nothing seems to make an impact on ratings. Recently, TNA decided to change the name of their wrestling program to Impact Wrestling. The reason for this change was because WWE decided to drop the wrestling name from their company all together and now consider themselves an entertainment industry. Their message is the right message, conveying that TNA is still a wrestling company so they can appease wrestling fans all over. Only time will tell if TNA can muster up something that can change their fortunes in years to come.
