Most importantly WWE simply is wrestling to the average guy or gal on the street. It would take
a colossal external effort and a series of massive blunders for WWE to be
toppled.
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| Can these guys help TNA remain relevant? |
Until recently the consensus number two promotion North
America had was TNA. Their Spike TV deal
not being renewed has been cited as the main reason this is no longer
considered to be the case. Personally I've always felt uncomfortable with TNA
having this status. They've had it by default really, due to their access to
ex-WWE guys (looking for a payday) and being on a TV channel accessible in more
North American homes than any other wrestling company save WWE. It all stems
from the initial choice the company made to use ex-WWE and -WCW guys
prominently.
TNA has certainly never been an alternative though, and
that what I feel a number two company should at least in part strive to be.
I've always felt that Ring of Honor are more deserving of being at least a
spiritual number two due to their markedly different presentation and the
rarity of former WWE (and to a lesser extent, TNA) employees on their roster.
That lack of famous names has hurt their general perception though, as has
their lesser degree of availability. Since 2002, the year both ROH and TNA were
founded, ROH have been pegged as Americas number three. Had ROH done the same
as TNA and used some of the readily available big names when they were running
their first shows they may have been considered a bigger deal across the
following decade.
ROH has always tended
to run shows more regularly than TNA, especially over the last few
years. And for the most part those shows have drawn bigger audiences,
indicating that they actually have a greater following. They were also a
profitable entity for far longer than TNA was. I'm not sure how they're fairing
under current owners SBG but before the buyout ROH operated at some sort of
profit as they were able to stay in business. TNA has famously been losing
money, practically since the day it was formed.
TNA's move to Destination America has forced a change of this
perception. Ring of Honor is now more readily available in a larger number of
US and Canadian homes. They will continue to run shows more frequently. They
have a return to televised pay-per-view announced (it’s entirely possible that
TNA won’t produce pay-per-views at all once they debut on Destination America).
I also think ROH have made progress at closing the gap in name recognition
between themselves and TNA. Over the last two years they’ve made decisions designed
to make more people aware of their existence, from using MMA personality Tom
Lawlor to running a show at a baseball pitch (a gig picked up after TNA was
unable to run the event as they had done in previous years).
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| John Morrison versus Ricochet? I'm down with that. |
But what we can't say about ROH is that they will be the
only promotion that offers an alternative to the WWE style. Lucha Underground
has done a very good job in its first month of showing that it's a very
different prospect in the ring to WWE (although they've fallen into the old
heel authority figure trap). They put a strong focus on actual wrestling and
promote a style which is significantly different to WWE’s. The storyline’s
they’ve presented so far have revolved around the matches, rather than who’s in
charge of booking the matches. And it’s also worth noting that everyone who
appears has a character.
It's possible TNA will take their move to a new channel
as a chance to make some changes. Producer Bryan edwards has already tweeted
that "everything" will change and Dixie Carter has wheeled out her
staple gimmick of promising big announcements. Usually I'd say these things
should be taken with a grain of salt (or a fistful in Dixie's case) but it's
too logical for it not to be true here.
Realistically a new logo and a new set, with or without
the six-sided ring, are not going to determine TNA's success. What they script
and who they sign is going to do that. Unfortunately a change to the writing
staff is not something TNA has promised so far, and they’re unlikely to.
Presenting something different to WWE and the myriad of other competitors is
what's going to attract eyes to a wrestling promotion in 2015.
Of course, to present something different you have to be
presenting something to begin with. Which brings us to GFW. Despite being
announced on April 7 nothing tangible has actually happened with the company
yet. Yeah, they've announced an assortment of partnerships with existing
outfits and confirmed that they'll broadcast NJPW's Wrestle Kingdom 9 on
pay-per-view but that's not much for nearly eight months’ work. Nor is it
anything that makes Global Force look like something other than a glorified
streaming service.
GFW cannot become a number two promotion without a lot of
work. So much work in fact that it's impossible to envisage it happening from
where we are now. There's too little to the company. If GFW manages to get some
sort of TV deal and brings together talent from Japan, Mexico, Europe, Canada
and the US for extravagant TV tapings and continues to air foreign shows then it
could earn itself a following. If it just sticks with the foreign shows then
there's no way it will become North America's number two promotion.
As things stand right now the battle for the number two
spot is set to be between TNA, ROH and Lucha Underground. TNA has been on a
downward spiral over the last four years. It would be nice if that changed with
a reboot on Destination America, but going on their track record it’s unlikely.
Which would leave Lucha Underground and ROH to vie for the spot. Right now I
think ROH has the better position, with a more established name and a niche in
the market all their own. But Lucha Underground has everything it needs to
grow, and if it gets Alberto Del Rio and Rey Mysterio on its shows in 2015 then
the promotion could be a very big deal in a year’s time.
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