For TNA, Smaller is Better

Introduction: In recent weeks (well, months, really), a lot of the discussion online has turned to TNA’s television broadcasting deal – were they cancelled, will they be renewed, will they find a new network – there’s a lot of uncertainty floating around out there right now. Lately, the gist of the rumors tends to point towards TNA signing/having signed a new deal with a smaller network that will give them significantly less money. This week, I’ll look at why I think that is actually going to be greatly beneficial to the company in the long run.

DISCLAIMER: Much of this OPINION piece is based on speculation. Because there are so many rumors out there regarding TNA and their television future, I chose to focus on the ones that make the most sense to me.

In America, we have long been conditioned to believe that “bigger is better”, hence our ever-increasing rate of obesity, the continued popularity of gas-guzzling automobiles, and also why there are slews of empty McMansions that have been largely vacant (save for squatters) since the housing market crashed in 2008. Just like in those examples, though, I believe that in the case of TNA, downsizing is actually going to be a good thing. The wrestling industry on the whole has been shown time and again to rise and fall in cycles, and it is currently in a down cycle, so TNA making cuts now should actually leave them in a position for significant growth when the next boom cycle starts.

Does Havok’s arrival indicate that TNA is refocusing the Knockouts division on wrestling?

Focus, Focus, Focus.

First and foremost, if the WWE’s recent cuts have shown us anything, it’s that no one is safe when a wrestling company downsizes. The WWE has not only cut talent (both main roster and developmental), they’ve also cut non-wrestling television personalities, agents, and day-to-day office personnel. I believe that TNA would do well to emulate this approach, and start at the top and begin eliminating people who are unnecessary to the final product that appears on the television screen.

By all means, TNA should eliminate any talent that aren’t willing to scale back their pay expectations to whatever new financial model that they need to adhere to, but as with nearly every major company, there are bound to be people in TNA, ones you will never see on television or read about, who serve very little purpose. By culling people who do not add real value to their televised product, whether in an on-screen or behind-the-scenes role, the Carters should be able to successfully trim the fat and further motivate the remaining employees.

Granted, there is a fine line between justifiable downsizing and cutting down to a barebones crew that is so overworked that the promotion will suffer, but it is crucial to TNA’s continued survival that they find that line and toe it carefully. Recently, it was revealed that the WWE employs a single writer for NXT and everything then runs through Triple H. If you look back at wrestling’s biggest boom periods, this isn’t completely uncommon, as Vince Russo was the primary writer of the Attitude Era and everything was filtered through Vince McMahon. If Dixie is truly as confident in John Gaburick as a recent interview led me to believe, then fire the rest of the writing staff. Keep Christy Hemme on as a ring announcer/interviewer and let her continue to generate the stories for the Knockouts Division. Emulate WCW’s Cruiserweight division for the X Division, where the storylines matter less than the action in the ring. Between Gaburick and Hemme, I believe they could generate two hours weekly of compelling wrestling television.

And that’s the other aspect of TNA’s need to focus – for much of its run, the promotion has been criticized for its excesses, from overly complicated gimmick matches to convoluted storylines to an on-screen power structure that makes absolutely no sense. Granted, the WWE is guilty of these things as well, but as the most widely known promotion in the world, they tend to get quite a bit more slack than TNA does. I think that, all too often, TNA tries to be too many things for too many people, and narrowing their focus would actually be hugely beneficial to the company. Rather than trying to be the wrestling show with the best storylines that has the best women’s wrestling and does humor right and respects tag team wrestling, just focus on the wrestling and let everything else fall into place around it.

This is what we got the last time TNA’s television deal went south. I’m down for that again.

F5

So, with a newly streamlined support staff and a focus on wrestling, it then becomes paramount that TNA work to optimize their roster based on their new financial reality. It’s almost a certainty that they will lose some of their more established stars, but that does not have to be a bad thing. Think back to 2005, the last time TNA’s television future was in question, and how they responded. Management brought in talents like Samoa Joe, Austin Aries, and Roderick Strong, along with bringing back Alex Shelley and refocusing on both Christopher Daniels and AJ Styles, and that period, from about June 2005 until Hogan and Bischoff arrived in 2010, is one of the most beloved eras of TNA’s twelve-year history.

And while they have lessened the exclusivity clauses on their talent contracts, the fact that TNA-contracted talent cannot appear on other promotions’ shows that will end up on television, PPV, iPPV, or home video more than likely means that guys like the aforementioned Joe and Aries will be able to make greater income through a combination of the Indies and Japan (not unlike AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels have already done). Other talents like Bully Ray and possibly Jeff Hardy may find that they are welcomed back into the WWE, but I would honestly expect the majority of the older talents in TNA are either going to go into semi-retirement or remain with the company, perhaps on per-appearance deals.

What this means for the company is that they need to determine who the future stars are that are currently under TNA contract and ensure that they remain contracted to TNA throughout what could be a lengthy transition period. If I were an upper level TNA executive asked to compile that list, it would likely begin and end with Ethan Carter III. Dixie’s kayfabe nephew has all the makings of a wrestler that you can build a promotion around, and once his contract is locked up, start building the roster around him.

With their cupboards potentially nearly bare, TNA would have the opportunity to scour independent promotions and find the next generation of Joes and Aries and Shelleys. This is where someone like Scott D’Amore would be incredibly helpful, as his experience booking Border City Wrestling and shaping the early direction of TNA by bringing in a great deal of talent (from Shelley to current main eventers Eric Young and Bobby Roode). At one point it seemed like D’Amore had direct access to a wealth of up-and-coming talent that he funnelled directly into TNA. If that is still the case, he could be hugely beneficial to any future efforts at rebuilding the roster on the cheap.

The struggle could be real.

Competition

The latest round of rumors regarding TNA’s television future have them competing with Jeff Jarrett’s Global Force Wrestling for the same potential network deals. By narrowing their focus, trimming the fat from their workforce, and refreshing their roster by going younger (and likely cheaper), I think TNA will not only be in a position to provide that competition to Jarrett, but also to thrive until the next wrestling boom period hits (or until their next television deal comes up, whichever comes first).

When TNA brought in Hogan and Bischoff in an attempt to compete more directly with the WWE, it alienated a lot of long-time fans. In reality, regardless of who TNA brought in, they weren’t in a position to realistically compete with the WWE, and the truth is that they may never be (unless a billionaire with a basic cable channel manages to buy the Carters out, I suppose). That’s a competition that TNA never should have sought out, and one that proved costly to both their bottom line and to their fan base.

It is not the same when talking about competition with GFW – not only could TNA realistically compete with Jarrett’s promotion, but it’s also a competition that they’ll likely have the upper hand in, at least initially. As an established brand that’s been around for over a dozen years, with a contracted roster and experience in the pay-per-view market, Dixie and company have a leg up over Jarrett. And while Jeff has done all this before with TNA and seen success, as I mentioned previously, there’s been a significantly downward trend in the overall popularity of wrestling since he founded TNA, and the fact that GFW has yet to secure a television deal or sign the first wrestler to their roster speaks to the difficulty that he could be facing. Depending on the television deal that he ends up with, and how willing Toby Keith (and any other silent partners he may have) is to open up his checkbook, I could certainly see some of the TNA’s talent defecting for GFW.

After all, for a good many of them, Jarrett was the man in charge of day-to-day operations when they came into the company, he’s generally believed to have more wrestling knowledge than Dixie, and with talent exchange deals in place with promotions in both Mexico and Japan, among others, the prospect of making additional money outside of the States and working with renowned international talent might be more tempting than TNA’s fairly relaxed schedule.

In spite of this, I think TNA can not only compete with GFW, but they can also thrive amidst that competition, but the key is going to be maintaining realistic goals and expectations and having a plan in place to continue to work towards them. I think that by following the steps that I outlined, TNA could very well position themselves for a vastly improved television deal when their upcoming deal is set to expire. And that would save their employees and fans a lot of uncertainty and silence all but the most vocal of their critics.

Note: I found someone to help me with the RAW/Smackdown Brand Extension Mock Draft column, and I would look for that next week, schedules permitting.

Wyatt Beougher is a lifelong fan of professional wrestling who has been writing for 411 for over three years and currently hosts MMA Fact or Fiction and reviews Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.