Truth & Lies: Breaking Down The Grantland Article on TNA

Consider this to be a spin-off from my recent Truth or Lie columns. Last week, Grantland published an article on the current landscape of TNA Impact Wrestling. The brand. Its future. Rumored problems. Television future. Wrestlers, creative team writers, etc. They all commented! Everything here was covered from start to fini…well, whatever is coming next for TNA. Right when I read it, I knew I just HAD to use that as a platform for my next column. It was that ‘inspiring.’

Before getting to the actual meat of the matter here, I send major, major, major props to Grantland and the author Thomas Golianopoulos. Fantastic article and very cool that Grantland continues to cover wrestling in its own unique way. Even the title “Can TNA Get Over?” was just brilliant. If you have not read it yet, go out of your way to do so. The long in-depth look at TNA is well worth the lengthy read. Okay, enough butt kissing for today. How about we actually take a look at some of the quotes provided in the article? Then we will determine what is a truth and what is a lie…

Truth Or Lie: Breaking Down The Grantland/TNA Article

Jeff Jarrett on his TNA exit last year: “The time was right;” “I wanted to move on to another chapter of my life.”

I think this has been very understated. Jeff Jarrett was leaving TNA. Jeff FREAKIN’ JARRETT! The founder of the company was throwing his hands in the air and moving on. Next chapter in his life, as he says. It is easy to use hindsight, but that took place last December. If there were not warning signs then, there certainly should have been. This was more than a normal wrestler being released, more than some low television rating, more than any kind bad story line. I am not even a big fan of his, but Jeff Jarrett was leaving the very company he founded?!?! Wow. His choice or not is irrelevant; that departure was the first of many blows to TNA in the next year.

Dixie Carter on the cancellation report from TMZ: “TMZ asked me, ‘Hey, is this story real, should we run with it?” “I was watching a movie and didn’t see it until some little wrestling site ran it. Then I gave TMZ a quote, which said we’re still negotiating. That never made it to print.”

I am not going to comment on the TMZ-Spike TV stuff because everything just feels like posturing and ‘network talk’ while things get finalized one way or another. Renewal, cancellation, whatever. Nobody from Spike TV is going to publicly say anything, nor will TNA. Pretty standard stuff. What I WILL comment on though is this line from Dixie: “I was watching a movie and didn’t see it until some little wrestling site ran it.”

*sigh*

WHY ARE YOU EVEN ON SOME LITTLE WRESTLING SITE? WHY?!?!

Recently, Vince Russo mentioned that Dixie is often on the internet reading stuff said upon herself and just obsesses over what people say about her (hi Dixie!). Well, here is your proof. She is watching a movie and on ‘some little wrestling site.’ Yep! Nothing says big time executive/owner more than scrolling on bottom feeder copy/paste WRAZZLIN’ websites on the internet.

Dixie Carter on her next move: “We will die a slow death on the vine if we just stay as one two-hour show in the U.S.,” “I have big decisions to make. I want this to be a big play. I don’t want this to be a status quo play.”

Um, yeah, about that slow death thing…

…how is your non-existent DVD business going? Or those massive live event attendance numbers? Or the booming business of pay-per-view buys? Like your biggest event of the year Bound for Glory not even being live and having zero matches set two weeks out? At last check, businesses have to make money from somewhere, so yeah, TNA certainly does have big decisions to make. Dixie is right in this case. Notice she says she wants this to be a big play and does not want it to be a status quo play. Not that it WILL or WILL not. Just want. Not exactly reassuring. Whatever it is TNA pulls out of their backside can not be a status quo play. It HAS to be a big play because at this point, that imaginary vine is getting shorter and shorter with each passing day.

Maybe we can get another uplifting and inspiring speech from Dixie Carter? Surely, the roster would love that! If you need a good laugh, watch this video and the wrestler’s faces…

Vince Russo on the IWC: “The Internet wrestling community thinks in-ring wrestling action should take up every minute of every show,” “That’s what they believe the business is. That’s what they are fans of. I mean, they rate fake wrestling matches on a star system. The matches are fake! They are not real!”

I do not think in-ring wrestling action should take up every minute of every show. Plus, I do not use a star rating system. Never have, likely never will. On the other subject, do film critics not rate the performances of actors and actresses? Newsflash, movies are not real either but can easily be ranked, debated, etc. I understand what Vince Russo is getting at, but these quotes are a major miss from my point of view at least.

Dixie Carter on Vince Russo: “He’s a lightning rod,” “People hate him, but sometimes people love what he does but they don’t realize he does it. He’s a really talented guy.”

That about says it all, huh?

Dixie Carter on the professional wrestling business: “I wanted to run a wrestling company when I grew up,” “Gosh, can you imagine?”

Yes, I can imagine. The nightmares have not gone away just yet. Impact became The Dixie Carter Show as you ‘played wrestler’ on cable TV, and all financial aspects of the company (live events, PPVs, ratings, etc.) reached new lows.

Dixie Carter on whispers of her wrestling knowledge: “Did I hear, ‘Well, you don’t know wrestling’?” “I just wanted to say, ‘I understand, you don’t know business.’ I chose not to be bitter about it and just do my job. I don’t need people to tell me what I know and don’t know. At some point I said, ‘If I hear that again, you may not have a job.’”

Guilty as charged. If I am deciphering these quotes correctly, Dixie is saying she may not understand wrestling but DOES know about business? That is what I got from this rambling nonsense. Then if anybody questions her, she says ‘If I hear that again, you may not have a job.’ Well, how nice. No wonder guys and gals have been leaving the company left and right as of late! Speaking of BUSINESS (not wrestling), how is that going these days? Just wondering. TNA is a private company, so I would loooooove to know some official PPV numbers from 2012, 2013, and 2014.

Jeff Jarrett on the current wrestling scene: “Wrestling is Shakespeare for the masses — storytelling, good vs. evil — and that has always worked on television and will always work on television,” “I think there is room for three or four wrestling shows on television. I think it’s narrow-minded to say there is only room for one. Competition breeds success, and the only winners will be the fans.”

Truthful…Jarrett is mostly correct here. The story telling, the good vs. evil tool, and everything that comes with wrestling will always work. From the beginning of time until the end of time; it is just following the KISS Method and will attract viewers. He is also right in that there is room for three or four wrestling shows on TV. He is right. Where this starts to tail off is when discussing where they air on TV or with what time slot. That is where the term “competition” can be subjective.

Ring of Honor airing Saturday nights (in my area) is not going to make WWE step up their game. There is just no competition there. TNA airing on Spike TV Wednesday nights, Thursday nights, or even Monday nights has never done a single thing to WWE business. It is business as usual for WWE, regardless of anything that happens to TNA. Sorry to say folks, but there is no ‘competition’ here to breed success as Jarrett is claiming. It was true in the 1990’s absolutely, but this is 2014. In the United States, it is WWE…and everybody else. Nothing from ROH, TNA, or (if it ever launches) Global Force Wrestling is going to make a dent in WWE’s world. It is total myth that TNA moving networks, staying on Spike, or going off the air completely alters a single cent to WWE’s bottom line. Harsh but true. Life would move on for them business as usual.

Dixie Carter if she is worried about GFW: “Not at all,” “Not even a bit. Don’t know what it is, don’t understand it, and don’t need to.”

Kind of a truth feeling. Pretty much. Until some kind of TV/distribution deal is announced, GFW is just GFW. However, Dixie is NOT in a position to be dismissive like that. It comes off cocky but not in a good way at all. WWE can act like that. They have earned that. TNA is far from “above” any other place looking to hire/recruit wrestlers. While I agree with Dixie shrugging off GFW right now; it may come back to bite her.

AJ Styles on Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan coming to TNA: “I don’t think Eric and Hogan knew the roster at all. In fact, I don’t even know if they watched the show before they came in, and if they did it had to be very little,” “No one knew who I was. No one knew who [Samoa] Joe was. We added Rob Van Dam because everyone knows him.”

Truth. I am not sure early 2010 is ever going to be forgiven in wrestling fan’s eyes. It was just so blatant and obvious from the moment Hulk Hogan got rid of the six sided ring (something I actually agreed with) things were not going to end well. Maybe not right away. Maybe not in a month or two. Maybe not even in a year…but it was just a matter of time. Sure enough, the entire company suddenly changed. New guys were brought in. Others were shoved aside. Impact permanently moved to Mondays for all of two months. Higher paid wrestlers were signed. TNA went live/on the road to no return on investment wasting millions of dollars. The story lines and feel of the show had shifted. Yeah, January 4th, 2010 is not going to be remembered well. The end of TNA as we knew it had arrived, while WWE-Lite was just getting started.

Joey Ryan on his time in TNA: “I never really knew who my boss was,” “I wasn’t sure if I should listen to Eric Bischoff or Bruce Prichard or Dixie Carter. They were all giving me advice and telling me different things. Then the agents at the matches are telling me different things.”

Yep! A running theme for over a decade. Really, is it that dysfunctional backstage? As we sit here in September 2014, the same thing is probably still going on. Who is in charge? Who is the boss? Who? Perhaps more Gutcheck segments are needed for the answer.

To check up on that quote from Joey Ryan, I asked a former TNA main event talent his thoughts, and the reply was:

“I’ll just say I can certainly see why Joey viewed things that way.”

AJ Styles on the 40% pay cut he was offered by TNA: “It was insulting.”

Dixie Carter on the AJ Styes-contract situation: “I hate that we lost AJ. Are you listening?” “I hate it. I felt like we gave him a great offer. I really did. I felt like we gave him a great offer and I think he made a mistake.”

“IT’S A WORK!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Oh, not doing that anymore? Oops. Honestly, both sides are in the right. It is plain as day TNA can no longer pay the big bucks to anybody, and that includes an original like AJ Styles. It is just their current situation. Kaz, Daniels, Chris Sabin, AJ Styles, Tara, Mickie James, Sting, Hulk Hogan – I could go on and on. TNA does not have the money to be throwing around. Thus, the 40% pay cut seems laughable to someone like AJ Styles, but that is just the reality of TNA in 2014. On the flip side, like Jeff Jarrett (the founder) leaving, it is just mind boggling that AJ Styles, (AJ STYLES!) is no longer wrestling for TNA. I am not even a huge Styles fan, but wow – he has been YOUR guy for a decade, was the reigning TNA Champion, and just won in the main event of Bound for Glory 2013…and you let him walk. Amazing.

Sadly, the final part of Dixie’s quote (again) sticks out like a sore thumb. AJ is making more money elsewhere and is apparently lighting it up all over the world with great matches having one of his best years ever. Doubtful that qualifies as a mistake, and I am unsure a 40% pay cut qualifies as a “great offer.” Just my opinion.

Dixie Carter on hiring Hulk Hogan: “I think having Hulk Hogan as part of your company can never be a bad thing,” “To me, it was a great investment.”

You know, I get it. I do. Hulk Hogan is the biggest name in the history of the business. He brings attentions, attracts eye balls, is extremely well known to just about everybody in the world, and has a great history of bringing success to a couple wrestling companies. I get it. However, for Dixie to be sitting here in September 2014 defending The Hulkster-TNA partnership takes some serious gall. Only Dixie Carter thinks Hulk was a “great investment” during his time in the company. Speaking of, how about we all re-live the hilarious final moments of Hogan in TNA? Will make a nice chapter in the Fall and Fall of TNA DVD…

Bobby Roode on the Dixie Carter table spot: “Seeing your boss go through a table, a female at that,” “it kind of sets you back a little bit.”

Truth. To be honest, I never had a real problem with the Dixie Carter-table spot. As I wrote about many times (on another website), the whole thing did not actually bother me. What did NOT sit well with me though was just how TNA got there. It took up way too much time and was presented as the main event feud. The TNA Championship meant nothing (remember Eric Young?). Bully Ray repeatedly was stalking, threatening, berating, and strong arming a 100 pound 49 year old woman for months on end. Then when the big moment arrived, the entire roster came out and celebrated like it was some kind of big ‘accomplishment’ or something as Mike Tenay cheered out loud. All the while the blood thirsty, smarky smark, ECW loving New York City fans ate it up. It is 2014, right? Oh, and she was back on television a week or two later…and now Bully Ray is rumored to be leaving. Excellent. Job well done! The Attitude Era is long gone folks. ECW Is not coming back. What was accepted 15 years ago is not going to be the same in 2014. Bobby Roode hit the nail on the head. It just set you back a little. Even if the actual table spot (to a 49 year old UNTRAINED woman) was the end game for Dixie Carter on screen inTNA, the company took a backwards/strange way in getting there.

Dixie Carter on TNA’s future: “All these people say, ‘I hope you go out of business’ — why would you ever want that? You don’t think we make wrestling better just by exposing more people and giving people more options? It’s the most ludicrous, shortsighted thing — the sheer absurdity and stupidity of it blows my mind,” “I feel sorry for the wrestling business if we’re not around.”

Ultimately, this is where we are at: Dixie answering questions about the possibility of her company not being around in 2015.

Here are my main takeaways from the TNA/Grantland article…

Final Thoughts

1. Intentional or not, Dixie Carter did not come out of this very well at all. The quotes were just head scratching at best and laughable at worst. Just go back and read er replies throughout the article. You tell me how she came across.

2. I felt bad for all the talented stars in TNA. Something I have said numerous times. The guys and gals wrestling there deserve better. They should be on television seen by 4-5 million viewers each week on RAW, wrestling in front of 80,000 fans at WrestleMania, and earning the big bucks for what they love to do. Not toiling away in TNA.

3. Finally, the Grantland article convinced me that TNA will find a way to survive going forward. Somehow, someway. Notice I said survive, not thrive. Any sane person can see they are not in a position to be profitable and/or build their brand anytime soon. If ever. Like a cockroach refusing to die or a cat with nine lives, TNA will find a way to keep sliding by in 2015. Whether by some rich investors, an outright sale, new TV network pouring cash into their money pit, or a stroke of luck, they are not going anywhere. TNA will kick out at two for a very close, close, CLOSE near fall…

Self-Promoting Finale
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