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WRESTLING COLUMNS

TNA: RIP
February 21, 2005 by Jason Seals


TNA is dead. Not dead as in defunct, like WCW. Dead as in irrelevant. Dead as in, wrestling fans don't need to give a crap about it anymore. It died on January 16, 2005, when Jeff Jarrett pinned Monty Brown at Final Resolution to retain the NWA championship. I didn't order the PPV, but once I read the results, I knew TNA was done for. And I haven't watched an episode of it since. There's no reason to.

TNA's death wasn't a sudden thing, either. It was hardly a bolt out of the blue. TNA's obit is the kind that would include the words "after a long illness." In this case, TNA's long illness began in December, with the Turning Point PPV. That's when things started looking bleak, when TNA developed a whooping cough and started walking with a limp.

Before I go on, I suppose I should say that, for months, I loved TNA. Absolutely loved it. I still remember how excited I was when it made its debut on Fox Sports Net, and for months, I didn't miss an episode. Not a single one. For awhile last summer, when SmackDown! was at its nadir, I actually preferred TNA to the WWE. The X Division guys-Styles and Daniels and Sabin and Primetime and Petey Williams and Sonjay Dutt-were putting on one jaw-dropping match after another. Abyss was pretty badass. And I thought Monty Brown was the Man.

I was so into TNA last year that, when Turning Point rolled around, I convinced my dad to spring for the PPV. My dad's an old-school wrestling fan who still thinks Lou Thesz is God. For months, he listened to me tell him about this "new" federation where the ring has six sides and the guys do amazing stuff like flip piledrivers and super moonsaults and run across the ropes. So, he ordered Turning Point, and I went over to his place to watch it, and we saw...Scott Hall and Kevin Nash wrestle in Elvis costumes. And Jonny Fairplay. And Randy Savage, coming in for the last two minutes of the main event and looking like an old man who'd fallen and couldn't get up. And that wretched, atrociously unfunny stuff with the WWE tape, and those two guys who were supposed to be Triple H and McMahon. Sure, the cage match was indisputably excellent, and the Brown-Abyss-Raven match was pretty cool. But everything else was such embarrassing crap that, once the show was over, my dad and I just sat there for a couple minutes in silence. Then I sort of eased myself out of my chair, said, "well, guess I'll get going now," and slunk towards the door. I'd put my faith in TNA and had finally shelled out for one of their PPVs (well, my dad had, anyway), and what I got as a reward was something rinky-dink. Well, I told myself, I've learned my lesson. TNA's obviously got a little ways to go yet. I'll give it a month or two to shake off its growing pains. Then things will be fine.

Initially, I didn't fault TNA for dragging in past-their-prime big names like Savage and Piper and Hall and Nash and DDP and Ken Shamrock and (egads) Dennis Rodman. That's what you've gotta do to attract attention, right" It's what sitcoms do around sweeps week. Hall and Nash showing up on TNA to stand in Jeff Jarrett's corner was the equivalent of, I dunno, Tom Selleck appearing on "Friends," or whatever. Indeed, that's part of the wrestling biz-the old legends are supposed to turn up every once in awhile to put the new talent over. That's the way you play the game; ask Mick Foley. But, when past-their-primers like Hall, Nash, Page, et al turn up on the scene, then start getting main event pushes instead of young lions like Brown and Styles, that's when something's askew. That'd be like, I dunno, watching a season's worth of "Seinfeld," then tuning in one night to discover that Newman's suddenly Jerry's new best friend, and George is just some guy we see occasionally. It doesn't make sense, and it just ain't the way things are supposed to work. Imagine what it must be like for somebody like A.J. Styles or Monty Brown or Abyss, working your butt off month after month, only to see your place in the main event taken by a guy who once pooped on a plate in an airplane, or a guy who once blew his quad out by walking from one side of the ring to the other. One would argue that Nash and DDP are getting their high-profile pushes because everybody knows their names, whereas only diehards know who Monty Brown is. The counterargument is, of course, that people like Brown are supposed to make their names by overcoming the likes of Nash, rather than by floundering on the midcard opposite nobodies like Bobby Roode while Nash hogs the frigging main event.

And that's another thing. If you want to make your federation newsworthy, you may wanna, oh, I don't know, try giving your belt to somebody else every once in a while. I've read a lot of articles on the net over the past several months comparing Jeff Jarrett (who pretty much runs TNA) to Triple H (whose father-in-law runs the WWE). Both are egomaniacs, both have stupid booking ideas, both are way overrated, both would rather lose two or three of their own extremities rather than give up the heavyweight belt, no matter whose career gets crippled in the process and no matter how bad it is for their respective companies. These comparisons are over and done with now, I assume. Triple H may be an egomaniac, and he may occasionally do stuff that's questionable, and that's harmful to other wrestlers. But Triple H, I believe, is a guy who's gonna put the business first when he needs to (I may be wrong; he may pull off something stupid at WrestleMania and blow it big for Batista-in which case I'll be back here eating my words). Triple H is, legitimately, a highly talented wrestler and a big guy who looks like he could hold his own opposite somebody like Goldberg; the same cannot be said for Jarrett. Plus-and here's the key-Triple H, self-serving though he undeniably is, will occasionally put people over. Who's Triple H put over in the past year" Not just Chris Benoit and Shelton Benjamin, but Orton, Batista, even arguably Eugene, for God's sake. Who's Jarrett put over in the time since TNA's been on Fox" Well, he let Savage pin him in a tag match (whereupon Savage promptly disappeared from TNA), and he let Monty Brown get up from a couple guitar shots. Come the hell on.

Originally, I didn't have a problem with Jarrett going over Jeff Hardy-twice. I figured he was doing it for the integrity of the title. After all, that's the NWA belt he's wearing-a prestigious title, and not one that needs to be dropped right away to some pretty boy WWE �migr� who paints his face green and sing-raps his own theme song. Give it to somebody homegrown, Jarrett. Give it to...oh, I don't know. How about the most dynamic, most over star in the company" How about the guy who decisively won two three-man matches in a row, one opposite Abyss and Raven, and the other opposite DDP and Nash" How about dropping it to Monty Brown" No" We're gonna have Monty job to you and then drop back down to the midcard for the rest of the year" Oh, okay.

I hope Jarrett realizes that he has to lose sometime, and to the right person, if he expects TNA to stay afloat. I don't think he does, though, or he'd have let Brown beat him at Final Resolution. That woulda been the perfect way to start off the year, with a rejiggered, rejuvenated TNA. Instead...what" We're getting Jarrett vs. DDP now" There's a frigging match I'll shell out big bucks to see. I love DDP, but he's almost 50 years old. Jarrett's not gonna lose to him, which means we're gonna be treated to the same old "this is Planet Jarrett" speech till at least midsummer, probably. Besides, if DDP wins, how bad will that make Monty Brown look" Brown just beat DDP and another guy in a three-man match. But, what, DDP can beat Jarrett while Brown can't" What about Abyss, now that he's been granted a title shot" How does Jarrett expect us to believe he can get by Abyss" Is he gonna hit Abyss with his guitar" Have about five guys run in to help him"

You know what TNA's good for now" Comedy. It's comic relief. It's the fed that keeps phenomenal talent like Ron Killings and Chris Sabin off the PPVs so Jeff Hammond-that skinny geek who's Fox's NASCAR analyst-can wrestle a match. TNA is far-fetched and frustrating, even by wrestling standards. TNA is the WCW for the new millennium. TNA is where old, decrepit WWE talent goes to fade away.

It's over, TNA. It was over once you started stuffing your main event with substance-friendly WWE exiles like Hall, Hardy, Waltman, and Billy freaking Gunn. It was over once the fans themselves started stepping out of the storylines, chanting "Drop the title!" at Jarrett at every opportunity. And it was over when it became obvious that a person could have watched an episode of TNA last July, then not watched another one till February, and not missed a thing. The same guys are fighting over the same belts, the same talents are languishing in the midcard. It's literally become the same old junk.

by Jason Seals..


William McCracken wrote:
I agree. TNA is deceased. The only thing left carrying the company is the plethora of gimmick matches. Let's see, Ultimate X every other PPV, and people complain about WWE's gimmick match frequency" I count eight gimmick matches in TNA's last four PPVs (including Ultimate X, Six Sides of Steel, and Monster's Ball), and only five in the WWE's last four PPVs (and the WWE total includes the Royal Rumble and Armageddon's TE "Dixie Dogfight"). All things considered, TNA may (and I emphasize MAY very strongly) have had (past tense) better talent; however, WWE have put their talent to better use. Also, as noted, TNA has been scooping up a lot of old, worn out talent of late (including talent that WWE has released for drug infractions). Now, WWE got away with this several years back (Kevin Nash and friends, cough, cough) because they're an established company, but TNA, a new company, can't make the same mistake (Kevin Nash and friends, cough, cough) and expect to survive. And, on a related note, TNA's PPV buyrates are too low to keep the company afloat. And the financial backers of TNA will only support the company's red ink for so long, and their patience very well may run out within the next twelve months. TNA, may you rest in peace.
HeartBlakasNight wrote:
I completely agree. I was also very excited about TNA, and I enjoyed quite a few of the shows, but it's all went down-hill. The one big sign for me was the ultimate drug addict... Jeff Hardy. The fact that there are still Jeff Hardy marks out there makes me vomit in my mouth. Wait, did I say marks" I mean 14 year old girls who don't know any better. I was hoping TNA would become a promotion that would bring the hard working, extremely talented indy workers into the spot light so all the sheltered WWE fans could see what they had been missing. But it has mainly become a place for old WWE wrestlers to work. Sure, there have been a few indy workers who have finally gotten their well-deserved spotlight, but not as much or as many as there should have been.
Johnny Speckman wrote:
TNA is neither dead nor irrelevant. If you had actually purchased Final Resolution, or at least seen it in its entirety, then you would know that. And don't you even dare bring Turning Point into this discussion because Turing Point was, by my terms, the best thing TNA has ever done. Yes there was some stuff I didn't enjoy, but you can't be flawless all the time.

At this point I should address the fact the Nash and Hall, and maybe DDP were brought into TNA to keep the boys in line backstage. There were some problems a little while ago, problems that go way beyond my knowledge, and since Hall and Nash have been in TNA, I have heard no further complaints. That is about the only credit I will give them. They were also brought in to for name recognition and to push the younger stars, yet they are now being given title shots against a man who needs no further push. This confuses me but my answer is; give it time. How long did it take Terry Funk to start putting people over in ECW"

As for Savage, Fairplay, and the fake HHH/McMahon storyline, I would have been embarrassed two had any of my friends or family seen that. Savage is a joke, Fairplay looks like somebody that I wished died every day (Thanks Corino!) and the WWE tape invasion angle was utter crap. Yes, this is all true, but ask yourself this question: When was the last time you were embarrassed by something on WWE programming" Answer: Probably RAW last Monday or maybe even No Way Out for those of you who say the diva thing. (I didn't because I chose to buy Against All Odds instead, best move I ever made) My point is that TNA is only a little over three years old. WWE is still making mistakes to this day and they are the longest raining, televised promotion. You might be expecting TNA to be a sanctuary for when WWE slips up, but don't expect TNA to continue to hold the ball; we all drop it at some point. Again you can't be flawless all the time.

To address your comment on so called "past their primers" Ken Shamrock was TNA's first World Champion so I doubt he was past his prime as the company had enough stock in him to give him such an honor. Shamrock did what he had to do then left. As for Piper, correct me if I'm wrong here for I haven't seen all of TNA's early days but I don't recall him wrestling a match in TNA. Kind of hard to put over talent when you don't wrestle. Yet his Pit with Superfly allowed Kid Kash to gain some exposure. I consider that putting some one over and I think Cactus Jack and his promo where he spit on the WCW Tag belt would agree as he was putting over Sabu via a promo. As for the little guys getting their shot I'm surprised that A.J.'s name comes up in your list as I have him on my score card as being a two time World Champion among many other accolades. I'm also surprised that you mentioned Monty Brown and Abyss only because they haven't done much to show me that they deserve a title shot yet. Yes they have worked their butts of but the title picture is hardly their spot yet. I need to see more out of them before I put them among the ranks of Jeff Jarrett. Bobby Rude has worked his butt off as well and while he is even lower then Abyss and Brown in the rankings he is certainly not a mid-card nobody. And speaking of Jarrett, he doesn't run TNA, his father does. He may or may not have stock in the company and if he does who's to say that he isn't abusing his power" Perhaps the man in charge (his father) doesn't even deal with his son's storylines. Perhaps a team of professional writers determine everything and rule in favor of Jeff Jarrett because they believe its best for the company. The same could be said for HHH. Just because they have family ties with the owners doesn't necessarily mean that they become drunk with power. Most people just use that excuse as a scapegoat because they're tired of watching them win all the time. Let me put this out their: How long has JBL held the title" Not as many times as Jeff Jarrett and certainly not as many times as Triple H but almost about as long as Jarrett's current reign. Is he sleeping with the boss' daughter" No! Is his father the owner of WWE" Certainly not. So how can JBL win all time if he doesn't have control of his own storylines...Oh I know this one...It's because he cheats isn't it" Hardly! Almost every match JBL has had has been a gimmick match; from a Bull Rope Match to a Cage match, Last Ride and Hardcore Rules, to a Last Man Standing and finally a Barbed Wire Steel Cage Match. The rules to all of these matches clearly state that there is no disqualification. Through smoke and fire JBL has continued to reign as the champ without any relation to the WWE owner, Vince McMahon. Think twice before you assume that Trips and The King of the Mountain have total control next time.

Also think twice before you assume a man of very little experience is so deserving of a title shot. He has gotten a title shot before and has come up short against Ron Killings in mid 2002. Just because he won the Monsters Ball doesn't make him worthy enough for a title shot. Also winning the Triple Threat Match with DDP and Nash doesn't make him deserving either. Abyss is still a rookie in TNA much like Brown. Raven is the only Monsters Ball participant who is worthy of a title shot. And DDP is getting his chance even though I feel he doesn't need it. It's the same with Nash. No matter how much you like Monty Brown it doesn't make him a better wrestler nor does it give him the proper experience edge in going up for the World Title. Monty Brown may be the future of TNA, but not right now.

So what if Monty Brown beat DDP and Nash in a Triple Threat Match. It doesn't make him better then they are. Yes Final Resolution was Jarrett's night but Destination X could be DDP's. It's not about who is better than who. Perhaps DDP wasn't bringing his A Game to Final Resolution. Someone can lose to someone and then go on to beat someone else without having a huge fuss made about who is better. DDP lost at Final Resolution but he is more determined now to beat Jeff at Destination X.

Taking a look at the names above one comes to the conclusion that TNA does have some old decrepit WWE talent, mainly Nash and Jeff Hardy (not listed above), and they have brought in outside talent such as Jeff Hammond and Dennis Rodman, but doing a few WCW'esque things hardly makes them the WCW for the new millennium.

Its true TNA needs some work and it's true that TNA needs to stop hiring released WWE superstars just for the name recognition. TNA is still relatively new and has the chance to grow and I personally can't be happier with what they are currently producing. The storylines are fresh and the feuds are new and are always changing. If you look at the product in July of last year and look at it now you will see that not everything is the same as it used to be. TNA is always finding new ways to be innovative and it's not their fault if you can't see that. If it's true that you haven't watched an episode of TNA since Final Resolution then the only thing that has died around here is your love of pure wrestling and quite possibly your soul. So let's all take a moment and bow our heads in memory of Jason's soul, may it Rest In Peace.
LanceCrucifix wrote:
I highly dissagree with alotta things you said, one, Monty Brown, is the worst wrestler since Goldberg, unlike Goldberg he does have a love for the bussiness, But he is still horrible, and running shoulder block as a finisher, c'mon. Jarret on the other hand, is a decent wrestler, and most people are ignorant to the fact, the more one person holds a title more you want to see them lose it. Like Bradshaw for example, by no means is Bradshaw any good, but, he can make you hate him, with his money and his pure ability to be annoying. Same with Jeff, Monty Brown, is horrible just like most wrestlers to come from football, you see, football players are used to running full force at somebody and attacking. Monty hasn't learned that, in this sport, the object is to try not to hurt people, ask Hardy, Jarret even Raven, who have all been on the recieving end of Monty Brown's stiffness. I agree that TNA should put away Hall and Nash, but DDP is someone that still has a small amount, like a Ric Flair, lol.
Laurens Fuchs wrote:
Some excellent points about TNA here IMO..... TNA is without a shadow of a doubt the WCW of today - or at least it's doing everything to become the WCW of today. I wholeheartedly agree with you saying that it's a damn shame that young and fresh talent (that can put on excellent matches) is getting held back by some senior citizens like Nash, Hall, Savage, DDP, Piper, etc. who just can't stay away from the ring for godsakes.... that's exactly what was SO wrong with WCW and what killed it. The thing is that in the long run TNA won't be any competition for WWE, it's gonna be the place where those ousted by the WWE will go.... which won't help TNA change to the better, cause everytime WWE fires somebody totally useless, TNA is literally jumping out of their seats to sign them - and it's not like WWE wouldn't be aware of that. But they couldn't care less about it, because guys like Waltman (after returning from his "vacation" in Chyna) or "The One to Die" Billy Gunn sure as hell won't do anything in terms of helping TNA i.e. hurting WWE.... they just don't matter.

And then there's something I wanna get off of my chest as far as Double J is concerned: he sucks.

He really does. He sucked in WWF, he so totally sucked in WCW and he still sucks today. He doesn't do anything for, never did. He's NO Chris Jericho, he's NO Kurt Angle, and he sure as hell is NO HHH - in fact he's nowhere near those guys. Jarrett is soooo overrated, it's just not funny anymore. There's a good reason that he didn't go anywhere beyond the Intercontinental level in the old WWF, because he just isn't Main-Event material in my eyes..... he's never even had a credible or likeable or dislikable character that I could relate to, what's the thing with the guitar" Some years ago when he moved to WCW I thought he'd get rid of that guitar at some point..... is he still a country star" GET A FREAKIN' CHAIR if you wanna hit someone over the head or maybe a SLEDGEHAMMER"! Which brings me back to HHH, no matter if he's selfish at times or whatever, at least he's a credible Heavyweight Champion, he's got the body, the skills, he's bad and all..... he looks and acts like someone that you would imagine being the best guy in the entire company. Sure, Jericho for example isn't really bigger than Jarrett, but is so far superior in every other department it's just plain ridiculous. So as long as you've got Jarrett hanging on the title continously, there's nothing WWE has to worry about.

And now I'm waiting for all you JJ followers to come out and tell me how wrong I am and how good he is.... by the way, I know there are worse wrestlers and guys that are worse on the mic than Jarrett, but all those guys aren't anywhere near Jarrett when it comes to being pushed or holding a title.... which in the end makes Jarrett look bad again and rightfully so.
Shawn wrote:
Just another example of internet garbage. TNA is in a growing period. Brown will get his chance but TNA is saving it for a big show like their third anniversary or Victory Road. Plus, Brown is still improving in the ring. Styles ask to go back to the X division and TNA gave him his wish.

You sound like other SMARKS, TNA is dying and they need to make changes,blah,blah,blah. Guess what, the buyrates is up. They actually getting more sponsors. They will have a 2 hour special in April. They have other business deals like Action Figures. I mean, TNA has change. TNA used to be an indy company who pleases the ROH type of fans and it did'nt go far. Once they sign guys like Hardy,Nash,etc. the money and deals is rolling in.

TNA is wayyyyyyy better than Smackdown and you can't deny that.
Brian Bertrand wrote:
Unfortunately, I agree with you. TNA is rolling very fast downhill off of a cliff with Jarrett as champion. To me, this is the big thing holding TNA back. The Kings of Wrestling gimmick died before it was born. This is pretty sad because Hall and Nash are the perfect examples of faction makers. The nWo was great for them but that eventually died out as well. I think what TNA is hoping for is another nWo from the past to rise up and take control and the Jarretts are praying that it goes over well when the cards are definately not in their favor. These WWE exiles you speak of are also not helping them in the least. It saddens me that they are using guys from another company to strengthen their already phenomenal talent roster. I hope TNA learns a lesson from their mistakes soon. Waltman already has a bad back from Against All Odds and I doubt TNA is able to fit him in any storyline because he has no clue how to work one. The only good storyline he played out was when Triple H killed DX back at Wrestlemania XV while Waltman took on Shane McMahon. This is because Shane and Triple H had to dumb it down for him or else he would have no clue what spot to call.

Isn't Billy Gunn just as injury prone as Kevin Nash" Why the hell is he even on the talent roster for TNA now" Don't get me wrong I think he's an awesome guy but I just think he's going in way over his head since this is a new ring for him, mostly new talent that he'll end up taking on, and that I don't think he'll work well without teaming up with BG James and reforming the New Age Outlawz within the 3 Live Kru. All his best matches were tag matches with James anyways so it would totally fit in.

This is all pretty much the main event picture anyways, but I don't consider TNA's main events as true main events. This is because the world title picture is a mockery of what the NWA stands for. I have no shame in saying it. By keeping the strap on Jarrett's waist, they are killing the product. Have him at least lose it in another NWA league just so an up-and-commer can come into TNA and have the spotlight on him. He'd be carrying the flag of the NWA as well as the NWA company he's in and it would get him a lot more exposure. It just makes sense. If you keep the titles fresh then it entertains the masses in ways that are unbelievable. I wouldn't mind seeing a guy from NWA California take that title away from Jarrett myself but I'm just being bias.
Nathan Cortes wrote:
Some good points Jason but i have to cut you short on a couple of points one thing that just stuck out to me was you said the Abyss/Monty Brown/Raven match was good when that was Victory Road. It was Abyss vs Monty Brown and Raven faced DDP.

As for your opinion on the champion Jeff Jarrett, that is the thing im contradicting you on. Jeff Jarrett is the perfect champion for TNA, the main reason being is that he is stable in the ring. A world title belt is not something that should be tossed between challengers every 2 or 3 months. There is a reason that TNA was built around Jarrett and no its nothing to do with his dad. It is because hes at the talent and charisma. Jarrett has them both aswell as the right age hes 37 now soon to be 38 the perfect age to be recognized as carrying a company, he put TNA on the map. Soon it will be time for him to step aside and i admit Monty Brown is a huge impact player and a future champion but he is not ready.

The reason why they continue to use the old guys to main event is because they are building up the future of the company if they use guys like Jeff Hardy and Monty Brown now then TNA will die. Monty Brown like ive said is a future champion, Jeff Hardy on the other hand will never be a world champion cause flat out he doesnt fit world title material. I think you are going a little to far saying that because Jarrett beat Monty Brown that TNA will die (FYI Im in uk so were just up to the first episode of 2005)

I love standing up for world champions ill move on to Triple H in a column i am writing now
The Excellent Eddy Broadway wrote:
I definetly have to disagree with you TNA being dead or irrelevant. I would say diagnose it more like ill. Before I start bashing Jarret and others I want to say that TNA has some serious potential if managed correctly. I can respect JJ for a several reasons. Career he was Owens last tag partner, has held the IC title and made an impact on WWF and WCW. He has been in the business for many years and has helped push other wrestlers. Did anyone ever see when he dropped the IC to the up and coming HBK. Now to understand Jarret..he has invested a great deal of money (money equals lots of your lifes earnings) to make TNA worth watching. So I say he is worthy of a solid title run. But he should have dropped it to Monty Brown and not have dropped Brown in Status. Bringing in Billy Gunn is not at all a mistake. Billy is still talented and athletic and can help take TNA and its stars to the next level. His match with Nash should be good because it will prove once and for all that Big Stupid...err Big Sexy is done. It will should be the way for TNA to rid itself of the Nash and Hall disease. I spent most of my years hating X-pac but when I saw Waltman on TNA fight AJ styles I knew WWE held Waltman down (he became famous for a moonsalt 1-2-3). He practically carried his fight with AJ stules (Best of AJ Styles DVD). Who else is left for Elix Skipper to beat. DDP you are wrong about. He brings a lot of respect to the sport. How cool was it to watch him shake hands with Monty Brown. Its not his fault that he got his push late in his career. It broke my heart to watch him drop the WCW title to Big Aging...err BS Nash. DDP is not afraid to drop to any new talent and for that the people have always considered him a People's Champ. I wanna see anyone's dad do what DDP can do (don't bash him on age). Back to Billy Gunn. He did very little at WWE not anywhere near his potential. How hard is his gimmick "NIN you know who I am." Build up sells. If TNA had a dash of more build-up WWE would only be able to sell the big PPV's. One more title could help. This way you could give meaning to some of these incredible potential matches: Raven vs JHardy, Primetime vs Killings, Waltman vs AJ-Styles who finally comes up from the X-Division. I personally love the X-Division but TNA has a chance to finally evolve. In Conclusion: Jarret pretty please w/ honey and sugar on top... drop the freakin' title. Jarrett when its time its time (you are close to fucking it all up recover from not giving Monty Brown the title). Let Nash lose to Billy in epic fashion, not an interference match that proves nothing about how washed up Nash is. Nash/Hall its over. Waltman this is your last opportunity to win some fans. Billy deliver TNA from this Coma (don't give me this DX shit). Elix Skipper (he just keeps kicking ass) or Monty Brown (the big duh of my response) needs some gold quickly. X-Division guys... you are all great but for godsakes please eat a sandwich and break the 200 lbs barrier. Or else face destruction at the hands of "the Excellent Eddy Broadway."
Eddy Cornelison wrote:
I must take issue with what your saying. How can you say TNA will end up like WCW just because you don't like the current product" I agree with just about everything Johnny Speckman said. Now as for Jarrett well I do think its time to drop the title. I rather like Jarrett as champ but the "drop the title" chants is not "heel heat" its "your boring us" heat.

As for the "over the hill" guys well is it really that bad" OK I give you Randy Savage but Piper is not a wrestler just a member of the championship committee and Rodman only walked 3LK to the ring one time so it was a bit unfair to mention him. As for Nash and DDP well so what if their in TNA" Nash and Jarrett had a great match and IMO was Nash's best match ever. Page is still in great shape and has yet to put on any bad matches so why are you so upset by their presence"

Now it is true that TNA has at least 1-2 stipulation matches per PPV. But there is a good reason for that. Well first off are you really upset that Ultimate X is back" Its not like it will be an awful match. Maybe TNA needs to lay off on it a little but still. Stipulation matches also help promote the undercard while the big names help draw people. Let me also say that non of the stipulation matches have been bad. 6 sides of steel with AMW/XXX was an awesome match so why does it matter it TNA has alot of stipulation matches" WWE has lots of PPVs with stipulation matches. Now for those of you who saw Final Resolution can you honestly say it was worse then New Years Revolution"

No wrestling promotion will be perfect all the time. I have been a WWE fan for 12 years and sure there were times when I thought "this is awful how can anybody watch this" but I never went as far as to think they may disband. Just because you aka 1 fan is not enjoying the product hardly means they are doomed.
Brad Dykens wrote:
Anyone who thinks TNA is on its deathbed obviously doesn't understand the business. It's not about the quality of wrestling, it's about the number of eyes focused on the product and the money they pay to see it. As long as the number of eyes increases then TNA can only be considered a success. To think this time last year TNA had no decent TV, and ran weekly PPV with ratings too embarassing to publish. Considering the hundreds upon hundreds of indy feds, including ECW, that have tried to compete with WWE, I think TNA should be patted on the back for accomplishing what they have in less than three years. Nobody thought they'd celebrate their first anniversary - they did. Nobody thought they'd celebrate their second anniversary - they did. Nobody sure as hell gave them a chance at reaching their third anniversary, and guess what folks, they're about to do it. Everyone likes to put down TNA for pushing Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, DDP, Billy Gunn, Syxx-Pac, Jeff Jarrett etc etc but they are names that people know. They'll say, oh wow, Kevin Nash is in TNA, I should check that out some time. They tune in and see AJ Styles, the X-Division, Monty Brown, and say, wow this isn't half bad. And it isn't half bad folks, I mean GEZZ quit analyzing every little thing and be a fan again. These guys are working their way towards wheelchair retirement for YOUR entertainment and all you can do is BITCH"! Booooooooooooooo on you.

Do you really tune into TNA expecting to see 5-star matches from bell to bell" Just because they don't, you automatically conclude that it's less superior to WWE"! Why" WWE certainly isn't 5-star from bell to bell. WWE is lucky to get one 5-star match at each PPV. TNA's monthly PPVs have given us 2-3 REALLY great matches per show - and they're not always the ones you expect! When was the last time WWE had a show-steeler on the undercard"! A PPV shouldn't be 5-star from bell to bell; A PPV should be a gradual incline of emotion and intrique. WWE likes to go UP-and-DOWN-and-UP-and-DOWN and drain their audience by the end, personally I don't like that. Oldschool booking gives the fans a slow start, and with each match that passes, you get a little more excited, until finally the MAIN EVENT blow off.
BrakY2J wrote:
TNA's been downhill since they took Vince Russo off the booking team. TNA's booking in 2002/2003 was so much better than it is now. Rhodes looked like he was off to a good start as booker when he first too the job, but now it's reverted to nothing but squash matches for an hour and hype for the next Pay Per View. Now, on to Jarrett vs. Brown, do you seriously think someone like Monty Brown deserves to be NWA World Heavyweight Champion" Brown is God awful in the ring, he's the next Bill Goldberg! I'd rather see Jeff Hardy as the NWA Champion than Monty Brown, and I'm not a Hardy fan at all!
Daniel M wrote:
I agree with "The Excellent Eddy Broadway", DDP is a star and really ads something to TNA. I like seeing him in the title picture, he's a great face worker and he still goes alright in the ring.

I'm still liking TNA, sure it has its shortcomings in the title picture especially, but I hope TNA can grow. Jarrett is good worker and a textbook wrestler but I am sick of him, it really is time to drop the belt, its just getting frustrating now, and Kevin Nash does nothing for me. I think Monty Brown is horrible: "Monty Brown, is the worst wrestler since Goldberg" -LanceCrucifix, couldn't agree more! I wanna see Raven get another push back into the title picture, he's the best heel in the fed right now. I'm loving Abyss's work too!

Also, beside the point I wish WWE didn't own the rights to the Goldust name, I found Goldust really entertaining back in the day, but now we get 'The Lone Star Dustin Rhodes', who is getting a run in TNA because daddy said he could..........

Now one little correction 'Jason Seals', You said: "I love DDP, but he's almost 50 years old" ----- Dude, DDP turns 38 in April, he's only 9 days older than Jeff Jarrett, if that's what you call 'almost 50' then ooookay............
XtremeFalls43 wrote:
TNA having Nash and Page challenge for the belt is a good thing Jarrett holding the belt is a bad thing, Page and Nash are established Main Eventers and the NWA heavyweight title needs good challegers Ron Killings is good but in most minds is just a failed WWE star, Jeff Jarrett is just gettting the belt cause his dad and is holding the company down. Hardy to me is just there for cause they need stars and Monty Brown is annoying he isn't very over rated. Raven and Scott Hall, Nash, and DDP will help make the belt Legit and not look like an Indy company. MOnty Brown though needs to go to Developement if you ask me.
Erkka J�rvinen wrote:
I agree just about everything what Brad said. Great points there. The thing what Brad was talking about seeing the old guys, thats how i watched my first TNA video Final Resolution in the first place. I got interested because many people said TNA is good, i checked out the website and saw many superstars who i used to like and now, i think TNA kicks ass!
Archangel wrote:
First off I do think that Jeff Jarrett needs to drop the NWA Title. Its just that he is not world champion ship material. Some have been saying that Monty Brown or Abyss have not done anything special to make them world champion ship caliber. If that's the case, then tell me what has Jeff Jarrett done to deseve the title. Putting in some $dollar$ bills doesn't make it so. If that's the case I could put a couple thou and I could be NWA Champion" Come on please. I do think that Hall/Nash do need to go home and stay there until they die. I don't think they need to be wrestling anymore but I do think they should have a last match where they can pass the torch, if they ever had one themselves. I don't think Monty Brown is ready for the world title just yet but I do think he needs gold. This is why I think that TNA could just another title ( like an IC or TV type of title). If TNA has a title like that they could use it to push there talent before given them a world title shot.

Keeping that in mind I still think that TNA needs to get rid of Jarrett as champion but there is a small problem. Who can Jarrett drop the title to" Look at the guys they have, Jeff Hardy can't get over, Abyss is not ready nor Monty Brown. From those three I believe that Brown is closer but not just yet. I do think that ddp could be some one to drop it to for now, while the other guys get pushed (with another title). Look at what it did for Eddie Guerrero when he won the newly brought back US title. A few month later he was WWE Champion. It also help John Cena get over with the fans. It just comes to prove that having a second best title comes in handy.

TNA should learn that having old talent might help them get some of there younger talent over but they should do what WCW did and that is keeping the old talent at top.
Matthew Behrman wrote:
i disagree TNA is not dead the proof was againest all odds and it might have been the best TNA PPV of all-timeoh sure is not like is "WCW DEAD" but TNA is the true alturnive*sp to WWE.....WOW (world of women wrestling) tried and failed....but TNA is the best but there is one major problem here..that is Jeff Jarrett is taking lessons from HHH and JBL and that is Keep the belt longer until someone beats you!!!!! Sure you say ok your nuts for saying let's review HHH's title regins shall we.......1.HHH "won" the world title actully handed by bichoff at raw 2002 since then he held it until HBK beat him at surser at 2002 then one month later HHH won it back that is a short title regin right there,2.HHH kept the belt most of 2003 beating stiner at RR of 2003 then beat Booker T at Wrestlemania XIX it's been a few months later HHH still champ after he beat 5 other guys one of the goldburg at summer slam of 2003 but during the fall months goldburg won the title in spt. PPV or surser of 2003 the months late HHH won it again 3.during 2004 he still held the title and lost it to benoit at wrestlemania XX by beating HBK and HHH by submission then benoit hold it for a quite a while until orton beat benoit at summerslam 2004 then a month later at unforgiving HHH won it back from him then for a few months later vince vacted the title and HHH PO'D then a week late bichoff announce elemantin* chamber and HH won it again the point I try to make is Jeff Jarrett is taking lesson from the game hold the title long as possable then lose it then won it back for month or few months on end and I for one had it with longer title reigns jarrett's one is good but HHH is worst every fan hates it HHH holds the title for ever Long Live TNA
ShaunCl wrote:
I diasagree. If you think TNA (Total nonsense action in my opinion) VS WWE is going to dwarf that of the monday night wars, then i think you should go hit yourself with a chair to knock some sense into you. WWE will eventually crush TNA. WWE is the dynastic father of sports entertainment, and will always have millions of fans. TNA will go to the graveyard before long. I agree that new years revolution wasnt as good as it could be, but to say that WWE has a cancer eating away at it is dead wrong. TNA dreams of being WCW on a bigger scale, bigger than Vince. But thats all it is, a dream.
Anthony Mcmullen wrote:
all the replies have been pro tna, saying all the good points, or anti tna, saying all the bad points.

im pro tna, though it has its cons. i think tna is great and innovative, minus the main event, which sux. i think jarret should drop the title. there was a point made (in one of the replies) how the title should not be thrown around every two or three months.true, but isnt it time to drop the title already. i think that him building the company around himself, and the fact that his dad owns the company, combines to say why he should not wear the title.also i that the rest of tna is gold. tag wrestling and(this is were the focus is) the x division is gold. good luck to tna.
C Thomas wrote:
I have to disagree as well with him on the TNA is WCW thing. TNA is doing what it has to do to survive in the wrestling game. What I do have a problem with is that TNA is getting too big too soon. It took ECW 4-5 years just to get to PPV and they did it smart. A big PPV every other month(s). TNA has been throwing gimmick after gimmick after gimmick match at the fans and you can't knock their hustle because the fans love the stuff. Look at the WWE. As long as they have fans that hate Triple H, people still pay good money to see the strap taken off of him or to at least get his butt kicked. TNA is doing what sells and you can't hate them for that. The only real problem I have is that Jarret is being the general CZAR of TNA by holding the strap for Gosh knows how long and they're not giving the young guns a chance to shine (Isn't that what TNA set out to do in the first place"""). And as you can see, the X-Division is slowly disintegrating to another spot worthy division than what it started out to be. Look at the division now: No Sonjay, No Amazing Red, and the list can go on.

TNA is a promotion slowly trying to find it's way, it's not fair to turn your back on the only promotion that is saving mainstream wrestling...(If only Ring Of Honor got on TV...talk about REBEL WRESTLING!!)
BoiOfLife wrote:
Well, let's take a look at the state of TNA. As with most new promotions, we have to judge TNA within the correct parameters. It is rather new promotion, which is still trying to find it's way. On the reverse end, it is the flagship of the NWA, the oldest promotion left in North America. Those in charge of TNA have a lot to live up to.

I have always been a huge wrestling fan. However, after Steve Austin won his first World Title, I actually stopped watching. I am sad to say that I missed the entire Austin/Rock era. The only way I have been able to rebuild my history is through old wrestling tapes and websites like OWW. I started watching WWE again, about a year and a half ago. At that point, I was shocked to learn of WCW's and ECW's demise. Having Smackdown and Raw as the two separate promotions just didn't work for me. It did not have the same effect as the opposing federations of the old days. Since both are owned by WWE, they are basically the same promotion with two leagues.

So, last year I finally discovered TNA. I wasn't really sure what to think of it at first, so I ordered one of the weekly PPV's. I thought it was cool, but I really wasn't too impressed. I honestly thought that the idea of weekly pay per views was rather stupid. So, I only mildly paid attention to TNA until Victory Road came up.

Victory Road was the very first PPV since Wrestlemania 20 that I felt was worth my money. Yeah, I wasn't too happy about the Hall and Nash angle. And I hated that Randy Savage showed up at the end. All three of those guys have absolutely no business even trying to wrestle. Hall is fat, Nash is old and frail and Savage is barely held together like a scarecrow. I began to believe at that point that this new promotion I discovered was on the same path as WCW.

So, Turning Point came along. It started out with that stupid "Kings of Wrestling" sketch. This was followed by some decent matches, but unfortunately also the return of DDP and Johnny B. Badd. Then comes the 6-man tag main event. Now, as a rule, I don't like 6-man tag matches. I hate them. And this match gave me no reason to like them more. Nash and Hall could barely move, so it seemed like the match was just between Jarrett, Hardy and Styles. And Savage's terrible entrance I thought was the nail in the coffin for TNA.

Luckily, the amazing steel cage match revitalized it for me. That one match was more than worth the price of the PPV. It was without a doubt the best match of the year. Still I wasn't sure if I wanted to give TNA another chance.

A week or so later, I heard that Jerry Jarrett called off negotiations with Savage when they refused to let him win the NWA World Title. I decided to give TNA another chance. I haven't regretted this decision as the two following PPV's have been totally amazing.

This is why TNA is not dead. The focus has remained on the amazing talent, especially in the X-Division. There were more good matches in the Final Resolution PPV than in every single WWE PPV of the following year. Yes, there was some bad wrestling from the old guys, but it didn't take center stage. Hall, Nash and DDP are only there for name recognition. TNA is not catering to them.

Then there's Jeff Jarrett. He is probably the most effective person in TNA to be holding the NWA title. Jarrett is a veteran, but still in his 30's. He creates heat almost better than any other wrestler. A young company like TNA can't have a fan favorite Champion. As champion, Jarrett brings in viewers because viewers want to see him lose. They hate him and they want to see him drop the title. He's no Ric Flair, but he is using the same philosophy that Jim Crockett used. A hated wrestler brings in the viewers. Having Monty Brown as NWA champ would not generate enough viewers and it would have been the nail in the coffin for TNA. As would DDP if he wins the belt.

As long as TNA can bring in some big names for recognition, use them for their names and not give them titles-plus give amazing matches throughout the card, it will end up being around for a long time.
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