TNA Fans: I Need Your Help

Can any of you who dig this promotion give me a VALID reason to start watching again? I respect you guys, am curious as to what you think about TNA and whether you can possibly point out something I'm missing.

I haven't watched an Impact or PPV since May (I think), when all the "Deuces Wild" Tag Tourney stuff was going on and I think it was this absurd crap that finally turned me off.

To me, it sounded like: "Okay, we're going to randomly team up a bunch of guys who have never teamed together, thus insuring they have no chemistry as a tag team whatsoever. Then there will be a tournament that doesn't matter because once you get to the finals, we're going to give you a different partner. Then you and your new partner will face an already established team but, if you win, you have to swim the English Channel and go on a Scavenger Hunt. Then you have to dress in drag, qualify as an Olympic Shotputter and convince the world that Amelia Earhardt is still alive."

"And our Main Event will be 15 guys wrestling in a JUNGLE GYM!"

Don't get me wrong; I'm a huge fan of Joe, Christian, Booker, AJ et. al. It's just seems like TNA is booked by a monkey with a dart board. Does anyone EVER understand what the hell is going on??? It's not brain surgery! Take two men or women, give them a reason to hate each other, then make them wrestle! Yes, I've seen some good action on TNA but I never cared about any of it due to the cross-eyed booking and "angles".

The following will not be accepted as VALID reasons to watch:

1. Ratings and supporting competition in the wrestling world.
My nym (americaninchina or AIC) isn't just a nym; I really DO live and work in China and download everything I watch. My support doesn't mean squat for ratings.

2. A Name.
i.e. just typing "Samoa Joe". I'm well aware of who is currently employed by TNA.

Despite everything I can't stand about this promotion, I genuinely want to see them succeed and revive the competitive aspect of pro wrestling.

Alright guys...whatcha got?

Thanks!

I wouldn't be watching TNA if A, it wasn't part of my income and B, if I didn't see it live in the UK and will be again in January. They put on great live shows, but I agree the actual Impact show is garbage, confusing, totally not funny and full of strange women hating undertones.

They just aren't hip. They are like my dad trying to be funny in front of my friends, it's just cringe worthy. They don't get it.

To be honest I could write a 20 page essay on why they are bad. Over gimmicked, stuck in the past, flawed booking team, crappy announcers that think the fans are dumb, strange ripoff gimmicks, appallingly bad writing and comedy, Kevin Nash is still alive, Vince Russo is still alive, Jeff Jarrett thinks it's 1982, Dixie Carter is a pushover, Don West speaks to loudly, Robert Roode is from Canada not Wallstreet, Curryman, Glass Tables...

The one thing they do well is backstage segments. The camera isn't all seeing and all knowing like WWE, who randomly film all the important bits - in TNA Borash brings the camera and actually snoops around.

Still it's wrestling.

I remember in the early days of TNA - the weekly PPV's - how Don West was CONSTANTLY shilling the price of the PPV like he was still selling baseball cards on the Home Shopping Network.

"ONLY $9.95??? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!? THIS KIND OF ACTION FOR ONLY $9.95???"

I'd completely forgotten that until I bought the AJ Styles DVD.

I still wonder sometimes who the genius was that saw him screaming about a Derek Jeter rookie card and thought, "That guy would be AWESOME doing color commentary!"

And what, in the name of all that is holy, is Dustin Rhodes supposed to be? He looks like the Tin Man's fat loser brother.

Kevin Nash?

Maybe you have helped me find a reason to watch, Kee.

And that reason is....To goof on it!

I have tonnes of those Wednesday night PPVs on VCD. They were a hell of a lot better than this. The X-Division actually meant something, it's what made the product. Plus the whole show was more edgy, with cage dancers etc.

They got in a panic and thought the X-Division stars needed more character development. The problem with this was they gave them "gimmicks" not an in depth character. The X-Division stars can get across with their wrestling alone.

hate to say...but I usally watch the replay spike has on Saturday and miss most of that reason being I became a fan of Burn Notice and TNA is boring mostly...they have their moments but I'd rather watch Burn Notice...lol

I liked the early PPV days for the same reasons you mentioned, Kee. Althought I detested Don West from day one, those early PPV's were a lot of fun.

They still had a four-sided ring, for one.

And two: there was a sense that anything could happen. You never knew who would show up and it kept things really fresh. The one I really remember was Nikita Koloff being unmasked as Mr. Wrestling III. I think the lack of this kind of thing is really missing from today's product...the lack of surprises. CM Punk and Kofi's title reigns notwithstanding, I think most of us can lean into the turns and aren't genuinely suprised by what we see.