The DNA of TNA.......

Contrary to the title of this post, I'm not going to be talking about Matt Morgan. In fact, this column is aimed to reach one person and you know who you are. When TNA was founded, in 2002, they were doing it in a four sided ring. Fact is, they used that very four sided ring until 2004, when the decision was made to switch to a 6 Sided Ring. The decision to switch back was controversial and caused ripples in the land of public opinion. Some, like myself, wanted TNA to keep the 6 sided ring, while others, like the incoming Hulk Hogan, determined that it made the promotion feel second rate. To the dismay of more than a few fans who had been watching during the 6 year span of the ring, the traditional ring was brought back and has remained ever since.

The problem TNA was being faced with was the problem of champions. With so many young performers, the decision was made to move certain performers up the ranks that they felt would bring in fans. SO, AJ Styles, Abyss, Samoa Joe and Ron Killings were given their just deserts and their own personal title reigns. However, in the history of TNA, only 5 actual TNA homegrown performers have ever held the World Heavyweight Championship;  Abyss, AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, James Storm, and the current champion, Bobby Roode. During the 6 Sided Ring Era, an overlooked fact is that Jeff Jarrett held the belt more than ANY OTHER PERFORMER, with one reign lasting nearly an entire year. That kind of title dominance makes the promotion look like they have no trust in their tier of talent fighting for that title. So my question to my audience of the day is this.......Is TNA in the business of creating new stars? I would argue that they are.

TNA has given WWE's former pet projects new life and a better persona. Ken Anderson, D'Angelo Dinero, Matt Morgan, and others have been revitalized and given the chance to build a name for themselves under a new banner. The X Division, whose emphasis in recent years is on and off, has created more TNA highlights than ANY other division and THOSE stars make this company something special. Additionally, the Knockouts Division gives women who WRESTLE for a living, a chance to compete in a division that gives them time to develop and ply their trade. Some come from WWE's Women's Division as exiles because that division is dead, only the Diva's Division remains, consisting mostly of swimsuit models and beauty pageant queens.

I will put this out there for you all, though, the object of the professional wrestling game is to win people over as fans, loyal fans. How do you do that? How do you go about creating a top tier that is second to none? I say there is one thing.....give perspective talents a resume. Guys like Matt Morgan have built a very nice resume for themselves without winning the big gold, but not for lack of management pushing for it. Injuries play a big part in a company that prides itself for not using move bans or limits for the performers. That notwithstanding, you build credibility by putting names on that tier people the casual fan will recognize. Jeff Hardy, Kurt Angle, Sting, and the other veterans serve one purpose in this ultimate goal, to put together a resume for the new breed of champion that people will believe. If you have champion who has defeated some of the best in the history of the business, you have a champion who will one day help create a resume for the next generation.

In the new era, TNA originals who have put in their time are being placed in a position where they can showcase and get their magazine covers and accolades BECAUSE THEY HAVE EARNED THEM in their years of service and loyalty. I can be relatively certain that TNA's top tier of main event talent will only expand to include Crimson, Matt Morgan, and a few others in the coming years and THAT is something TNA can be proud of......a rotation of performers fighting for the biggest gold the company has to offer that is large enough to give fans a variety of contests under a variety of circumstances rather than the same thing from month to month.