Keith Watanabe * NET 2.0

While I've not commented on TNA for a time, the truth is that I wrote a nasty rant against Russo and his inability to tell a story.  However, the rant got trashed after my stupid browser lost my post.  It took me a good hour or so coming up with the rant and that irritated me to no end.

Then I read over on 411mania about what 2008 should/ought to mean for TNA, and considering I've been doing my 2008 predictions/strategies for other people, I decided, why not do one for TNA?  Here it goes (and hopefully the browser doesn't screw up this time!!!!!):

1) Get rid of Vince Russo.  This guy should be permanently banned from touching any wrestling related business ever again.  That should be the top priority of TNA.  Just the like the movie AI where you could tell where Kubrick's genius ended and Spielberg's childish demeanor dismantled Kubrick's build, so too can you see Russo's lowbrow humor, his twisted sense of paranoia, his unending "storylines" and unnecessary complications of something that really should be no more than "I hate you" and "No, I hate YOU!"  Sometime a while back, Dixie Carter heavily attempted to defend Russo for the whole "Fire Russo!" chant at Lockdown 2007.  Well, we've been pelted over a year with his distasteful booking or whatever you want to call it and the thing is that the wrestling world has had enough.  Dixie Carter and the rest of TNA management/owners, and whatnot, unplug Russo and lay him to rest.
2) Halt with the acquisitions.  The only 3-4 I would've made were Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, RVD and perhaps Paul Heyman.  Benoit is a moot point and Jericho was smart enough to realize that he could make it bigger in the WWE.  RVD would be the only last meaningful acquisition that TNA could make from the WWE.  Heyman would be good but as someone who is in charge of brand management.  However, Cornette and Paul E might not be such a good internal combo.  But anything beats Russo at this point.
3) Stop thinking this is 1996-1998 and realize that your true competitor is NOT the WWE, but ROH.  WWE is way off TNA's charts in terms of competition.  TNA has no hopes in pulling in the type of numbers that the WWE does and won't be in position for probably a good decade, especially with their booking.  However, every time I turn a corner, the hot product isn't TNA but ROH because ROH (though I haven't seen them yet) is doing what TNA should've been doing: concentrating on having good matches.  I'm doubtful that WWE would want most of TNA's talent, but ROH definitely can have a place for them.
4) TNA needs good wrestling matches.  They've done better in the sense that the 2 hours allowed them to prolong a match or two on the program.  But there has NOT been any truly notable, epic matches in a while.  Perhaps the only one people have talked about is Chris Harris vs James Storm.  The other was Amazing Kong vs Gail Kim, but most of that was due to good booking rather than the pure match quality itself (too short to really be at the level warranting a MOTYC).  WWE has HBK vs John Cena for 60 minutes on free TV.  That's an epic.  Many of the wrestlers in TNA can easily go 60 minutes and have cooler moves than Cena and HBK, but we don't get to see that.  Companies like AJPW, Zenjo, JWP, and Noah at times have the concept of epic matches.  They get the appropriate time to allow the matches to sink into memory.  TNA cannot simply cater to each wrestler by allowing them to get a little bit of time through throwing them into another 10-way match where each wrestler gets 3-5 moves a piece.  Big deal.  It makes no statement about the match nor the wrestler.  It's just forgettable spots.  Instead of getting these well rounded wrestlers, we get spot-a-thons.  For most of TV, it's acceptable, for PPVs it's unforgivable.  The reasoning is simple: why pay for something you can get on TV for free?  Outside of the fact that Russo is a terrible writer, this is probably the biggest lesson TNA needs to learn.
5) Brand management.  Samoa Joe shooting against TNA and turning it into a lame shoot angle is the best way to destroy your own brand.  Right now, people's image of TNA must be the place where people go to bitch.  Robert Roode has done it, Team 3D did it, Christian did it, Chris Harris has done it and now Samoa Joe is doing it.  It might work the first or second time, but by the 5th+ time, it gets old.  Fast.  And no one likes hearing someone bitch (okay, I'm doing it too but I'm trying to offer suggestions as well).  So to practice what I preach, I offer the advice of figuring out a better way to manage TNA's branding.  First, figure out what TNA is.  Some say it's the X-Division.  Others say it's the anti-WWE.  Others say it's all about action.  I say none of these things have a good focus.  For TNA to determine what kind of brand it is, it needs to answer this simple question: who you are.  And you must do this in one sentence, less than 12 words.  If it were me, I'd explain it as this: it's where good wrestling happens.  Simple, short, to the point and it describes something that isn't necessarily the WWE.  Also, it brings focus to the product.  Focus on the wrestling aspect, the moves, the meaning behind the moves, the competitive nature of the sport. Make it seem like there is a competitiveness to the wrestling rather than worrying about these lame storylines that are used to justify one match. If you need to make a storyline elaborate, focus only on one or two programs per PPV.  That is, your main event (because that's your selling point) and another one where you might want to add more meaning.  Then let the wrestlers do short 1-2 minute promos telling us how they'll beat their opponents for the rest of the PPV segments.  It doesn't need to get more complicated than that.  If the wrestlers lack the mic experience, have them watch Dave Schultz and the way he talks about Hulk Hogan going to SF.
6) Shorter, more focused promos.  I don't mind a wrestling show filled with promos as long as the promo leads to something.  I do mind a wrestling show with lots of pointless, meandering promos that never get to a point.  Everyone in wrestling doesn't have to be witty.  Every segment doesn't have to be funny.  But each segment should be meaningful in some way.  They should get a wrestler, a match, or a storyline over for the next PPV.  I don't see that with a lot of promos in TNA.  The promos meander and lose focus too quickly.  The whole AJ/Tomko deciding with Kurt or Christian is just meandering.  The segments with the crazy Robert Roode fan are pointless.  They need to resolve to something.  Otherwise, it's just gratuitous writing.  The promos should be limited to 1-2 minute speeches by wrestlers.  If a wrestler cannot make his point within that time, then the speech needs to be cut.  That should serve as a guideline.
7) No more stupid, stipulations for matches.  The Christmas show was awful.  Everything was a stipulation.  The way it was justified was bad.  The matches didn't click and things just got worse quickly.  I just want a simple one on one or tag team match.  Why is that so hard to book?  I have to admit that the recent 6 man tag team matches have been at least good.  These are more focused and similar to the AJPW shows of yore where you get people of various experiences to wrestle, not have to deliver on large spots, and have the weakest link get pinned on either side.  That style of booking is highly tolerable and I think TNA should offer more of it, especially if they want to broadcast more of their wrestlers.  Of all the things they've done, this is the best thing offered recently by them.
8) 3 month, 6 month rule.  Book towards a goal.  Take a wrestler or a PPV and define a goal for that wrestler and/or PPV.  Where should that wrestler be in 3 months or at 6 months?  Wrestlers need to develop, not just characters but just their rankings.  You need to build momentum for a wrestler, not just generate some storyline thinking that a storyline is enough to thrum up any interest in that wrestler.  Take Kaz for instance.  He goes from Christian to Kurt Angle to Dustin Rhoades?  I think I understand what the intention is, but the linking between these people mystifies me.  It's not a plan.  It's just finding a place for him while other guys get their time in the spotlight.  That's not build, it's just shuffling.  TNA needs a ranking system for themselves just to show where people belong each week.  It gives a sense of order rather than people bitching and getting a title shot.  Hey, if I could get a raise every time I bitched, I would've stopped working 8 years ago. 
9) Stop trying to link everything to something on TV or a stupid gag.  The Petey Williams thing is just...bad.  You don't have to give him a character.  And you really don't want to give him a character that makes him look worse than he already is.  And when you do give someone a character, it should lead to something.  Sonjay Dutt as some karma person?  Where does it lead?  How does finding one's inner peace help their sense of wrestling in the ring?  If I developed him, I would've had him backstab Jay Lethal already.  He would've done the whole Waylan Mercy character, except as a Hindu.  Instead, he just throws flowers around without purpose and not chalking up any wins as a result of the character change.
10) Resolve your angles in 2-3 months after starting.  Ms Brookes never ending relationship with Robert Roode.  The stalker angle.  The hooded LAX member.  Chris Harris bitching.  Most of TNA's roster bitching.  It goes on and on and on and on.  End it.  If the purpose is to give a wrestler some character or heat, finish it after the heat is received.

That's all for now.  Hopefully, TNA takes at least 10 of these into consideration.