TNA's Strengths Becoming Weaknesses?

(5 votes, average 4.20 out of 5)

Written by Demetrus Stokes

Saturday, 17 October 2009 07:03

Conversations have been conducted in the past about the advantages TNA has over the WWE. Almost everyone you speak to would say that TNA has three distinct advantages over the WWE: a superior tag team division, better quality women's wrestling and the X-Division.

Lately, those advantages have come into question as it seems that TNA has turned their focus away from their strengths and more towards becoming more mainstream and using established names to do so.

It all started with the formation of the Main Event Mafia. A group of former champions who have held titles in every major federation and, quite frankly, a group of men with egos that need to be stroked.

At one point the MEM held every major title in TNA and their feud with the Frontline became a major focus in TNA. It was reminiscent of WCW's NWO angle in that MEM's goal was to take over TNA and control it.

While all of this was going on, TNA placed its strengths on the back burner.

A tag team division that has great teams seem to now be centered around TNA Tag Team Champions, Booker T and Scott Steiner and Team 3D (formerly The Dudley Boyz), two tag teams who have had their time on the top. Steiner and Booker T were part of two of the most successful tag teams of all time and Team 3D have combined for over 20 tag team title regins, yet they continue to stay at the top of the tag team division.

That leaves us with teams like the Motor City Machine Guns and Lethal Consequences wrestling on a free preview at Bound For Glory instead of being on the main card. Teams like Beer Money, Inc. are mere after thoughts. Sure, they are on the BFG card but they haven't been getting a huge push as of late. Young, rising tag teams are on the back burner for older more established names.

Speaking of more established names, how about the signing of Bobby Lashley?

TNA has put a lot of time and effort into promoting Lashley as it's first MMA and wrestling star.

Has Lashley's signing brought TNA better ratings? Not really. If anything, Lashley has benefited more from the signing.

The one positive that Lashley has brought to TNA occured last week when he cost Samoa Joe the X-Division champion.

Let's face it, at this point in his career Samoa Joe is not an X-Division wrestler. He is a top-tier talent who should be competing for the TNA World Championship. With Joe carrying the X-Division title, it really stalled the division. Joe, being a member of MEM, was busy handling MEM business and not involved in anything directly related to the X-Division title. When he began his feud with Lashley you knew it had nothing to do with the X-Division title. That's why it was a good move to take the title off of Joe.

Now, with Amazing Red being the new X-Division champ and guys like Suicide, Homicide, Black Pope and Daniels all in the division, it has the potential to thrive again. However, for the X-Division to thrive it has to become a main focus for TNA again.

When you look at the Knockout division, they have had some major losses over the last couple of years but still have a better stable of women wrestlers than the WWE. Losing Gail Kim and now Angelina Love was damaging but they still have Awesome Kong, Tara, ODB, Hamada and many other great wrestlers.

Lately, TNA is falling into the same traps that the WWE has in the past by featuring women who pose in Playboy instead of quality women wrestling.

A few weeks back we saw a matchup of former Playboy playmates when Traci Brooks faced Christy Hemme in a match that served as nothing more than a bathroom break.

TNA has started a TNA Knockout Tag Team Division which is a very innovative idea but as Daris stated on Hit The Ropes Radio last week, it may be a couple of years too late. Especially if they put the division on the back burner and not put an effort into making sure the division is successful. {jcomments on}

The X-Division, Knockout's division and tag team divisions of TNA have been vital to the history and the success of TNA. They have young and talented stars in each division that need the opportunity and exposure to be successful stars in wrestling.

I understand TNA's plight. They want to become a household name. They want to be in the mainstream. That's cool, but as the saying goes, don't forget what brought you to the dance.

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