Hardcore wrestling fans are notoriously hard to please, due in no small part to the massive podium the internet presents people with. Many, if not most of these people have watched wrestling for years and because of their tenure as a fan believe they know more about the industry than the people pulling all the strings. To me that's like saying I know how to make an Accord better than Honda because I've been driving one for years! We drive their cars – watch their wrestling product – with little-to-no experience wrestling a match, writing a television script, or producing a show (yes, I recognize the not-so-subtle hypocrisy in my ramblings)! This has never been more obvious than with the legion of people who hate Impact Wrestling and the whole of the TNA product, purely on principle.
I appreciate internet fans as much as the next guy. We have a lot of fun and push free speech to an obnoxious limit as often as we can. I also appreciate the right of every person to hate TNA, WWE, or any branch of wrestling they desire, and to speak their mind, however uninformed it may be at times. Myself included. But I'd like to take some time and offer the reader just five points, hear some feedback, and maybe change a few people's minds when it comes to the somewhat unfair reputation TNA has garnered over the years.
POINT 1: They have the talent and the potential is there!
This is probably going to be a highly controversial point, but I think TNA is in a much-needed building phase right now. The tag team division is in shambles, there are very few "big names" left in the main event, and the X-Division is a shell of its former self. But look at it this way: they just aquired OVW as a legitimate developmental territory, which will bring in a lot of up-and-coming talent that normally would get sent down to FCW or directly into smaller companies like Ring of Honor. This will (eventually) bring in a steady stream of talents that could develop into a major roster. As many have said, it's a step in the right direction!
For years TNA has had all the right guys on the roster, but let too many "bigger names" from WWE get in the way of their spotlight. Now you have Robert Roode holding the strap, James Storm awaiting retribution, AJ Styles as an established former champion, Christopher Daniels and Bully Ray as phenomenal heels, Crimson on the rise, Matt Morgan as a regular face (when he's healthy), some decent X-Division talent, and a dozen other guys that have the potential to draw. Key word: potential. Not to mention that Kurt Angle and Jeff Jarrett are still capable of pulling off great feuds and can put a lot of guys over if management is willing to let them lose… It's not a perfect scenario (probably not even ideal) but that's enough talent to keep building a show around until the newer developmental talents step in and work their way up the card.
Flip-side: On the other hand, TNA has a habit of getting in their own way. It could just be a matter of time before Hogan or Dixie Carter lose faith in their budding talents and developmental deal and insert another "big name" which will inevitable take spots away from younger guys.
