Column: Strikes & Bumps: TNA.. X Division = Ratings.. So USE IT!
Posted by: WrestlingNewsSource.com
Strikes & Bumps: TNA.. X Division = Ratings.. So USE IT!
By Chris Gee Schoon Tong of WrestlingNewsSource.com
My first column here could be described as a rant on TNA so I wanted to show that I actually do have positive thoughts about TNA and that I’m not biased. Though few and far between one point of greatness in TNA is still the X Division for me and that if TNA actually took a step back to check out ratings and see who’s drawing ratings that a lot of that talent are perfect for the X Division. This past week on Impact the opening 6 man tag match clearly showed the talent that TNA has and how much the X Division could still be the beaming light in TNA in terms of getting viewers to come on board. It ties into the next column I’m still working on with a few details I want to iron out with some sources I have before I put it out but nonetheless here are last two Impacts and some interesting stories told by the numbers:
Nov. 7th
Jeff Jarrett vs. Samoa Joe highest rated segment on the show @ 1.25. Jeff as a heel is much better than the kissing ass baby face and while I don’t want to see him on my TV screen, in small doses I think he’s ok. Samoa Joe could be Austin mixed with Goldberg if done right and god damn the fans want to see him kicking ass and take names.
A.J. Styles vs. RVD vs. Rhino @ 1.10: RVD in the heavyweight title storylines is great but damn he could do things for the X Division. A.J. Styles is still the face of that division no matter how many he wins and Rhino could actually still contribute if used correctly.
Frankie Kazarian vs. Douglas Williams @ 1.10 also showed the true depth of a division in that it’s not all flip-pity flop high flyers with no story telling ability. Douglas Williams can tell a damn good story in the ring when given the time and Kaz, albeit not the greatest on the mic is still one of the best in ring technicians when his mind is on the ball.
Mickie James & Ink Inc. vs. Tara & Generation ME @ 1.19 was still one of the second highest rated segments on the show and while I’m not the biggest Jesse Neal or Shannon Moore fan I see what they could do for the Tag Division with MCMG and the X Division. Generation ME in PWG is one of the best usage of a heel tag team in years and I’m glad to see TNA semi dipping into this as the fans are going to come out the winners in any match they are in.
Nov. 15th
X Division Champ Robbie E & Cookie vs. Jay Lethal & Taylor Wilde @ 1.17. Sadly this match had to do it twice and I still argue they should have not put this match on TV as dear god Cookie aka Becky Bayless cannot go in the ring. But that withstanding the two men in this match have some good chemistry. Robbie E formerly Rob Eckos has stunned indy fans for a while and I’m glad to see him getting a show on a larger stage.
RVD vs. Kazarian @ 1.16. These two men in any story in any division could do great things in the ring and if it was actually elevating the importance of the X Division Title could bring it back to the forefront. Even Reaction got a nice little buzz because of them.
Point being that there is a ton of in ring talent in TNA right now and while I’m glad to see that they are trying to focus on the World Heavyweight Title I believe that the X Division needs to be show cased because the talents are there and it might actually draw some ratings for TNA Impact even more so.
It has been announced since I began writing this column that this past weeks Impact didn’t do so well in the ratings and that the subsequent Reaction that featured an Empty Arena Match of Generation ME vs. Motor City Machine Guns did even worse. Their one mention of this match during the course of Impact truly didn’t help create any buzz for what was a decent match though it probably could have used a lot of tweaking such as the use of the regular cameras and probably some commentary could have helped. But this just goes to prove my point from the my last TNA column in that you can have the best product in the world but without any marketing or forethought no one is going to see it. How well could this match have possibly done on Impact? We’ll find out as they are planning on replaying it this week I believe. Anyway back to the X Division.
Names like Samoa Joe and AJ Styles have headlined TNA PPVs for both the X Division and Heavyweight titles and stolen the show. There are matches these two men have been in that are still heralded as the best match in TNA history. Joe was one half of the rumored highest bought TNA PPV in history at 65,000 buys and Kurt Angle who was his opponent is a former X Division champ.
It’s not like the X Division Title should be thought of as more important than the Heavyweight title, but it could be similar to the ECW TV Title which at one point when carried by RVD was considered as important as the ECW Championship. Why not bring that back? Bring back a sort of small competitiveness between the X Division and World Title holders for both champions to try to out do the other. See who can rack up the most title defenses, see who can have match of the night. These may seem like MMA based options but really this has been in wrestling for years. The Four Horseman was built upon these ideals. They weren’t given the titles and weren’t given the stable name of Four Horseman just because a booking committee put it together. Ric Flair, Tully Blanchard, Arn & Ole Anderson were actually having the best matches on the cards and because of this elevated the titles they held and the men they worked with. They were given the belts because people were paying to see them and paying to see the best in-ring action. Why not bring that sort of feeling to the X Division Championship.
Now many of you are going to ask the same about the TV Title and let’s be honest. That title belt since it debuted as the Legends Championship has been a joke and AJ has done nothing for it. Why not just have him throw it in the garbage and say, “ Hey I want my X Division Title belt back!” not just because of what it means to him but because of what he’s meant to the division. The X Division belt used to equate to some of the best matches on the card and the best up-n-coming talent in TNA. It gave us some great matches in any form whether it be Ladder, Falls Count Anywhere, or Ultimate X which is still the premiere gimmick match that TNA has created. The X Division can shine in the in the wake of stars like Daniel Bryan, Kaval, and others having some pretty decent undercard matches in WWE on TV and PPV it is time for TNA to bring back what made it different, what made it the true alternative.
Fans and insiders demand more from TNA because of the depth of talent that they have and while not everyone can be included in TNA World Title feuds, many of the stars could make the X Division mean so much more by saying they want the fans to remember that, “ It’s not about weight limits, It’s About NO Limits!”
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