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Matt Barnes |
Did TNA give up on the new Monday Night Wars a tad too early?
When FSM wrote about the rebirth of ‘The Monday Night Wars’ back in issue 50, we were talking about the prospect of whether TNA wrestling could reignite competition in the industry thanks to a raft of big-name signings and a move to Monday nights to oppose WWE Raw. Critics and commentators were torn over whether the move would be the death knell for the Orlando group or the greatest thing to happen to wrestling in the last decade. One thing was certain, however: wholesale changes were needed in order to adequately prepare TNA for what would likely be a bloody war with a well-oiled corporate machine like WWE.
Over the last several months, wholesale changes have taken place. But, as ever with wrestling, as much as some things change, some seemingly forever stay the same. Certainly, Impact! has become more and more watchable as the weeks have gone by, and having great names such as Jeff Hardy and Rob Van Dam associated with the product has really worked in its favour. Equally good has been the Angle/Anderson feud, and AJ Styles’ association with Ric Flair has worked well for both men.
On the other side of the coin, the booking has been complex and patchy, with TNA giving away too much for free each week on Impact! rather than building properly towards pay-per-view events. There’s also been the recurrent issue of parity booking, leaving fans utterly confused about whom to cheer for, and the influx of new names has lead also to some locker room unrest. In essence, many feel that it’s like watching the dying days of WCW all over again.
The biggest issue, however, has been the serious decline in viewing figures. While re-runs of Impact in their old Thursday night slot have continued to draw 1.0-ish numbers, Impact! on Monday nights – going head-to-head with Raw – has managed ranged between 0.8 and a shocking 0.5. In the end, it’s no wonder that Spike TV decided to pull the plug on TNA’s Monday night adventure, given the steadily-declining viewing figures. Still, FSM reckons that the move might actually be the best thing for TNA in the long run…
For the rest of this feature, check out issue 55 of FSM - available at WH Smith and all good retailers. (For US readers we are now carried at Borders and Barnes & Noble, so check for local availability or click here to subscribe.)
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