RobyD

So we've all said this before, and even Paul Heyman has said it about them, TNA needs to format their own identity. I'm not talking about the aura of TNA really, I'm talking about the characters and wrestlers. Look at their roster, you have Daivari from WWE, Abyss who has been compared to Kane and Mankin from WWE, Booker T from WCW and WWE, Jeff Jarret from WWE and WCW, Kevin Nash from WWE and WCW, Kip James from WWE, Kurt Angle from WWE, Mick Foley from WWE and ECW, Matt Morgan who is compared to Brock Lesnar from WWE, Rhino from ECW, Scott Steiner from WWE and WCW, Sting from WCW, Team 3D from WWE and ECW, Jay Lethal who does a Savage from WCW and WWE impression and Shark Boy who does a Steve Austin from WWE impression.

I'm sorry, but that is a lot of guys running around on the show who all make you thing of WWE, WCW and ECW. I'm not saying get rid of them all, maybe not even any of them. But TNA does need to refocus who their basing their show around.

You see, I was watching a post in the Video Section with Austin and The Rock singing together. While I was watchign that I was thinking to myself, "One of the only reasons this is so rememberable is because it's THE ROCK and it's STEVE AUSTIN". Now, of course, TNA can still pull off that same feeling with the WWE, WCW and ECW guys they have, but isn't it kind of ridiculous that while WWE is able to create that moment with their own bred guys, and make them that special and have them that high on a pedistool that it makes karaoke a special moment and TNA can't?

Instead of trying to capitalize on former stars from other companies and admittidly very good impression, they should be focusing on how you can make Samoa Joe and AJ Styles special. How you can take Matt Morgan and Jay Lethal, break them from where they are now, and make them something special. TNA needs to take the guys they have like The Motocity Machineguns, Robert Roode, and James Storm and make them highlights of the show rather than afterthoughts.

I don't know. But I was just thinking, wouldn't it be neat to one day get goosebumps because Samoa Joe and AJ Styles are able to break from their epic hatred for 5 minutes of enjoyment?

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Doctor Doom

You are right Rob. Most of TNA doesn't have any original gimmicks that WWE never done and it's a mess.

People get tired of seeing TNA copying WWE because they're too fucking dumb to create something original for their shows to draw a crowd. TNA created the six-sided ring and the X Division, but they need to create something that hasn't been done in wrestling before, as in creating new and exciting matches, new and smart storylines, a new SLOGAN, new gimmicks, and so on.

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Mark Bradford

Tna does need a new fresh start. When Tna started in 2002 and when the ball really began rolling in 2004 (when they formatted monthly ppvs) things kept getting better and better for them. Why? because they were new and excting, they had theyre own original concepts that no one had ever thought of before (the 6 sided ring, the X division, lockdown-Every match in a steel cage) these were original concepts that brought in new wrestling fans. They'd turn on there tv's look and say "that's different" but now it's started to become exactly like wcw in 2000-01 with the over the top storylines, silly match stipulations and old has beens such as Nash and Stiener. TNA needs to go back to basics and needs new concepts to keep the fans watching and to bring new fans in.

Marketh.

Let's narrow down the list of original things TNA created right there. I know that it was either CMLL or AAA that had the six-sided ring first.

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King Steventon

AAA had it way before them (back in the 90's) and T2P also had it before them. That is one of the ideas Jarrett nicked from AAA during his stint there.

/backs out of thread

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Tommy Platinum

I'd rather TNA borrowed ideas from other companies if the alternative is the shitty ideas they come up with for themselves. Doomsday Chamber of Blood ftw!

They definitely don't have much identity as a company though, due to the reasons mentioned. All their top stars are famous from elsewhere. They even have them talk about other companies while in TNA, as if TNA is just some retirement home for famous wrestlers and doesn't matter in the slightest.

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The Raw King

I agree. WCW just showcased former WWF/E stars, and look what happened with WCW....It's dead.

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neXus

KenTheKiller

I hate to agree with neXus but it's true. The least TNA could do is change the characters. They need these guys to have a new identity to fit the new era of wrestling. If people still wanted to see Sting, Steiner, Angle, etc. then the wrestling audiences wouldn't have dropped dramatically. Don't get me wrong, older stars serve plenty of purpose and shouldn't be thrown around as useless, however they should not be the only aspect of your company. When you have guys like Christopher Daniels, Kaz (granted overrated), Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, etc. there is no reason why we should get PPV main events like Brother Ray vs. Kurt Angle vs. Brother D-Von vs. Sting.

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RobyD

Agreed. I hate it when people claim that firing most of the old guys is the solution. Hell, I think it would be digressing. There is room for older, established main eventers. But it needs to be done right.

Kurt Angle and Sting have their places with Samoa Joe and AJ Styles, main eventing as World Champions IMO. Steiner and Booker have their places main event jobbing. Kevin Nash can commentate or manage. Mick Foley and Jeff Jarret can manage, play chairman, commentate etc. This is, none of this is happening. We're having all of these guys being pushed into the main event picture and younger and more talented guys pushed away.

If anything, though, TNA should be reinventing younger WWE guys they have. You can't reinvent your 40 year old wrestler who have already been reinvented over and over and made names for themselves. Let them be them. However, Matt Morgan was an example. You saw him come in, acknawladged as a former WWE wrestler, and then after that we had an uphill career and a major improvement and change from Matt Morgan. It would have been nice to see from Daivari. Maybe it would have been nice to see from Elijah Burke and Paul London coming in.

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