10 Big Mistakes TNA's New Owners Can't Afford To Make In 2017
Surviving the next 12 months isn't going to be easy...
2016 was a strong year for professional wrestling. Sure, viewing figures aren't what they used to be, but WWE have completely revitalised their product over the last 12 months, and now feel fresher than ever. NJPW, meanwhile, recovered from the potential crippling blow of losing AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura to produce another year of incredible matches, and the European scene is booming, particularly in the UK.
One company continues to struggle, however. TNA's 2016 wasn't entirely awful, but improvements like Impact's increase in quality and the Broken Hardys' Deletion saga were undone by turmoil behind the scenes. TNA have rarely been closer to going out of business than they were in October and November, and when the clock struck midnight on January 1st, everyone affiliated with the company must've breathed a huge sigh of relief.
A new year brings new opportunities, and Dixie Carter has finally been usurped. Anthem Sports & Entertainment have taken on her family's shares, and while Dixie will remain with the promotion, her power is all but gone. For the first time in years, TNA fans can look forward to the year ahead with genuine optimism, but it's not all sunshine and roses.
TNA's perception, credibility, and financial problems remain, and they're still strung to a terrible TV deal that brings them little exposure or revenue. Anthem face a number of major hurdles this year, and TNA's success depends on their ability to overcome them.
Here are 10 big mistakes TNA's new owners can't afford to make in 2017.
10. Not Fixing The Commentary Situation
WWE’s commentary situation isn’t exactly great at the moment, but TNA’s booth of Josh Mathews and “The Pope” D’Angelo Dinero make Byron Saxton and David Otunga sound like prime King & JR. There simply isn’t a less cohesive announce team in mainstream professional wrestling, and they actively make Impact Wrestling a less enjoyable show.
Pope has never truly adapted to the role. He was always a very charismatic wrestler, even as WWE’s Elijah Burke, so it’s perhaps surprising that he hasn’t been apply to apply those skills to colour commentary. Unfortunately, he sounds lost in the booth: he regularly mispronounces simple wrestling terminology like “suplex,” trips over his own sentences, and makes a glut of embarrassingly basic mistakes.
On a recent Impact show, Pope referred to current TNA star “The Miracle” Mike Bennett as “Bennett ‘The Miracle’ Mike,” “Mike ‘Miracle’ The Bennett Guy,” and “‘Miracle’ The Mike Bennett,” and this is just the tip of the iceberg.
Mathews, meanwhile, is an unbearable play-by-play guy. He often spends more time completely ignoring the action going on in front of him, and will talk about a wrestler’s haircut or what’s going on on Twitter rather than selling the story. Mathews hasn’t really improved from his WWE days, and it’s hard to shake the idea that TNA is a lesser product with him and Pope on commentary.
As Impact’s host, they play a huge role in new fans’ first impressions on the show, and should be replaced for the audience to grow.