New TNA: 5 Things That Work (And 5 That Don't)

By Chris Quicksilver /

1. Where€™s Joe?

From the moment Samoa Joe debuted as a henchman for MVP€™s €˜Beat Down Clan€™, it was clear that €˜The Samoan Submission Machine€™ wasn€™t high on new TNA€™s priority list. One of the greatest TNA World Heavyweight Champions ever and one of the world€™s best wrestlers, Joe was reduced to doing run-ins and whacking other people€™s opponents with steel chairs when the ref wasn€™t looking. Don€™t misunderstand, a heel Samoa Joe works just fine. In fact, many fans would probably prefer it, but Joe should always have an aura about him, a €˜main event mystique€™, if you will, that is thoroughly trampled on when he engages in a largely nonsensical opening brawl or acts as a €˜run-in guy€™ during someone else€™s match. Recently, the news broke that Samoa Joe had severed ties with TNA management, which is a HUGE blow to the company. Although TNA€™s main featured performers at the moment are Lashley, Bobby Roode, MVP and Kurt Angle, amongst others, none of them can cover for the loss of Samoa Joe from the roster. Joe€™s departure is the biggest loss to the company since the Spike TV deal and the overall implications could be almost as bad. TNA€™s public up swing took a major downward turn with the loss of Samoa Joe. The company was finally shedding its image as the promotion that let A.J Styles, Sting and Chris Daniels walk out the door €“ and now this happens. FFS. The same also applies to the recent departure of Bully Ray, another of the company€™s top stars. So, as you can see, new TNA has proven to be something of a mixed bag. However, Destination America has taken more than a few steps in the right direction and the standard of wrestling, as usual, is very high overall, so there€™s still a lot to enjoy there. Despite a few early setbacks, it is pleasing to say that, at last, the future seems to be looking bright for TNA.