The Rise & Fall Of TNA | Wrestling Timelines

31. August 13, 2003 | State Of Play

In the August 11, 2003 issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer writes: “According to people in this end of the business, the idea of getting a weekly national deal on a significant cable station is just not happening. There is just no interest in wrestling right now.” 

TNA is fated to record taped TV for the obscure reaches of local syndication. Meltzer’s report is hardly insightful. The PPV and Xplosion TV product remains uneven, to be incredibly generous. It’s no wonder a proper station won’t touch it.

The August 13 PPV features a very well-received main event in which AJ Styles retains the World Heavyweight title over Lo-Ki. It’s really good, if you can ignore AJ, clear fan favourite, palling around with Russo in S.E.X. In TNA, there’s always something you need to ignore.

Underneath, TNA’s identity crisis continues; it’s either a fledging look at pro wrestling’s exhilarating future, or, in the case of Raven Vs. Shane Douglas, a bleak retread of the 1990s. 

2003 is largely a dismal year. Fans holding signs aloft with messages like ‘Who Cares?’ and ‘The “Non-Stop Action” Has Officially STOPPED’ is a weekly sight.