When pro wrestling fans remark how bad TNA is now, it should be pointed out that it's approximately 10 million times better than it was during the very first few weeks of the promotion's existence. Looking to create their own niche in the market, TNA promoted weekly budget Pay-Per-Views, usually running for 2 hours and jam-packed with so much content that it appeared to be a case of throwing anything at the wall to see what might stick. How else can The Johnsons be explained? There's no doubt about it, this is classic Vince Russo, a pair of life-sized wrestling penises. The very core value of the company was to present high-octane wrestling (the X-Division), mixed with some of wrestling's top stars (Ken Shamrock, Scott Hall and Jeff Jarrett), and combine it all with an adult overtone. After all, 'TNA' may have stood for 'Total Non-Stop Action', but management wanted fans to associate that name in their brains with the more sexual 'T & A' meaning. Managed by Mortimer Plumtree, Richard & Rod (yes, that was their names) Johnson remain one of the most curiously baffling tag-teams in wrestling history. Quite how anybody felt this would make people buy Pay-Per-View is truly astounding, and the gimmick existed only so that commentators could make various dick jokes. Smell the buyrate indeed, but hopefully nothing else.
Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.
