A major criticism launched the way of TNA by many wrestling fans is their inability to follow up on good ideas. The whole 'Wrestling Matters' campaign is evidence of that feeling, because it should have been bigger. In 2011, WWE were in the news due to an apparent list of words being banned by Vince McMahon in the promotion. Amongst them, 'wrestler' and 'belt'. TNA's big idea was to capitalise on ill-feeling towards this news from wrestling fans. It was a sound strategy, and this is where 'Wrestling Matters' was born. A number of vignettes were shot, featuring TNA performers discussing exactly why they were involved in the professional wrestling industry. This directly spoke to fans who felt disillusioned by WWE's attempt to distance themselves from being labelled 'pro wrestling'. This was all well and good, but the whole thing would eventually fall flat due to Impact Wrestling not actually featuring enough wrestling. The overall product didn't change, despite the tagline, and fans picked up on that. With that said, it was a killer idea, one that really deserved to be expanded on. This is arguably the last time TNA truly tried to differentiate themselves from WWE.
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.
