3. Headhunt A Major Talent From WWE
TNA fans have seen numerous ex-WWE talents walk into their company and make a few headlines - Kurt Angle, Christian, Rob Van Dam, Jeff Hardy, Mr Anderson, etc. However, apart from Hardy and possibly Angle, few of these superstars were major fixtures on WWE at the time that they left the show. This means that less fans would transition to TNA from WWE because more prominent superstars were now at the top of the food chain, and still endeavour to watch the same product without to much of a consideration to the lost spokes on the continually turning wheel. Therefore, for TNA to truly make waves within the pro wrestling universe and amongst the extensive fan base, they need to acquire the services of a wrestler at the top of his game and near the top of the WWE pecking order. Now don't expect someone like John Cena to jump ship, and even with all his talk last year, CM Punk isn't likely to leave either. The superstar that most fits the bill for me is Randy Orton. A very accomplished and decorated wrestler, he has won virtually every championship in the company, but has not held the World Championship since September 2011. Orton is also believed to not enjoy portraying a face character, and desires a return to the heelish and sadistic Viper character he has previously flourished with. Orton is still a major part of the WWE and carries a significant fanbase, but his momentum appears quite stale at the moment, and is only a solitary strike away from being removed from the company via their Wellness Policy. This could be opportune time for TNA to pounce on Orton once his contract expires and really shock the wrestling world by acquiring a name that resonates around the pro wrestling world. With Dixie Carter recently announcing that the company is soon to acquire a big-name superstar from WWE after their contract expires, could it possibly be that Orton or another premier wrestler truly is joining Impact? Be sure to watch this space.
2. Show Classic TNA Matches On Demand
http://youtu.be/AcsX3WJ7v_U This could be an important step for TNA, after WWE was forced to systematically eliminate a consideral degree of its controversial and raunchy history due to Linda McMahon's determined yet futile attempt to become the Senator of Connecticut. The most prominent reason I got interested in TNA was looking through its archive of brilliant matches on YouTube. The classic King of the Mountain match-ups, Lethal Lockdowns, Monsters' Balls and Ultimate X matches, as well as the classical contests and rivalries between Kurt Angle and Samoa Joe, Beer Money vs. The Motor City Machine Guns and the everlasting AJ Styles feud with Christopher Daniels. Whilst I am aware that TNA shows these matches on Xplosion every week, nobody really watches Xplosion at all. So it would be a good step forward to show some of the classic matches either through a social media site such as YouTube on their personal channel or perhaps update their website (which would be long overdue) to include a section devoted to classical matches. With TNA, unlike the classics on demand section of WWE, these matches should be free to view in order to get the fans notified of their wrestling pedigree and history, and show through those classical matches that they have a product that is different from the WWE and compelling because of it. Though the thought of progress should drive TNA forward, it would be beneficial for them to show greater acknowledgement to their history also.
1. Compete With WWE Head-To-Head
I would mention that this is something like the final stage of their process, but will be an important stage when TNA finally reach a reasonably competitive footing with WWE for pro wrestling fans. When TNA attempted to compete head to head with RAW on Monday nights, it was a disaster. They were in no way competitive with the WWE, and considering how poor the WWE ratings are on that day without any competition it was unlikely TNA were going to make any dent in their monopoly. But they will be back. It may be months, years, could need them to exist for another decade, but eventually in order to attract the larger ratings and audiences they have to compete with WWE head-to-head. For a while this worked for WCW, and as long as TNA have some creative minds at work, they may be able to sustain their existence much longer. Perhaps it would be beneficial for TNA, once of course they have found a firmer footing by following some or all of the previous steps, to challenge Smackdown for dominance. The Friday night spot would be intriguing as TNA Impact has the advantage of being live, as many wrestling fans do not watch Smackdown as they have already read the spoilers online. Of course, TNA would have to be touring by this point as their secure fanbase in the Impact Zone will have become accustomed to Thursday night action, but the opportunity to steal a march on a major WWE show like Smackdown should compel them to take on the blue brand at some point in the future. Maybe that would unsettle Vince McMahon enough to provide some more decent content on Smackdown, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.