One thousand and ninety five days. Thirty six months. And three years. Three whole years of history. As well as three years of progress. Three solid years of making it to the major leagues, and defying even the most critical of wrestling fans. Total Non-Stop Action wrestling has climbed the ladder, and made it to the top. Not many people in this industry can boast they actually thought TNA would make it this far. Not even I, thought so. I couldn’t imagine TNA making it to one year, let alone three. But unlike most wrestling fans, I wanted TNA to succeed from the beginning. I questioned whether TNA was the right product to compete with World Wrestling Entertainment, but I knew deep down someone had to. After all, even with horrible matches and extremely corny angles we were feed during the Attitude era, the competition alone propelled both companies involved with the Monday Night Wars and transformed wrestling into the spectacle it is today. A lot of the lessons learned by Vince McMahon and crew during their competitive stage against the likes of billionaire Ted Turner and mastermind Eric Bischoff, have been lost. He’s went from working hard to please the fans, to working to please himself. He’s gone from confident and determined, to arrogant and need I say sometimes ignorant in his actions. I love the WWE, and I love what Vince McMahon’s done for this business. He’s the biggest force this industry has ever seen. But while people doubt TNA’s abilities, Vince better get ready. TNA wrestling is about to come out of the corner it’s been hiding in, and coming out full force. While I can hear the laughter, and see the smirks among WWE fans, Vince McMahon knows TNA has potential. He knows he doubted they would make it a year, yet their going on their third. He knows he doubted their syndicated television show would make it, yet their still in talks about a nationally seen primetime show going up against Vince’s beloved flagship show WWE Raw. And Vince probably doubted whether the weekly PPV’s would succeed, let alone the three hour one’s TNA has pulled out lately. Vince McMahon has doubted, and TNA has delivered. And their going to deliver again, and again until Vince McMahon wakes up and smells the coffee. Now, I know what your thinking. Not another Jordon Wright piece about TNA is becoming the next big thing. No, that’s not it. Today’s topic is about a secret weapon TNA has. A weapon so big, and so good it has the ability to attract a lot of fan attention and casual fan viewer ship. A weapon so powerful, when TNA fans see it in action they chant for more and proclaim how awesome the matches are.
That weapon is the X division. Where it’s not about weight limits, it’s about no limits. Where it’s not about giving the fans a twenty minute classic submission match, but rather a fast paced ten minute match that will dazzle them out of their seats. Now I know, a lot of you wrestling fans look down on that. You guys like wrestling matches, and the stories they tell. The fact of the matter is, I do too. But the X division is different. The X division throws the rule book out the window, and gives fans wrestling like they’ve never seen it. You may call it spot fests, I call it the casual fans dream. While, I hate to admit this. But casual fans outweigh us wrestling fans probably 2 to 1 when it comes to viewer ship. And casual fans will love the fast paced nature of this division. Just as they liked the blood, and gore of the Hardcore division. It’s the same concept of using something to attract the casual fans to your show. The X division may be built for casual fans, but I’m noticing a lot of knowledgeable wrestling fans catching on and cheering on.
In the mist of a world of kayfabe, and traditionalism Total Non-stop Action wrestling has had the big kahuna’s and utter grace to come up with a concept that clicks. These fast paced, high flying, lucha libre styled matches are one of TNA’s biggest draws. That fact is represented by the large emphasis TNA has placed on this division. And why shouldn’t it be successful? Under the reign of Paul Heyman as SmackDown’s lead writer we saw a new emphasis on the Cruiserweights at the WWE. And SmackDown’s rating rose during Heyman’s time as lead writer. While this can’t be contributed 110% to the Cruiserweight battles, but it was a large piece in a small puzzle. The fact that the Cruiserweights work in boosting your ratings and product is something Paul Heyman learned in his days of Extreme Championship Wrestling. With the likes of Psychosis and Rey Mysterio, Paul Heyman gave these wrestlers a place to express their talents even before WCW or the WWF picked up on the idea. Combined with the marquee value of the WCW product consisting of the likes of Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage, as well as lot of the younger talent, World Championship Wrestling much of the 82 weeks they would defeat Raw and the WWF. After all, Eric Bischoff knew the appeal of the Cruiserweight matches. He used that to boost WCW, and give the wrestling fans something new that they would like and watch. A lot of people complain Eric Bischoff and WCW couldn’t create new stars, but to their credit they created new stars out of guys like Mysterio and Guerrero, and gave them the platform of the Cruiserweight division to compete on. And fan’s responded with interest, as well forking over more and more money to see these matches in action.
But we can talk about how WCW used this style of wrestling to defeat Vince McMahon for almost 100 weeks in a row. Or how Paul Heyman used it to increase his audience’s on SmackDown, and at ECW. But TNA wrestling is different. They’ve used the division differently, way differently. Former NWA champion Ron “TheTruth” Killing has competed in X division matches. Current NWA champion “Phenomenal” AJ Styles is a multiple time X division champion. The division itself isn’t a showcase of the small and fast paced wrestlers. No, not at all. It’s about keeping the pace of the division, more then anything. Sonny Siaki, a former X division contender, is an example of that. Siaki is gigantic, but yet can keep the pace of the match fast and quick. Guys like this know what the division means to TNA’s chances of succeeding against the WWE. TNA has the corner marketed on the division that has the wrestling world talking. The market cornered on a division that works, and is effective. The market cornered on a fast and high flying division, that isn’t about weight anymore.
World Wrestling Entertainment thinks they have bigger things to boast, then the Cruiserweights. While WWE force feeds fans Diva searches, and stuttering morons who couldn’t wrestle a good match if their life depended on it, the most underrated division in WWE today has to be their Cruiserweight division. A lot of the time the Cruiserweight title is just placed on PPV’s as a filler, and the matches usually don’t have great build up nor a story to tell in the ring. Other times, the Cruiserweights are shipped off to Saturday nights, where the main event Velocity. WWE treats their Cruiserweight division like it’s grade B material. And now we find out WWE has it’s eyes on Essa Rios, Juventud Guerrera, Kazarian, Super Crazy, and others, but they can’t alone make this division work. Ultimo Dragon after all was misused, and abused by the WWE writing staff then fired like he was just another wrestler. Dragon is perhaps one of the very best Cruiserweights in the world, if not, the best. Hopefully Dragon will be a lesson learned from the WWE creative team. After all, WWE can’t ship these grade A Cruiserweights like the rookie and former X division champ Kazarian and seasoned veteran Juventud, straight to Velocity. They need to give them primetime, and PPV to showcase their talent. I think one of the first battles WWE and TNA will make as both corporations become more competitive is the attention both Cruiserweight styled divisions get.
TNA has the early advantage. The X division is a lot of the reason why TNA has stayed so popular for three years now. And TNA has made it a purpose to make sure they put a huge emphasis on this division, and what it means to TNA. TNA appreciates it’s X division, and treats it that way. And the X division, unlike the Cruiserweight division, has a lot of new concepts. Like the motto of no limits, not weight limits. And the Ultimate X match, a popular innovative match-up that’s built for the TNA X division exclusively. While TNA has this early advantage, WWE has the potential and ability to build a good if now better Cruiserweight division. If they stick their tails between their legs, and focus on the division that has helped brought a lot of wrestling companies to the dance, they can make it work. With talent like Paul London, Chavo Guerrero, Akio, and Mysterio combined with new incoming guys like Guerrera and Kazarian. They could build a pretty incredible Cruiserweight division, and a force to be reckon with. On the TNA side, they have guys like AJ Styles, Elix Skipper, Michael Shane, Chris Sabin, and Christopher Daniels. Three years of building a one in a lifetime division pitted against a new and improved WWE Cruiserweight division would be the battle of all battles. The Mecca in the competition I’m wanting to see out of TNA wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment. WWE has the ability. WWE has the talent. But, does WWE have the brains and the brawn to suck it up, and put a emphasis on Cruiserweight wrestling? Or will TNA pave the way, and corner the market again on this fast paced environment. TNA has the momentum, and corner marketed right now. TNA has the X division, and the incredible talent that comes with it. And TNA has the ‘X-Factor’ in what promises to be one big competition of the big leagues versus the new wrestling alternative.
As the proverbial wrestling clock is ticking down, ECW One Night Stand is just days away. And I for one, hate this crap WWE is pulling with a invasion on ECW. Will it work? Doubtful. I think the WWE creative team needs to butt out, and let Paul Heyman handle the operation. There’s no doubt with the WrestleMania like build up, ECW One Night Stand will get a lot of buyrates and fan attention. There is even a lot of talk about this being ECW’s resurrection, and a new beginning for the once struggling company. It’s bad enough WWE had to expose ECW’s appeal to get DVD and PPV sales, but now they are going to let their writers come and interfere with the show? Hollywood writers don’t understand ECW. Paul Heyman understands ECW. Let Heyman run the show. The card is fabulous, the build up is great, and the superstars mentioned guarantee it will be a memorable show. Let Paul Heyman run the show, and forget about the invasion.
Lastly, thanks to all of you who voted at TheWrestlingVoice.com for the “Column Of The Month.” For any of you who don’t know, I won with 45 votes barely beating Morpheus by one vote. My props go out to Phil Snyder, who I felt should have won. And thanks to all 45 voters who have made me TWV’s “Column Of The Month” for the month of May. Well this is the self-proclaimed and wrestling acclaimed most controversial columnist, saying I’ll see you all next week.
Till next time………
Have A Nice Day, The Wright Way!
“No one, and I mean no one has the outspoken attitude I bring to my column. I take pride in saying what I believe, and not caring what people think. If you care what people think, I think that effects your ability as a columnist. Am I controversial? Yes. Do I give you my true honest opinion? Yes.” – Jordon Wright
E-mail: jjw14@sbcglobal.net
AIM Name: PhenomenalJordon
