Next week is the biggest pay per view on TNA Wrestling’s calendar and it seems like nobody there cares.
Sunday, October 12 sees the company in Tokyo, Japan at the Korakuen Hall in association with WRESTLE-1. The show will also feature the Hall of Fame induction of Team 3D and a wealth of TNA wrestling talent, as well as WRESTLE-1 stars from Japan. Yet week in and week out, TNA seems to be more focused on their Impact Wrestling episodes. It was only this past week that matches started getting announced.
What’s even more bizarre is the latest New York City television tapings went beyond Bound For Glory for episodes to air in October and November and included major title changes. Instead of filming around or keeping the results a secret in some way, the company decided to go ahead and ensure that no matter what happens at the event in Japan? Other fans know the score.
This show could end up feeling as empty as their One Night Only shows filmed for international markets. It’s looking to have zero importance on the standing of TNA.
So why care?
It’s a terrible position for TNA to put themselves in. It’s quite obvious that they care more internally about getting a new TV deal signed. That’s fine. But don’t ignore your actual product. TNA Wrestling on Impact Wrestling should still be building to Bound For Glory as the biggest show of the year. It should be an absolute epic. They should have had a match built to finally topple their dominant and impressive TNA World Heavyweight champion in Bobby Lashley. They should have built up to a Knockouts match for everyone to be excited about. A match worthy of the Joshi viewers in Japan. We should be seeing the culmination of the biggest storylines in the company. It should feel like business as usual.
Instead, it’s TNA: Bound For Limbo.
Limbo, the fictional place between Heaven and Hell. You’re either not good enough to goto Heaven or not evil enough to goto Hell. One must wonder how the TNA talent these days feel.
Kurt Angle is on his way out, possibly to have his Hall of Fame victory run to the WWE. Who better to stop the anti-American Rusev? Austin Aries might have a guaranteed title shot after winning the New York City Gold Rush tournament, but there’s talk he’ll be on his way out as well. Bobby Lashley might be champion for now, but he’ll be taking a back seat to the Bound For Glory main event, where Sanada and James Storm take on Tajiri and the Great Muta. Nothing boils my blood quite like the World champion not featured in the main event. Samoa Joe was going to wrestle in a triple threat match for the X Championship but he’s doubtful after getting injured. He may still work the show, but it’s hard to say.
For the latest in sports injury news, see our friends at Sports Injury Alert.
Word is that other TNA talents are starting to take independent bookings, which is a usual sign that they have been given the go ahead to do so. Meaning TNA might just be running the limited tapings they have been until they get that TV deal. It really feels like the company is on a do or die position. Ask a talent and they’ll tell you these doubts are business as usual. I don’t really blame them.
It’s a hard pill to swallow for anyone that has stayed loyal to the promotion, through every terrible management decision for over a decade. Even during this state of Limbo, the company has been providing an incredible amount of great professional wrestling action. While WWE fans fawn over the potential of NXT, TNA fans have been enjoying almost a solid hour of wrestling action every Wednesday night, at the highest level of competition. There’s a good product there, a very good product, if it can only secure a television deal.
There have been constant rumours in the last week or so that TNA is creeping closer to finally getting that television deal. The rumoured frontrunner is WGN America, former home of WWE Superstars. Dixie Carter told talent backstage that she believed they would have a home on January 7. Impact is still drawing anywhere between 900,000 and 1.2 million viewers on the new time in Wednesday, even with the doubt and turmoil surrounding the company. WWE Superstars on WGN America used to only draw half the amount of viewers that Impact would. Would the TNA faithful switch networks? Tough call to make.
I was really excited about a Bound For Glory in Japan. A lot of my favourite PPVs in the past 25 years have been off of American soil, whether that be Canada, England or Japan. I was hoping this could be like World Championship Wrestling’s Starrcade 1991, when New Japan Pro Wrestling and WCW collided to provide an absolute star studded card. While wrestlers like Tajiri, Great Muta and Kaz Hayashi do excite me, I’ve seen two of them already on Impact in 2014. I wanted the thrill of seeing Ric Flair take on a Tatsumi Fujinami. I wanted the Steiner Brothers going up against Hiroshi Hase and Kensuke Sasake. I wanted Great Muta versus Sting. I won’t get that, and it’s a real shame. This could have been the show that really opened the eyes of wrestling fans to TNA’s potential, even close to death. Instead of a last hurrah, it could be the reawakening. It won’t end up either.
Bound For Glory is going to just be another show. Hopefully a great show, but just another show. As we wait for a television deal, it’s best to just keep our eyes on Impact Wrestling on Wednesday night. After all, that’s where we’re going to actually get major title changes that impact the company.
Photo by Ed Webster, Creative Commons, open commercial license
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