To the disappointment of TNA Wrestling fans, the reports from Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer are becoming more and more like a reality.
Meltzer reported yesterday that Destination America, who only came into a partnership with TNA Wrestling to show Impact Wrestling back in November 2014, have went from cold feet to a sub-zero body. Reports by Meltzer indicate that Destination America is exploring their September out-clause to cancel Impact Wrestling due to ratings numbers (considered high but not high enough), negative ad support (nobody wants to advertise on a pro wrestling program) and overall costs (BBQ Pitmasters and Ghost Asylum cost a fraction of what Impact Wrestling costs).
It’s possible that Destination America and Discovery change their minds. They could see this as a very abrupt decision and wish to strengthen the brand by “making Meltzer look wrong” for uncovering the sources he did. It wouldn’t surprise me to see them “double down” on their support of TNA to squash the story, only to still execute the out clause in September.
For those who wish to see the death of TNA Wrestling, this is pleasant news. Most of these come from WWE die-hards who feel any form of competition, even competition with less than 10% of the wrestling market should be squashed and destroyed. TNA has been proving them wrong for their demise for years. The Spike cancellation and now a Destination America cancellation is a breath of fresh air. There will be some hope for former TNA stars to make the move or for WWE to buy the tape library, as they are currently raving the debut of Samoa Joe, but WWE is likely to be very picky on who they decide to bring in. That is, unless, much like Matt Hardy, TNA Wrestling cannot die and they either figure things out with Destination America or find a new avenue to show the product.
For TNA fans, this is devastating. It felt like home free with Destination America, a network they could build from the ground up. It felt good that so much programming would be centered around TNA Wrestling. The product has been solid compared to some of the darker years on Spike TV. It has been a solid wrestling show week in and week out with solid television matches and good pacing. The announcement of Billy Corgan coming in felt like a company making waves positively, bringing in unique personalities to shore up the attention for the company. The Steve Austin podcasts with Dixie Carter revealed a smart business person who loved pro wrestling and was dedicated to it. But this is also the same old song and dance they have been hearing since 2002, and like Matt Hardy, they laugh in the face of demise. TNA will never die it seems, as Carter’s joke about written obituaries being constantly updated make this just another hurdle to hop. Nobody is more resilient than a TNA Wrestling fan. They are like the Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League. Nobody wants them to exist, everyone proclaims their death each week, yet they keep suiting up for work every day.
For professional wrestling as a whole, this is frustrating. Lucha Underground has yet to be renewed, though it feels like a likelihood. Global Force Wrestling looks to be working on a similar TV schedule instead of an all-year round career, despite no TV deal. If TNA Wrestling goes under, or has to find a network with even less money, it means less money for the industry. More jobs will be lost, more wrestlers will have to find second jobs, and more wrestlers will have to leave North America to find work. The faster NXT grows, the more WWE can offer low paying WWE contracts for the “dream” of the WWE, instead of paying seasoned veterans without contracts their worth. The Bobby Roode’s of the world should be top stars making top money and instead he has watched his bottom line drop. If TNA expires, he won’t be looking at WWE as an opportunity. He’ll be looking at WWE as a means to keep his mortgage payments up by stealing Tye Dillinger’s job as a jobbing veteran. HHH wants to make NXT a third brand but has said nothing about paying NXT talents more for their work. This all with no real answer on how WWE is breaking down Network royalties after the loss of pay per view. It’s a brave new world if TNA goes under and the only alternatives to WWE are a couple weeks in Lucha Underground, a couple weeks on a TV Network-less Global Force Wrestling, maybe cracking the Ring of Honor roster or going to work abroad.
2015 felt like we were headed toward a bright horizon. TNA had a new TV deal, NXT had kicked into second gear, WWE was creating new stars, ROH was finding new networks, Global Force Wrestling would debut later in the year, New Japan Pro Wrestling was getting more American eyes than ever and the independents for finding more and more ways to get their voices heard and their products watched. Nearly the mid-way point, the news about Impact Wrestling on Destination America puts everything back into doubt. If Impact Wrestling getting good ratings “isn’t good enough” for a small network like Destination America, how could anyone else crack the networks? Could Lucha Underground become too much of a cost for the even smaller El Rey Network, before they bring in Rey Mysterio Jr.? Is Ring of Honor going to continue tightening the purse on new talent instead of growing their wrestling product? Will NXT strengthen the independents or will its touring and swallowing of all top indie talents lead to the death of the 1,000 paid independent wrestling show? Can Global Force Wrestling find a TV network? Will Americans ever truly accept New Japan Pro Wrestling? And will pro wrestling companies aside from WWE ever convince ad companies that pro wrestling fans will buy their products if they advertise with them?
There are thousands of nails in the coffin of TNA Wrestling. None of them have actually shut the coffin. Too early to say if this closes the coffin, but the hammers are swinging.
