The Future of Professional Wrestling - What TNA Should Do Going into 2008

Obviously, with the look of TNA, it doesn't look to be going away anytime soon. There have been sometimes where praise can be given and of course the big flack of the always hiring former WWE stars whether they were big or not. The company has been around for 5 years and next year going into the Summer will be 6 years and has made a slightly impressive going from weekly PPVs to now a 2-hour timeslot on Spike TV every Thursday from 9-11 PM. There are items that can be worked on a lot. For the record, it's not who could get signed and all of a sudden, they are a competitor because remember that era is long gone and it's just time to accept it even if it's a bittersweet pill. In short, it goes back to saying there is no one that can walk right into TNA and the ratings are going to jump through the roof. The main issue has to do with the booking and to break it down, there will be categories to go into from the Heavyweight Division all the way straight down to the Tag Team Division.

TNA Heavyweight Title Division

Most of the top contenders are familiar stars that have gotten fame through either the WWE, WCW, ECW, or a combination of the three depending on the star. Take for instance, TNA Champ Kurt Angle. He was the former multiple-time WWE Champion and did hold the WCW Title once though it wasn't a pure WCW Title reign due to WCW's official death in March 2001 by being bought out in the end by the WWE. Before the TNA title, there was the NWA Title, which was held pretty much since it's involvement with TNA by anyone who made their name and is most known for the run in WWE, WCW, ECW, or any combination of what was the big three in wrestling in the United States. Since the new TNA Title has come about, only two men have held it and that's Sting and Kurt Angle. Other talent that could step up and become future champions with it breaking a stigma that in order to be the Heavyweight Champion in TNA, you must have made it big in one of the three promotions mentioned above. There is talent there and guys like Samoa Joe, Abyss, AJ Styles, Chris Harris, James Storm, and others could step it up as well. It's a matter of principal and a willingness to give them a shot in the Main Event. It was surprising to see Kaz get a chance to go for it and if it turns out well, he could be considered as well.

TNA X-Division Title Division

At times the most forgotten part of TNA and considered the one item that separates them from the WWE, the X-Division. It's not your typical Cruiserweight Division though mostly the wrestlers are lightweights. If anyone can handle the speed, agility, and athleticism, then they can get involved with the X-Division. Originally at the head going from AJ Styles to now "Black Machismo" Jay Lethal, it has had mostly a share of good champs and very few ever made it big in the WWE, WCW, or ECW for that matter. Jerry Lynn and Sean Waltman aka Syxx-Pac aka X-Pac aka 1-2-3 Kid and perhaps other names as well made it big in either of the three promotions. The belt has taken a backseat and pretty much hasn't done much lately. It's now being used in a hostage storyline between the X-Division and Team 3-D. Speaking of 3-D, they will be addressed in the tag team division soon enough. There could be so much done with it that it's not even funny. It just needs to be apart of TNA more instead of just sitting around and collecting dust it seems.

TNA Tag Team Title Division

This division does however have some moments where it can be strong and then downright weak. The current champs are AJ Styles and Tomko at this time. For AJ, this is his 1^st TNA Tag Team Title because remember the NWA Tag Titles are separate from these belts. It seems to go on and off like a light switch due to the number of actual teams involved. While it has gotten somewhat better, looks to be like hardly any teams are really gunning for the TNA Tag Team Titles. At this moment there are a few teams like LAX, Motor City Machine Guns, Team 3-D, Steiners, possible reformation of the Outsiders, and Hoyt & Rave, including the tag team champs of course, doesn't look to be real bad as there is some competition involved. They are in a better position at this moment than the X-Division but sometimes saying that too soon can lead from one extreme straight to another.

The Woman's Division can't really get commented on at this very moment seeing how it is just getting established. Only time can tell but the current champion is Gail Kim and has been doing perhaps the best job she can do to help get it established.

Match Booking

This one is the part that gets rather ridiculous and too predictable. Especially whenever there's a World Title match, it sure seems to equal the formula of constant run-ins, refs get bumped and nobody ever wins legit. It's become of a foreign item at all and it gets redundant. For them to separate themselves, that should have to be cut back a whole lot. When you can predict and see it happening at any and every turn, it's about as exciting as watching paint dry. It doesn't matter who get signed but if new TNA fans see this going on a regular basis, they'll probably just not bother watching anymore no matter who is on. That's the biggest gripe and that needs to change. Just because somebody loses clean doesn't mean they are weak in the fans' eyes, in fact it could be seen as there's a legit winner and a legit loser.

Match Type

With the 6-sided ring, they do have some different matchups that aren't seen in WWE or any promotion that I know of that's on a National Level in the United States. The King of the Mountain match is only done once a year and that's fitting. While the concept seems strange and a bit disorganized, it actually isn't that at all and can be exciting. However, it sure seems to be the match where the heel comes out on top all the time. If recalling history correct, only Raven was a face in 2004 and actually won it then and there. Sure, Angle won it but I don't believe he was a face at all, he was at the most a tweener but that's about it. This is perhaps the Heavyweight Division's signature match.

Ultimate X is something I enjoy and if it can get slowed down on the amount happening a year. Mainly used in X-Division Title bouts, #1 contenders for that belt, or even rarer just starting out would be the Tag Team Division. There really isn't a lot to say about it. There are no ladders involved so it does come to how athletic you really are to handle that.

There is also the 6 Sides of Steel, which is just a normal cage match but it has 6 sides. It fits the theme perfectly and is also used for a theme called Lockdown where every match is in the 6 Sides of Steel. Even a War-Games like concept comes out of it and it can turn out well or it can turn out bad just depending on who is in it.

OverallThe only goal TNA should work on is trying to get higher ratings by working with what they got instead of thinking of signing everyone that comes out of WWE recently. In fact, they don't need to do a lot of hiring in the 1^st place considering the roster size. One thing for sure that can be said, TNA does have the talent there, it's a matter of putting together a show that can get people to want to watch every week.