Post by CM Drunk on Feb 5, 2007 14:33:43 GMT -5
Dear TNA,
Over the past two years I have been an avid TNA viewer. In a day where the only large promotion continually displays a below than average product, I have looked for and found sound and viable alternatives. It originally happened when the internet sites started talking about a man by the name of Samoa Joe. He had put on what many considered the best match in the US in over the past 10 years with CM Punk. It was this information that piqued my interest in wrestling alternatives. I found the Ring of Honor promotion and instantly became a devoted fan. It was then through my love of this wrestling style that I started watching TNA. I noticed how TNA utilized some of the same talents that ROH had in the past and put on a far superior product than the WWE was at the time. With the advent of a TV show I had instantly become a weekly viewer. I enjoyed the alternative that included a very exciting X-Division and former stars continuing to entertain.
Then something happened. Various decisions were made behind the scenes which in turn presented a new philosophy on the finished product. All of a sudden, the reason I watched the great TNA product became a shell of it's former self. The great X-Division was reduced to a comedic background for storylines with no intention of enhancing the performers. New stars that were rising to the top had to now take a backseat to those who had already peaked within the business. The intent of Total Nonstop Action became just the opposite of the very name of the promotion. There was no more action. An episode of Impact did less than make an impact with under 6 minutes of wrestling action. On the last Pay Per View the fans chanted at poor Christy Hemme that they wanted wrestling and that's what I and everyone else that came to love TNA wants. We want wrestling. We don't want over-dramatic storylines that involve someone's pretend girlfriend being assaulted to force him into a match. We don't want to hear about a man killing his own father.
For a company that prides itself on presenting a superior product the focus on this aspect has eluded them. I don't want Samoa Joe to be a ringside enforcer on a Pay Per View. He is a phenomenal wrestler and needs to wrestle whether or not he is involved in a particular storyline. For the past year and a half my friends and I have ordered every single Pay Per View because we knew we were going to be treated to great wrestling. Now it seems as if that idea has been shelved for someone's idea of good television. I don't want good television. The die-hard fans of TNA don't want good television. They want good wrestling by good talents. The current direction of TNA no longer caters to those that had fallen in love with the product. The die-hard wrestling fans that didn't have to worry about ridiculous angles to get them to watch. Fans like us long for the time when Scott D'Amore had more input on the creative process and not some writer who helped to successfully bury one of the greatest promotions of all time, regardless of any spiritual reformation. It only further laments in our minds when a promotion that used to pride itself on wrestling takes away the talent from a promotion that never lost sight of what they were all about, Ring of Honor. Now don't get me wrong. I understand the validity of having talent only work under one umbrella as to reduce injuries and keep them available for your product. However, don't take Samoa Joe away from ROH fans only to make him a ringside guest for a Pay Per View. Let him wrestle.
Furthermore, exclusivity for talents such as this and subsequent mis-use of these talents are only going to drive away the the core fan base of TNA. The core fan base of TNA consists of the same fan base that helped ROH maintain its status. How else would the many fans in Orlando know of a Samoa Joe upon his debut? In closing I hope that this letter is one in many that arrive to TNA offices as evidence that we, the fans, have had enough with the current direction of TNA wrestling. It pains me to have to admit that I will no longer be ordering TNA Pay Per Views as I would rather keep my money for use on a promotion such as ROH that never deviates from their philosophy. I hope that in the future the officials at TNA will realize the impact of Impact.
Sincerely,
Frank M.
Chicago, IL
Over the past two years I have been an avid TNA viewer. In a day where the only large promotion continually displays a below than average product, I have looked for and found sound and viable alternatives. It originally happened when the internet sites started talking about a man by the name of Samoa Joe. He had put on what many considered the best match in the US in over the past 10 years with CM Punk. It was this information that piqued my interest in wrestling alternatives. I found the Ring of Honor promotion and instantly became a devoted fan. It was then through my love of this wrestling style that I started watching TNA. I noticed how TNA utilized some of the same talents that ROH had in the past and put on a far superior product than the WWE was at the time. With the advent of a TV show I had instantly become a weekly viewer. I enjoyed the alternative that included a very exciting X-Division and former stars continuing to entertain.
Then something happened. Various decisions were made behind the scenes which in turn presented a new philosophy on the finished product. All of a sudden, the reason I watched the great TNA product became a shell of it's former self. The great X-Division was reduced to a comedic background for storylines with no intention of enhancing the performers. New stars that were rising to the top had to now take a backseat to those who had already peaked within the business. The intent of Total Nonstop Action became just the opposite of the very name of the promotion. There was no more action. An episode of Impact did less than make an impact with under 6 minutes of wrestling action. On the last Pay Per View the fans chanted at poor Christy Hemme that they wanted wrestling and that's what I and everyone else that came to love TNA wants. We want wrestling. We don't want over-dramatic storylines that involve someone's pretend girlfriend being assaulted to force him into a match. We don't want to hear about a man killing his own father.
For a company that prides itself on presenting a superior product the focus on this aspect has eluded them. I don't want Samoa Joe to be a ringside enforcer on a Pay Per View. He is a phenomenal wrestler and needs to wrestle whether or not he is involved in a particular storyline. For the past year and a half my friends and I have ordered every single Pay Per View because we knew we were going to be treated to great wrestling. Now it seems as if that idea has been shelved for someone's idea of good television. I don't want good television. The die-hard fans of TNA don't want good television. They want good wrestling by good talents. The current direction of TNA no longer caters to those that had fallen in love with the product. The die-hard wrestling fans that didn't have to worry about ridiculous angles to get them to watch. Fans like us long for the time when Scott D'Amore had more input on the creative process and not some writer who helped to successfully bury one of the greatest promotions of all time, regardless of any spiritual reformation. It only further laments in our minds when a promotion that used to pride itself on wrestling takes away the talent from a promotion that never lost sight of what they were all about, Ring of Honor. Now don't get me wrong. I understand the validity of having talent only work under one umbrella as to reduce injuries and keep them available for your product. However, don't take Samoa Joe away from ROH fans only to make him a ringside guest for a Pay Per View. Let him wrestle.
Furthermore, exclusivity for talents such as this and subsequent mis-use of these talents are only going to drive away the the core fan base of TNA. The core fan base of TNA consists of the same fan base that helped ROH maintain its status. How else would the many fans in Orlando know of a Samoa Joe upon his debut? In closing I hope that this letter is one in many that arrive to TNA offices as evidence that we, the fans, have had enough with the current direction of TNA wrestling. It pains me to have to admit that I will no longer be ordering TNA Pay Per Views as I would rather keep my money for use on a promotion such as ROH that never deviates from their philosophy. I hope that in the future the officials at TNA will realize the impact of Impact.
Sincerely,
Frank M.
Chicago, IL
