Sound the fire alarm. Ever since last night, the Internet Wrestling Community has been ablaze. One minute, Samoa Joe is on WWE TV. The next, reports begin surfacing online that Destination America has decided to pull the plug on TNA Impact by September.
Now, we’re all adults here (for the most part). First and foremost, if you have been online celebrating the demise of TNA, you’re a jackass. How dare you call yourself a wrestling fan. Has TNA always been a great wrestling product? No. Neither has WWE. Regardless, to be filled with joy over the fact that dozens of professional wrestlers could potentially be losing their jobs is asinine. If you’re happy about the end of TNA, you should be ashamed of yourself.
With that out of the way, we shouldn’t believe everything we read online. I know, I know. I use to think that everything put on the internet is true, too! Then– I got wise. It can happen in any business, really, but particularly in the wrestling world, turns out that most wrestling sites and so-called journalists aren’t credible sources of news! Gasp! In fact– and this may shock you– most of these “experts” and “journalists” aren’t even writers or in the wrestling business! They’re merely fans that copy and paste articles from other sites, and or attempt to craft their own articles based on ones they’ve read, with their own poor grammar and horrible grasp on the English language.
Hell– someone is dumb enough to pay me to write this garbage you’re reading right this second! You want a credible source of wrestling news? Look no further than www.KayfabeNews.com .
Dave Meltzer is the one who reportedly broke the news last night. While Meltzer has been a somewhat credible source over the years, sometimes I wonder where he gets his information. I have friends in the business (surprised?) that Meltzer has reported various things about, knowing for a fact that what he was reporting was absolutely false. This morning, TNA official Bob Ryder has stated that the reports are false, but who knows for sure? Only Dixie Carter, that’s who. In time, we’ll all find out whether or not TNA is staying with Destination America or not.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but if TNA is booted from Destination America, that doesn’t necessarily mean the end of TNA. If I remember correctly, Impact has international deals in place that leave them contracted to produce content for various markets in various countries around the globe. So all of you guys that are wearing your party hats, eating cake and playing the kazoo, hold your horses. I will say this, however: No presence in the United States, the country in which TNA is based, is going to hurt.
Ever since week one of TNA, fans and critics have predicted the end of Total Nonstop Action. Thirteen years later, it’s still standing, but just how strong are those legs? TNA has incredible talent, but in the eyes of many, it’s a damaged brand. On top of that, it’s been heavily bated as to just how much money TNA has profited in it’s near decade and a half in business– if anything at all.
For me personally, I’d hate to see TNA go. Admittedly, I don’t watch the product, and I haven’t in a long while. But there are so many guys that I know personally that depend on TNA to support their families. If nothing else, for thirteen years TNA has given fans another wrestling option, and has given dozens and dozens of guys the opportunity to make money living their dream. Here’s hoping TNA sticks around on Destination America.
Make yourself useful and buy a shirt at www.prowrestlingtees.com/GregoryIron .
-Greg
