The Straightshot- Total Nonstop Apathy

THE STRAIGHTSHOT- Total Nonstop Apathy
(By "The Straightshooter" Greg Andrews)

If there was such a thing as a, "How To Start a Wrestling Company for Dummies" book, the first chapter should drive it into the head of any prospective wrestling organization owner just how important it is to get recognition.

Whenever I think of TNA, two things come to mind. One, is that no such 'how to' book exists and two, even if there were, I'm not sure TNA would learn anything from it.

For over five years now, Total Nonstop Action has danced in and out of the wrestling fan's radar screen, blipping now and then, but largely vanishing from view for sustained periods of time.

In fact, since Samoa Joe defeated Kurt Angle for the TNA title, I doubt few could offer much about what has taken place since that time. All that rattles in my mind at the moment is something about a Mini-Steiner and Kamala's sister beginning to wrestle guys.

Recently, Paul Heyman, still exiled to the United Kingdom, criticized TNA for not capitalizing on the Joe victory, asking why wasn't a PR company hired to ensure Samoa Joe's face was seen everywhere?

You'd think, after the years TNA has waited to find a fresh and over talent of their own to market fiercely, they'd..you know, MARKET HIM! Instead, the TNA title has made Joe an invisible man.

And what about the match he won the title in? For the first time ever, the lines of wrestling and ultimate fighting were blurred in a sort of work shoot spectacle that love or hate, had fans talking about it. That match, like its winner, disappeared into the fog of apathy.

One of TNA's harshest criticisms has always been that it does business a lot like WCW did. Perhaps that's because of the number of ex-WCW employees now working for TNA. You can't go a week on TNA Impact without hearing a reference to WCW in some fashion.

It's ironic that the one thing TNA is very good at promoting is the ghost of a company that sunk eight years ago.

A Bobby Heenan shoot interview from the recent past chronicles a story about Mark McGwire during his pursuit of Roger Maris' single season home run record. Heenan explained that he brought McGwire and Bill Goldberg (who was the hottest star in wrestling at that moment) together for a meeting in which McGwire rubbed a bat on Goldberg's chest for luck. Heenan asserted that had this occured in WWE, Vince McMahon would have squeezed it for every ounce of notoriety it was worth. Yet incredibly, WCW didn't even have a camera present for the meeting.

TNA has had moments. Did you know Chris Rock once appeared on TNA programming? Besides Kurt Angle, where was the build up for Christian's arrival, or Booker T's? Wouldn't it be to a company's benefit to make a big deal over a competitor's star jumping to TNA, no matter what the reason? Both wrestler's first appearance on TNA television was the night they debuted. Unless you are one of the 3% of TNA's fans that inexplicably doesn't miss a minute of their programming, you'd never have known they'd be on the show that first night.

For the millions of dollars TNA has lost trying to 'entertain' us with bizarre gimmick matches and oddball comedy, at least losing a few millions in getting the names out there into the mainstream would have softed the financial blow.

The 2000's have been a bad period for pro wrestling. Sure, Vince McMahon is making a mint, but being virtually the only game in town guarantees any money made off the industry will be in WWE's pockets, especially with TNA literally spending to draw fans back to wrestling without benefitting from their return.

World Wrestling Entertainment succeeds because it is in the business to hype anything it does. They work hard at creating media moments by using even the lowest level talent from the entertainment industry. Over the years, WWE has taken drug addicts like Lawrence Taylor, unstable lunatics like Mike Tyson and talentless bimbos like Kim Kardashian and used them to their advantage.

TNA had Toby Keith on it's first ever event suplex Jeff Jarrett. If that happened in WWE, they'd have CMT devoting half their days to analyzing the cause and effect of Keith's actions. As mentioned, TNA once had Chris Rock engaged in an angle on live TNA programming. I couldn't tell you one thing that was said during that incident because that was the only time anyone ever saw it. By now, Rock's words would have become mantra drilled through every WWE drones head had that taken place on a Monday Night Raw.

The bottom line is, whether TNA brings in Sting or Kurt Angle or any other well known name from any corner of the sports/enertainment industry, no one will ever know or care because TNA, time and again, fails to let us know about it.

Even in today's world, where the Internet links millions to what goes on in the world, it cannot be assumed that attention will be garnered just by hyping something on the company website.

It is inexcusable for a company that portends to be a challenger to the WWE establishment to not at least try to compete with them using the basic fundamentals of making a startup business a success.

The blame however, lies not with Vince Russo and whatever retreads they have assisting him in the booking department, but the Carter family.

The sooner Dixie Carter learns that wrestling isn't as essential to daily life as energy, perhaps she might try to make TNA something we can't live without.

(Questions, comments or thoughts? Send them to straightshooter72@hotmail.com)

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