ROH/TNA on Destination America

This week, Ring Of Honor debuted on Destination America as a lead in for TNA Impact, which moved from its original Friday time slot to Wednesdays and it presents a very interesting situation with two competing companies on the same network. It was surprising when it was announced that ROH would air on Destination America, which fueled rumors that Impact could be cancelled later this year. Initially, the Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer reported that TNA would be cancelled, but it was later revealed that it was just an option for the network, not a definite cancellation. Anything that Meltzer says should be taken with a grain of salt, but the speculation prompted reports that Destination America could be looking for a cheaper alternative with ROH, which could be a legitimate possibility. Obviously, only the Destination America executives know what the numbers should be to justify the cost of TNA, but it should be considered that roughly half of the audience that watched Impact on Spike has transitioned to the new network, mostly because Destination America doesn't have the main stream availability of Spike TV.

First of all, anyone that is somehow looking forward to the potential shut down of TNA is misguided and as I've said before, it would set wrestling back a decade. While the company has a laundry list of mistakes that will make you shake your head and ask what the logic is behind some of the decisions made, it's still the second biggest promotion in the United States in terms of their US and international distribution deals. If TNA goes out of business, there will be talented performers that deserve a national stage, but there won't have an organization to sign them, as there are only a limited amount of spots in other companies. It happens in every business, but as far as wrestling goes, when ECW and WCW went under in a span of a few months, the industry was flooded with free agents and ultimately, some of those wrestlers exited the industry because there just weren't enough spots. There are several performers on the TNA roster that are either just getting national exposure or have reestablished themselves and it would be disappointing if those talents weren't seen on a main platform. Marti Bell and Jade were two stand out competitors on the independent scene, and are getting an opportunity to show case their skills on a main stage. Eric Young, who is one of the most versatile workers in the business today, has done really well recently and his ability could be on par to be a main eventer. Low Ki, who had his share of business disagreements almost everywhere he worked, is on national TV again and despite whatever problems he had with other companies, he's still an extremely talented athlete. In fact, the argument could be made that the major criticism isn't the roster, but rather the ridiculous angles that were booked during the past several years.

 When Impact moved to the new time slot, I attempted to give the show a chance as somewhat of a fresh start, but in typical TNA fashion, there was an angle that proved that the company still hasn't learned from the botched storylines of previous years. James Storm, who is a solid performer and has done really well with the cult type angle, was shown talking to Mickie James about joining the Revolution. Mickie declined and then security camera footage showed of them exit the area. Storm stopped Mickie next to train tracks and pushed her off the platform so it was implied that Storm attempted to kill Mickie James. Yes, there was an attempted murder angle on a wrestling show and it's not a deathmatch tournament either. I have a few questions, WHY IS THERE A MURDER ANGLE ON A WRESTLING SHOW?! HOW DOES THIS MAKE ANY SENSE?! WHO WROTE IT AND ACTUALLY THOUGHT IT WAS WORTH PUTTING ON TV?! Obviously, Mickie James didn't get killed and there will probably be a lame explanation for her return to TV in a few weeks, but the whole thing is ridiculous. It just makes the audience roll their eyes and how does such an angle do anything to help the product? Are people going to tune in next week to see if Mickie survived getting hit by a train when they know it was blatantly staged? You can get away with stretching logic in pro wrestling, such as  Stone Cold returning at the conclusion of a show after being arrested earlier in the show, but you can't insult the audience's intelligence. Again, are people supposed to tune in next week because it was implied Mickie was hit by a train? Both Storm and Mickie are talented competitors, and they could be booked for something better on the show. The ridiculous angles sour alot of fans on the TNA product and it's one of the reasons that there's still a stigma toward the company. If TNA gets cancelled, it won't be cancelled because of the wrestling, but rather the storylines outside of the ring.

Ring Of Honor had a solid showing and the Destination America deal allows the promotion more distribution for the markets that don't have a Sinclair affiliate. The ROH show will still air on Sinclair so the network isn't cannibalizing its own programming with the Wednesdays night slot and it give the company more ad revenue. However, let's not pretend that Destination America will launch ROH to the next level because when TNA moved to the network, many fans mocked it for it's lack of availability. Don't get me wrong, the new TV spot gives more fans the opportunity to see ROH and the combination of the Sinclair stations with Destination America coverage is beneficial to the promotion, but it's not exactly a main stream cable network. In many respects, it's a win-win situation for ROH as the company gets more distribution for the show they are already producing for the Sinclair network and there's more potential ad revenue. With the increased exposure, ROH should improve their production value because the lighting is usually terrible, but it seems to be improving for the more recent shows.

On a better note, the ROH/TNA programing has generated a buzz about wrestling, which is good for the business and with the WWE showcasing new stars, such as Kevin Owens, it's certainly an interesting time for fans. If TNA actually gets cancelled remains to be seen, but I've written previously that it could be similar to WCW in terms of being too damaged of a brand to improve, but even if that's the scenario, there are very few benefits if TNA closes. Perhaps, the only major benefit would be that it creates an opportunity for Global Force to get a TV spot, but as mentioned earlier, there are limited spots in the business and it's not an easy task for a new company to get a TV deal. Regardless, let's hope the buzz continues and it could be a pivotal year for the business.