BY MIKEY MIGO
I hate open letters. They come off so “soap-boxy” and downright “preachy”. I’ve seen a lot of open letters written in direction of political figures and those “in the news” at the time. I seriously doubt 99% of these “open letters” are read by anyone. It’s self-serving to the writer. There seems to always be an agenda attached. “Open letter” could be a synonym for “you’re doing it all wrong!” All of this said, here’s an open letter to TNA president Dixie Carter…
Dear Dixie Carter;
TNA is the second biggest professional wrestling company out there. Call it wrestling, call it sports entertainment, or call it whatever. You guys are number two, respectively. As a life-long fan of professional wrestling, I enjoy the idea of there being more to watch and alternatives out there for me to choose from.
My problem is that I can’t sit through an episode of Impact no matter how hard I try. I appreciate some of the production aspects and I generally like the concept of certain things but the execution and vibe I get is just off putting. I enjoy Austin Aries and Bully Ray the most. Aries is a perfect example of the talent out there that hasn’t gone through the WWE system yet and Bully Ray is a perfect example of someone being utilized in a way they never could have in WWE. Sadly, it’s everything else that is such a turn off.
What value does paying a lot of money to a Sting, Ric Flair, or Hulk Hogan if the ratings don’t increase? Sure they might bump a decimal point or two, but I don’t see how it pays off. Is having familiar faces on a poster THAT valuable? I’m sure they all bring something to the table, but you’re sitting at the wrong table. I won’t dignify the signing of Brook Hogan with a response.
There is a reason people compare TNA to WCW. It’s not because they’re “the other band”. It’s because TNA is a watered down version of it. It was the same situations. More exciting younger talent gets people talking, but ultimately the show is focused around old WWE guys or guys that just bore people. TNA fans like Bobby Rude. Wrestling fans don’t give a shit. I know he’s Canadian, but he has that southern stank on him that makes him feel like someone WCW would have had given the TV title to. The studio, the lighting, the announcers, familiar faces, the booking, and pretty much everything in TNA feels like it was copied or bought at a Ted Turner fire sale.
You have a chance to do something different and for the betterment of professional wrestling. Most wrestling fans have sampled your product and ran away as fast as they could. You can spin it any way you’d like. The casual wrestling fan would rather not watching wrestling than watch your product.
I’m not a hater. I want TNA to success. I want more options to watch. If TNA focuses on the future things could change. If TNA just started fresh things could change. If TNA got rid of everyone over the age of 40 this could change. If TNA brought in personnel that haven’t been part of the WWE system and think in the same way then things could change. Either way… things HAVE TO change.
Get Well Soon.
-Mike
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