Two Hours of TNA

[Hegemony]

I came across this on another discussion board:

TNA: UPDATE ON TNA’S PLANS TO MAKE IMPACT A TWO-HOUR SHOW
by Phil Lowe
13 April 2007, 11:46 am
Discussions between TNA and Spike TV have been ongoing as TNA look to negotiate a deal that would see Spike TV agree to make iMPACT a two-hour weekly show.

Spike TV are said to be happy with the numbers that iMPACT has been doing since the show moved to its current primetime slot late last year, and are said to have been receptive to giving the show a much needed second hour.

There has also been talk of Spike TV giving TNA a third hour of programming for an hour-long show that would be used to promote iMPACT and TNA’s monthly PPV’s, likely in a similar format to WWE’s highlights shows such as Bottom Line and Afterburn. If you’re a regular visit to TNAWrestling.com or have seen the YouTube ‘TNA Today’ video shows that appear here at WrestleMag.com, you’ll already have seen that Jeremy Borash and Christy Hemme come across as perfect candidates (at least in my opinion) for hosting such a show.

For those of you in the UK, WrestleMag.com can confirm that Bravo 2 (who currently air iMPACT on a 2-day delay and TNA PPV’s on a 3-day delay) are aware of plans to give iMPACT a second hour. As we previously reported, TNA President Dixie Carter recently met with several executives from the Bravo network to discuss TNA programming, and from speaking to a company source earlier today, it certainly appears that when Spike TV are ready to give iMPACT a two-hour slot, the extra hour will be picked up by Bravo.

Although no UK viewing figures have been made available, Bravo are said to be “encouraged” by the show so far, so its quite possibly that should Spike TV and TNA produce a third hour of TNA programming, Bravo will pick that up also - especially as they have been happy to carry Spike TV’s UFC shows of similar format.



Sooo, my question is whether an extra hour of Impact (and potentially another extra hour to promote PPVs) will help TNA's product. The mindset within the company seems to be that it will, but I am skeptical with the current creative team in place right now. Even more time devoted to Abyss' mom, reverse battle royals, and poles seems like torture rather than the godsend TNA describes it as being. Although, I would hope that it would leave more time for TNA's talented roster to have some good matches. My fear is that these matches would get more time and be ruined with overbooked finishes and too many gimmicks.

What do you guys think? Will this mythical second hour ever become a reality? And if it does, will it help TNA or hurt them in the long run?

[Knapik]

Well it will get better, but that doesn't mean the product will be good. The creative team seems pretty clueless.

[Eliath]

I think it would actually improve the show if it went to 2 hours. They always seem to cram as much as they can into 1 hour and everything comes out muddled. I think if they spread out across the 2 hours and let the matches actually develop their angles and let their talent develop their product they might be much better.

Of course, knowing how clueless the creative team is at TNA they will most likely cram as much as possible into 2 hours instead of just 1 and it will be twice as bad as it is now.

[JamieOD]

I'm hoping that 2 hour shows will improve their product and viewer numbers.

[Joe]

TNA was far better in its two-hour, weekly PPV incarnation than it is now.

That said, it still was not anywhere near the quality of RAW and Smackdown, and it is a good bet that a second hour will not put Impact in the ballpark of those two programs now, either.

A lot has changed in TNA in the nearly five years since its creation, and very little of it is for the better.

When TNA debuted in 2002, AJ Styles was having great matches with similarly-skilled opponents, Christopher Daniels, Elix Skipper and Lo-Ki were excelling in the tag division and they had a few older people(Dusty Rhodes and Glen Gilberti come tom mind) who would show up long enough to cut a decent promo or two without completely messing up the show and taking the focus off of everything going on prior to their arrivals. Most importantly, young people like AJ Styles, Sonny Siaki and Amazing Red were actually given the opportunity to display their potential in pretty good matches and semi-decent gimmicks.

Don't get me wrong, there was plenty of crap on there, too. The Johnsons, the Tony Schiavoni-Mike Tenay feud over who screwed who in WCW and the ridiculous raving of Don West leap out at me. There was too much Vince Russo and Jeff Jarrett, and they had a penchant for bringing in patetic old-timers for a isolated matches (Lex Luger and the Rock 'n Roll Express regretfully come to mind here). All in all, though, it could be a somewhat enjoyable two hours of wrestling.

Fast forward to April 2007 and the one hour TNA has can be downright painful to sit through. Forget Grindhouse, watching "Impact" in one sitting is a true endurance test.

Week after week, they trot out stupid angle after stupid angle and ridiculous special match after ridiculous special match. The term "concept match" is one of the stupidest ever used, and if it is never uttered again it will be too soon.

From the confusing line-up of almost-heels and not quite-faces to the overuse of washed-up fossils like Scott Steiner and the Dudleys, TNA is a mess.

And there is about to again be too much Vince Russo and Jeff Jarrett.

At this point, a second hour will probably only increase the amount of garbage the company produces each week. The horse has been out of the barn for a long time, and the powers that be in TNA have already missed the opportunity to bring him back in.