<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Tigerkinney" data-cite="Tigerkinney" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="25170" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>TNA is shown on free TV here in the UK on Challenge TV (a widely available TV channel) and I've been checking it out again for the last few weeks, after swearing off TNA for being burned on them too many times.....<p> </p><p>
Anyway point being, is that the product has been 'OK' lately, not great but watchable, but if they are to go out of business I can't be saddened by it, as the promotion has brought all these problems on themselves with all the misguided decisions they have taken over the years. TNA's increasingly inevitable demise, all stems from the fact that they tried way too hard to be competition for the WWE (i.e WCW Mark II), instead of settling for being a genuine alternative and a solid number 2. </p><p> </p><p>
<em>Rough time line of TNA and how they screwed up </em></p><p> </p><p>
<strong>2002-2004:</strong> The weekly PPV era- A mixed bag- There was some real wrestle-crap in the early days but to counter-balance that there was the X-Division. </p><p> </p><p>
<strong>2004-2006:</strong> Still not perfect, especially as the main event scene was quite boring with Double J hogging the spotlight but the X-Division headed by the triumvirate of A.J Styles, Samoa Joe and Christopher Daniels saw TNA carve itself as a genuine alternative to the WWE. </p><p> </p><p>
<strong>2007-late 2009</strong>: Whilst many feel that TNA's problems began during the Hogan-Bischoff era, the seed of them were actually sown here. Instead of elevating the likes of Styles, Joe and Daniels to main event status, they instead get them held down in upper midcard limbo, whilst pushing continuing to push ex WWE/WCW talent as the bigger stars. </p><p> </p><p>
Instead of using the likes of Angle/Sting/Booker T etc to put over TNA's homegrown stars, they instead (give or take the odd exception) were consistently made to look unstoppable. Mishandled feuds such as Main Event Mafia vs Frontline, only ended up being favourable towards the ageing stars, whose prime was during the previous decade. </p><p> </p><p>
Meanwhile the X-Division the very thing that gave TNA an identity of sorts was being de-emphasized. Whilst not everything was bad during this era, TNA's move towards being WWE-lite began here. </p><p> </p><p>
<strong>Late 2009:</strong> A somewhat forgotten oasis in the history of TNA, the autumn/winter of 2009 saw TNA push the re-set button of sorts and finally begin to push their homegrown 'stars' towards main event status- Sadly all it was in the end, was a 'holding pattern' before the arrival of Hogan/Bischoff. </p><p> </p><p>
<strong>2010-2013:</strong> The dreadful Hogan/Bischoff era, that is pretty much responsible for leading TNA towards it's death-bed. Instead of building on the promising direction they had at the end of 2009, Hogan/Bischoff bought in their chronies and near enough only push ex Monday Night Wars talent. Whilst decisions such as trying to literally re-ignite the Monday Night wars (by going head to head with WWE on the same night) and expanding touring ended up being expensive and embarrassing failures. </p><p> </p><p>
Whilst 2012 saw the promotion take some steps in the right direction <em>(the pushes of Bobby Roode and Austin Aries</em>), the damage of the first two years of the Hogan/Bischoff era had already been done, and they inevitably ended up undoing their good work from that year, with the dreadfully executed Aces and Eights angle. </p><p> </p><p>
<strong>2014- Now:</strong> The post Hogan/Bischoff era has seen the promotion operating as a shell of it's former self, barely hanging on to it's existence. Whilst the current product isn't at all terrible, TNA has gathered up too much ill-will towards it that it will struggle to convince the old fans it's lost over the years to return to it's product and for new fans to give it a try.</p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p>
99,99% agree. Instead being their own product, they tried to be something like WWE...</p>