Over the past month one of the biggest changes in which we've seen in TNA, is a newly crowned champion in one Rob Van Dam. Van Dam proved since his arrival in TNA that he still has plenty of talent and what looks like plenty left in the tank to offer us fans quality wrestling matches.

The real question is though, has TNA made the right decision having AJ Styles lose the title and putting it on RVD so quickly? I personally think it was the right choice, simply because AJ Styles as champion wasn't delivering the ratings. TNA was in a situation where they needed a change and seeing if putting the title on an established known wrestler like Rob Van Dam would create a better result in the ratings. It really never made much of a difference on Monday nights and now that TNA is moving back to Thursdays, I guess we will never really know if it would have or not. Regardless it was a choice that I think should have been made, especially since AJ Styles is still young, will have plenty of opportunities and has a bright future in wrestling and within the company.

Now another question we can ask or wonder, is the fact that TNA has not been producing in ratings in result of a champion like AJ Styles not being appealing or convincing enough to wrestling fans as a strong and credible champion?, or has it been in result to other things. I think that the real problem that exists in TNA is their inability to book a consistent show on a regular basis and who is or isn't champion at this point is not the problem.

While RVD has only been champion for a few weeks on Monday nights, the fact remains there has not been any change within the ratings. When TNA moves back to Thrursday nights with Rob as champion will the ratings be higher than were in the past on Thursday night? or will they remain similar to what they were before. Over the next few months time will tell and maybe it will make a difference, but the fact remains in my mind that unless the booking that exists in TNA sees much improvement the product itself will remain as it is now entertaining at times, but lacking many things it needs to give us fans that steadily enjoyable wrestling program we are looking for, as well as that wrestling program that is going to draw new viewers on a week to week basis.

Moving forward it seems as if almost every week Hulk Hogan some how ends up being within the spotlight of the show and for the most part the conclusion or final moments on Impact. Now there is no doubt that Hogan is a true legend, an attraction to many wrestling fans and quite frankly has always been a draw for wrestling. Never the less this is no longer the 90’s and we are well beyond and past the glory days of one Hulkamania.

With that being said Hogan can still be a viable part of the show, but he and TNA have to step away from giving him the spotlight he is getting. If his involvement within the main events or conclusions of Impact were truly drawing ratings for TNA than so be it, but its clear that it has not been a factor what so ever.

This is no longer the 90’s and this is not WCW nor is it the WWE. People may have hungered to see Hulk Hogan and other legends at that point and time, but this is the 2000’s and wrestling fans want to see fresh new characters in that spotlight. With Hulk Hogan or any other legends being in the spotlight it may only give people the impression that TNA is or is becoming WCW in it’s final days where young stars were not getting a push and were taking a back seat to older generation superstars past their prime.

Now regardless of whether or not this is or isn’t the case, new viewers might watch and be turned off because they are looking for something fresh and exciting, while wrestling fans who used to watch may check Impact out and say to themselves “this guy or these guys(if Hall, Nash, Jeff Jarrett) are still in the main guys in wrestling” and not watch again because of it.

I will not disregard that some might watch because they enjoyed watching these guys when they were younger and that to some it might be something they want to see or relive, but I believe the majority of wrestling fans are looking for something new in fresh characters that have never been made before.

Love or hate Hulk Hogan its time for this legend to get over himself, drop his big ego, completely step back and let young stars of TNA take all the spotlight, run with it and let’s just see where this company can go based mainly around them. There is no reason that Hulk Hogan needs to still be in the spotlight at 60 + years old and logically it just isn’t necessary.

To anyone who thinks Hulk Hogan does not have that big ego anymore and is not what you would call that glory hog he was in the past to present, take a clearer look at things. Among the numerous amounts of time we have seen him be a part of the biggest moments on Impact and somehow thrown into the shuffle of things, a creation of a new Hulk Hogan has been made.

TNA has given us a new version of Hulkmania, one thus created in Abyss (a.k.a Abyssmania). This whole angle from the beginning has been a failure and the fact that Hogan is trying to recreate his whole gimmick in a younger guy tells me that he cannot let go of the past and of the days he was the biggest wrestler in the business. I don’t want to see something rehashed from the past and there will never been a new Hulkamania, and there should not be. TNA needs to succeed with fresh storylines and fresh characters.

I personally don’t care for Abyss but he was at his best point when he was feuding with Mick Foley or when he was represent as the dark mysterious monster by James Mitchell. These days Abyss is trying to be something he’s not and trying to live up to a gimmick that no man can ever live up to again and shouldn’t have to. Plain and simple, its time for “out with the old” and in with the new”.

Next we have Jay Lethal. Despite his whole “Black Machismo” gimmick being funny at times, its just another pure example of something trying to be rehashed. Now I know unlike Abyss he plays the role much better, but it’s nothing fresh and a few moments of comedy are not going to make this angle a productive part of the show for me.

This past Monday’s Impact impression of Ric Flair worked for me, mainly because it lead a confrontation between Flair and Lethal where we saw the real Jay Lethal come out. It had its humor and followed by a serious altercation that could end up resulting in what should be a future star getting a push, but hopefully with a fresh new gimmick.

This whole Horsemen thing that appears to happening or the Flair alliance, I’m really enjoying, although lets just make it official and actually give the group an official name actually defining them as a stable instead of just seeing them do the week by week attacks as a group, lets one again have a stable type of war within wrestling that we have seen a while.

Now for my last comment. I really fail to understand how TNA creates this ranking system where fans vote for whom they want to see become the number one contender and within only a week of the existent system they give the highest voted wrestler a title shot immediately and in a short lived match on Impact.

TNA needs to build towards things and stop giving things away to fans, especially things in which they are asking to see. We need to see feuds built around personalities developed with tension built over time between the two wrestler’s fighting for what is supposed to be the most prized possession in a wrestling company, the world championship and surely not in a meaningless 3 minute match.

Fans need to be given time to digest things, a reason to get behind a face because he’s a good face or get behind a heel because it’s a good heel. Desmond Wolfe is great on the microphone has that arrogant attitude that fans can love to hate and he is one of those that guys that can truly create strong heat on himself when given the chance to do so. RVD may not be that guy who cuts the best promo, but fans love him because he is RVD and because of his great in ring tactics that we know are going to be entertaining every time he steps in the ring.

I said it before and I will say it again, when you give something away and give us matches with no build up or back story, sure a fan might be seeing a great enjoyable match, but it doesn't really mean anything more than that. The meaning of the match itself is low, because that is all it is, a match with no emotion behind it for people to get behind the characters involved.

The truth is TNA has all the means to create strong heels and strong faces or develop them over time if they give those guys a chance to display that in their feuds. Feuds need to be created that are full of tension, hate, anger, frustration and all the characteristics that are involved in great feuds we’ve seen in the past. The problem in TNA is they have failed to create any type of feud that I’ve just mentioned and with all the talent they have on the show there is so much potential for those type of feuds.

Now I’m not implying that TNA in the future may not be going this direction, as it might be the case. What I am implying is this is the direction I honestly feel they need to go in order to get fans truly interested in their product and behind the wrestler’s on their roster in loving to hate a wrestling or just loving to cheer one. I honestly can’t tell the last time I loved to hate a wrestler to the point where I had to watch a wrestling show every week just to see what sort of edgy thing he was going to do next or in general just to want to boo him and see him get beat up badly because he is so good at getting under my skin.

Sure we’ve seen good and bad heels over the years, but since the Rock Austin and maybe Triple h, there has been no heel that could even compare, I believe one Desmond Wolfe has that potential. And we go back to look at faces I cannot recall the last time I have seen such reactions for a face that we’ve seen in the past for Hulk Hogan, The Warrior, Bret Hart, Austin and The Rock, Sting, Macho Man(all in their glory years of course)

For all these wrestlers fans had such strong passion to either cheer or boo them or to love or hate them, passion that I fail to see in today’s world of wrestling and that goes for both TNA and the WWE. I miss those days and TNA particular has the means or ingredients to recreate what I think has been missing, but with fresh, new and exciting stuff.

The wrestling product itself these days is lacking and I truly feel it’s the biggest part in why we don’t see the sort of reactions we used to and is the reason why fans are not as passionate as they used to be and are not able to say with pride these days “I’m a wrestling fan”. I’m a fan and I still watch, still enjoy a lot of what I see, but there’s just too much stuff that I don’t enjoy and the problem is I cannot recall the last time I enjoyed just about everything I watched for more than just one week in a month, that is what I as a fan am truly seeking.

Thanks for reading wrestling fans.
Till next time, best of blessings.