Destination X – or Destination Unknown?

Destination X. A way to highlight perhaps THE most defining product of TNA, the key area of that company that I believe has the ability to push TNA’s ratings up. Watching it last night, I started with optimism – but ended scratching my head wondering WHY?

Looking at the lineup, there was a lot of promise. The opener was a #1 contenders match for the X Division title, and had TONS of talent on display. Why in the world this part of the TNA product is being pushed behind Vignettes of Hogan, Bischoff and Flair is beyond me. It should be the defining thing for TNA, plain and simple. After all, look at the roster, and in your mind, place them in terms of ability and “thrill” factor. Now tell me – Where does a team like the Nasty Boys belong – behind the X talent, or in front of it on the “pecking” order? Since I am sure at least 90% said “Nasty Boys should follow the X”, we have to ask – what in the world are the bookers thinking?

Frankly, Destination X as a whole was a waste of time and money the way it was presented. Yes, I know a bunch of TNA fanboys will groan at this, and claim it’s better than the WWE product. Know what I say to that? You USED to be right. Now – with multiple vignettes at a time taking away match time, and old(er) teams and people taking up spaces from new talent – the TNA has become the WWE completely.

As you sit in front of the TV tonight watching both WWE and TNA, you should watch what’s really happening behind the scenes. Yes, the WWE is playing “old home week” by bringing Bret back – part and parcel of what TNA is doing BTW – but they are also giving fans what they want from a WWE show. People loved last year’s HBK/Taker match-up – and what a better way to send Shawn into (hopefully) his last retirement by doing it again? TNA fans may chant ‘Who needs Bret’, but facts speak for themselves – for years people have wanted Bret to “get even” with Vince – and Vince and company are giving that to us.

Meanwhile, what is TNA giving? A replay of the WCW Hulk/Flair rivalry? Oh sure, it’s AJ/Abyss giving us the in ring action (mostly) now, but they’ve turned two unique personas into extensions of Hogan and Flair. It’s not only silly, it’s downright insulting to us, to AJ & Abyss, and to the legacy of the greatness that Hogan/Flair gave us. They are taking a formerly great tag team (Nasty Boys) and putting them in for what seems no other reason than they are friends of Hulk & Bischoff. And in the rest of the process, they are taking everything that makes TNA unique, and watering it down in an attempt to create a hybrid old-ECW/WCW show.

That’s not to say that there is no bright spot. TNA has been smart enough to grab some ill-used WWE talent (Burke, Anderson, Taz) and given them a new lease on life. But unless they stop the direction they are taking now, TNA will only become a carbon copy of what it is SUPPOSED to be “fighting” against. They need to reign in the vignettes – yes, they are useful as exposition, but are MOST effective when used sparingly. They also need to increase the duration of matches – 3 to 5 minute matches may be easier to “script”, but they also become stale and boring.

The sad part is that I have tremendous respect for some of the very people I seem to be complaining about. Eric Bischoff has a good mind for TV, the Hulkster knows how to excite a crowd. Nash, Hall and even Sean Waltman (Syxx-pac) can and do play the anti-hero roles to the hilt, even if they tend to make silly mistakes.

Fact is, TNA has the tools and the talent. What they seem to be lacking right now is a solid direction. And they had better find it fast.