Powell Editorials TNA is just spinning its wheels until Dixie Carter acknowledges the real problems plaguing her company By Jason Powell Feb 12, 2009 - 03:18 PM Email This Article | Printer Friendly Page Send Us News & Results | Back to Main Listing TNA is overhauling the undercard of its roster in an attempt to freshen things up. This move is long overdue. I may not agree with one of the talent decisions they've so far, but the company desperately needs to cycle in new talent. At the same time, I can't shake the feeling that this is just the another case of management addressing a small problem while ignoring the real issues. The thing that makes TNA so frustrating is that the company has a chance to succeed where so many others have failed. The Carter family has invested millions of dollars into the operation and they've hooked up with a great cable partner in Spike TV. This is the chance of a lifetime for the people running the wrestling side of the business. Yet rather than take advantage of this golden opportunity, there are people within TNA who seem to be more concerned with protecting themselves and their allies. The promotion that originally wanted to be the anti-WCW is making the same mistakes that led to the downfall of what was once the leading pro wrestling promoting in the world. We all know that TNA creative is atrocious. The wrestlers know it, office staffers acknowledge it, and most fans see it. Yet for some reason, one of the only people who can do something about it - TNA president Dixie Carter - continues to pretend like the problem doesn't exist. She may question some creative decisions and she might ask to be kept in the loop more regarding their storyline ideas, but ultimately she stands by the people who are truly holding her company down. Carter has apparently convinced herself that she is doing the right thing by letting the wrestling people run the wrestling end of the company. Sadly, she hasn't figured out or just refuses to admit to herself that that the wrestling people she has in place are not getting the job done. The company has dished out big money on several talent acquisitions over the years, including the most recent signing of Mick Foley. Each big signing had to come with the expectation that the performer would help the company achieve better ratings and pay-per-view buy rates, yet Impact hovers around the same 1.1 mark every week and buy rates are dropping to alarming lows. If the owner of a sports franchise repeatedly dished out millions of dollars to sign top free agent talent and the team never showed any significant signs of improvement, changes would be made. The owner might not be as knowledgeable as the people hired to run the team, but he or she would still expect results. And if the people running the team failed to deliver those results, they would eventually be held accountable. I used a sports analogy, but it's the same in any business. However, TNA doesn't operate like a normal business. The people causing the problems are never truly held accountable. I've spoken with several insiders regarding the problems in the company over the years. So many of these people have implied that the biggest issue facing TNA is that it's a country club for Jeff Jarrett and his cronies. "Everyone is on pins and needles," said one insider regarding the latest talent changes. "They're looking at who's not on television and what their status is with Jeff." Another TNA performer echoed those sentiments: "The bottom line is that if you're not friends with Jeff, your job is in danger. We should have all learned with what happened to (former TNA agent) Simon Diamond (a/k/a Pat Kenney). He was a great agent, very well liked, and very respected by the wrestlers, but because he went to bat for the agents and the wrestlers, Jeff Jarrett saw him as a threat and got rid of him to save his friends asses." In Jarrett's defense, he's not the first person in the pro wrestling industry to surround himself with friends. I suppose it's only natural for a booker to use people he trusts. No one would complain if the company was as successful as it could be, but the locker room and office morale is horribly low and so many people feel that Jarrett is a big part of the problem. None of this is meant to suggest that Jeff hasn't contributed positively over the years. He truly is a founder of the company and he remains a minority owner. I'm not saying that he shouldn't be involved with the company in some capacity, but I also don't believe his contributions should make him the booker for life. Given Jarrett's role as a minority owner, one would think that at some point he could be honest enough to admit to himself that he and his creative team simply are not getting the job done. Unfortunately, based on what so many people have told me, it's become more about retaining power than doing what's best for business. Today it's undercard talent reshuffling. Tomorrow they may dish out big money to another big name free agent that comes along. Maybe the next day they find a scapegoat agent or office worker who isn't blindly loyal to Jarrett's vision. Honestly, it doesn't matter which wrestlers this company hires or fires because nothing will change as long as this creative team in place. I'm convinced that they could sign John Cena and Randy Orton and TNA would book them so poorly that Impact would drop right back to it's usual rating six months from now. This company desperately needs a creative overhaul and people on the wrestling side of management who care more about the company than themselves and their cronies. Until those things happen, TNA is just spinning its wheels. HELP SUPPORT DOT NET! BECOME A MEMBER AT OUR CHARTER RATE OF JUST $5 A MONTH - GET THE FIRST LOOK AT EXCLUSIVE INSIDER DOT NET NEWS, TONS OF EXCLUSIVE AUDIO SHOWS, MESSAGE BOARD ACCESS, START YOUR OWN BLOG, AD-FREE MAIN LISTING: SIGN ME UP (or MORE INFO) GOT AN IPHONE OR IPOD TOUCH? THEN BE SURE TO DOWNLOAD OUR NEW FREE iPhone APP: (click here!) (or SEARCH "pro wrestling" in iTunes App Store) FOR MORE BREAKING WWE & TNA NEWS AND COMMENTARY, VISIT OUR AFFILIATE PWTORCH.COM (click here!) FOR MORE MMA & UFC NEWS AND COMMENTARY, VISIT OUR AFFILIATE MMATORCH.COM (click here!) CLICK TO RETURN TO DOT NET MAIN LISTING OR SELECT A LINK BELOW FROM THIS CATEGORY Powell Editorials Latest Twelve Articles TNA Impact Hitlist: Hulk Hogan hype, Kurt Angle and A.J. 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