There is a trend in TNA today. A way of doing things that has become far too common. An attempt by wrestlers to get themselves over by shooting on WWE's product. By slamming the big company and making the smaller company look like the renegade underdog. If it happened a little, it would be almost entertaining. Instead, it's happening a lot. It has become status quo.
My problem with this trend is not that it will hurt WWE or TNA in the ratings or buyrates or anything on paper. WWE is more or less bullet-proof as it pertains to what (if anything) TNA can do right now to the mainstream company. TNA is not going to lose any viewers due to this. They will not gain any viewers either. The problem is that it looks like trash. Petty. Infantile. Cheap.
A lot of the slams come directly from former WWE wrestlers. Now, based on some of WWE's firing practices and treatment of certain wrestlers, it is understandable that some of them have a legitimate gripe against their former employer. So if it happened only on occassion and by the "right" people, it would not be an issue. However, when it becomes a frequent part of TNA television, it begins to look sad and pathetic. It feeds into the idea that TNA is a young gun renegade promotion that treats all its wrestlers well and WWE is an evil empire that keeps everyone in their roster down.
Christian Cage is one of the most notable ex-WWE hires. Cage made a "surprise" debut on Pay-Per-View to cut a promo. I guess there was no way he could explain his presense in TNA without taking a shot at WWE's booking practices and the fact that he was stuck as a midcard comedy act for so long. Fair enough. There's far more, though.
One wrestling personality I truly admire and whose opinion I always respect is Jim Cornette. I love listening to this man talk. Either cutting promos at TNA and ROH shows or through his many shoot interviews. Unfortunately, he is going to have to be lumped in with the rest of the ranters. He has reason. I give him that. Cornette was fired from his position in Ohio Valley Wrestling for slapping one of the wrestlers.
Cornette has taken a couple shots at WWE since becoming the on-screen authority figure in TNA. The most recent was a shot at Vince McMahon for being on television too much. To paraphrase, it went like this: "I have a few things to say but I'll make it quick because I know you're sick and tired of the wrestling bosses taking up the whole show."
If it was only a few quips like that and the rare one-liner from Mike Tenay, it would not look so bad. However, with WWE's recent decision to bring back ECW under its own flag, TNA has decided to use some of its roster who wrestled for the old ECW to bash the new show on Sci Fi. I guess they are bitter that WWE signed Sabu. Either that or they just think it's easier to put down someone else's product rather than learn how to properly hype your own.
Shane Douglas has thrown out some anti-WWECW comments at the Impact Zone. Shortly before a Pay-Per-View if I remember correctly. On the same weekend as the first ECW One Night Stand, Douglas held a reunion show at the old ECW Arena called Hardcore Homecoming. He got into a bitter dispute with WWE over the use of the letters "ECW" and even the word "extreme" as well.
One could argue that that is why Douglas took a shot at WWE, but if you look at the history of Shane Douglas, that's just what he does. Burn bridges. His badmouthing fit in nicely with TNA's new standard operating procedure. The comments were directed at the new ECW and at Ric Flair (shocking!) too.
Another example would be Team 3D. In promos that should have had nothing to do with Vince McMahon, Brother Ray ripped on the revival of ECW. Of course, if Ray and Devon got the money they wanted from WWE when their contracts were up, they would have been part of the new ECW as well. They also probably would have been fine with it.
One time, during a feud with Team Canda, when Ray was listing the things he would rather do than listen to the Canadian national anthem, he said "I would rather go back to work for that miserable company..." and then cut himself off and noted that even he wouldn't do that. Another time, Ray and Devon went to the ECW Arena (not calling it that, though) to cut a promo about what it really means to be hardcore or something.
The most blatant slam on WWE's revival of ECW would have to be Rhino trashing and burning the ECW World Championship. Actually, it was either a replica or nothing was truly burned at all, but since Rhino is said to own the old ECW belt, it gave the action a sense of realism...almost. Rhino tore apart WWE for this, that and the other. Throwing a tantrum in a hotel means one is wrongfully terminated, I guess. Then he burned a bag that was supposed to have contained the belt.
Some might say that these are bold actions by TNA. Attempts to follow in WCW's footsteps by ripping on the top dog and making a name from it. A couple differences: First, WCW could legitimately compete with WWE. Second, these cheap shots have never helped ratings or buyrates. So at best, they are a quick chuckle out of the Impact Zone crowd and nothing more, and at worst, they are masturbatory and childish.
The odd thing is that this nonsense tricks TNA fans into thinking the company is valiantly fighting against the tyrannical WWE. That TNA is a some kind of noble "rebel" promotion that is fighting WWE with nothing but guts and determination. First of all, nine out of ten TNA wrestlers would take a WWE contract if they had the chance. Second, TNA is owned by Panda Energy. It builds power plants and has an annual revenue of approximately $219,000,000. Got it?
The problem with cheap shots and low blows is not that it will end up hurting business. It simply shows a lack of dignity. Something professional wrestling is often missing.
