Fixing TNA: How a few small changes can make all the difference. Chapter Two

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CHAPTER 2: STORYLINES NEED TO BE PLANNED IN ADVANCE, FROM START TO FINISH

It’s so obvious as to be absurd, but wrestling has developed a bad habit of  straying from this. Whether it’s a TV show, a movie, a play or a book, it is a  basic rule of storytelling. Work out story arcs in advance, with a timeframe and a structure (and, crucially, a beginning, middle and end), and then commence  telling those stories. Wrestling has the advantage of being able to tweak a story if it runs into problems, for example if somebody is injured or if it simply isn’t getting over, but in general this should not be the case, and even if it is the case, a backup plan is also something that can be worked out in advance.

TNA should have a general idea of the storyline direction for its top ten to fifteen roster members, if not the entire roster, over the next year. The company should have a strong idea of what the card will be for Bound For Glory 2014 in fourteen months’ time, and attention should be paid – starting now –  to making the wrestlers in the featured matches on that card as marketable as possible in time for that event, such as not losing meaningless matches on TV with no build-up or hype, and no reaction to their match results.

The question that should be asked of all booking decisions, big or small, is "what are we building towards?". A storyline about ownership battles or gang warfare or love affairs may seem like a good idea, but the rule should be that the most prominently featured storylines in a wrestling show are those that will lead to the most important matches. A storyline that doesn’t build towards a climax, in the form of a marketable wrestling match, only serves to damage the audience’s trust in the product.

TNA would benefit from having a rough idea for each character’s storyline progression over the next year, with more defined plans for the stars the company wants to protect. The company should have its main story arcs in mind for the next year, with an idea of how long these storylines will last for, the different directions they will take (that is, the "bumps along the road"), when they will end, how they will end, and what can be done to ensure a satisfactory conclusion. There is zero reason there cannot be a plan in place for every wrestler on the entire TNA roster, even if that plan is subject to change (which will naturally happen). The people who write these storylines should spend multiple hours each week brainstorming short-term, medium-term and long-term storyline developments, over and over again, until they can tell you what Magnus will be doing in December, and what Kenny King will be doing in March, and what Chavo Guerrero will be doing in July. The things we are currently watching on Impact should have been mostly planned out months ago. There is no reason this cannot happen. If there are obstacles along the way, and plans need to be changed, so be it. But there should be a broad plan, even if it doesn’t completely come to fruition, so that at least the writing team are aware of the general direction for each wrestler.

One thing that should not lead to plans being changed, however, is if they leak out into the wrestling media, or are deemed "too obvious". This should not prevent the most logical, entertaining, interesting story from being told. The element of surprise is an important one, but the fact is that – even if plans are leaked – the majority of your audience will not find out about future developments, and not guess them in advance. For most wrestling viewers, like most consumers of any entertainment, their weekly dose of the product begins and ends with the TV show they watch every week. It’s crucial to always remember that those fans who may follow the "inside" workings of the industry are in a small minority. As with any form of scripted entertainment, it is possible to find out spoilers, but that should not prevent plans from being followed through. Besides, if the quality of the product is good enough, spoilers should actually have the effect of making people more eager to watch how things play out on TV!

These rules would ensure that everything we see on Impact, or on TNA pay-per-views, happens for a reason. It would create a far more disciplined narrative, where characters are consistent and match results mean something and Impact isn’t filled with throwaway, meaningless segments, and viewers can invest and trust in the product, knowing that they will be rewarded for their investment. It would allow for much more focused commentary, where the announcers know exactly what they should be accentuating about each character and storyline. It would mean that, when there is a big reveal or twist in a storyline, the viewers will not be able to look back and point out prior holes and flaws that make it illogical. It would allow for the wrestlers to be presented as stars, particularly those the company has big plans for in the future. TNA does not have control over everything that happens to the company in the next year or more, but one thing that is completely in the company's control is that it can make the deliberate decision to tell the most carefully planned, best-paced, logical stories wrestling has seen in the 21st century so far.

I agree totally about the spoilers, the creators of the Avengers didn't change the movie when the plot was posted online after it was released in one country before another, Peter Jackson didn't change the ending of the Lord of the Rings because people had read the book. It's ridiculous that TNA or WWE place such emphasis on surprise.

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