Finding the Alternative

Next week, I'll be taking a look at Brooke Hogan's impending debut in TNA and what it means for the Knockouts Division but this week is a special occasion here on TNAsylum and as such, this is a special edition of Knockout Shots.

I've had people ask me before just why it is that I'm such a big supporter of the TNA Knockouts and in truth, the answer is the very same reason as to why I love TNA so much -- it provides an alternative. In late 2007, women's wrestling was in the rut that it had been in for a long time. Mainstream wrestling promoters in North America had a tried and tested theory that said women were there to do two things for their programming: provide eye candy and fill time. According to them, women were not a big enough draw to invest any kind of meaningful time or put creative energy behind. On October 14 2007, TNA Wrestling put an end to that theory.

Virtually overnight, TNA changed the way that people thought about women's wrestling. It became obvious that this was a company not interested in promoting a women's division that was there to simply fill time with mud matches and lingerie battle royals. This was a company determined to bring credibility and respect back to mainstream women's wrestling or better yet, bring it for the first time ever. The contrast between them and WWE was startling. With its Knockouts Division, TNA had truly found an alternative product. And the best was yet to come.

I don't think anyone in TNA Wrestling or any of us watching at home could have predicted just how much of a success the Knockouts Division would become but as the ratings came in and the numbers climbed higher each week, it became clear that TNA were onto something special. They had found something to captivate the audience and what's more, they did it by allowing their female performers to perform with dignity and go out and do what they did best: wrestle. This was not a parade of T and A thrown out there to fill time; this was TNA. And in TNA, women's wrestling mattered. It wasn't long before the highest-rated segment of Impact every week was the Knockouts portion of the show, and while it would be wrong to think that the beauty of some of the Knockouts didn't play a part in this, the point is that once the bell rang, this was a different product from what we'd grown accustomed to seeing from other companies and it was reflected in the ratings.

In the passing years since its inception, the TNA Knockouts Division has seen its share of highs and lows but has always remained at the forefront of the TNA product and always near the top of the ratings breakdown for Impact. In the coming week the division looks to be getting an overhaul with the addition of Brooke Hogan to its ranks as an authority figurehead. Where this will lead isn't exactly clear yet but time will tell. Looking beyond that however, this October the TNA Knockouts Division will celebrate its 5-year anniversary, just a few short months after TNA itself will celebrate its 10-year anniversary. These are landmark events and are a testament to what can happen when you find an alternative product and you run with it despite what the critics and detractors say to you. TNA deserves more credit than it gets for still being here 10 years on and so do the TNA Knockouts for making it to 5 years as the best women's division in mainstream wrestling history.

As special as these two anniversaries are, there is a third special anniversary I want to mention and it's being celebrated here on this very site. It's the 2-year anniversary of TNAsylum! Just like TNA and the Knockouts Division, TNAsylum is another prime example of what can happen by showcasing the alternative. While it has become trendy for websites and magazines to bash TNA and be negative about every aspect of their existence, TNAsylum forged an identity as a place where TNA fans could go to without having to put up with crap found at other sites. TNAsylum was a place we could go to for our news and info and where we could interact with like minded fans who wanted an alternative site. In the past two years, TNAsylum has truly become THE haven for TNA fans like myself who was a long time reader before I ever got the chance to write for the site.

I want to congratulate TNAsylum on reaching its second birthday and want to thank the site for allowing me the honor of contributing to it each week. In particular I want to thank Talon for giving me the chance to come on board, and JSO for being a great editor whose advice and guidance has been a huge part of the success of Knockout Shots.

So why do I love the TNA Knockouts so much? Why do I take the time to dedicate a column to them every week? I do it because it means something to me. The TNA Knockouts are my favourite thing in wrestling for the same reason that TNA is my favourite promotion and why TNAsylum is my favourite website -- because it offers an alternative. As we move through a year of special anniversaries, I hope TNAsylum, TNA and the Knockouts Division will all be around for a long time, delivering Knockout Shots to all the wrestling world.