TNA has shown that they can put on an entertaining product. Even with the roster they have, they've put on a good show or two. They chugged right along for quite a while just doing their thing. They got the idea that they wanted to compete with Vince and they brought in a few big names to see if they could get TNA over. They failed miserably when they tried to move to Monday night's directly opposite Raw and now word comes down that they've got a ton of problems in the back. The Wrestling Observer via Wrestling Inc:
There is said to be a lot of divisiveness within the TNA locker room between talent who have been there for years and those new to the roster. One exception is Ric Flair who has been described as getting along with just about everyone on both sides. Hulk Hogan is not overly disliked, but many feel they brought him in with high hopes, hasn't improved business and isn't very dedicated to TNA.
Not even a little bit surprising. Everyone loves Flair and doesn't like Hogan. That's only because he isn't actively wrestling because if he was, he would have buried the whole roster by now. He came in and kept talking about change and how it was the young guys time now and all that so I guess they don't hate him too much. The rest of it sounds like typical pro wrestling attitude. The guys who've put time in at TNA think that they've paid their dues and they should be the top guys and the new guys coming in, no matter how big they've been anywhere else, need to pay their dues before they get a big push. This of course, totally ignores what makes the most money which is the whole reason to do all this anyway. That's always been the problem with pro wrestling.
As to all this talk RVD had some choice things to say about it:
"I'd imagine a lot of the old TNA guys are feeling like they're taking a back seat. The thing is..you can't argue with numbers. Last week TNA broke new all-time records for ratings! TNA needed a change. The 6-sided ring and the great technical wrestlers–that nobody knew–wasn't working. TNA brought in two rock stars, and look at the company now! Dixie often points out how hiring Jeff Hardy and RVD started a whole new era, why do some of the wrestlers not see it? Too young, too green, too selfish to have the correct perspective. Whereas some of the TNA `stars' are lucky to get recognized walking around the studios, Jeff and myself live like actual celebrities, signing autographs and taking pictures EVERYWHERE we go. Without experiencing this, it's probably hard to imagine. In fact, very few wrestlers stick out in people's minds the way that Jeff and I do. WE love our fans and we love their love. TNA is blowing up. Good things will come our way and I see it all happening now. This is a very exciting time. More people watching TNA means more people exposed to the other wrestlers on the card too...as long as they're good enough to hang around with the rising standards."
That's golden right there. He completely buries everybody on the roster while calling himself and Jeff Hardy rock stars. Admittedly enough, RVD and Hardy are more popular than AJ Styles for instance but that does not in any way qualify them as rock stars. If you are being lax with your standards then maybe you could give that distinction to Hardy but there is no way you can do the same for Van Dam. He seems to have the idea that the ratings have gone through the roof and it's all because of him and Jeff. He couldn't be more wrong. The ratings have been at a standstill and show no signs of improving.
The other issue with him saying these things is the timing. He gets put out of action for a while in an injury angle and now he says all this. The same guys that he is burying are the guys that are going to be putting him over when he gets back. How will that work out? I guess we'll see when he returns. These are the same kind of problems we always heard about with WCW. Eventually the whole stack of cards comes tumbling down.