There is definitely a change going on in TNA's women's division. They have always sold this image of being respectable since the KO division really got started. They were better than the WWE diva division. Just like the diva division is about more than just that sexy, glamorous image associated with the eye-candy divas, the status quo about the KO division is about more than this theme of respectability. The division isn't simply about the company saying they are better. What makes, or made, them more respectable and better? I would say it is two things. First, they do not hold their women back in matches. There was a ladder match just a few weeks ago featuring the KOs. Second, they featured their women more and regularly by having multiple feuds and angles going.
That last point is where there is an obvious problem. They just released some of their women and there is no debuting to fill the spaces. The fact that you don't hold back your women is nice, but how interesting can your division be when you keep on featuring the same women? Currently, they are still trying to have multiple things going. Mickie James is the KO Champion, likely still feuding with Velvet Sky. Gail Kim looks to be feuding with ODB now. Not very creative right now. A lot of fans like that Mickie James is now a heel. Technically, TNA isn't really giving her a great storyline. It's up to her to make her heel character work. And Gail Kim's recent feuds also show a lack of creativity. She just lost a title match against Mickie James. She now looks to be entering a feud with the ref of the match, ODB. Go back a few months. Gail Kim lost a title match to Velvet Sky, then went on to feud with the ref of the match, Taryn. They obviously put on some respectable matches, but in terms of the quality of the actual feuds and angles, TNA is not delivering.
They should have kept the tag titles. Of course, that only works if they brought in more women to feature. But if they kept the tag titles, that would make for more feuds with more on the line. They are currently heading in a direction where everything is either a title feud for the KO Championship or a grudge match that will most likely lead into one of those women getting a title feud for the KO Championship. There are no intriguing storyline ideas, stables to feature multiple women, and development of women outside of this cycle. They had Tara involved as the valet as a tag team. If they had kept her, that would not have been a bad use for her. If there was ever a tag team or stable who got another KO member, you could have a 6-person feud and match. But keeping the tag titles would have been a great move. Getting rid of that was a sign that things really are heading in the wrong direction.
They need fresh workers, workers that can connect with the fans, and workers with unique looks and gimmicks. They can't keep pushing the same women in these cycles. At the same time, releasing a generic blond and hiring a generic blond that looks basically the same isn't really bringing anything unique. I think they should have done more with Taeler Hendrix. She is sexy and she has a unique look. TNA has redheads still employed, but they don't wrestle. Give the fans some variety in who they are seeing wrestle.
Respectability can only take you so far. Not holding your women back is fine, but if you are not featuring a wide variety of women and interesting angles on a regular basis, things will get boring. And that is the problem. They lack depth. They cannot afford Mickie James or Gail Kim getting injured. Who will be your other heels? If TNA does not plan to change things, the status quo of the KO division could really change. Their agenda is no longer about featuring their women prominently in terms of letting them go at it in the ring and having multiple fresh storylines and feuds going. It is about making do with what you have. That's not aiming for greatness. Pretty soon, the KO division might just become more hype than substance.
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