Total Non-Stop Action Has Arrived

Sanford Center pulls in its’ biggest act yet

By: Frank Panzer and Andy Brown

 Total Non-Stop Action wrestling, TNA, rolls into Bemidji Saturday March 26 and more importantly into the Sanford Center, bringing on arguably the biggest thing to be seen in Bemidji in the Sanford Center’s young life.  You don’t have to be a fan of the soap opera storylines or men in tight clothes to see that TNA is a legitimate company given the weekly television show and many well-known superstars that have even starred in movies.  TNA is most well-known for the amazing “fan experience” they provide at their house shows, a house show is a show that is just for the venue, none of what we see will be aired on TV, their focus on fan experience is what makes people pay the money and enjoy an entertaining experience for a night.   

This is more than an opportunity to see a great show however, according to TNA President Dixie Carter, who wrote on her twitter and facebook page that it is “these shows that decide whether a location is suitable for a TNA PPV,” TNA does all their TV shows out of Orlando, Florida but the company does travel the US and will do their monthly Pay-Per-View (PPV) shows from different locations.  Carter went on to inform TNA fans that, “attendance at the event is what counts, attendance, and how loud you can be.  Show us you want it bad enough there is no reason we couldn’t do a TNA PPV right out of northern MN.”  Although it seems unlikely it certainly is a possibility more now than ever.   

The new Sanford Center will be the site for this event and is the reason we are getting to see all these great things here in Bemidji.  A brand new state-of-the-art venue with potential to sell tickets is exactly what a city needs to bring in big acts, this was one of the main selling points through the entire process of getting the Sanford Center built, as Northwest tech student Kelly Hoge put it, “there is no way a major event comes up here and runs a show out of the John Glas or the Memorial gym, we needed a place, a special place to attract big names, like The Harlem Globetrotters, Blake Shelton and TNA.”  And that is exactly what  Bemidji can provide.

TNA is definitely adult oriented entertainment, scantily clad women and blood are common on their programming. Senior Katie Holsapple had this to say on the topic.  “Ya, it’s wrestling I get it, but for me it seems like an insulting use of the Sanford Center, there should be an honor, a tradition to what comes here, not whatever we can get let’s throw in front of people.  Regardless of the warnings, people are going to bring kids who are too young and just complain about the appropriateness of the material later.” 

 

The city of Bemidji can only benefit from this visit by TNA if in no other way than the sheer numbers of people who will be out and about moving through town and especially people coming from a little ways away, getting a hotel room perhaps, pumping money right back into our city.  TNA is really a stepping stone to the types of things that could be put on in the Sanford Center, there is nothing stopping them from getting a mega-star act and attracting people from miles and miles away.  When that day comes we will look back on TNA’s visit, the first nationwide, corporate guests The Sanford Center had, and thank them for opening the doors to all the possibilities and to helping Bemidji grow.