WWE and TNA: A Working Partnership?

[Low_Ki]

With all the BS going around both companies at the moment with 'Stone Cold' Shark Boy, and Shark Boy Charlie Haas, I was wondering if anyone has thought about the prospect of a working relationship between the WWE and TNA.

Is it completely out of reach that the two top companies instead of chipping away at each other were just to go into business together. What does everyone else think?

No.

It sounds like it would work, but it would not be good for the wrestling business. Vince already has three brands to worry about, all with their respective storylines and backstage issues. It would be a distinct hassle to add another brand to the WWE. All TNA would be is another developmental territory, sadly.
Plus, it would undermine everything that TNA is trying to achieve. What of their whole "wrestling alternative" and "we are wrestling" campaigns? That would throw it all out the window, and all the disgruntled former WWE employees would have to work for Vince again...that would not sit well.
Also, remember 7 years ago when Vince acquired WCW and ECW? Remember how well that went? I remember reading on WCW's website at the time that this was a "partnership" between WWE and WCW, where each side would benefit from the other. I don't think Vince ever mentioned a partnership or joint venture between the two. All he did was squander the memory of WCW, bury its talent, and gave us, the wrestling fan, a crappy storyline out of it.
Now, this was not a working relationship, you could argue, but I don't think Vince McMahon, the genius that he is, understands the idea of one at all. Look at the 80s where he raided other promotions' talent pools, bought their TV time, and pretty much put them out of business.
Overall, a "partnership", or whatever you want to call it, would not be good for the wrestling business. The argument has been made before, competition is extremely beneficial, creatively and financially, for the business of sports-entertainment.
Vince has his own agenda, and TNA does not fit into it; other than getting back his superstars, or burying it altogether, or owning its video library.
I think it would not work at all, the whole idea is ludicrous.

[Shadowmancer]

A working agreement. Highly Unlikely. That is called Collusion and as far as I know. that is Illegal. The WWE has a near monopoly of Wrestling on US TV with 5+ of the 7+ hours of Wrestling. The Plus is to take into account TV of original Wrestling in State to state. But it is Collusion because that would mean that both of these companies are trying to kill out any other form of their Service. Thereby meaning that They are acting as a Barrier for Shows like Wrestling Society X or Ring of Honor from breaking into a TV audience. It is also Highly unlikely to occur as well due to the heat that is sort of still on Pro Wrestling right now. Any major foot wrong right now could kill Wrestling as a Mainstream media entity. Hereby meaning that the only working Partnership that would be allowed is for an outside working partnership with a foreign company like AAA, CMLL, AJPW, NJPW or Pro Wrestling NOAH. Simple as that. A working agreement with a smaller company would also be allowed due to the fact that it is not creating a virtual monopoly.

[leelee]

WWE is just throwing ribs toward TNA for Shark Boy's recent role lol. Can't see how anyone got the idea for them possibly working together out of that lol.

[TheOneBigWill]

Originally Posted by Low_Ki

With all the BS going around both companies at the moment with 'Stone Cold' Shark Boy, and Shark Boy Charlie Haas, I was wondering if anyone has thought about the prospect of a working relationship between the WWE and TNA.

Is it completely out of reach that the two top companies instead of chipping away at each other were just to go into business together. What does everyone else think?

I could be wrong, but why would you assume Charlie Haas was the mock at T.N.A. for Sharkboy? I always assumed it was the random jobber, (Colin Delaney?) who kept showing up each week on E.C.W. more and more injured yet kept fighting, or rather jobbing, in squash matches.

And if you truly think about it, wrestling promotions rip off each other all the time. Whether it be with wrestlers using wrestling moves, to name mocking, to actual gimmick rip offs. Each company has had their fair share of doing something that wasn't their own original idea, just to attempt making it either better.. or mocking the other company for it.

[thecruiser]

There is absolutely no possible way that TNA and WWE are working together. No way in Hell. Vince wants to keep a monopoly on the wrestling business, but he can't do that if TNA gets bigger and has more global exposure every week (though, reported by WrestleZone, TNA only receives a few hundred buys per PPV in Canada, which is horrible considering the 40,000,000 people in Canada, and also considering arenas sell out whenever WWE is in town. Almost everybody here has SpikeTV, so they must be doing something wrong). Now, back on topic, TNA's goal is to be a direct competition to the WWE, an aspiration that they will never achieve, IMO. Also, if they were in a working agreement, and not at war with each other, don't you think wrestlers from both companies would be showing up on every show? If they are in a working agreement, why are TNA and SpikeTV under the Viacom umbrella, while RAW and ECW are under NBC, and SmackDown! is under CBS (soon to be NBC). Just because the two companies ribbed each other with similar gimmicks doesn't mean they are working together. It's just too ridiculous to be possible.

[Derf]

Originally Posted by TheOneBigWill

I could be wrong, but why would you assume Charlie Haas was the mock at T.N.A. for Sharkboy?

I think it's because a few weeks ago, maybe even this week, one of Charlie Haas's Masks was a shark boy mask, therefor, a "rib".

And I can't see a parnership ever happening. TNA has already said they're on their own, and with their overall status rising at an alarming rate, it's only a matter of time before the ribs pulled by each company become larger and larger, untill things get out of hand, stars jump ship, and one of the two companies sinks/gets bought out, and we know what one that will be, don't we? I can never see a partnership here. No trading, cross advertising, nothing. Rival companies don't help each other.

[Mr. J Rock]

Originally Posted by Derf

I think it's because a few weeks ago, maybe even this week, one of Charlie Haas's Masks was a shark boy mask, therefor, a "rib".

And I can't see a parnership ever happening. TNA has already said they're on their own, and with their overall status rising at an alarming rate, it's only a matter of time before the ribs pulled by each company become larger and larger, untill things get out of hand, stars jump ship, and one of the two companies sinks/gets bought out, and we know what one that will be, don't we? I can never see a partnership here. No trading, cross advertising, nothing. Rival companies don't help each other.

Lol, TNA's overall status rising? I think not. It's funny how Kurt Angle said a year and a a half ago that TNA would be beating WWE in ratings in one year. Well, looks like that never happened. And I don't see how much else their status could be rising, because when I think of TNA's roster, I think Kurt Angle. Because quite frankly, I don't know anyone else in TNA.

I wonder if Kurt will ever wise up, and go back home to WWE?

[Davi323]

If he could get the time off that he wants, and work limited dates, and let him tinker with MMA, I think he would jump back in an instant. The only thing that TNA can offer him right now is limited matches, so he isn't killing his body. They certainly can't pay him as much as WWE can, they can't give him the exposure to the world the WWE can, they can't put him in a sold out 20k seat arena like the WWE can. The only reason to not jump back to the WWE, provided they offer him what he would want, would be because he is happy being a big fish in a tiny pond...