Breaking: Alberto El Patron Stripped of GFW World Title

[klunderbunker]

http://impactwrestling.com/alberto-el-patron-indefinite-suspension-update-2/

He's also still suspended, meaning he likely won't be appearing at Thursday's Destination X. This is a big surprise as he was announced as defending against Low Ki on this coming week's show. There is no word on when he'll be back, but unless it's for the TV tapings, you might not be seeing Alberto in GFW for a very long time.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

The way this reads, he's effectively been ousted. Unless I'm misreading their intent, it sure seems clear they're distancing themselves from him in a way they simply couldn't prior to this (haven already taped so much in advance from the point of the incident until now). Rather than scramble to fill that void, they effectively waited out this announcement until those episodes concluded as a necessary evil.

"No decision has been taken as to the date on which he will be reinstated to the roster, the conditions of which are a private matter between the company and El Patron."

Translation: "We signed Patron to a guaranteed contract that he will be riding out before leaving the company".

 

[Starkist]

I agree with Anthem on this move. Patron has not made the best choices in the eyes of the Public. He has embarrassed himself (as a World Champion), which in return embarrasses the company that he is employed under. GFW has the stigma of TNA still spilled all over them. They are trying to distance themselves from this stigma which is smart on their end. Allowing the episodes to air while keeping Patron suspended was the best move possible. Then stripping him of the belt once a live episode is supposed to air is smart due to not having Patron be stripped during the investigation only to see him on iMPACT as WHC would have been a silly move.

Patron needs a wake up call. All the WWE bashing he was doing to now being stripped of a title that is the main prize in the company is mind boggling. He needs to get his crap together some how. GFW seems to not want Patron any longer and he more than likely will be sitting at home until his contract is over. Good on GFW for standing ground and showing the roster that they are not here to play games like prior TNA management.

 

[Psykohurricane55]

This kinda help the company shake the TNA aura that wass following them in a way. Back when dixie was still running things, a situation like this would have been sweep under the rug and business would go on as usual. Now they are actually taking action even if this mean losing they biggest start and probably their main event of their next show.

The interesting thing now is what are they going to with the title. That got me interested in watching impact next thursday just to see how they will deal with this situation on tv.

 

[klunderbunker]

In a way this makes me feel better. Until now, how much punishment had Alberto really received? Assuming he was still being paid during his suspension, he was never off TV and missed two house shows which weren't the best attended in the world. That's more of a paid vacation than a suspension, which really doesn't sound like it means anything. Now it feels like he's actually in trouble, which feels like a change of pace for the company. That's a good thing too as they haven't been the best with accountability at times.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

In a way this makes me feel better. Until now, how much punishment had Alberto really received? Assuming he was still being paid during his suspension, he was never off TV and missed two house shows which weren't the best attended in the world. That's more of a paid vacation than a suspension, which really doesn't sound like it means anything. Now it feels like he's actually in trouble, which feels like a change of pace for the company. That's a good thing too as they haven't been the best with accountability at times.

They had no choice in the matter, KB. You watched the same episodes I did. He was all over them. You simply can't fill that void. What was the alternative — to simply not air content for a month and a half?

This arguably is his punishment. It just took longer than we'd like given GFW's operating model.

 

[ramblinroy682]

Good Riddance to Alberto. You don't want a guy who is surrounding himself with crap and coke as champ.

Id put Eli Drake in the main event in place of Alberto and have him beat LowKi to become the new champion. Then I'd recreate the Shane Douglas ECW title promo and have Eli throw the TNA title in the Trash. I'd have him cut a promo something like...

When Jarrett came back they talked about making impact great again. It wasn't great in the first place because they never gave Eli Drake a shot at the gold. Now...Eli Drake is the man who is going to lead Global Force Wrestling into the future and make it exactly what the name says. This company will be a Global Force. Every man, woman, and child will know my name. In every language the translation of champion will be Eli Drake. That's not an insult...that's just a fact of life.

 

[MWRedskins]

Id put Eli Drake in the main event in place of Alberto and have him beat LowKi to become the new champion. Then I'd recreate the Shane Douglas ECW title promo and have Eli throw the TNA title in the Trash. I'd have him cut a promo something like...

Agree with a few things here.....firstly, i DO think Eli Drake should be in the main event, but not in place of Alberto, in place of Low Ki. Low Ki is a heel and should remain that, i think the person to replace Alberto should be either 1) a new signed talent or a face that should be in a title match...maybe have a 4 way with Lashley, Sydal, Drake and that newly signed guy. i was ok with Low Ki vs. El Patron because the feud was writing itself, but Drake as a heel should beat a face for the title.

As for throwing the belt in the trash, i like the first part of that, but i dont want him to claim that he's been underused or anything like that.

Have that be the way they introduce the new GFW World Heavyweight Championship, have him either trash it in a promo or have an over the top celebration ceremony where he gets the new championship belt. Eli Drake should be champion.....with that said, i have a bad feeling that the champion will either be Lashley or that newly signed talent and while i think a new talent being champion is good, i dont think they should pass Eli Drake right now who's the best on the microphone and has fine in ring skills.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

They have no choice but to strip and distance themselves, he was still caught on audio talking openly in public about drug use with Paige... that's a big no-no. Wouldn't be shocked if he's refused a test and this is why they actually went as far as taking the title back/not reinstating him.

TNA has some real problems right now, fighting for trademarks with the Hardyz should end now and they need to focus on their own company...not trying to screw percentages out of talents working elsewhere.

 

[d_henderson1810]

I agree with Anthem on this move. Patron has not made the best choices in the eyes of the Public. He has embarrassed himself (as a World Champion), which in return embarrasses the company that he is employed under. GFW has the stigma of TNA still spilled all over them. They are trying to distance themselves from this stigma which is smart on their end. Allowing the episodes to air while keeping Patron suspended was the best move possible. Then stripping him of the belt once a live episode is supposed to air is smart due to not having Patron be stripped during the investigation only to see him on iMPACT as WHC would have been a silly move.

Patron needs a wake up call. All the WWE bashing he was doing to now being stripped of a title that is the main prize in the company is mind boggling. He needs to get his crap together some how. GFW seems to not want Patron any longer and he more than likely will be sitting at home until his contract is over. Good on GFW for standing ground and showing the roster that they are not here to play games like prior TNA management.

So police suspect that Paige was the one abusing El Patron at the airport, and yet he is stripped of the belt, despite being the victim of "domestic violence".

I thought that it was ruled that he was the victim. I know it is hard for the public to swallow a man being the victim, and the woman being the perpetrator, of domestic violence, but it does happen.

Also, people's hate of El Patron is driven, I think, by the resentment that he got pushed and won the belt "before he was ready" (funny, though, how it doesn't bother the same people that Finn Balor won the belt at his first PPV, or how Shitstain Nakamura might win the WWE Title so soon after being elevated to the main roster, but then, Del Rio isn't anorexic like Balor or Shitstain, he doesn't gyrate to opera music, doesn't paint his face, and was pushed by Vince, and the fans hate that).

I thought Del Rio got pushed too soon as well, but he has a cool finisher, and he puts on quite good matches. I would have liked to have seen a Kurt Angle v Del Rio match in WWE.

I think too, some of the comments are coming from the ten people who still watch that shambles of a company (TNA/GFW), and put over anything they do, and bag anything WWE does, to pretend to have some relevance.

Decisions like this and the standoff of a gimmick Matt Hardy created that saved TNA from going under, show why this company should be put out of its misery, so that I can enjoy the old days of TNA on the "WWE Network" once Vince buys the company and sticks ECIII and whomever else is left , in NXT.

 

[klunderbunker]

They had no choice in the matter, KB. You watched the same episodes I did. He was all over them. You simply can't fill that void. What was the alternative — to simply not air content for a month and a half?

This arguably is his punishment. It just took longer than we'd like given GFW's operating model.

I think you misunderstood me a bit.

I'm happy with what TNA did and it was indeed one of their only options aside from fining him. I would have been rather annoyed if he was just back on Impact this week like nothing had happened and it's nice to see them do something to punish someone for a change.

The timing just struck me as a bit odd. They could have managed to leave off the announcement of El Patron vs. Low Ki but other than that, no they probably couldn't have done much else.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

How? They built directly to it through the last month and a half's worth of television content that you appear to agree they had little choice but to air. This isn't like the issue with Bram from 2014 when he was originally suspended as they were running through that horrendous World Title Series yet still airing his matches unnecessarily.

Patron, in this case, was the gravitational center of the entire six weeks' worth of content, so I don't see what choice they had.

If this were WWE, this would have been resolved the day or day after the initial report aired (depending on which day of the week it occurred), but GFW doesn't have the luxury of airing a new, live episode every week. I just don't see what they could have reasonably done that they didn't do. They even kept him suspended after his name was cleared by the police!

 

[klunderbunker]

How? They built directly to it through the last month and a half's worth of television content that you appear to agree they had little choice but to air. This isn't like the issue with Bram from 2014 when he was originally suspended as they were running through that horrendous World Title Series yet still airing his matches unnecessarily.

Just say LAX beat Alberto down off camera and he's recovering from the attack. Low Ki was #1 contender, the title is now his. As for dealing with the announcement of Low Ki vs. Patron for this week, just don't air it in the first place and air a recap or a promo of some sort.

If this were WWE, this would have been resolved the day or day after the initial report aired (depending on which day of the week it occurred), but GFW doesn't have the luxury of airing a new, live episode every week. I just don't see what they could have reasonably done that they didn't do. They even kept him suspended after his name was cleared by the police!

Strip him of the title earlier? I agree they didn't have many options. I'm trying to give them some credit on something for once here.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Except that (a) that's not how titles change hands, and (b) they're currently building toward a Lee/Dutt XD match that's touching on that concept, whereby Lee simply took the title and claimed its status as the heel. If you are arguing for the same, or similar, in Low Ki's case where he effectively takes it, fine, but the problem with that is that it invites Patron to take back "his" title at a later date, and it would be an awful standard for the company to set regarding title theft by booking a match in which Lee (or Low Ki) are recognized as the rightful champion.

As to stripping him earlier, fine, but again, six weeks' worth of broadcasting needed to conclude. I'd argue the timing for stripping him had to happen now as they enter a semi-live event this week. Otherwise, they face a barrage of jokes from an audience they're trying to win back who mock them for more than a month about AEP being champion but not being the champion.

This had to be dealt with pragmatically, and in that sense, this was the right call, both from a brand protection and timing perspective.

 

[Starkist]

So police suspect that Paige was the one abusing El Patron at the airport, and yet he is stripped of the belt, despite being the victim of "domestic violence".

I thought that it was ruled that he was the victim. I know it is hard for the public to swallow a man being the victim, and the woman being the perpetrator, of domestic violence, but it does happen.

Also, people's hate of El Patron is driven, I think, by the resentment that he got pushed and won the belt "before he was ready" (funny, though, how it doesn't bother the same people that Finn Balor won the belt at his first PPV, or how Shitstain Nakamura might win the WWE Title so soon after being elevated to the main roster, but then, Del Rio isn't anorexic like Balor or Shitstain, he doesn't gyrate to opera music, doesn't paint his face, and was pushed by Vince, and the fans hate that).

I thought Del Rio got pushed too soon as well, but he has a cool finisher, and he puts on quite good matches. I would have liked to have seen a Kurt Angle v Del Rio match in WWE.

I think too, some of the comments are coming from the ten people who still watch that shambles of a company (TNA/GFW), and put over anything they do, and bag anything WWE does, to pretend to have some relevance.

Decisions like this and the standoff of a gimmick Matt Hardy created that saved TNA from going under, show why this company should be put out of its misery, so that I can enjoy the old days of TNA on the "WWE Network" once Vince buys the company and sticks ECIII and whomever else is left , in NXT.

So, you are reaching on assumption on how I personally feel about something while trying to integrate it into your post. Backing a company on a guy who has lost his title as President of Combat Sports (regardless of him resigning from the position or being removed, he no matter what, is no longer President. He was stripped of the title from his fiancé’s parent’s promotion, now he is stripped of the WHC at the GFW, the company who pays him.) He has not painted the picture of being a Champion and this is the guy who once carried the label as Mexican John Cena. Cena, ya know, the guy who carries himself as a company man not a man who thinks he is carrying the company. Patron has had nothing but bad press and for GFW to hold their ground, good on them. They want to emerge from the negative shadow of TNA and become a company that seeks positivity like the glory days of TNA or even now like ROH, EVOLVE, and even Lucha Underground.

You then start to criticize GFW/TNA fans for only having 10 supporters and think they all bash WWE. Yet, pot calling the kettle black as you are bashing GFW by saying the only have 10 fans who are the company’s life line. My post does not bash WWE nor did it bash Patron. Patron can be a highly successful wrestler if he chose to stay that way. He really seems arrogant and it seems to be getting the better of him. He needs to humble himself which is a fans concern.

Again, putting a newer guy right into becoming WHC will always have issues regardless of WWE/ROH/GFW. I am sure people complained when Balor won the WHC so quick, but, since the forum is pro WWE, it was harder to notice vs a TNA thread.

Anthem saved TNA from going under not the Broken Hardy’s. Viewership shows that they did not do well to move the ratings besides that one small bump which was one time only. It is why it is tiring to see or hear so much concern over the gimmick. I get it, Matt Hardy was relevant for once on his own. I personally do not care who wins, I just want the issue to go away.

 

[Psykohurricane55]

So police suspect that Paige was the one abusing El Patron at the airport, and yet he is stripped of the belt, despite being the victim of "domestic violence".

I thought that it was ruled that he was the victim. I know it is hard for the public to swallow a man being the victim, and the woman being the perpetrator, of domestic violence, but it does happen.

Also, people's hate of El Patron is driven, I think, by the resentment that he got pushed and won the belt "before he was ready" (funny, though, how it doesn't bother the same people that Finn Balor won the belt at his first PPV, or how Shitstain Nakamura might win the WWE Title so soon after being elevated to the main roster, but then, Del Rio isn't anorexic like Balor or Shitstain, he doesn't gyrate to opera music, doesn't paint his face, and was pushed by Vince, and the fans hate that).

I thought Del Rio got pushed too soon as well, but he has a cool finisher, and he puts on quite good matches. I would have liked to have seen a Kurt Angle v Del Rio match in WWE.

I think too, some of the comments are coming from the ten people who still watch that shambles of a company (TNA/GFW), and put over anything they do, and bag anything WWE does, to pretend to have some relevance.

Decisions like this and the standoff of a gimmick Matt Hardy created that saved TNA from going under, show why this company should be put out of its misery, so that I can enjoy the old days of TNA on the "WWE Network" once Vince buys the company and sticks ECIII and whomever else is left , in NXT.

I think him getting stripped of the title and still be suspended is more about his attitude backstage and after tapings and how he handle the situation then the actual situation. Del rio as been a nightmare for them to deal with the last couple of months just by some of the comments he made about WWE after the tapings and the way he just was a prick during the whole time this thing happenned kinda push them to do what was best for the company right now which is a first of TNA or GFW. During the dixie carter era, something like this or the hardy debacle wouldn't have happen because she was more into making friends with the talents then running the company. That's why a lot of wrestlers took advantage of that. Now it's run by a business man so they deal with every situation like if it was a business which is awesome because if TNA would have been run like that since the beginning, they wouldn't be in the mess they are trying to get out of right now.

 

[Papa Pillman]

I think the best solution at this point for Destination X is to announce the vacating of the title, and then make a 3-way between Lashley, Sydal, and Low Ki for the belt.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

I think the best solution at this point for Destination X is to announce the vacating of the title, and then make a 3-way between Lashley, Sydal, and Low Ki for the belt.

I tend to agree, but the only issue there is that there's truly no face involved. Not with the heel flirting Sydal has done in the last few weeks, or at least the non-traditional baby face efforts he's made.

I suppose they could turn Bobby face, but I'd think that Low Ki would probably win it regardless.

I'm not at all against this idea, though. It's quite pragmatic given the state of affairs since the last tapings.

 

[klunderbunker]

Except that (a) that's not how titles change hands,

Titles can change hands however you want them to. This company once had a person find the title in a box and become the official champion (no I'm not saying that was a good idea). Say that he's injured and can't defend the title in X days and is therefore stripped.

and (b) they're currently building toward a Lee/Dutt XD match that's touching on that concept, whereby Lee simply took the title and claimed its status as the heel.

That's not really the same thing. Lee isn't #1 contender and, until last week, wasn't scheduled for a title match.

If you are arguing for the same, or similar, in Low Ki's case where he effectively takes it, fine, but the problem with that is that it invites Patron to take back "his" title at a later date, and it would be an awful standard for the company to set regarding title theft by booking a match in which Lee (or Low Ki) are recognized as the rightful champion.

Not if he's not coming back. Just let him fade into memory.

As to stripping him earlier, fine, but again, six weeks' worth of broadcasting needed to conclude. I'd argue the timing for stripping him had to happen now as they enter a semi-live event this week. Otherwise, they face a barrage of jokes from an audience they're trying to win back who mock them for more than a month about AEP being champion but not being the champion.

This had to be dealt with pragmatically, and in that sense, this was the right call, both from a brand protection and timing perspective.

They knew they were going to have issues when they brought Alberto in. He's had issues everywhere else and there was no reason to believe it wouldn't be here either.

I get why they did it this way, but this is part of the problem with how they tape things, a lot of which is to be blamed on their past issues. There's not much of a way around stuff like this, but I'm still glad they're at least doing it. If nothing else i won't have to put up with Alberto any more.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Call me a dinosaur, but I'm not one for allowing titles to change hands in an official capacity outside of a bell-to-bell match. It's a bridge too far for me.

I'd imagine you're talking about Eric Young finding the old TNA title, but I'm not sure he was ever recognized as such. He just paraded around wearing it (which was stupid).

 

[d_henderson1810]

So, you are reaching on assumption on how I personally feel about something while trying to integrate it into your post. Backing a company on a guy who has lost his title as President of Combat Sports (regardless of him resigning from the position or being removed, he no matter what, is no longer President. He was stripped of the title from his fiancé’s parent’s promotion, now he is stripped of the WHC at the GFW, the company who pays him.) He has not painted the picture of being a Champion and this is the guy who once carried the label as Mexican John Cena. Cena, ya know, the guy who carries himself as a company man not a man who thinks he is carrying the company. Patron has had nothing but bad press and for GFW to hold their ground, good on them. They want to emerge from the negative shadow of TNA and become a company that seeks positivity like the glory days of TNA or even now like ROH, EVOLVE, and even Lucha Underground.

You then start to criticize GFW/TNA fans for only having 10 supporters and think they all bash WWE. Yet, pot calling the kettle black as you are bashing GFW by saying the only have 10 fans who are the company’s life line. My post does not bash WWE nor did it bash Patron. Patron can be a highly successful wrestler if he chose to stay that way. He really seems arrogant and it seems to be getting the better of him. He needs to humble himself which is a fans concern.

Again, putting a newer guy right into becoming WHC will always have issues regardless of WWE/ROH/GFW. I am sure people complained when Balor won the WHC so quick, but, since the forum is pro WWE, it was harder to notice vs a TNA thread.

Anthem saved TNA from going under not the Broken Hardy’s. Viewership shows that they did not do well to move the ratings besides that one small bump which was one time only. It is why it is tiring to see or hear so much concern over the gimmick. I get it, Matt Hardy was relevant for once on his own. I personally do not care who wins, I just want the issue to go away.

I don't have to personally guess how you feel about El Patron, since your post shows exactly your hatred for him.

Who said that Del Rio was the Mexican John Cena? Also, you saying that Del Rio puts himself before the company is based on your own negative opinion of him, and those who you choose to believe, rather on any hard facts.

I don't know if Del Rio is a company man or not. I have never met him, so I don't presume to know his intentions, unlike you.

I do know that the company hasn't always looked after him. He got kicked out of WWE the first time for decking an employee who racially vilified him, and WWE kept the employee, but only fired him when Del Rio went public to the media, and WWE was forced to let the racist employee go. But you probably think that some bottom-feeder backstage guy is allowed to racially insult Del Rio. You probably applaud the employee's racism, and said that Del Rio deserved to have his heritage insulted, such is your hate for him.

"GFW" want to emerge from the negative shadow of TNA, and then you place them in the same breath as ROH, EVOLVE or Lucha Underground. That is a fitting comparison, since GFW gets the same crowds as any of the other
"pool hall" basement promotions.


"He seems arrogant"- to you. Your opinion, not based in fact, unless you have met and know him.

"Anthem saved TNA, not the Hardy's"-

"The Final Deletion" was all over social media, and got more press for TNA than almost anything else they have ever done. People were talking about TNA, rather than WWE, for the first time since Styles, Angle, Samoa Joe, Sting, and every other relevant talent, bar the Hardys, left. People never spoke about TNA for years before the "Final Deletion" and people hung out for the next chapter. It was considered "different" than anything wrestling and WWE had done, and WWE signed the Hardys back, based on their renewed popularity. Fans cheer "DELETE!" "DELETE!" during Hardy matches. No-one is calling "ANTHEM!" "ANTHEM!"

"Matt Hardy was relevant for ONCE". No. I would say that he had relevance with his "Version 1" gimmick, where he walked out to "Matt Facts" with Shannon Moore in tow. He even got elevated to No. 2 heel behind Brock Lesnar on "Smackdown" during a period in 2003.

If you want the issue to go away, then hope that Anthem wake up and give Matt back the rights to the "Broken Universe". Anthem can't use the rights, or repackage someone else with the gimmick. They are just doing it to be petty, and keep it out of WWE's hands (If the "Broken Universe" didn't garner ratings, like you say, then why do Anthem want to charge the Hardys to use it? Wouldn't an irrelevant gimmick, in your opinion, not be worth anything money-wise, so Matt could use it for free.

Stop drinking the GFW/Anthem Kool-Aid.

 

[d_henderson1810]

I think him getting stripped of the title and still be suspended is more about his attitude backstage and after tapings and how he handle the situation then the actual situation. Del rio as been a nightmare for them to deal with the last couple of months just by some of the comments he made about WWE after the tapings and the way he just was a prick during the whole time this thing happenned kinda push them to do what was best for the company right now which is a first of TNA or GFW. During the dixie carter era, something like this or the hardy debacle wouldn't have happen because she was more into making friends with the talents then running the company. That's why a lot of wrestlers took advantage of that. Now it's run by a business man so they deal with every situation like if it was a business which is awesome because if TNA would have been run like that since the beginning, they wouldn't be in the mess they are trying to get out of right now.

Why would Anthem care if Del Rio made comments about WWE after the tapings of shows?

Both Booker T and Ron Killings criticized WWE mercilessly during their TNA stays, based on past experiences with WWE. TNA had no problem with it, and it didn't hurt either of them, since R-Truth once got a main event spot, and Booker is a WWE HoFer and regular commentator.

GFW is run by businessmen who have no idea about wrestling, or what works. Only Jarrett has any wrestling experience, and his main contribution during his last stint was to make himself 3-time TNA Champion. Hardly the foundations for TNA to ever take it up to WWE as the No.1 wrestling organization.

 

[klunderbunker]

Call me a dinosaur, but I'm not one for allowing titles to change hands in an official capacity outside of a bell-to-bell match. It's a bridge too far for me.

I'd imagine you're talking about Eric Young finding the old TNA title, but I'm not sure he was ever recognized as such. He just paraded around wearing it (which was stupid).

Knockouts Title. There was a box on every corner and whoever pulled down the box with the title won it.

 

[Psykohurricane55]

Why would Anthem care if Del Rio made comments about WWE after the tapings of shows?

Both Booker T and Ron Killings criticized WWE mercilessly during their TNA stays, based on past experiences with WWE. TNA had no problem with it, and it didn't hurt either of them, since R-Truth once got a main event spot, and Booker is a WWE HoFer and regular commentator.

GFW is run by businessmen who have no idea about wrestling, or what works. Only Jarrett has any wrestling experience, and his main contribution during his last stint was to make himself 3-time TNA Champion. Hardly the foundations for TNA to ever take it up to WWE as the No.1 wrestling organization.

And that's why those WWE comments in front of a live crowd bothers Anthems, Because they don't want to be compare with WWE especially now That NXT is running the same town as they do. They don't want to be in competition with WWE and having a performers bad mouthing and WWE especially the way Del rio was doing it make them look bad.

 

[d_henderson1810]

And that's why those WWE comments in front of a live crowd bothers Anthems, Because they don't want to be compare with WWE especially now That NXT is running the same town as they do. They don't want to be in competition with WWE and having a performers bad mouthing and WWE especially the way Del rio was doing it make them look bad.

"TNA don't want to compare to WWE. They don't want competition with WWE".

What, they don't want to be compared with a successful wrestling organisation, a trendsetter in the industry? They don't want to be compared to the best?

Well, no chance of TNA being confused as a successful wrestling company, as they won't be one in their wildest dreams. Instead of being ballsy like WCW, and taking on WWE, or being like ECW, by bringing something new or innovative, TNA want to shrink into a corner, and hope that WWE don't overtake them.

This is just more proof that TNA know that they are irrelevant and need to die. Vince can buy them, skim off what he wants (a couple of names for NXT, and the video library for the Network) and then consign the rest into the bin of history. Better companies than TNA went broke and got bought out by WWE, why won't they? Then WWE won't have to pay a cent to get the rights to "The Broken Universe".