How Far Will TNA Go To Beat WWE ?

[andymcg]

So with all this massive, and yes massive is the only word for it, news latley wth Hogan signing with Bischoff and now Possibly Flair and then moving a show to monday nights, it got me really thinking about a few things. Discard Hogan for a moment, everyones talking about him everywere.

Now think about Eric Bischoff, you have the man who virtually tryed EVERYTHING to beat WWF back in the day, and boy did he come close to it. He went from reading taped results live on Nitro, to stealing talent pretty much like Lex Lugar, he flung massive paychecks at most WWF stars such as Hogan, Hall, Nash, Savage, etc, Bischoff would basiclly do ANYTHING to beat WWF.

Now he is in TNA, his role is not yet known, but surley if Dixie is smart enough she will give him some sort of backstage role or creative or at least have some input. IMO people moan about TNA cant market there product, well now i wonder how Bischoff will change that.

So basiclly how far do you think TNA would go to beat WWE, would they read out resuts of Smackdown, ECW and Superstars, ofcourse asuming there Monday Night show is live. Will they try and get some of there proper talent possibly ? What other great ideas can people come up with for TNA to get a hand over WWE ?

IMO wrestling is just about to get intresting again ......

 

[angry_panda]

Well I doubt they would stoop to reading out results now, because WWE could do the same with impact, and I'd also be very suprised if Bischoff will hold the purse strings/be in charge of signing new wrestlers/talent.

I do however hope he does anything and everything else.

I'm hoping that Hogan becomes and on screen commissioner, kind of like a Jim Cornett/Mick Foley character....I'm assuming that he will get a title run at some point(I really hope not….but I bet he does), I just hope its short....fast, and he doesn’t legit pin any of the title contenders.....if a 56 year old Hogan legit pins AJ/Joe/Angle......fecking Codey Deaner, well OK maybe him, you get where I'm going with that, hopefully he will win it in a triple threat after someone gets beat up by someone else, or something like that.

As for Bischoff, I hope he is more of an off screen driving force, get TNA marketed correctly, get TNA working well creatively, stop all the supposed moaning from the locker room, and make the occasional on screen appearance when the story line requires it........TBH kinda like what VKM does in WWE at the moment.

 

[avi01]

First off, i`m excited. And you know what? I`ve only watch one TNA event in my entire life but when the possibility of a decent alternative present to me, I`m all for it cause the days where I were a huge WWE fan is long gone, I simply don`t like the product that much anymore.
But however stuffs like reading results and everything are low point that I hate...it sucks and shouldn`t happen. Don`t think Bischoff is still like that..at least I hope.
In terms of how far to go, I think that just being an alternative to WWE`s PG should already win them some fans. Other than that, IF they grow (they may also fail), they should avoid making the same mistakes that WCW made.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

To answer the thread title question. I like to think that TNA will use Daivari to his full potential. He's on those Muslim fellas that Americans seem to dislike so much. They're always getting new WWE people. A great way to introduce one of them would be via a grainy video and a hood.

I honestly think that TNA would do something like this. Poor taste? Sure, but the Attitude Era, which Vince Russo invented, was built on bad taste. There was that Austin guy, he used to drink. There was that Rock person, he used to say ''ass''. Then there was all that other stuff that nobody can remember.

 

[The Legend, Killer]

I do believe that wrestling will become interesting again. This may be the one thing that can pull WWE out of his slump. TNA knows that Vince has gone PG and I believe that a "Monday Night War" is exactly what WWE needs from going under. Think back, "The Monday Night War" was the best time for both brands. Vince may boost the rating back up and not make it as kid friendly or I'm sure he wont be able to stop TNA from rising to 1st place. Eric Bishchoff knows how Vince works more so now then when he was leading WCW to the top. IMO WWE is becoming predictable and the title challengers are rather boring and we had to suffer with the likes of Orton vs Cena, Orton vs HHH, and Cena vs HHH and so on. Don't get me wrong I have nothing against those superstars but it gets a little boring after a while. I do hope TNA rises up against WWE as decent competition. I think it would make both companies better shows.

 

[dmacizdman]

i wouldn't say bischoff came close to beating the wwe, he did. didn't wcw beat the wwe in ratings for like 5-6 months straight? bad decisions led to the demise.

 

[Baximus]

i wouldn't say bischoff came close to beating the wwe, he did. didn't wcw beat the wwe in ratings for like 5-6 months straight? bad decisions led to the demise.

WCW beats WWE for nearly 2 YEARS consecutively. Bischoff is the only promoter to ever beat Vince.

Remember, Vinny Mac all but killed almost every other wrestling company in the 80s.

And WCW fell apart because:

1) Their budget was cut in half, hurting advertising
2) They were forced to create a 2nd program
3) The corporate interference began affecting the power structure.
4) All this caused reduced profits and a major negative cash flow.

People forget that WCW made 80 million bucks one year and that didn't include any ad revenue from their timeslot.


And WCW's ratings as the company died were still in the mid 2.5 range! Had a power structure existed then like there is in TNA right now, WCW would have endured. But AOL/TW executives cut the cord.

 

[Suneeboy]

From a business standpoint, TNA should go as far as they possibly can to destroy the WWE and any other promotion for that matter, just as the WWE has. It is the way of capitalism, and the way of business. If they are smart they will not rest until their competition is destroyed. Transversely, if business is picking up in TNA, the WWE should try to move mountains to destroy any momentum that they are getting. TNA definitely has a buzz now, and no matter how much shit people talk right now when that Monday show comes out they will watch at least one episode.

 

[Jordan-Dixon]

I love it at the minute because TNA are signing big names and grabbing attention where as the WWE are not. TNA have signed Bischoff and Hogan, i think the WWE can beat that is if they can bring back The Rock or Brett Hart in some sort of role.

TNA beat WWE here in England in ratings some weeks. Mostly beacause TNA is on a channel over here which comes with all basic cable subscriptions so you dont have to pay alot to watch wrestling, where as WWE is not and you have to pay more weekly to view it and us brits ar cheap.

 

[smalltownfan]

Apparently TNA is willing to go all-out to gain some ground on WWE. I never thought that Hogan and especially Bischoff would go to TNA but here we are. If they bring Flair in, then TNA will definitely be worth watching. Bringing them in might keep Sting around for a little while longer and it will definitely bring Jeff Jarrett back to TV in an "I fear Hogan will take over TNA" type of storyline. I don't think they need to start a Monday night show, though. They're not there, yet.

 

[fb481777]

But the thing is, I've seen some TNA episodes, and for the exception of liking Sting, everything else pretty much just screams way too much of "FAKE"...where as, yes wrestling is to a degree scripted, still, the WWE is a much stronger and realistic driven project that say's to the audience "Is that really Real"? Plus, the venues are large and well lit. TNA just seems way too theatrical instead of being a Feature Film like the WWE...

 

[gtajoker01]

i think tna's obsessed with beating wwe i know its business but i mean they are a small fish in a shark tank compared to wwe. tna needs to watch their step.

 

[NtraintoBrooklyn]

i just really hope tna doesnt fuck things up...
with all this momentum i see alot of the wwe superstars who get looked over jumping ship to tna

if kennedy and rvd god forbid flair and bret..go to tna i think wwe is in trouble

vince is gonna have to really step it up if he wants to stay on top!
hes gonna have to pull wwe out of neverland ranch and bring it back to its roots!

on the flip side if bishoff and hogan dont do anything at all then they have just made the biggest mistake of their careers....

this is something wrestling needs right now to make it more exciting both companys will do well from this

 

[jrocc4dub]

Really, it's not going to make that big of a deal in the long run. TNA is a second rate show. The production values are lower, it looks very cheap and fake. Until issues like that and the venue they perform in are fixed, it will always look and feel second rate compared to a WWE produced show. Maybe find some brighter lights?

Bischoff would make more of an impact than a 56 year old Hogan. If Bischoff is given creative power and is involved with marketing the product. Bischoff, whether one loves him, hates him, or is indifferent did give the WWE a run for its money with WCW. But, the budget was signifigantly larger, and there were already better established wrestling legacies and talent in place(WCW had the benefit of deriving from Crockett and the old NWA and had Flair, Sting, Horsemen, etc already with established legacies in those promotions/companies). This is a bit of a different situation. If anyone could establish TNA as i viable threat it could be Bischoff, or Paul Heyman but that's a different subject. I don't know if Bischoff has that kind of power with his deal though. It's going to take a lot more than these two for TNA to challenge WWE on Monday nights though. That's a tad crazy. TNA hasn't done anything to believe than can go head to head with the WWE at any level. Maybe against ECW, but Raw? No way. That's ridiculous.

For every one person marking out for Hogan coming back, there will be another three bitching about him dominating the show, not putting over the younger talent, and just his overall inability to work anymore. That being said, if Hulk's ego is no longer an issue,(highly unlikely), then maybe some good can be gained if he's willing to help establish a samoa joe, aj, or morgan. Hogan will still help them short term in gaining a ratings boost. People will tune in to see where all this is going. So, there are good things that can happen with Hogan. It's just that history tends to repeat itself and Hogan has a history of doing whats best for Hogan.

I would love for my thoughts to be completely wrong and this turns out to be a move that really threatens the WWE and forces them to elevate their product on Monday nights. Smackdown is great and ECW is very good too. If TNA is serious about going on Monday nights and taking on Raw i do hope it a somewhat successful venture for them. RAW needs some sort of competition and maybe that would improve the product. However, I don't see TNA with or without Hulk Hogan or Eric Bischoff really ready to challenge the WWE yet. They are quite a way off from that point.

 

[JGlass]

with all this momentum i see alot of the wwe superstars who get looked over jumping ship to tna

if kennedy and rvd god forbid flair and bret..go to tna i think wwe is in trouble

1) No, the wrestlers who get looked over on WWE are still going to make more money performing on ECW or on the lower mid-card on RAW or Smackdown than being in the mid-card on TNA.

2) Where are you getting RVD and Bret Hart from? I don't think Bret Hart is interested in wrestling anymore. As for RVD, he has stated that he will talk to WWE first if he ever wants to wrestle for a mainstream company again.

As for the main question here...

TNA should stop at nothing to beat the WWE. They have the talent and now the minds that can exploit all of WWE's weaknesses.

But they won't.

The WWE is too strong. I know people are saying Vince is going to have to pull out all the stops, Vince is going to have to stop the PG bull and give us what we want, but he won't.

The WWE's current demographic of choice, the kids, will still watch WWE. Just the name TNA (Tits & Ass) will turn parents off of that company. Older fans will still watch WWE because they are set in their ways, like seeing their old friends HBK, HHH, and Undertaker, and don't want to have to catch up with a whole new company. Who is AJ Styles and why is he so great? What the hell is up with the Main Event Mafia? I thought Sting was on this show... Why the fuck does he ring have six sides?

Not to mention the fact TNA shows have a tendency do be REALLY hit or miss. Either you get some really really really awesome matches, or some really really really shitty stuff. The past few pay per views, in my opinion, have been complete shit. If TNA can't put on a lot of really high quality matches in the next two or three weeks, then they can forget about competing with WWE.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm rooting for TNA. An intense rival for WWE means we, the fans, win. I just have low expectations for TNA. Hogan might attract some fans for a night or two. Bischoff, if given the power, can help make interesting programs, but we don't even know if that will happen either. Is there potential? Yes. Will it amount to anything? We'll have to wait and see, but I have my doubts. I will be flipping back and forth between USA and Spike on Monday, but I have a feeling I'll spend more time on USA than Spike.

 

[The Con Volt]

for me, the most exciting thing about this whole deal is the talent they have the potential to bring in. Umaga, Mr. Kennedy......kennedy. Nick hogan when hes been trained up. the possibilities are endless. this is fucking huge. if Bischoff takes care of marketing and they start filling stadiums, then wwe has a big big problem on its hands.

 

[MikeKillam]

When I first heard about this, I assumed Hulk would be joining TNA in some sort of wrestling role. However, with the recent update that Hulk Hogan is in complete creative control of the company, and even has more power than Dixie Carter, I'm not so sure about that. I am sure that the Immortal One will make a return to the ring in some way at some time, but what I am more interested in is his business role.
With Eric Bishoff at his side, and possibly Rick Flair, the trio could take TNA to ridiculous levels. Do I think they're going to take down the WWE? No... But I think that TNA wrestling will now have the chance to become much more than the "D Show" of pro wrestling.
It was announced yesterday that TNA has plans to start a second television show, on Monday nights from 8-10pm. They already share a time slot with WWE Superstars, and from what I know, beat the ratings of that show. Granted, not many people actually watch Superstars. I have to wonder if Hulk had anything to do with the announcement of the second show. And you're absolutely right about Eric Bishoff... He alone could take TNA to a level that could rival the WWE.

It won't happen right away, but eventually I think we'll see TNA become a decent competitor in the pro wrestling business. Here's what I think Hogan needs to accomplish...
-The most important thing that TNA needs right now is bigger shows. They max out all their shows, but it's because they only have about 1,000 people in attendance. They need to start finding bigger venues. They'll of course have to tarp off about half the arena for awhile, but eventually they'll increase their fanbase. If you tune in and watch TNA, what you want to see is packed arena with tons of screaming fans... bigger shows=more people=more money for the company=more large venues they can do
-The second thing I would like to see TNA do, if they want to really compete with WWE, is NOT compete with WWE. The worst thing they can do RIGHT NOW, is to do promos where TNA attacks WWE. They're just not ready. They say things like "We're so much better" and I laugh... Build up the show on Monday nights, and if you start getting some viewers, than you can do promos like that. I would put all of your big WWE names on that show, and all the big TNA names on the other show, personally. I think if people watching Raw tune in to TNA at the same time, they're more likely to stay if they see the Dudley Boys, Rhyno, Kurt Angle, etc.

 

[dogmanx23]

TNA really wants to go crazy? Get some Canadian team together and convince Bret Hart to join TNA and be their manager.

Sign Mr Kennedy and RVD.

Continue to Push the young guys they are the backbone of that company.

 

[Tyler44]

If people are going to complain about Hogan putting over young talent, then that's just ridiculous. Obviously he will eventually, but it will have to be the right person. He won't go and fight all shitty people and lose every match because what the hell is the point of that. Same goes with Triple H. If he loses all his matches to guys like Kofi Kingston and The Miz, how will that make anyone look credible if they beat him. You need a big named star to destroy everyone, so when it's time for him to actually leave, he can lose to someone and make that person look really good. I hate when people say Triple H does not put over young talent because he doesn't need to yet. If he is losing all his matches now, he won't be considered good anymore, and you need Triple H as a top of the line winner, and not a big dumb loser like Kane. So I'm saying you want Hogan to actually be good and win matches, instead of just losing all of them. Plus I doubt he will even fight more than like 5 in a year. (i just needed to say that about Triple H)

To answer the question, I hope TNA keeps doing things to make wrestling entertaining and interesting again. Honestly, TNA just brought in the most popular wrestler ever, and they also brought in a genius who can at least make somewhat of a positive impact to TNA. I really do think TNA will get better, but i do not think it will get ridiculously better where they are throwing down 2.5 ratings. The best news towards TNA trying to beat WWE, is that WWE will try to maybe defend themselves if they even care that much. I read here that Vince was pissed when he heard about Hogan, so maybe TNA will just keep going on and pissing Vince off to make at least 2 decent programs on tv. I think TNA will keep going as far as possible to beat WWE.

 

[WWESUXTNARULZ]

what the hell are u talking about? TNA is mopre threatrical um no ! WWE Circus is more theatrical with storylines in TNA there is none of that scriptcrap! Thats why its called Total NONstop Action we want to see wrestling action like AJ Styles and so on
Now with Hogan,Bischoff,FLair signing with TNA soon Rey Mysterio will go and Shawn Michaels guess where he is going when his contract is up T N A ! Kevin Nash wants him there and he is good friends with HOgan so Nash will stick around get SID VICIOUS there and you got off the top roofratings!!
RIP WWE finally WCW resurrected TNA !!

 

[WWESUXTNARULZ]

They need a bit more talent to get besides Flair and Hogan and Bischoff a carbon copy of the nWo is a must since Main Event Mafia is toooo soft seriously and maybe now tey can reconvince Booker T to sit his ass in TNA afterall he is mr Booker TNA himself !
Bring in Carlito from WWE Circus obviously he will leave when his contract will expire I see Primo and Carlito feuding with LAX soon or later
TNA will finally become WCW all over again as flair would say wooooohoooooo
And Flair owns the rights to the 4 Horsemen isn t that sweeet
for all you wwe circus worshippers I got 2 words for you
RIP LOSERS!

 

[patdsez]

This is going to be a total disaster for TNA. First off, the Hulk Hogan that jumped ship to WCW was old then, now he can barely move. Further, Hogan can't run a show! This move has more potential to destroy TNA from the inside then it does of ever giving WWE a run for its money. TNA is inherently less than WWE. The six sided ring is stupid, they wrestle in, basically, one place - do you think Hulk Hogan will wrestle in the Impact Zone in front of 1,000 people. Listen, this move is all hype and when the veil is pulled off and Hogan is going over Kurt Angle clean and Joe and AJ are getting buried, everyone will be pissed. WWE needs competition, but I got news for you - it's not going to come from TNA anytime in the near future.

 

[Southwind]

The WWE marks will tell you it doesn't matter what TNA does while sipping a cup of kool aid with Vince's picture on the cup.

They are wrong period, Eric Bischoff is a vindictive man he wants revenge he NEVER liked Vince having to call him "boss" was degrading and how about the way he was sent off ? Remember that he told Cena to take out the trash (Bischoff) don't tell me he doesn't hold a grudge.

A motivated man is a dangerous one hate Hulk Hogan or love him he WILL draw for TNA that's a fact. TNA has already been improving slowly but surely in my eyes and now they want to take over wrestling who can blame them ?

Tell me WWE marks what does TNA have to lose here ? Their second place finish out of two wrestling promotions ? Fact is they should go as far as needed to beat the WWE.

The WWE is vulnerable the PG era was commenced because Vince knew he could without serious competition all the males who have been stuck with this awful programming will start going over to TNA.

At the very least Vince will have to question his little followers (10 year old kids) loyalty and ability to hold up against the frustrated male demographics. Maybe the PG era will have to be scrapped if TNA builds some momentum.

I will watch whatever TNA puts on Monday night out of pure spite and hatred to the WWE product right now.

This is a big deal folks don't downplay it Vince is flustered and angry at Hogan it's on his radar which is a helluva lot more than TNA could say before.

 

[Lee]

They need a bit more talent to get besides Flair and Hogan and Bischoff a carbon copy of the nWo is a must since Main Event Mafia is toooo soft seriously and maybe now tey can reconvince Booker T to sit his ass in TNA afterall he is mr Booker TNA himself !
Bring in Carlito from WWE Circus obviously he will leave when his contract will expire I see Primo and Carlito feuding with LAX soon or later
TNA will finally become WCW all over again as flair would say wooooohoooooo
And Flair owns the rights to the 4 Horsemen isn t that sweeet
for all you wwe circus worshippers I got 2 words for you
RIP LOSERS!

*sighs*

Do you realise how pathetic your post sounds, seriously? So TNA have signed Hogan and Bischoff, they may have Flair in the wings. Great stuff, but Carlito and Primo? Sid Vicious? Shawn Michaels? You're having a fucking laugh

Yeah this is good for competition but you have to put it all in perspective, just because TNA have signed Hulk Hogan doesn't mean they're going to sign everyone who meant something in 1994. Great move TNA, hardly going to matter in the long run though.

 

[FloydFixation]

You know what I think is funny. People said that TNA would beat WWE when people like Christian, Mick Foley, Kurt Angle, and Sting were signed, yet they haven't come close. Eric Bischoff, Hulk Hogan, and Ric Flair (if Flair goes to TNA) won't change anything either.

Am I saying I wouldn't want to see some competition to the WWE? No. Competition is good, yet nothing TNA does will make them direct competition.

See one thing you have to take in mind was during the "Monday Night Wars", RAW was on TNN, WCW on TNT. TNT comes with pretty much every cable package, etc. TNN does not. WCW had an advantage there. Same thing with TNA. They are on Spike TV (formerly TNN). If they do try to rival RAW by bringing a show to Monday, then to be direct competition they would have to switch to a different channel.

Plus, if there are more like me who boycott TNA because of Kurt Angle, then what they need to do is fire Kurt Angle, then they would gain some viewers.