What TNA needs to do; The "Dirty" hour

[Mighty NorCal]

We have all begun to wrap our heads around the new monday night wars, and the imbecilic plan to go head to head with WWE. Bischoff chalks this decision up to wanting to draw some of WWE's audience over, but this is clearly pillow talk since they are ENTIRELY head to head the whole time.

Some may suggest going on an hour early, to hook people in before RAW starts. I have a far more diabolical, yet more risky plan.

Start IMPACT at 10, and go from 10 to Midnight. During the eleven to midnight hour, you go absolutely over the top. Blood, tits, ass, cussing, push the limits of what is allowed on cable TV. You can get away with much more during late night.

By the time 10 rolls around, WWE will have already had time to bore people to death with their stale, watered down television, so I think you could get many people switching over at 10. The big score, however, will come at 11. By that time, WWE will definately have worn out the age demographic that Spike TV wants, and they WILL be switching over.

After watching Seasame Street on WWE, are you going to switch to your 11 o' clock local news, or go over to TNA for Velvet Sky with 3/4 of her ass hanging out, Angelina Love having a string bikini covering up her nips, and a profusely bleeding Ric Flair doing knee drops on a sport coat? Yea, thats what I thought.

The wrestling audience will already be up, and watching wrestling. Late night does FINE ratings, so say Monday Night Football and Leno and Letterman. There is plenty of Audience there. Especially if you give the age group awake at that time the programming that will intrigue them.

Is it a risk? yea. You have to take risks to win wars. Give us the dirty hour, TNA.


What would YOU watch at 11?

 

[Ambiguous Turd]

Are you out of your mind? Has all that working out fizzled your brain? People have to work the next day. It's bad enough they stay up to 11, and that is a stretch for them, but you are asking them to stay up another whole hour to midnight?

Sure, it would make for great television, but I'm telling you right now, there is absolutely no way this would ever work. They would lose far too many viewers from the 11 to 12 hour due to people wanting to go to bed and get ready for work the next morning.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

How do you figure? have you SEEN the ratings for Monday night football? Letterman? Leno?

Come now Sid, these are young adult males we are talking about here. The issues you are citing involve common sense, and responsibility, two things that fly RIGHT out the fucking window with this demographic, ESPECIALLY when blood, tits, and ass are involved.


Do you honestly think they will draw more veiwers while one on one with the WWE, or by themselves, with Attitude Era (or worse) type programming?

Would YOU watch it? I would. Not something I can currently say, in opposition to WWE.

 

[BladeRunner]

I think this is a great idea.

This is how you beat WWE. You attack them where they're weakest. You put hardcore crazy over the top stuff on, because many men like this kind of stuff.

For instance, nowadays, many men like MMA. Probably because really if you think about it, it's more "hardcore" because it's real and bones can get broken, etc.

TNA's best way of differentiating it self is by being squarely what WWE is not.

ECW was rated R stuff in it's time. It can be done again.

I mean think about that. Something equivalent to ECW that's current and you could watch a new episode every week.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

Some bits of ECW, but polished, obviously. Like I said, akin to Attitude Era type stuff, just a bit more racy than what they already do. To say the demographic that watches Spike TV wouldn't stay up to see it is preposterous. Its only midnight, you think 17 to 25 year old wrestling fans won't stay up til fucking MIDNIGHT? Please. A huge amount of people watching this

1. won't have a morning class
2. Don't HAVE a job
3. Won't give a shit, regardless. Its only fucking midnight

Like I says, Monday Night football has no problem drawing ratings. if the programming is good/intriuging enough, it will definately draw at this hour, against zero competition, when people are already watching wrestling. Come now.

 

[Afro-Ameri-Spawn]

We have all begun to wrap our heads around the new monday night wars, and the imbecilic plan to go head to head with WWE. Bischoff chalks this decision up to wanting to draw some of WWE's audience over, but this is clearly pillow talk since they are ENTIRELY head to head the whole time.

Some may suggest going on an hour early, to hook people in before RAW starts. I have a far more diabolical, yet more risky plan.

Start IMPACT at 10, and go from 10 to Midnight. During the eleven to midnight hour, you go absolutely over the top. Blood, tits, ass, cussing, push the limits of what is allowed on cable TV. You can get away with much more during late night.

By the time 10 rolls around, WWE will have already had time to bore people to death with their stale, watered down television, so I think you could get many people switching over at 10. The big score, however, will come at 11. By that time, WWE will definately have worn out the age demographic that Spike TV wants, and they WILL be switching over.

After watching Seasame Street on WWE, are you going to switch to your 11 o' clock local news, or go over to TNA for Velvet Sky with 3/4 of her ass hanging out, Angelina Love having a string bikini covering up her nips, and a profusely bleeding Ric Flair doing knee drops on a sport coat? Yea, thats what I thought.

The wrestling audience will already be up, and watching wrestling. Late night does FINE ratings, so say Monday Night Football and Leno and Letterman. There is plenty of Audience there. Especially if you give the age group awake at that time the programming that will intrigue them.

Is it a risk? yea. You have to take risks to win wars. Give us the dirty hour, TNA.


What would YOU watch at 11?

Dude, I am so feeling ya on this one. This is EXACTLY what TNA needs to take it to the next level. Nothing but half naked bodies and anarchy and bloody and senseless violence. Shit, if they did this every week, i'd watch it for sure. But I'm not digging the name Impact with a concept like this. it needs something edgier, grittier, hip and vibing. Something that just shoots out at the audience and grabs their attention each and every time you say it. Ooo, I got it. How about instead of Impact, we call it.....SHOTGUN SATURDAY NIGHT! What do ya think? Ingenious right? NOT!

Dude, WWE did this back when people WANTED to see tits, ass, and violence. And what happened? Big assed flop. And do you think for a second that Spike TV, who won't allow TNA to do male on female choreographed, simulated violence, would let TNA do some shit like this? And wait, isn't Impact taped in the very family friendly Universal Studios theme park? Yeah, I do believe it is. And besides, if I wanted to see tits ass, and wrasslin gals, I'd look it up on the net. Lord knows if you can find pics of Frankie Kazarian's junk that you could certainly find pics of Velvet Sky doin a 3/4 bare ass.

Norcal, my son from my 13th wife born on the 13th day of the 13th month on the calender, I expect much more more from you than wanting to see nipple slips and bloody bar fights on tv. if I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times, save em for the family reunion so Uncle Cletus can put his title on the line again. lol

 

[Mighty NorCal]

Im not suggesting anything further than the attitude era, maybe a bit more. I am also not suggesting anything much worse than what they already do, so that orlando stuidos comment is absurd. If you think TNA puts on a family friendly kiddy product as of NOW, you are fuckin kidding yourself. It wouldn't be too much different.

I find it hilarious that people like to sit here and cry about how WWE is too watered down, and yet a suggestion comes up for edgier programming, oh no, it won't work, we don't want that either. Well what the fuck DO you want then?

Also, another difference being, the show won't be on Saturday Nights, when people are out. It will be on directly after another wrestling show, and Monday night, when people are likely to be in, and already in a mood to watch wrestling. Not only wrestling, but a bit of an alternative from what they JUST saw

 

[Michael_Page]

I think that would be a great idea considering when RAW goes off the air what is there to watch. 11-12 would gain monster ratings cuz the grown up fans would be tuning in to grown up wrestlers not midgets.

 

[CoreyLangNumber3]

Yeah but what about the young TNA fans. The young uns will watch TNA see the tits, ass blood hardcore stuff the parents will spot it and instantly either change the channel or ban them from watching TNA. Then they'll turn to WWE. More ratings for Vince = the destruction of TNA

 

[Mighty NorCal]

Yeah but what about the young TNA fans. The young uns will watch TNA see the tits, ass blood hardcore stuff the parents will spot it and instantly either change the channel or ban them from watching TNA. Then they'll turn to WWE. More ratings for Vince = the destruction of TNA

Uh, the young children will be watching TNA at fuckin 1130 at night?

If the parents are allowing that, they likely wouldn't care about mature content, becuase they are allowing their small children to be up at such an hour in the first fuckin place

Tis the reason to have on so late at night, m'boy

 

[itbewilly]

Before we get too far ahead of ourselves remember who we are talking about.Vince is like that story you hear about the lion in the wild.He will sit by idle for so long and then whenever he wants he has one advantage TNA will not have(at least not at first).

If they continue with their little plan to have live Impact's every other week and a taped one between dont think for a minute Vince hasn't forgot about what Eric had the WCW announcers do spoiling the result of the night before the Raw had even started when Mankind won the WWE Title.If you think for a minute Vince wont use these taped result to make his product better then you are crazy.

Personally i think TNA is jumping in too soon.You try too hard to compete with the WWE eventually you are going to have to pick up more event's and do more live show's which will lead to more time traveling which some of the WWE guys left the WWE for.Do you then stay with the company that's trying to compete with and become the new top company or do you go back to the one who's been doing this schedule for years and knows how to keep things going.

I mean lets just be realistic for a moment....If TNA wants to compete they are going to need more money for the top name free agents(RVD,Goldberg,Jeff Hardy to name a few that will give them a boost coming in in name alone).I know people hate Goldberg but lots of WCW fans loved him and will watch where ever he goes if thats the route TNA wants to take.To get more money they'll have to start doing more house shows(which is already in the works),more lived televised events,and more over seas trips to spread their name(which they've also done).All these added events turn 3 weeks of impact's recording's into a few weeks of going here for this live event,then here for the impact taping,then a plane here for the next event.

I want TNA to succeed because a successful TNA means better t.v programming for all wrestling fans alike regardless of which you prefer.Competition equals better story lines and better story lines equals better ratings and a much happier wrestling fan base .I just hope Dixie isn't jumping into this prematurely as if its too soon she could lose some of the stuff that makes TNA the preferred place to work over the WWE(the reduced travel schedule being one)

 

[richunclescrooge]

A very well thought out and logical idea. With this idea the second hour of impact, the 11-12, should have some replay/recap of the first hour to let people know what they've missed by watching the 2nd hour of raw and not the 1st hour of impact. That could draw an audience over from raw at 10.

If that happens looking into the future, raw will save the best part of their show for 10 to try to keep viewers on WWE programming. TNA could also do the 8-10 then replay 10-12. That wouldn't get fans to switch from WWE to TNA but could get TNA more exposure. Either way it could be great for business.

Also if Raw is a live show there should be a time zone difference, correct? I am on the east coast and raw comes on at 9 and its live so logically I would think it would come on on the west coast around 6, but i looked up listings and saw that it comes on at 9 as well. I'm a little confused by this, can somebody help me out with this one?

Also many people are getting DVR now. This could factor into monday night wars where people could watch one show while taping the other, then watch it after the first. If they really are head to head, you could even pause one, watch the other up to the last commercial break, then switch back over. This could be better for both companies as it would not be as much of a war, yet would allow people to see both shows and share the audience rather than splitting it.

 

[joop]

on the west we get raw at both 6 and 9, but we still only get IMPACT at 6. SPIKE only has one feed so in order for this idea to work, they would have to branch out further to allow this to air on the west coast. Sorry to burst your bubble, but unless they were pulling massive ratings from IMPACT they are not gonna spend the money on that.

 

[richunclescrooge]

With the ideas i have said (TNA 8-10 and replay at 10-12, etc) I am basing all those on eastern times, so for west coast it would be 5-7 then replay 7-9. I think that's what WCW did with monday nitro, so it could work. People would be able to watch both shows (albeit if they want to watch live raw their TNA will be segmented) and not have to miss any programming. The main reason I addressed the time differences was to rebut the arguement that 11-12 was too late, but it would only be 11-12 on the east coast.

With the popularity of DVR, people with that service would be able to watch both shows at any time no matter when they are on.

 

[jackhammer_27]

I guess I'm gonna be in the minority here, but this to me is a bad idea. Not so much for the timeslot, even though I think that would hurt the viewership, but I'm gonna be a bit selfish here. I normally think anytime someone wants programming tailored to their needs that they are just selfish and not looking at the big picture, but I'm gonna dive into that pool on this one. I for one would absolutely stop watching this "dirty" hour. I happen to be a Christian and this type of stuff would totally turn me off to TNA. I think the type of programming they have now, while still being tame by some standards, pushes the envelope just enough to get by. I turn the channel if something offends me, but I can still watch the majority of the program. I also have a 5 year old that I hope to pass on my love of pro-wrestling to, and a "dirty" hour would rob me of that. I know this is kind of a selfish point of view, but by and large I think the majority of viewers would have a problem with this. And I know, i could just watch WWE's pg programming, which I do already. But as a lifelong fan, I love having two programs to watch. They each bring something to the table and I thoroughly enjoy both programs. That's my two cents for what it's worth.

 

[GenMe]

I really like that idea NorCal, trust me i love watching wrestling late at nights. When the attitude Era was around WWF/WWE used to do the same thing they kept the begging of the first hour of the show soft and smooth, But when the second hour start they had the undertaker sacrificing any one. They had hardcore matches will blood all over the arena, bikini contest, tits popping out. And i actually liked the second hour better then the first hour.

If TNA some how does that and becomes more hardcore and more extreme with there programing, im not sure if it will work but what im sure is that ill be watching it. You see i like old school, and by TNA bringing a school taste to TNA, this will get the attetion of most of the old school wrestling lovers, But with a new Era.

 

[BradXXX]

I love the idea. For me personally I'd love both hours to be dirty hours but I guess that's just greedy on my part.

Spike does have TV MA shows and I'd love for TNA's first hour to be TV 14 and the second to be over the top with a TV MA rating.

I brought this point up in a topic a while back; hardcore, blood, sex, and more violence will be needed to bring back the avg mma fan that used to love wrestling during the attitude era. These fans get to see real fights, with blood, broken bones and legit knock outs so the best fake fights in the world won't be of interest to them.

So you need to do what both WWE and MMA aren't or can't do. Tables, barbed wire, glass, fire, nudity, whatever it takes. (I'm not saying the whole roster should wrestle with all those weapons, but there are many wrestlers in the world wrestling far more dangerous styles for far less money that could be brought in to have a REAL hardcore division.)

I'd love for TNA to go more in this direction of an adult entertainment product. I'd get to feel less embarrassed talking to my non-wrestling fan friends about wrestling. Hell with a product like that, I know my friends would actually watch with me and I wouldn't have to watch Impact alone anymore.

 

[Afro-Ameri-Spawn]

Im not suggesting anything further than the attitude era, maybe a bit more. I am also not suggesting anything much worse than what they already do, so that orlando stuidos comment is absurd. If you think TNA puts on a family friendly kiddy product as of NOW, you are fuckin kidding yourself. It wouldn't be too much different.

I find it hilarious that people like to sit here and cry about how WWE is too watered down, and yet a suggestion comes up for edgier programming, oh no, it won't work, we don't want that either. Well what the fuck DO you want then?

Also, another difference being, the show won't be on Saturday Nights, when people are out. It will be on directly after another wrestling show, and Monday night, when people are likely to be in, and already in a mood to watch wrestling. Not only wrestling, but a bit of an alternative from what they JUST saw

Well actually I don't think that they UNIVERSAL Studio's comment is absurd one bit. I mean the current TNA product fits right in with what Universal does for movies. Think about it. You see Spiderman battle villians. You see Spiderman in violent battles. You even see Spiderman kill a villian or two. But you DO NO see Spiderman beating down the Green Goblin, digging out one of his eyeballs with his fingers and then skull fucking him on the big screen, do ya? Fuck no. So why in the hell would I want to see Attitude Era Lite 2.0 in TNA? To even fathom a concept like that is absurd as there should already be enough backyard brawl footage and internet porn out there to quench your thirst already.

I've never cried that WWE was watered down. If anything, I think that it's circular. And by that I mean that they are scared to really go with new shit. And while you can say TNA is doing the same thing, WWE has over 100 wrestlers at their disposal to use and yet I am seeing fucking Taker vs. Michaels again? WTF? That's aint watered down, that's stale. I watch wrestling for wrestling, not to try and TIVO a nipple slip or to see if someone is going to ram a car into something. Now I certainly don't watch it to see Leprechauns either, but what the fuck can ya do dude?

Wait wait wait. I thought that the point of your rant was to say how TNA could compete with the WWE? I was obviously mistaken as your clarification hints that this is more of a plan on how they could come behind WWE and clean up the crap from their elephants. I mean the whole point of TNA moving to Monday nights IS to compete right? So why in the hell would you tell them to take a backseat and be wrestlings version of Carson Daly? I mean they sure as hell aint going to be considered Jimmy Fallon unless they go toe to toe and see what they can do to improve. Plain and simple.

 

[the american dream]

there is no reason for the jump to monday nights. I watched last thursday and counted that they had 2 or 3 matches, that lasted 12 minutes. This is already a has been federation and now it is not even wrestling it is some weird gimmick show. enough with the abyss hogan story line. Its tna total non stop action, now if there idea of that is 12 minutes of wrestling and the rest this terrible product that I viewed on thursday, they will last 3 months going up against the writers from the wwe. They need to be ahead of the curve not using these strange and pointless storylines.

 

[Greenlight13]

No. No, no no. No.

Your plan for them to compete with WWE is by alienating women and children? Sure, wrestling will always be more for men than women, but there are a lot of chicks at wrestling shows and a swarm of children. If TNA cusses, bleeds and has as close to nudity as they are allowed they become an adult and teenage male only company. ECW proved you can't make it by appealing to only one segment of the audience. It died people. It died big-time. It was never as glorious as some may want to believe it was. Sure there was a lot of reaaaally good stuff, but I'd argue there was abysmal stuff in almost equal measure. They never achieved a decent level of success. Hell, ROH has outlasted them and is in healthier shape, albeit on a lesser network.

Speaking of ROH, they are further proof the male audience isn't enough. ROH and Indie feds are aimed at men and men alone. Sure the odd woman will attend and parents will always believe wrestling is like it was in the 80s and take their kids when it realistically isn't suitable (see the children in attendance at the ROH TV Tapings being exposed to "fuck 'em up _____, fuck 'em up, or You're gonna get your fuckin' head kicked in"), but fundamentally their bread and butter is men and that's why they don't make enough money to succeed on the level of WWE or TNA.

You can call TNA bad for copying elements of the WWE, but you can't deny they are the most successful upstart wrestling promotion in North America since WCW.

Yes, there were children and women at WWF shows during the attitude era when Austin was flipping the bird and they were doing sex jokes and there were bikinis left, right, and centre, and ratings are worse in the PG era than they were then, but I just don't think wrestling can go back to that anymore. I think we live in a different era, an era that wouldn't tolerate that as much.

Bottom line is WWE are top dog and they do it through kids, and trying to deviate from their proven strategy is a bad move in my book.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

It's an interesting idea but it's just not going to happen. Or, I should say that it's highly unlikely that such an idea is going to happen. Why? Because I doubt very much that Bob and Dixie would allow it to happen. I'd also say that Jeff Jarrett would do whatever he could to see that it wouldn't happen either as he still owns about 27% of the company.

Now, as has been mentioned, you are able to get away with more if you put shows on later. I've been unable to sleep sometimes and I've watched movies on Comedy Central at 2 or 3 in the morning that are completely uncensored. Every curse word, every bit of nudity, every sexual innuendo, etc. However, I also doubt that very many people were watching the same show that I was at 2 or 3 in the morning.

Now, I don't have any experience in television or programming but I have a feeling that if this were a feesible idea, it would already have been implemented. It might sound like a good idea to us on paper and we might love the idea of TNA running with it. We might say they should take the risk and see what happens but that's easy for us to say because we're not the ones risking anything. I mean, c'mon, it's the easiest thing in the world to want someone to make a risky move when you're the one that has nothing to lose. And this would be an extremely risky move for TNA. If this were something even remotely feesible, I don't think there would have been any problem showing Orlando Jordan slobbin' with his boyfriend. When it comes to more "adult" programming, the collective bite of Spike and TNA isn't nearly as big as their bark.

 

[Joshwa52]

I like the idea but I think it's taking a huge risk. As far as it being too edgy. We have seen some crazy shit in wrestling over the last 15 years. For god sakes Edge fucked lita on live TV. May Young gave birth to a hand. And JR had a Cowboy hat surgically removed from his ass. Lets not forget katie Vick and kane or that Referee can't think of his name right now trying to commit suicide on tv over and over but failing each time. I obviously made my point. TNA would be able to cater to a more adult themed audience from 11-12 without any issues.

My only suggestion would be to run some test shows first. Keep the 9-11 slot and say That on such and such date TNA will air from 10-12. Promote a crazy TNA. A Wild show. See who stays up and what kind of numbers they pull in. This may give us all a better understanding of what they can and cannot do.

Of course if 9-11 is a great success why change something that isnt broke. But I think if there were to go down that road. Test the waters first. whadda ya say?

 

[Kenny Powers]

I think they call it Prime Time for a reason because on Monday nights from 8-10pm is when the majority of viewers are tuning in. The Tonight Show hasn't received great ratings either by the way, the crime dramas get the highest ratings at 10 pm. I don't care about the kiddies or staying up late, but the majority of people aren't going to stay up late for anything unless its a sporting event, or crime drama.

Also, just because TNA would be on late at night I don't think we would see a huge change in the content. I doubt we would see Velvet Sky's ass for example. I would stay up all night to see it, but the other viewers wont' stay up for it. I don't care what time TNA comes on, but viewers aren't going to watch a wrestling program through midnight.

Maybe 10 years ago, but not now.

 

[Lancer]

I would stay up late to watch wrestling. I already do (DVDs and such), and most of us who post in this forum probably do the same thing. I stay up late often, even when I have to work early in the morning. It's just my habit. I, as a 26-year-old average male who likes to see violence and cleavage, am probably a good representation of most of TNA's demographic. So drawing viewers like me in would be no problem.

It's a novel idea, and sounds good on paper. But I think it takes away from Dixie Carter's / Hogan's idea for the company: become the number one wrestling company and get good ratings while taking away a share of WWE's audience. Overall, I think that is their goal. Putting the show on late will attract mostly the dedicated fans who will take the time, and maybe some casual fans. Most casual wrestling fans, though, may be tired of wrestling, and may not want to sit through more.

 

[Svengoolie]

Are you out of your mind? Has all that working out fizzled your brain? People have to work the next day. It's bad enough they stay up to 11, and that is a stretch for them, but you are asking them to stay up another whole hour to midnight?

Sure, it would make for great television, but I'm telling you right now, there is absolutely no way this would ever work. They would lose far too many viewers from the 11 to 12 hour due to people wanting to go to bed and get ready for work the next morning.

What the hell? I don't know anyone that goes to bed before midnight.

Have to agree with you on that one the times have changed. Plus with Vince Russo's Christian beliefs he probably won't want to to do the stuff that he did eleven years ago.

It's just entertainment, brother! I hate how "Christian" has this aura around it now like we're weird people. 10 years ago, everyone was Christian in this country. But now everyone had to rebel against their parents because we're all just soooo smart and better than their generation. Russo was just as Christian before as he is now and there's no reason he wouldn't be down with doing the same kinds of angles.