Are The Stars Finally Aligning For TNA To Take It To THE Next Level?

[Afro-Ameri-Spawn]

They say that the sun shines on a dog's ass every once in a blue moon. And yet so far, during their seven year existence, TNA has only had slight glimpses into what it could be. And while these glimpses have show potential and spawned speculation over the last few years that TNA could make the big jump into competition with the WWE, that prediction has yet to come to any kind of meaningful fruition. But with the events that have taken place lately, could TNA be poised to finally make significant progress within the wrestling business that could potentially solidify it's place as a serious contender? Well let's take a look at the factors that could possibly add to TNA's good fortune.

1. Jim Ross:
TNA has currently made overtures to Jim Ross, a man who helped to build the WWE back into a respectable company. And while Jim Ross is not the man that he used to be, he still has an eye for talent and resources. Many say that TNA originals are all they need, right? Well Jim is the man who can test that theory and help them build the right stars and cut away the fat where needed. Sure his health has not been the best over the past few years and it is on the decline, but many have pointed out that the tedious WWE schedule help exacerbate his condition. But he wouldn't have that problem with TNA's lighter schedule. And he would have alot of time for side projects that he is currently working on as well. And let's be honest. Vince McMahon no longer respects Jim Ross as he has outlived his usefulness in the WWE. So it just might be time to move to somewhere where he can be useful

2. The Current Free Agent Market:
With the releases that WWE has just made, as well a previous developmental and pro level releases, TNA does have quite the pick of young, hungry, underutilized talent to add to it's roster. Sure you guys can go on and on about how they need to use the talent that they have, but TNA didn't want some of them in the first place. And if they leave, where will they go? To a place where TNA can bring them back later on if they want them back. WWE doesn't want the wrestlers that TNA releases so, trust me, they will be there if TNA wants to give them another shot. The fact of the matter is this. TNA can refresh with new faces that love to wrestle and who have a reason to show WWE that they made a mistake. And worse case is that these guys are just trying to get WWE's attention for another shot there. But hey, many of you should ask Christian how that's working out for HIM. If you add in ROH's potential rostered talent, then you have even more talent to sign and add. But why? I'll get to that in a later point.

3. Paul Heyman:
Paul Heyman is one of the minds that single handedly changed the way that WWE did business during the 90's. If not for him, WWE would not have even a remote semblance of the edge that it has retained even to this day. And TNA is looking for another member to add to the booking team and by adding one they could very well secure the services of another. And that key figure could be Tommy Dreamer. If Tommy comes aboard, then a spot for Heyman would look even more appealing. And if Heyman comes aboard, that would give TNA some of the greatest minds ever to grace the sport of wrestling on it's booking team. Can you even begin to imagine the possibilities? And while you may say that too many cooks will ruin the kitchen, that brings me to my most important point.

4. The MyTv Network:
Greed has been the downfall of many companies. And what WWE doesn't realize is that by moving Smackdown from MyTv, which is free nationally to many of it's viewers, it is downsizing to a smaller network in SyFi. Sure, they money was better, but was the overall cost worth it? I say no. And that is where TNA can step in and make what could be it's biggest leap ever. Smackdown was a staple of MyTv programming that it never really had to worry about or build up. It pretty much took care of itself, allowing MyTv to work on the rest of it's schedules nights or programming. Now, what will they do? Put on more episodes of Law and Order Criminal Intend reruns? And this is where TNA can fit in. TNA has many recognizable and already established faces on it's roster right now. And it's prerecorded content would fit in nicely with the standards and practices who pretty much were in board with pre-"PG" WWE programming before. A little editing and some additional tapings, and TNA could not only have two shows, but they can have one on a nationally syndicated network. One show could be booked by Bischoff and Russo while Heyman and Dreamer could take on the other. Or they could split of divisions or anything they wanted. There would be limitless possibilities and enough room for storylines from the Knockouts to the X-Division to the Heavyweights to the Legends. And it's what TNA needs in order to lure viewers over to Spike for Impact. And keep in mind that TNA already tapes matches for Xplosion. A few more matches and some mic work and TNA has a second show ready for MyTv viewers.

Now with all that said, I have to say that they stars are certainly in alignment for TNA to POOUUNNCE(sorry, had to use it) onto the next level and make a true name for themselves. But can they really? Will they? What are your thoughts on what they can do with the vast amount of opportunities out there right now? Am I right or wrong? Did I miss something or count too many eggs?

You tell me.

 

[a0161613]

I'll be honest. TNA would love to sign JR, a couple of the more talented free agents and do something with MyNetwork. However I cannot see it happening.

Everything i have read, JR does not seem interested in going to TNA. While the schedule would suit him I'm sure, I think he would not disrespect his WWE legacy in the same way or as quickly as Ric Flair has. I doubt he would even give them a chance.

The free agent roster has possibly not been bettered during TNA's recent years where it has the ability to compete with WWE. Benjamin and Haas would be welcomed in the tag division and Mickie James would be an incredible addition to the Knockouts. But I'm not sure they would pick anyone else up on a long term deal.

I think the MyNetwork thing could happen. TNA seem to be loyal to Spike though and I could only imagine it happening if they were offered the world. Even then I'm not sure it would be a great idea. There is an option to use UFC for crosspromotion and if TNA and Spike could negotiate something where TNA gets more exposure and a second dedicated show, then their loyalty would see them well.

I think TNA's problems are absolutely easy to fix and the next level is so close. Providing they can sort some of their booking issues and figure out what they want to do with their huge roster, then they will be ready to go on.

 

[Ralphis]

That's incorrect as MyNetworkTV runs at least 196 affiliates nationwide. This includes a specific Myrtle Beach affiliate (See 104 on that page, WBTW-DT).

WBTW-DT: "They operate the area's MyNetworkTV affiliate on a second digital subchannel known as My TV. This can also be seen in most areas on Time Warner digital channel 811, on HTC Cablevision channel 99 in Conway, and in Brunswick County, North Carolina on ATMC channel 13. During the daytime, the channel airs the Retro Television Network (a.k.a. RTV)."

I've seen many people say MyNetworkTV isn't available to most of the country and they're usually wrong. They even broadcast out of mega-sized media markets such as...Bend, Oregon, Parkersburg, West Virginia, and Juneau, Alaska.

Swooping in the week immediately following WWE's departure from Friday nights would be a gain for any company trying to get exposure as many people will likely tune in to the following Friday out of habit.

 

[Jurgen112112]

Greed has been the downfall of many companies. And what WWE doesn't realize is that by moving Smackdown from MyTv, which is free nationally to many of it's viewers, it is downsizing to a smaller network in SyFi.

I must say as a Dutch person. I'm not quite sure how all those networks are shared in the USA. How much people get MyTv network and how many get SyFi. But this is kind of a weird thing to say i mean first of all. I assume most people watch SD for the show itself, not because it was on MyTv network. Plus you are now suggesting this move will be the downfall of WWE, (not directly but still u are suggesting it) wich is also weird i mean Smackdown is not their only program and the smackdown ratings are to high to cause for a downfall if they would go down 0.2 or 0.3 in ratings.

Other thing i noticed since january 4 there have been many changes in TNA, product got better if you ask me but still ratings aint really going up or so. How ever the product may be getting better, but what Al Snow once said in shoot interview. The best match/show/ppv aint the 1 with the best wrestling and best stories. No its the match/show/ppv that sells the most tickets. So aslong as TNA doesn't get more people to watch it also won't get more people to know that the show got better.

 

[Rammsteinerteen]

As much as you'd think so, the answer is no. JR going to TNA might get TNA some ratings, but next week, nobody cares anymore. And hiring new people is what they do at least once a month, it's old news.Paul Heyman might be able to do something right, if TNA gives him the right parts. I honestly thought TNA would become a big awesome brand after Hogan came, but it still seems like how it did years after years ago. Except TNA back in the days was better then now. As much as I want TNA to beat raw in the ratings war, I would have to guess they will never. Unless they get a new audience and abandon their old one, TNA should get more fans, they should start making interesting storylines that actually go 100% in depth, also they need more adverstisement, SPIKE channel isn't the best channel but better then MYTVNETWORK, so thats my arguement.

 

[3,000 Pound Gorrilla]

Well, first off, if you read JR's blog, he hasn't been in contact with TNA officials as the IWC would like us to believe. I tend to believe JR over random blogger. And JR has waaaaaa-aaaaaay to much to throw away by spitting on VKM. So, while JR would help TNA in many ways, not gonna happen.

Free agent pool... If they are free agents, it is 'cause the "E" don't want them. A little math if you will... WWE has the higher ratings, hence WWE is still drawing more viewers, hence they have the better talent. Noone wants to see Shelton Benjamin, he may be a great pure athlete... but that is only like a third of being a sports entertainer. I will miss Mickie's little belly tho... she has been my favorite Diva for a while now. So, I don't feel the free agent pool can help TNA, they have a large under used roster as it is.

And Paul Heyman ...blah ... The Leg Drop of Doom is running the show at the current time... Paul Heyman won't change much that Hogan don't let him.

And really, in this day and age... if you don't have like 7,000 channels... the '90s called and want their cable box back. I live in California and have the YES network.

So, no I disagree... TNA is not ready to pounce. And there you have it.

 

[Afro-Ameri-Spawn]

Oh dear, how the children speak and yet they do now know. lol

Well, first off, if you read JR's blog, he hasn't been in contact with TNA officials as the IWC would like us to believe. I tend to believe JR over random blogger. And JR has waaaaaa-aaaaaay to much to throw away by spitting on VKM. So, while JR would help TNA in many ways, not gonna happen.

Actually, here is where you assume too much. So here, let me put this in layman's terms for ya a bit. Feelers are like high school. You know, back when there was a kinda fat yet cute girl ya might like, but you aren't sure whether she may be diggin ya or not. So ya put out the word that you might be wanting to take her to that big dance coming up to see what her reaction might be. That way, if she isn't interested, you can claim that people are starting rumors and you never even wanted to take her out.

In a nutshell, yes, JR said he hasn't spoken to a specifically rumored TNA official. What in the fuck do you expect a man who is wanting to see what his current employer might come to the table with to say? Good ol JR aint stupid ya know. And he never said that he wouldn't be willing to talk to TNA official either. Again, a safe answer. Hedging his bets in case WWE comes with a insulting offer or chooses not to resign him at all. And if you look back at what I said about this, I did put an "IF" in there ya know. But keep in mind, with public statements, it's BOTh what you say AND what you don't say.

Free agent pool... If they are free agents, it is 'cause the "E" don't want them. A little math if you will... WWE has the higher ratings, hence WWE is still drawing more viewers, hence they have the better talent. Noone wants to see Shelton Benjamin, he may be a great pure athlete... but that is only like a third of being a sports entertainer. I will miss Mickie's little belly tho... she has been my favorite Diva for a while now. So, I don't feel the free agent pool can help TNA, they have a large under used roster as it is.

So not true. Sometimes, companies don't really have any real vision for certain stars. That's doesn't make them unwanted or useless. I mean, if that were the case, then why do people to this day still say how stupid WCW was for letting Jericho, Austin, and Trips go when they had them? It's because they had nothing for them. And the free agent pool goes way beyond just James and Benjamin. Even though Mickie will be highly sought after, as she can actually wrestle and isn't just eye candy. Benjamin, on the other hand, well he's no worse on the mic than either hardy or RVD, and nobody seems to mind either of them. I can see Benjamin get a manager and go far, as he is a true athlete and sells very well. But think bigger picture. Tomko and Knox as a monster tag team or Knox as TNA's new monster that takes down the superhero Abyss? Haas and Benjamin reunite to take on Beer Money or LAX or countless other combinations? And there is still such underrated athletes out there as Ken Doan and many many others. Think BIGGER picture dude.

And Paul Heyman ...blah ... The Leg Drop of Doom is running the show at the current time... Paul Heyman won't change much that Hogan don't let him.

Um yeah, here we go back to Hogan again huh? Hogan is willing to do anything that puts money back in his pocket. And if that means getting down on one bad knee to kiss Heyman's chubby ass, he will do it. Hogan aint got "E" money anymore. No tv shows on the horizon and divorce proceedings and lawsuits on his back door knockin. Green is Hogan's motivation. Plain and simple. Don't underestimate how much a desperate man is willing to bend over backwards to keep from getting fucked in the ass.

And really, in this day and age... if you don't have like 7,000 channels... the '90s called and want their cable box back. I live in California and have the YES network.

Wow, really? Really? Look dude, I have satellite. And I watch more shows at one time than I got spots for my dvr to record. And so what do I do? I have an antenna hooked up to my tv so I can watch a third show while I record both RAW and Impact. And before you say they don't overlap for the last hour, that;s when I record United States of Terra and Nurse Jackie. But anywho, the thing is this. I could definitely go to that other dual tunner satellite company and be able to go watch tv upstairs during this, but I'm a cheap son of a bitch. So I do the free thing. And man, is the reception good. All I'm saying is this. Having the program on MyTv will help bring in free advertising for both TNA AND Spike as they mention that matches and line ups for the following Monday night by plugging it during the night. Why would they NOT want to go over there and fill WWE's spot? Especially if they can pick up the following week after WWE leaves. Out of habit, people will tune in and see stars they already know and learn some new ones. And you gain viewers that way dude. I'll put money on it.

So, no I disagree... TNA is not ready to pounce. And there you have it.

They may not be ready to pounce. I will agree with you fully on that. But they time is right for them to do so. The stars are lining up and it's now or never to make a leap to network tv and to the next level. Sometimes, you gotta take a leap of faith to make it up there. TNA has the guns for it. Now, they just need to balls to match.

 

[dwith]

It's only a matter of time. Think about it. All of these people who are tremendous athletes that are being let go by WWE aren't really upset about be let go. They know they have another place to showcase their talent, and from rumors of other wrestlers (they will be treated much better). You will imo see Batista in TNA along with 75% of the last 8 that were let go from WWE recently. By the end of the the summer their ratings will double.

 

[brainsuks1234]

Jim Ross: Didnt he say he never had meetings with TNA ? I doubt he would go to TNA anyways though.

Free Agent Market: For TNA they should get Mickie James Katie Lea and Shelton Benjamin. That would be a good help for them.

Paul Heyman: For some reason i wouldnt want him TNA because I dont think he can be trusted.

My Network TV: I wouldnt move Tna there. They should move over onto the USA network on a tuesday.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Jim Ross going to TNA would be a great thing for TNA in and of itself, but I honestly don't think it's going to help TNA increase its audience. TNA has brought in Kurt Angle, Sting, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Jeff Hardy, Rob Van Dam, The Dudleyz and other major names and it really hasn't done anything for TNA as far as audience growth goes. Some of the biggest names in wrestling of all time and some of the biggest names of the modern era have been unsuccessful in increasing the size of the TNA audience. I'm not saying that to bash TNA or those wrestlers, it's just the truth. I doubt that Jim Ross, great as he is, would be any more successful.

As far as MyNetworkTV goes, I don't see the move being a mistake for Smackdown at all. According to Wikipedia, MyNetworkTV initially was available in 96% of the country. Now, as for my area, we don't get MyNetworkTV. Quite frankly, I don't personally know anybody here that gets the channel. A Lexington ABC affiliate, WTVQ, currently shows the weekly episodes of Smackdown on Saturday nights at 11:35 pm. However, during football season, it's not uncommon for Smackdown to be preempted on that channel. Even if MNTV is currently available in more markets than Syfy, I believe that Syfy still has more people watching it that MNTV. MNTV's biggest shows are reruns of the Twiglight Zone and Smackdown and the overall ratings for the network are so poor that it's no longer a network but a syndicated telvision service. Sometimes MNTV preempts Smackdown as well in certain areas for sports as well. With Syfy, the WWE will be bringing in more money, they don't have to worry about being preempted, they could potentially move to a better night of the week, and the fact that Syfy is owned by NBC Universal is a pretty good sign overall that NBC Universal is quite thrilled to have the WWE as part of their stable as NBC Universal also owns USA. I see far more of an upside than a downside. If TNA were to head to MyNetworkTV, it could be a good thing if they could get the company behind them and advertise the shit out of them. I mean, run TNA commercials during every commercial break. Otherwise, it won't mean a thing.

As far as Paul Heyman goes, who can really say. This same conversation has revolved around many other big names that have come to TNA. Whenever a big name comes to TNA or is rumored to be heading to TNA, the same old propoganda breaks out. What I mean by that is that the IWC lights up with posts on forums saying that "So-and-so is going to be the one to take TNA to the next level". I've heard it with Kurt Angle, I've heard it with Hulk Hogan, I've heard it with Heyman, RVD, Jeff Hardy, Jim Ross and so on and so forth. IF Heyman does come to TNA, I'm not going to cream myself or anything. Too many have come to TNA with TNA itself hoping that past glories of these wrestlers and personalities will be enough to cause TNA's growth, but I'm not buying it. IF Heyman does come and can turn TNA around, great. However, if his chief idea is to start a stable of old ECW wrestlers, I personally won't give a shit. As I said, it's going to take more than relying on the glories of days gone by in order to get me excited.

 

[CuddleBuns84]

Afro-American-Spawn! This is from the words of JR. Read that before cracking down on people telling them they don't know anything.

"Although many wrestling websites do a really nice job in reporting on the biz some obviously go with what they hear more than once and then consider such gospel. For example, it was reported that I met with TNA executive Dean Broadhead, who I have never met in my entire life nor could I pick him out of a police lineup."

Well, there goes it for JR going to TNA. If JR leaves the WWE today, he has a great retirement. He will probably make more by staying retired then trying to cater to Hogan's ego. Enough said on that.

The Free Agent pool. The only real name that stuck out, was Shelton Benjamin. That guy can do more then Hardy and RVD. But he doesn't want too. He doesn't have too. That's why he is where he is at. Released from the WWE. And yea, I hate to say that, because I always loved watching that guy wrestle. Doing moves that blew my mind. He was a ladder match master. His mic skills weren't too good, but I would love to see his match in person. With him in TNA, well, they would do the same thing with him. Put him in the middle of the pack, and have work gimmick matches. You already have 10 guys doing that in TNA.

My Network TV.... Sucks! SyFy is a much more known channel, plus they are getting some good money going there. It helps SyFy's ratings, plus the quality of My Network TV is not very good. Good move by the WWE. Spike hate the WWE by the way. When they left, Spike was just upset. That was one of their shows. That's why TNA is getting a lot of support from Spike. By the way, Spike is also a horrible network. Yet still better then My Network TV.

Back when Coca-Cola started out, they had many copy cats trying to sell a similar but not as good product. The original competitor was Coca-Nola. Well, as you can tell the company just crashed. Why is that, because it was a rip-off trying to make cash. Pepsi came out, had a cola product, it was a little sweeter, and it took off! Pepsi was a similar product but different enough to compete.

TNA is option 1. The rip off copy cat trying to make cash. Look at every aspect of that damn place. Vince Russo, head creative, Use to be WWE's creative writer. Jeff Hardy, Just 6-8 months was Main eventing WWE ppvs. Mr. Anderson was wearing a Lakers Jersey on Monday Night Raw in 2009 when we last saw him. Shannon Moore was failing another drug test just a year or so ago in the WWE. Hulk Hogan's last big thing was Randy Orton at Summerslam, which is a WWE product. Eric Bischoff was the Raw GM just a few years ago, well He worked on Raw. RVD was part of the re-launch of ECW. The Band was made famous by the NWO, then the WWE couldn't use them. Kurt Angle got tired of a grueling schedule. The Nasty Boys, The Dudley Boys, Tazz, The Pope, Ric Flair, The Brian Kendrick, Chrisy "prolly could of been the movies by now if she stuck in the wwe" Hemme, Tara, who was Victoria, Jeff Jarrett who couldn't get hired back with the WWE if his life depended on it, Mick Foley, Bobby Lashley, Jimmy Hart, Matt Morgan, Samoa Joe "Yes he use to job all the time in the WWE" Dear god it's an awful rip off of the WWE. Nothing is original with them. Not a damn thing. Oh wait, they have silly names for things like the X-division, or the X-match, or the super hyper ninja kick title matches. Guess what. They can't entertain. WWE still had guys like Stone Cold, and the Rock, they weren't big names at the time, but still gave great quality in the ring and on the mic. AJ Styles can't do that! And he is the face of the Company! BLAH!!!!

TNA will not be ready for the next level, till they start making their own stars. Right now, there is a lot of regular TNA guys, and they are being out shine by the guys that Hogan brought in. They made a huge mistake but not giving the title to the Pope. I mean they had that build up for months, and wasted it on a RVD title run the next day. Injured or Not, he should of had it. That would of made them Different yet similar from the WWE. Till they starting building guys, marketing them. TNA will just be a light work schedule for the main eventers from other organizations.

 

[WhyTravisFelt]

I really hesitate to say anything good about MyTV. It's an exceptionally awful channel that really only exists because WB and UPN started going steady and UPN moved in, leaving behind a broken lease on his dumpy studio.

It is available in more households than both SyFy and Spike (maybe even put together) and they'd probably be desperate to pull in anything that could draw half of what Smackdown does; so TNA is a good bet. But...ehh, we'll see, maybe.

I agree just about one hundred percent with the rest of the OPs statements. For anyone who wants to poo-poo Shelton Benjamin, maybe consider the possibility that he was held down in a dumb, nowhere gimmick (actually, lack of a gimmick) like Elijah Burke; or Christian for that matter. Paul Burchill would also be an awesome get, especially if he goes back to that standing Spanish Fly move he used to do. The KO division was already infinitely greater than the Divas, but now they've released Mickie James (easily the most popular women's wrestler out there today; and one of a handful that can wrestle in the WWE) and if she joins TNA that would be great (except she'd steal Daffney's spotlight so...eff her). And Jimmy Yang could fill some decent shoes, albeit probably as enhancement talent in the X division; not that I don't like the guy.

I think Paul Heyman should be a top priority. Bring him in and boot Russo, and you have a very solid foundation to start getting some real progress done.

I seriously doubt either JR or Batista would show up. JR would be a nice addition if they used him for finding talent and other offscreen work. Batista would be a disaster. He might draw fans, but he'd also alienate the TNA core fanbase. He'd also want more money than A) he's worth and B) they can afford. He's probably at the level popularity wise as Angle was when he joined TNA and the ratings still didn't budge; he's also nowhere near as universally liked and respected as Angle. I can't foresee any good coming out of that idea.

 

[dwith]

Afro-American-Spawn! This is from the words of JR. Read that before cracking down on people telling them they don't know anything.

"Although many wrestling websites do a really nice job in reporting on the biz some obviously go with what they hear more than once and then consider such gospel. For example, it was reported that I met with TNA executive Dean Broadhead, who I have never met in my entire life nor could I pick him out of a police lineup."

Well, there goes it for JR going to TNA. If JR leaves the WWE today, he has a great retirement. He will probably make more by staying retired then trying to cater to Hogan's ego. Enough said on that.

The Free Agent pool. The only real name that stuck out, was Shelton Benjamin. That guy can do more then Hardy and RVD. But he doesn't want too. He doesn't have too. That's why he is where he is at. Released from the WWE. And yea, I hate to say that, because I always loved watching that guy wrestle. Doing moves that blew my mind. He was a ladder match master. His mic skills weren't too good, but I would love to see his match in person. With him in TNA, well, they would do the same thing with him. Put him in the middle of the pack, and have work gimmick matches. You already have 10 guys doing that in TNA.

My Network TV.... Sucks! SyFy is a much more known channel, plus they are getting some good money going there. It helps SyFy's ratings, plus the quality of My Network TV is not very good. Good move by the WWE. Spike hate the WWE by the way. When they left, Spike was just upset. That was one of their shows. That's why TNA is getting a lot of support from Spike. By the way, Spike is also a horrible network. Yet still better then My Network TV.

Back when Coca-Cola started out, they had many copy cats trying to sell a similar but not as good product. The original competitor was Coca-Nola. Well, as you can tell the company just crashed. Why is that, because it was a rip-off trying to make cash. Pepsi came out, had a cola product, it was a little sweeter, and it took off! Pepsi was a similar product but different enough to compete.

TNA is option 1. The rip off copy cat trying to make cash. Look at every aspect of that damn place. Vince Russo, head creative, Use to be WWE's creative writer. Jeff Hardy, Just 6-8 months was Main eventing WWE ppvs. Mr. Anderson was wearing a Lakers Jersey on Monday Night Raw in 2009 when we last saw him. Shannon Moore was failing another drug test just a year or so ago in the WWE. Hulk Hogan's last big thing was Randy Orton at Summerslam, which is a WWE product. Eric Bischoff was the Raw GM just a few years ago, well He worked on Raw. RVD was part of the re-launch of ECW. The Band was made famous by the NWO, then the WWE couldn't use them. Kurt Angle got tired of a grueling schedule. The Nasty Boys, The Dudley Boys, Tazz, The Pope, Ric Flair, The Brian Kendrick, Chrisy "prolly could of been the movies by now if she stuck in the wwe" Hemme, Tara, who was Victoria, Jeff Jarrett who couldn't get hired back with the WWE if his life depended on it, Mick Foley, Bobby Lashley, Jimmy Hart, Matt Morgan, Samoa Joe "Yes he use to job all the time in the WWE" Dear god it's an awful rip off of the WWE. Nothing is original with them. Not a damn thing. Oh wait, they have silly names for things like the X-division, or the X-match, or the super hyper ninja kick title matches. Guess what. They can't entertain. WWE still had guys like Stone Cold, and the Rock, they weren't big names at the time, but still gave great quality in the ring and on the mic. AJ Styles can't do that! And he is the face of the Company! BLAH!!!!

TNA will not be ready for the next level, till they start making their own stars. Right now, there is a lot of regular TNA guys, and they are being out shine by the guys that Hogan brought in. They made a huge mistake but not giving the title to the Pope. I mean they had that build up for months, and wasted it on a RVD title run the next day. Injured or Not, he should of had it. That would of made them Different yet similar from the WWE. Till they starting building guys, marketing them. TNA will just be a light work schedule for the main eventers from other organizations.

So just because WWE decides to fire wrestlers, they do not have a right to compete anymore? The wrestlers should just retire at 30 and go to work for McDonalds or something? That is a very pathetic way of thinking. There is life after WWE, and it's healthy. The only reason Hall,xpac, and others were "has beens" is because WWE discarded them, and there was no one to pick up the talent. Why would Shelton Benjamin who loves wrestling and performing want to just hang is head and go home instead of going to TNA to do what he loves, or Jeff Hardy, or Shannon Moore etc...Just because you think WWE release restlers, they have no right to wrestle anymore? You need to get in touch with the real world. That is like saying you get fired from your job, and you are not allowed to apply anywhere else to work, cause you are not allowed a choice, or only one place to work for the rest of you life. Come on, Don't hate TNA for keeping alot of talent working.

 

[3,000 Pound Gorrilla]

Afro-American-Spawn! This is from the words of JR. Read that before cracking down on people telling them they don't know anything.

"Although many wrestling websites do a really nice job in reporting on the biz some obviously go with what they hear more than once and then consider such gospel. For example, it was reported that I met with TNA executive Dean Broadhead, who I have never met in my entire life nor could I pick him out of a police lineup."

Now, the best part of our lovely country is our freedom to express ourselves. The origional post provided feedback to me on each of my opinions. Which is what these forums are about.

BUT... I did read to blurb from JR before I stated he wasn't contact nor in contact with TNA. So, thanks for posting JR's words, as it would have helped give credit to my words!!! And there you have it.

 

[sTyLnK]

I suppose all TNA can do is keep signing as many big name stars as they can. Maybe that will help ratings eventually.

 

[dwith]

The Jim Ross ordeal, JR never say's outright that he didn't have a meeting with TNA. He only states that rumors were that he had a meeting with Dean Broadbent of TNA. He say's that he did not meet with Dean Broadbent, and could not pick him out of a lineup. He never denies that he didn't meet with someone from TNA, only denies meeting with Broadbent. I'm sure that he had a meeting with TNA, why wouldn't he? WWE has taken away the one true thing he loves to do in the business. He just denies the meeting's more than likely (out of respect to Vince) so Vince doesn't go ape shit. JR is planning his future with what's best for him. The lighter schedule I think is what JR would be looking for.

 

[imthecrazyone100]

this is kinda a random question but i had this debate with my friend and basically to makwe a long story short he thinks rey mysterio is better than shawn michaels and i dont think so....so i wanted to kno what u guys think....

 

[SportsNation2K7]

As far as MyNetworkTV goes, I don't see the move being a mistake for Smackdown at all. According to Wikipedia, MyNetworkTV initially was available in 96% of the country. Now, as for my area, we don't get MyNetworkTV. Quite frankly, I don't personally know anybody here that gets the channel. A Lexington ABC affiliate, WTVQ, currently shows the weekly episodes of Smackdown on Saturday nights at 11:35 pm. However, during football season, it's not uncommon for Smackdown to be preempted on that channel. Even if MNTV is currently available in more markets than Syfy, I believe that Syfy still has more people watching it that MNTV. MNTV's biggest shows are reruns of the Twiglight Zone and Smackdown and the overall ratings for the network are so poor that it's no longer a network but a syndicated telvision service. Sometimes MNTV preempts Smackdown as well in certain areas for sports as well. With Syfy, the WWE will be bringing in more money, they don't have to worry about being preempted, they could potentially move to a better night of the week, and the fact that Syfy is owned by NBC Universal is a pretty good sign overall that NBC Universal is quite thrilled to have the WWE as part of their stable as NBC Universal also owns USA. I see far more of an upside than a downside. If TNA were to head to MyNetworkTV, it could be a good thing if they could get the company behind them and advertise the shit out of them. I mean, run TNA commercials during every commercial break. Otherwise, it won't mean a thing.

I am a MASS Communications major with a minor in TV Production so here are my thoughts. True, but to be honest you would want to make sure that MNTV is in NY, LA, CHI, PHI, DAL, SAN FRAN, BOS, ATL, DC, and HOU. The reason that I say these cities are because they are your top to TV viewing markets (in order). Now each of these cities have major baseball teams that might use MNTV to broadcast games. I say if TNA gets a good viewership in at least 6 of these cites thats about 25-30 million people (not all will be watching of course) then people who watch it can spread the word around. MNTV demographics is men from 18-34 so it could fit with in their programming (they want to be the non cable alternative to Spike-TV. IF they also advertise heavly in those cities then they can rise to the level that the WWE is on in like 3-5 years.

Another thing, you have to spend money to make money so I say that TNA should book an major arena and sell reduce price and maybe give out free tickets. The cheapest WWE tickets cost 20 so make it 10 and have a buy one get one offer. Now sure you are def going to lose money but if you actually book the event right (IMO that's what keeping TNA down at the moment) you maybe get some fans who would want to watch the product

 

[BlakkVI]

So just because WWE decides to fire wrestlers, they do not have a right to compete anymore? The wrestlers should just retire at 30 and go to work for McDonalds or something? That is a very pathetic way of thinking. There is life after WWE, and it's healthy. The only reason Hall,xpac, and others were "has beens" is because WWE discarded them, and there was no one to pick up the talent. Why would Shelton Benjamin who loves wrestling and performing want to just hang is head and go home instead of going to TNA to do what he loves, or Jeff Hardy, or Shannon Moore etc...Just because you think WWE release restlers, they have no right to wrestle anymore? You need to get in touch with the real world. That is like saying you get fired from your job, and you are not allowed to apply anywhere else to work, cause you are not allowed a choice, or only one place to work for the rest of you life. Come on, Don't hate TNA for keeping alot of talent working.

Was browsing the forums, and honestly, I didn't plan on saying anything till I saw this. Let me speak on a few things you noted here;

1. Hall & Xpac (among others) discarded? I don't know if I'll considered those two discarded in any shape or form considering the reputations that they have for being Grade A F**kups. Same with guys like RVD, The Brian Kendrick and even Jeff Hardy, though on a lesser scale than the aforementioned members of "the Band"

2. Shelton Benjamin, here's the key factor that you forget. From my knowledge, and I'm sure there is someone that has also heard this. Shelton didn't want the ball given to him to run with. Yes, he's a great performer, yes he's a pure athlete, but how can a man that has been with WWE for YEARS, been given WWE title runs (US, etc), and still not break the glass ceiling? You can't say it was the E's (or as the IWC loves to do, blame Vince) fault because we've seen where that man has had opportunities and has never capitalized. If you noticed @ this year's Wrestlemania, he wasn't even the spot monkey in the MITB that everyone was expecting to be..and let's face it, that's really ALL he had left.

3. I've never been a big fan of the fact that Hogan and Bischoff are now around "running things". Why? Because while ex-WWE employees have every right to work, it's being done at the expense of homegrown talent or the talent that helped to build TNA to where it was BEFORE those two came in. Example? See the Sean Morley/Christopher Daniels fiasco that happened a while back. Where are those two now? Gone. Need more? See the Nasty Boys/Dudley Boyz feud where even the Dudley's wanted that feud nipped in the bud asap. I've been to the live tapings where the Nasty Boys were seriously booed by the fans to go home. Want me to keep going? It was mentioned before, but I'll speak on it again, the AJ/Pope feud. Pope had EVERY RIGHT as an established ex-WWE but very OVER TNA wrestler to go over AJ....but did he get that? No. But instead of letting him get another shot...we get Jeff and RVD in the running for the title..both of which only being there for about a months time...where's the other TNA talent that could've gotten a shot or been around building up?? No where to be found.

There's no structure system at all within TNA (I scoff @ Bischoff's new system), and the fact that they keep overpiling the roster and slowly but surely making TNA look like another WWE Brand isn't going to help TNA in the long run.

 

[Kenny Powers]

Afro-American-Spawn! This is from the words of JR. Read that before cracking down on people telling them they don't know anything.

"Although many wrestling websites do a really nice job in reporting on the biz some obviously go with what they hear more than once and then consider such gospel. For example, it was reported that I met with TNA executive Dean Broadhead, who I have never met in my entire life nor could I pick him out of a police lineup."

Well, there goes it for JR going to TNA. If JR leaves the WWE today, he has a great retirement. He will probably make more by staying retired then trying to cater to Hogan's ego. Enough said on that.

The Free Agent pool. The only real name that stuck out, was Shelton Benjamin. That guy can do more then Hardy and RVD. But he doesn't want too. He doesn't have too. That's why he is where he is at. Released from the WWE. And yea, I hate to say that, because I always loved watching that guy wrestle. Doing moves that blew my mind. He was a ladder match master. His mic skills weren't too good, but I would love to see his match in person. With him in TNA, well, they would do the same thing with him. Put him in the middle of the pack, and have work gimmick matches. You already have 10 guys doing that in TNA.

My Network TV.... Sucks! SyFy is a much more known channel, plus they are getting some good money going there. It helps SyFy's ratings, plus the quality of My Network TV is not very good. Good move by the WWE. Spike hate the WWE by the way. When they left, Spike was just upset. That was one of their shows. That's why TNA is getting a lot of support from Spike. By the way, Spike is also a horrible network. Yet still better then My Network TV.

Back when Coca-Cola started out, they had many copy cats trying to sell a similar but not as good product. The original competitor was Coca-Nola. Well, as you can tell the company just crashed. Why is that, because it was a rip-off trying to make cash. Pepsi came out, had a cola product, it was a little sweeter, and it took off! Pepsi was a similar product but different enough to compete.

TNA is option 1. The rip off copy cat trying to make cash. Look at every aspect of that damn place. Vince Russo, head creative, Use to be WWE's creative writer. Jeff Hardy, Just 6-8 months was Main eventing WWE ppvs. Mr. Anderson was wearing a Lakers Jersey on Monday Night Raw in 2009 when we last saw him. Shannon Moore was failing another drug test just a year or so ago in the WWE. Hulk Hogan's last big thing was Randy Orton at Summerslam, which is a WWE product. Eric Bischoff was the Raw GM just a few years ago, well He worked on Raw. RVD was part of the re-launch of ECW. The Band was made famous by the NWO, then the WWE couldn't use them. Kurt Angle got tired of a grueling schedule. The Nasty Boys, The Dudley Boys, Tazz, The Pope, Ric Flair, The Brian Kendrick, Chrisy "prolly could of been the movies by now if she stuck in the wwe" Hemme, Tara, who was Victoria, Jeff Jarrett who couldn't get hired back with the WWE if his life depended on it, Mick Foley, Bobby Lashley, Jimmy Hart, Matt Morgan, Samoa Joe "Yes he use to job all the time in the WWE" Dear god it's an awful rip off of the WWE. Nothing is original with them. Not a damn thing. Oh wait, they have silly names for things like the X-division, or the X-match, or the super hyper ninja kick title matches. Guess what. They can't entertain. WWE still had guys like Stone Cold, and the Rock, they weren't big names at the time, but still gave great quality in the ring and on the mic. AJ Styles can't do that! And he is the face of the Company! BLAH!!!!

TNA will not be ready for the next level, till they start making their own stars. Right now, there is a lot of regular TNA guys, and they are being out shine by the guys that Hogan brought in. They made a huge mistake but not giving the title to the Pope. I mean they had that build up for months, and wasted it on a RVD title run the next day. Injured or Not, he should of had it. That would of made them Different yet similar from the WWE. Till they starting building guys, marketing them. TNA will just be a light work schedule for the main eventers from other organizations.

Like TNA is the only wrestling company that has ever copied of off anyone? Every wrestling company out there has copied off of someone some time or another. I really don't see everyone's problem with TNA having WWE or former WCW/ECW wrestlers. When WWE hired a bunch of WCW and ECW no one had a problem with that. They were "original".

This is the mentality of its okay that WWE does it but not if TNA does. That doesn't fly with me. Speaking of gimmick matches, how many gimmick matches does WWE have? TNA isn't the only company that has them. WWE has PPV's now catered to gimmicks such as Extreme Rules, TLC, Hell in a Hell. Extreme rules has a diva "extreme makeover" match for God's sake.

TNA not creating talent or letting them shine in the main event is bogus too. AJ Styles was the longest reigning TNA World Champion in history in TNA. Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair pretty much said nothing but good things about AJ building him to the moon since they've got there. Even Abyss as received a huge rub from Hogan.

As far as the argument about The Pope becoming TNA champion at Lockdown is asinine too. Why would you put the belt on someone who still isn't over yet? A guy that has only been in the company for months now? Not every young star needs to be a champion to be over. It is way too soon to put the belt on Pope especially since the man was injured too.

Why would they award the championship to someone who is going to be out for months?

Saying AJ Styles should be as popular as the Rock and Steve Austin were in WWE is ridiculous too. John Cena isn't even as popular as The Rock or Austin. Neither is anybody for that matter. If you want TNA to be "the same yet different then WWE" just watch Raw and imagine AJ Styles and The Pope in a hot tub with Hornswoggle or something.

Better yet, imagine Magruber blowing the Pope away leaving nothing but his shoes. Before you do that though change your name so people can take you serious. Cuddle Buns.

 

[BlakkVI]

As far as the argument about The Pope becoming TNA champion at Lockdown is asinine too. Why would you put the belt on someone who still isn't over yet? A guy that has only been in the company for months now? Not every young star needs to be a champion to be over. It is way too soon to put the belt on Pope especially since the man was injured too.

While I can agree with you on the injury part of Pope not winning the title, to say that man is not over is the most ridiculous statement I've ever heard in my life. I've BEEN to the tapings, I've SEEN in PERSON how over that man is. ESPECIALLY with the promo he gave for this coming Monday's show. #smh wow @ the nerve of that statement.

 

[wushady]

I doubt Ross or Heyman will even go to TNA, but if they do I don't think it will help their ratings. Like someone else said guys like Angle, RVD, and Hardy have done nothing for the ratings. TNA has been around for years now I'm sure most WWE fans know it's there, but chose not to watch. Back during the real Monday night wars both shows got ratings in the 4's and 5's.

Now a days WWE gets ratings in the 3's TNA's lucky to get a 1. There's just not as many people who watch wrestling anymore. Most people are loyal to WWE and wont even give TNA a chance. Some are sick of WWE and are loyal to TNA. Maybe they just need more time to get the word out I don't know, but if getting guys like Angle and Hardy who were huge in WWE. And Hulk Hogan the biggest name ever in wrestling didn't help much. The guys just released wont make a dent in the ratings.

Getting to many ex WWE stars could even hurt them in my opinion. People who are die hard TNA fans. Most likely watched it cause it was different and had great stars we hadn't seen before. If they didn't want to see them in WWE why would they want them in TNA with the exception of a few guys of course.

 

[mister_b1LL]

4. The MyTv Network:
Greed has been the downfall of many companies. And what WWE doesn't realize is that by moving Smackdown from MyTv, which is free nationally to many of it's viewers, it is downsizing to a smaller network in SyFi. Sure, they money was better, but was the overall cost worth it? I say no. And that is where TNA can step in and make what could be it's biggest leap ever. Smackdown was a staple of MyTv programming that it never really had to worry about or build up. It pretty much took care of itself, allowing MyTv to work on the rest of it's schedules nights or programming. Now, what will they do? Put on more episodes of Law and Order Criminal Intend reruns? And this is where TNA can fit in. TNA has many recognizable and already established faces on it's roster right now. And it's prerecorded content would fit in nicely with the standards and practices who pretty much were in board with pre-"PG" WWE programming before. A little editing and some additional tapings, and TNA could not only have two shows, but they can have one on a nationally syndicated network. One show could be booked by Bischoff and Russo while Heyman and Dreamer could take on the other. Or they could split of divisions or anything they wanted. There would be limitless possibilities and enough room for storylines from the Knockouts to the X-Division to the Heavyweights to the Legends. And it's what TNA needs in order to lure viewers over to Spike for Impact. And keep in mind that TNA already tapes matches for Xplosion. A few more matches and some mic work and TNA has a second show ready for MyTv viewers.

This is the bit that caught my eye the most. Being a guy who still doesn't want to pay money every month for 500 channels I probably will never watch in my lifetime, I'm one of those guys that does believe that SmackDown will lose viewership by going to SyFy. MyNetworkTV is on free television so it means that anybody, regardless of them having cable or not, can get the chance to get their weekly fix of wrestling on Friday nights.

To that one guy that said SmackDown will not lose viewership, like I said I don't have cable, so right there they've lost me and any other cheap bastard in the world. I don't think WWE gets money off of views on YouTube.

TNA should capitalize on this idea that WWE has decided to abandon. I would love to see TNA make a deal with MyNetworkTV or maybe even CW again. That way I still have the opprotunity to watch TNA on TV the day of and not have to wait another day for guys to upload it on YouTube.

 

[WWE Manster03]

I REALLY don't want to come off as a douche. I really don't. So I'm gonna chose my words wisely...

Jim Ross- WILL NOT HAPPEN. Read his blog, listen to the way he talks when mentioning the TNA product. He does it in the same way that Stone Cold refers to them. He wants them to succeed but wants nothing to do with it. If he leaves WWE, he would most likely take a project outside of the wrestling world. He would be a great edition for them but as I wrote before Russo/Hogan/Bischoff would have to give up some control in creative, Mike Tenay would have to give up his seat at the announce table, and Bischoff/Hogan would have to give him a portion of their control in Talent Relations. That is the only way JR would join, and I don't see any of them doing that.

FA Roster- First off, the only 3 that are on the market that TNA should make a move for are Mickie James, Charlie Haas, and Shelton Benjamin....They all can work, and Benjamin/Haas make a GREAT tag team with a built in storyline attached to Kurt Angle(not because of WWE, but because of their amateur background). Mickie is amazing in the ring, because of the passion she puts forward in each match. However, TNA seems to be moving away from good in ring working women(Roxxi/Alissa Flash/Kong/basically writing Taylor and Sarita out of tv). Where would Mickie fit in and for how long. She will probably stick to starting her music career, and I see Maria doing the same. Tna will sign Jimmy Yang though, as they are familiar with him from the Flying Elvises.

Paul Heyman- They would have to pay him a fortune. He hates Eric Bischoff with a passion. He legit quit WWE because he didn't want to be involved in the same exact show as Eric Bischoff. That being said, they might be able to tempt him to come in with 100% complete control of the ECW storyline if they decide to pull the trigger on that. I hope for his sake, if he does go to TNA they don't fuck around with him because while Cornette can casually joke about killing Russo, I think Paul Heyman would legit kill Bischoff as he hates him that much.

MyNetworkTV- I have also said this, and I will say it again. Moving to SyFy is the best move for them. The network itself is failing BADLY. Smackdown is the only show it reports ratings for because it is the only show that gets watched by enough people to report. They will move showings during Baseball/local high school sports seasons and won't announce the new running time, or just don't run it. I have cable, and only get the channel because I have digital. If not, I would have to hook an antenna up to pick up the channel. That is how it is through much of the Northeast, and if you have DirecTV in roughly 50% of the country then you don't even get the channel. As far as I know, as long as you have cable/satellite then 90% of the time you have SyFy. I think they will actually see a ratings increase moving there. If TNA took their spot on MyNetworkTV it would be a mistake for sure. If anything, focus on getting a 1.5-2.0 in your ratings every week and petition Spike to put on a 1 hr secondary show on a Thursday BEFORE the Impact replay or possibly after if they move it to 8pm and start the new show at 10.

So basically what I am saying is I think that it is time for TNA to make the next step, but unfortunately the things you listed are not what they need to use to boost themselves up. They are moving in the right direction from Sunday's PPV/Monday's Impact. If they keep doing that, then they can CONTINUE to move in the right direction and thus reach that next level of success in the wrestling world.

 

[Itsmytime]

You know all the speculation of the free agents that WWE has released, and TNA is getting a bit old. But, o'well. But to answer the question of "the stars finally aligning for TNA"...my opinion is.....just about.

Why just about? Well, it's not an issue of getting new talent. Though it wouldn't hurt. It's an issue of the booking. Since Hogan/Bishoff came in the booking has gotten better. Well, I think so anyway. I don't think that TNA will go all out to sign allot more people right now.

But if they do, really the only person they should be looking at is Shelton. Why Shelton? Well TNA needs someone to fill the shoes of Christopher Daniels. Im not saying that Shelton is a perfect match for Daniels shoes, but he would be a great addition for the X-Division. Perhaps, he may even get to be a major player too.

What TNA needs to do, in my opinion, is look at what they have now, and what they need to do in the near future. I don't see them being a major threat this year though. With time, in another year or two yes.