Can TNA become bigger than WWE?

[mayhem]

The TNA President recently stated that TNAs intentions are to become the biggest wrestling promotion in the world. Quite surprising considering that even with all the star power TNA has they can only garner up to a 1.3 rating and lets be honest if Hogan can't take TNA to the next level who can?

WWE has 4 shows per week whereas TNA has 1 which isn't even live. TNA holds shows in the impact zone where only 1000 people show up and don't pay whereas WWE holds shows nationwide attracting thousands and tour ever week for shows.

Is TNA pushing it too far by trying to compete with WWE and what could happen if they went head to head with Raw? and how much longer will TNA last with Hogan and Bischoff running TNA?

 

[NSL]

Can they? Sure. Will they? Hopefully not.

Let that sink in for a second...And here's my explanation:

WCW beat WWE for 82 weeks straight in the ratings war. What happened? Vince pulled out all the stops, including on-air nudity, to demolish the competition. TNA does not have the monetary backing to withstand it for long. They need to increase their ratings, buyrates, and crowd size, but they don't need to be worried with trying to be the #1 company in the world. Let Vince and WWE have their cake, and let TNA be the alternative.

A lot of people, myself included, like TNA because it's not what you get every other day of the week. It's the alternative to the mainstream, and offers something different every week.

 

[gtajoker01]

tna bigger then the wwe? i really dont know tna isn't up there yet, they need to focus on what will bring in more money instead what will waste their money. do they have potential? yes if they get their act together and get their backstage politics straightened out and they need to go in the right direction with the creative department. They would do better if they book the right matches for their tv shows and ppvs. there is just so much they need to do and fix before they can go after wwe. and tna shouldnt get so arrogant they could get buried so fast they wouldnt know what hit them

 

[lonewolfhc]

Tna could never be bigger the wwe for one. Most of the wrestler who go to tna go for a less sedule. think about dint wcw star by recoring at universial. first Tna wrestler need to a step and take tna on the road. With all the stars they have. They need a better booker for show. Tehy came to idaho. 1. didnt have sting,nash,angle,booker t, any of the big names that could being in revenue. i di go to the shwo gave them a chance. When wwe toures they know to put the well k now wrestler on the show. Every time wwe come even thoe it a house show we see. batisa,hhh,hbk,jeff or matt when jeff was with wwe,umaga when he was there to, piper, flair, and list could go on. Tna need to get off ther butt and quit wasteing money with all these old wrestler if they dont want a tuff sedule. i dont think they can becasu all these wrestler complain about a tiff sedule. I will say i dont care for tna but any wrestling comes threw i will see so i could see the new wrestler that are coming threw but tna in my eye will never be there because of the oler wrestler holding tna back and needing to go all over the united state and not just over sea whn they tape a mont worth of tna. To beat wwe they need to a tell the old wrestler you want this to work start wokring more date in the us and promte the heck of out of tna and i could see them starting to fight but as far as it goes tna wrestler left wwe for one BIG reason lighter sedule even sting wont work alot of date that doest not help tna at all. As many people thing vince sucks or what ever he is the boss and wwe is the biggest company out there and nobody tell vince what to do. He make sure that when they go to city to even put the main even guys on the event so they dont look weak.

 

[blair4107]

Hard to say. TNA would have a much longer way to go to even become equal with WWE. WCW had it easier because WWE hadn't extended itself so far.

The talent nor the product is to blame, it'd be like a new OS system coming out to compete with Microsoft and Apple (not counting Linux) and trying to become as big as their competition, it's not impossible, just hard to not be pessimistic about.

WWE has been around for what seems like forever, people that don't even watch wrestling know about WWE (although a bunch of them probably still call it WWF), TNA on the other hand is newer and honestly they don't do nearly enough advertising as they should. The comic-con show, teaming with New Japan, etc were good moves but you can't just stop there. They need more commercials, more real-world exposure, and better celebrities than Hermie Sadler lol.

 

[Nicole13Edge/HardyFan]

No TNA will never be bigger than WWE ever. WWE has a bigger fan base and better superstars that are loyal to their company. To tell you the truth on Thursday I would rather watch Supernatural than the first hour of TNA.

 

[school-of-hard-knocks]

Can TNA become bigger than WWE? No. And this isn't a bash TNA post. It is a doze of reality. WWE is a giant money making machine. They can afford to sign any talent they want to. They can afford better production. They have enough of advertising power and star recognition to draw 10k-15k people for a house show. Their merchandise machine is working better. Their TV ratings triple those of TNA. And so on and on.

Personally, I would love to see WWE and TNA compete. If they both get a TV show on Monday night it might actually happen to a certain degree. But TNA is better off worrying about TNA rather than worrying about WWE. TNA still needs to improve its' own product in so many different areas before they can even think about competing.

 

[King Patrick Star]

A few things need to happen in order for TNA to become bigger than the WWE.

1. I think TNA would need to get more shows and have them go directly head to head with WWE programming. People say TNA ratings are terrible, but I can almost guarantee that if Dixie were to go up against Vince, face to face figuratively, TNA may be able to steal some of the WWE’s viewers through channel surfing. How many times did we change the channel when Raw, ECW, or Smackdown was doing something corny / annoying / stale??

2. I think the best way to beat the WWE is to do exactly what they do, create competition from within like Raw and Smackdown, create a “developmental” deal with ROH just like WWE and ECW. ROH is already established and TNA and ROH could both use each other to each other’s advantage, TNA having worldwide recognition and Spike and ROH having up and coming talent as well as an already established organization.

3. Create a show like WWE Superstars and call it, Xplosion. Fight fire with fire. If TNA wants to beat WWE’s 8 hours, TNA needs to have 8 hours, not just 2. A deal with Spike to have all 4 shows on one channel could help too.

4. TNA would need to get a few more names. If TNA were to get some of the WWE current crop, I think it can only help. Getting these older Stars are good ways to get ratings, but in the long run, these Legends aren’t going to help in the future.

5. Keep Hogan and Russo separate (and in the case of ROH, keep Cornette away from both of them. Give Hogan and company Monday and keep Russo and company on Friday (moving Impact to Friday against Smackdown) and Cornette and company on Tuesday (at the rate ECW is going, people might actually watch ROH over ECW). This way, they can “compete” with each other for the same cause and everybody wins.

To summarize, you have the Greatest Icon in Professional Wrestling History, hulk Hogan. You have 3 of the greatest bookers in Professional Wrestling History, Bischoff, Russo, Cornette. (May as well get Heyman on board) You have a Wrestling company and the money to do it all. Just a thought that’s crazy enough that it just might work.

 

[Rip]

Well you have to remember, WWE isn't just "4 shows a week" or "6 hours of original programming a week". WWE has a music label, a movie studio for shit's sake! They're a publicly traded multi-nation, multi-industry conglomerate worth billions! They are HUGE... much bigger than most people realize. WWE is miles... no... light years ahead of TNA in this respect.
Could TNA ever be bigger? Well, never say never but I would say it would take at least 20-something years since that's how long it took WWE.
From a business point of view, they're two different animals though. TNA is owned by another company, WWE is owned by no one.

Short answer: It's possible, given a LOT of time, but not bloody likely.

 

[teamcritical]

The talent nor the product is to blame, it'd be like a new OS system coming out to compete with Microsoft and Apple (not counting Linux) and trying to become as big as their competition, it's not impossible, just hard to not be pessimistic about.

Haha, just allow me to respond to this. Although I agree totally with your points... Google is making an OS and Microsoft is SCARED. Just proves that with one big name backing a product, it has automatic potential. Not to mention, it's free.

Now, onto wrestling. Can TNA become bigger? Absolutely. Will TNA become bigger? Doubtful. Lets be honest, Dixie Carter is running everything and albeit her heart is in the right place, she's in a territory she shouldn't be in. Booking is a mess, the locker room isn't on the same page... TNA needs SERIOUS help.

Maybe it's time to make a list of ways to help improve TNA.

1. Change booking team. Either that or get their butts into gear. TNA is stepping in the right direction, but they still need help to keep it up. People like Angle, Rhino & other vets have to start putting over the new guys. The second people see Styles, Daniels, Joe, Roode & such as LEGITIMATE main-eventers.
   
2. Use all your superstars correctly. TNA has a Legends Title... and real Legends that could hold it. You have Hogan, Sting, Nash, Kip James, Mick Foley, Steiner, & Team 3D. More then enough to hold a semi main-event division. The drawing power is limitless.
   
3. Get another show. My lord, I can't stress that enough. TNA NEEDS another show at this point. Xplosion needs a full TV deal with SpikeTV. Just one more hour where you can further more rivalries. Don't make the show specific to one division.
   
4. Get rid of belts. Maybe not belts, but at least one. The knockouts have no tag teams, so why have a title? My lord, TNA's KO division is OVERLY stacked, that will bring me to my next point.
   
5. Fire some people. This might be TNA's saving grace. I'm sorry, but The Beautiful People, Bobby Lashley, Jethro Holiday, Jesse Neal and that Big Rob guy are USELESS. Especially Bobby Lashley. He has no drawing power and you don't want him main-eventing, so what do you do? You do NOT hire him, that's what you do. Too late for that. But I'd let him go if I were TNA. TNA has so much talent, they have to pick out the weeds. I LOVE Holiday, but I can't see where his place is.

I'm sure I have more, but this seems like enough for now.

 

[dairees]

What TNA need to do is spread there product to other countries aswell as the USA, being from the UK thats what i think Tna needs to do.

To explain:
Wwe is shown live (Raw) every monday without fail. Smackdown is shown Friday at 10pm every week.
Ecw is also on a a specific time and also ppv's are shown every 3 weeks/month here in the UK,
Where as TNA do not have any live shows what so ever.
They have there weekly impact show and as far as i know thats it i think.
The ppv's are shown like 3/4 days after which everyone who has the internet knows the results by then so its not really worth watching.

TNA need to expand to other viewers in other countries like wwe do,
When wwe tour over here there is always sold out crowds because everyones heard of wwe, they know the product, but with TNA we get 1 ppv which isn't shown live, which needs to be, and 1 weekly show, which isn;t good enough if they even want to start to compete with wwe.

So as things stand right now TNA do not stand a chance to compete with WWE unless they start expanding, and expanding needs money and do TNA have that kind of money???

Im not so sure.
Anyone else agree???

 

[ITrippedTheShockmaster]

TNA certainly has the opportunity to become bigger than WWE. But, IMO, it will take time. A lot of time. When you look back on all of the older federations (WWF/E, NWA, AWA, WCCW, WCW and others), they took time to build a history and have establish stars. We all saw how long it took WCW to come out of the small Atlanta arenas and give WWF a run for it's money in the 90s. TNA hasn't been around long enough to build any kind of serious, long-term fan base. They also need to put themselves out there more in terms of marketing and promotion. WWE has a HUGE advantage over TNA in that regard. Plus, one TNA show per week isn't going to cut it. They're talking about putting on a Monday night show to compete with RAW. That is a start.

Plus, VKM has a habit of eliminating the competition by buying them out (WCW and ECW, anyone). So if TNA does get to be big and proves to be a thorn in his side, Vince will probably just buy TNA in the end. Screw Mr. Moneybags, VKM is Mr. Monopoly.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Sure, it's possible for TNA to become bigger than the WWE. I don't see it happening though and it's certainly not going to happen anytime within the next few years.

TNA is still a young company overall and it's going to take time for TNA to become something of a dynasty like the WWE is and WCW was. In the case of WCW, you had generations of fans that grew up watching Georgia Championship Wrestling and Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling on TBS throughout the 70s and the 80s. Those two companies were really the primary foundation of WCW and fans that'd watched them for years kept watching them after Turner took it over and new fans were brought on board. That's something that TNA doesn't have yet and probably won't have for quite a long time.

There are so many people, both wrestling insiders and fans alike, that are in such a hurry to see TNA become a legitimate threat to the WWE and it's simply not going to happen anytime soon. TNA is a company that has a LOT of growing to do in order for any of this to really become a possibility. Personally, I think that Dixie Carter's primary focus should be building the company and put out quality product rather than trying to build everything up as quickly as possible just to be able to attempt to take on the WWE. You've got to be able to walk before you can run, and TNA is barely able to crawl at this point when you compare the audience.

TNA is going to have to take a risk eventually I believe in order to show that they can run with the big dog and possibly even become the new big dog. But that can't happen right now because TNA isn't pulling in the numbers in any aspect of the business to do so. Taking a risk when you have at least some reasonable chance of success is one thing, but a shot in the dark Hail Mary is an act of desperation. It's like throwing darts at a dart board in pitch black darkness and hoping that it's going to hit.

I'd like to see TNA grow, but I know it's not gonna happen overnight. Challenging the WWE right now just to satisfy the curiosity of some fans is not an intelligent move to make. Dixie Carter should know this and, if she doesn't, then TNA could be in some real trouble.

 

[Iamawesome]

I have to say that TNA is a bigger Professional wrestling company then WWE is already.... WWE being sports entertainment not Professional wrestling!

TNA could make it! They need something new though!
With WCW.... HOgan turning heel for the second time in his career was new(Hogan was heel before WWF)
Hogan isn't New!!! Hogan is old news.... and just plain old!
Everything that I have seen TNA do (Besides the 6 sided ring) has been recycled!
Something as interesting as the nWo.... But not S.E.X.(Boo-urns to vince russo)
Something new! Something that Both creative teams get paid to do but don't do!

BTW.... Did anyone notice the WcW fueds being recycled on both shows?

SOMETHING NEW!!!!!

 

[extreme mike]

All i can say is.... I really wouldnt be suprised if tna goes big enough to compete with the wwe. Many people seem to be unhappy with the current wwe product, and i think if the right moves are pulled for tna they could be alot bigger than they are now and compete with the wwe. Most of you are too set on thinkin that tna will never be as big as the wwe and i would love to see how u would react if they did!

 

[It's Damn Real!]

One of the discrepancies I have with all this talk of having TNA "compete" with the WWE, is over the semantic definition of "competition".I think part of the problem too many TNA fans (who double as disgruntled WWE ex-fans) think in order to compete with the WWE, TNA has to in essense usurp them the way WCW did with the Monday Night Wars.

IMO, that's just not the case. Even a moderate increase in ratings and a greater national fanbase would be competition, because it would put pressure on WWE to either recognize that there is in fact another promotion to work for, or continue to pretend that there isn't an 800lb. gorilla in the room with them.

No, TNA does not need to put up consistent 4.0 ratings every week and start stealing all the WWE's roster. All they need is low-to-mid 2.0-2.5 ratings, and a better national audience. Tour, advertise, and do what you need to to get it, but even if they're always second best, the idea is that they're still an alternative.

So can TNA become bigger than WWE? In short, no – because the WWE is a company with three decades worth of success under their belts. TNA has 8. If TNA is still around in 2029, and the WWE goes under, we'll talk about who's legacy was greater.

 

[sarg63]

It's all about money and TNA can't compete with MacDaddy's checkbook. The main reason the old WCW had the Monday Night Wars with WWE was becuase of Ted Turners checkbook. Dixie and company just can't compete with that. Hogan will try to bring in his geriatric friends but it's just too little too late for him to make an impact at this stage of the game.

 

[twistable2207]

lmao i hope no one thinks tna can become bigger then wwe tna is a joke from the owner to the stupid 6 sided ring and now with the two old farts they just added hogan and the wanna be owner eric. I have seen wwe since i was little been to over 30 live shows and now going to WRESTLEMANIA XXVI which i have great seats to by the way wwe is just superior tna is gonna go down just like wcw did cause eric doesnt know how to keep a company succesful what a loser.

 

[Vintage Nick]

Can TNA be bigger than WWE? Perhaps, but only if WWE just really gets flushed down the shitter. Will it be bigger? Possibly not.

There are many problems with TNA right now:

1) The Impact! Zone: Right now, TNA's main ring is the Impact! Zone, which is located at a theme park (Universal Orlando, I believe) where the fans don't have to pay for tickets/etc. inside because I think there was something that said when you paid for your U.O. tickets, you don't pay for anything else in the park. That really doesn't help TNA gain money and the only way they can get money is from the weekly commercials for their one show, monthly PPVs, and their occassional overseas tour.

2) Roster: With one show that lasts two hours a week (minus the PPVs), their roster is way too large to have everyone come out unless they have a weekly "locker-room brawl" or something. They have guys that can't perform for shit, and old guys from WWE/WCW that try and help put people over, but that's mainly what their roster is: Old legends. The young guys don't get much time unless you're Homicide, Hernendez, Joe, Styles, Red and Daniels. The MCMG didn't get much air time for a few months because all the tag teams/X-Division people were all feuding with each other, so MCMG had nowhere to go except be a mockery of the commentary team and play XBox.

3) It's not Mainstream enough. With one show that only draws 1.0-1.2 weekly, that's not very good drawing ability, even with all the legends, Lashley, and the signings of Bischoff and Hogan (who have yet to make a TNA appearance I might add). If the rumors are true that it plans to go head-to-head with Monday Night Raw, they will be slaughtered.

 

[latinoheat8979]

I don't think they can become bigger than WWE but you never know. Personally I'd like to see them get big enough to compete with WWE. If TNA were to become bigger a few chages need to happen:

1) Get the heck out of the Impact Zone. TNA runs house shows why can't they tape Impact or go live(which is my next point) from the city they happen to be in?

2) Live live live! A live audience and the feeling of not knowing what can happen on a live broadcast makes for must watch TV.

3) Get a 2nd show to compete with Smackdown or RAW Although there have been rumors of a 2nd show it's not officail yet this is what TNA needs a 2nd show to counter SD/RAW.

4) Monday nights. Whether it's the new show, which is the more likely choice or Impact they have to go head to head with RAW. This would grab the interest of wrestling fans and would take part of RAW's audience especially considering the WWE fans that are tired of the product they watch.

5) TNA must be bought by a TV network with lots of money to spend much like Turner bought WCW. If something like this happens TNA's show obviously will be on that station and since they have the money to spend they can make a lot of the reasons I mentioned above happen.

 

[SK]

No. Sorry to all of you living in fantasy land, but be realistic, no. The WWE is the definition of a monopoly, and TNA is still a relatively small company. TNA has only been around for 7 years, so it can't be expected to challenge the WWE already, and if rumours are true about Hogan wanting to make a monday night show to try and compete, well they'll be blown out of the water.

TNA would be better to try and grow naturally like they have been doing, slowly gaining ratings without the WWE noticing. But ifpushed too quickly, they will become WCW 2.0, Vince would never make the same mistake twice, so no in short, TNA will never become bigger than the WWE. That's not to say don't enjoy it, I even enjoy it more than the WWE.

 

[HBK-aholic]

WWE has something TNA will never have - the name and reputation. Even people who don't watch the business know of it. Yet there are some WWE fans who don't know much about TNA at all. For the most part, if a non-wrestling fan decided to watch some of the business, they'd automatically tune into the WWE. Now, maybe, if the WWE goes out of business, and TNA begins to draw 4-5 ratings for a few years, they'll have that. But let's sit and think about how unlikely that is.