Could Even Cena Give TNA a Ratings Boost?

[bradtech519]

Hogan, Sting, Flair, Hall, Nash, Christian, Hardy, RVD, Angle, all have came to TNA and none have given TNA a sustainable boost in ratings. 1.0-1.4s have been the norm regardless. Do you think the biggest draw in WWE could even boost their ratings up into the higher 1.0s or even 2.0s under the current booking regime and on Spike TV? There's no way this happens until someone with big money is in charge of TNA and willing/able to pay more than WWE. I don't think it really matters at this point who comes to TNA until creative changes, and they are on a bigger network like WCW had with TNT/TBS.

 

[Braxton11]

I honestly think that there isn't any one man that could boost their ratings unless it became one of those mass exodus events like the mid 90's. The problem for me is that no matter who I see on that show it just feels like the minor leagues. The WWE does such a good job with the whole traveling road show and production that every show has that "big event" feeling. TNA just seems stuck in Florida with their faithful few. I am not going to rip TNA because they do have a loyal fanbase that enjoys the product and I am not going to tell people what they can or can't enjoy. WCW and WWE always felt like they were both major league competitors even in the dying days of WCW.

I think TNA is going to have to leave their comfort "Impact Zone" and start touring nationally to bigger venues. The problem is that I don't know if they have the working capital to do that and a lot of their talent stay with the organization in order to maintain a lighter travel schedule.

 

[AntiChristDeicide]

The problem is the network they are on. Look even if Cena would go to TNA (impossible for now, but never say never), it would mean squat because they (TNA) are not on a major network. By major network, i mean the big-4 (ABC,CBS,NBC and fox). Now i know that its impossible for TNA to go to NBC( only because USA is affiliated with the company that owns NBC), but if they were on those networks their ratings would climb.

 

[MaxSteel]

TNA needs:

1) New, bigger network. When it's all said and done, the network helps the show ratings as well.
2) Going on the road. I think it's self explanatory, look at the Impact Zone.
3) New management and writers. Somebody needs to contain Russo, and separate his few golden ideas from the load of shit. IMO, a duo of two main writers like Bishop + a new, creative writer would probably work amazing here, with Russo simply suggesting ideas. Also, I heard Hogan has creative control.. Hulk fucking Hogan! Creative control! I just can't wait until he gets the fuck out of the company.
4) New announcers. Mike and Taz kill nearly every good moment there! I'm serious, they show no freaken emotion at big spots, they're just horrible!

PS
I like TNA, and I do watch it, but mainly cause of the amazing talant that makes it good, not because the crap production or story.

 

[TheHitMark-SirJoseOle]

I think he could give them a ratings Spike but a ratings boost, I am not so sure. The thing I see a problem with regarding TNA is that I think some people regard Impact as some offshoot of WWE programming (like Velocity, Sunday Night Heat used to be) and therefore don't know that this is a different organization. Yes, the presence of former WWE alumni does not help either with that perception.

The biggest thing that I think hurts TNA and just remember this is a viewpoint and not a hard fact like some people here like to make is that TNA lacks a true presence outside of its product. Meaning that other than action figures and its website, I see very little in the way of licensing with the company. They haven't found another developer for their video game franchise (which I think is a HUGE factor in a company's success these days) and so forth.

Believe it or not I don't think the former WWE guys in TNA hurt all that much, I truly think it's the fact that you see very little in the way of TNA licensing. Also the lack of traveling outside the Impact Zone up until now I am sure trapped TNA in those ratings too or helped contribute to that. The thing is this, they are starting to fix that at least and have begun to go on the road.

Again, Rome wasn't built in a day and I think TNA still has a chance even amid all these Hogan leaving rumors. It's a wait and see thing like always. Again I am sure Cena could help spark an interest if he ever went there, but it's not like Hogan going to WCW in the 90s.

The difference between a possible Cena jump to TNA and what Hogan did in the 90s is that Hogan came into an established organization that had roots going back to the 1930s and an established group of stars (Steamboat, Flair, Sting, Vader, and others). TBS's specials like Clash Of The Champions were huge ratings grabbers so it's not like Hogan just walked into something brand new here and legitimized it instantly, WCW was a lot more established than people might want to think in retrospect. TNA on the other hand despite its presence of veteran talent and a few young and talented guys does not have that benefit.

 

[PowerHouse]

Its not the talent in TNA that is causing the bad ratings nor is it the network they are on. Its is the product that they are producing that is causing their ratings to stay at a less than stellar number. They say wrestling matters and the matches they are putting out arent showing the fans what their talent is capable of on a weekly basis. They need to let their wrestlers "Wrestle" they have tons of talent and overall I would say better talent than WWE but WWE knows how to use their talent to its fullest and at this time they (the WWE) are doing so. TNA isnt using their best talent to there fullest. You barely see Aj Styles do what he was known for anymore. Samoa Joe keeps getting put back into a thug type bully roll that ends up going nowhere and then he disappears for months. Matt Morgan get so close to the title and then they snatch it away from him. There is no reason for TNA not to put the strap on Morgan. He is great in the ring for a guy his size. Its time to start pushing guys like Morgan,Roode, Pope,Crimson all the younger talent. Guys like Angle,Sting,Flair,Stiener, Jarrett these guys need to get out of the way of these younger fresher and honestly more talented guys. Angle may be the self proclaimed best wrestler in the world but in that ring he is no where near the best performer. TNA needs to change their product stop trying to rehash the past by starting a war or copying the WWE. Its not working!!! The cheap shots arent working!!!! Develope your own identiy and product and make it a must see for wrestling fans. Distance yourselves from WWE dont try to be what they are, the WWE does what they do better than anyone. Try to be more like the feds in Japan All Japan,New Japan,Noah bring that sort of style to TNA. Show the IWC you are different and worth giving a chance. That is the only way to boost the ratings.

 

[Rayne]

it would mean squat because they (TNA) are not on a major network. By major network, i mean the big-4 (ABC,CBS,NBC and fox). Now i know that its impossible for TNA to go to NBC( only because USA is affiliated with the company that owns NBC), but if they were on those networks their ratings would climb.

1) New, bigger network. When it's all said and done, the network helps the show ratings as well.

And if fish had legs, we wouldn't need fishing hooks. Yeah, the idea of a bigger network for TNA/IW is nice and all, but their main competition, the WWE, who's flagship show draws 3x the viewership of TNA/IW's flagship, got bumped off their NBC specials, with the exception of the contractually obligated Wrestlemania replays. They're going to have one hell of a renegotiation with NBC Universal for their USA deal if they can't get their own ratings up. What big 4 network would WANT to take on TNA/IW, and slum with the duchess of second place? When the homecoming queen can't even find a good date?

It has nothing to do with the network, nothing to do with the programming, it's just that professional wrestling isn't that popular anymore. TNA/IW can be better relative to the WWE's ratings, but they aren't going to become a hot growth property in general entertainment.

 

[TheBWO]

I don't think he would, and here's why----

Cena is already mocked by being the "five moves of doom" or whatever someone's been calling it, and I think that really, with Cena under the microscope moreso on TNA, and being that everyone is harping on the talent that TNA has (or lack thereof), then his five moves will be more so made fun of and then TNA would sink even quicker. That's not a knock on Cena, or a knock on TNA (I'm more of a TNA supporter than I am a WWE supporter), I just think that realistically, it would be a bad move. I don't know of maybe a handful of people that would switch and stick with TNA if he were to move over there, and really....unless the parent controls the TV (like I do at home )then if the parent isn't watching TNA now, I doubt seriously they would watch it then. Not to mention....Cena I know has no problem being a team player....and IF he were to be booked like he is now, how many people are going to want to watch the 26 time TNA champ? Getting shot after shot? Now, Sting and Cena would be a dream match for me....even a Cena heel vs. Sting match would be ideal ....but there would have to be a lot of kinks ironed out in the booking and road map of his career before that were to happen.

 

[reed214]

yeah my answer has been said. he could probably give them a little spike for a bit, but it wouldnt stay. basically for all the reasons already listed, but another being is who would know he went there?? the avg wrestling fan knows that wrestling is on Monday Nights and they will know more from whatever they see, so they see that there is also wrestling on friday nights. they will not tune in to a mediocre network to see a mediocre product for no reason. and even when they do know that Cena is there, the writing is so horrible they wont want to watch it.

having Cena there would be a good thing, but they have to follow that with other several other changes to make it valuable, b/c T.N.A already has "the greatest wrestler of all Time" and "biggest name ever in wrestling" in Hogan annnd that seems to have failed and only set the company back a few years.

 

[Headman]

I think Cena would give them one month of strong ratings before the viewers figure out it's not getting any better. Of course if they managed to get Cena there they might be able to attract better wrestling minds. Cena + Heyman might to do it.

 

[Zeven_Zion]

He will give TNA a temporary one. Then it's all going to roll back to the usual numbers. You don't build ratings by signing people. You build them by expanding as a brand and improving the overall quality of your product.

 

[multiverseman.com]

I still can't believe people are under the misguided impression that Cena is some sort of transcendent superstar. Rock iss beyond wrestling. Cena is Ultimate Warrior. Fans love him, but outside wrestling, he's just another guy. He can't even give RAW a ratings bump, how's he gonna give Impact one? They'd pull a 1.6 and drop down to where they are now in a month.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Part of the problem with this "ratings boost" talk is that people focus on the first word, and not the latter — ratings is what TNA are after, not "boosts". Boosts are temporary, which is why the term is even used in the first place. They are exceptions to the rule, not examples of it.

So could John Cena give TNA a ratings boost? Yes. Just like Jeff Hardy, Hulk Hogan, RVD, etc. etc. all did as well. The issue isn't with boosting — it's with sustaining the increase, which is something they've yet to really do. They've grown tremendously since the days of pulling in .5's and .6's, and while the 1.2 marker is actually a very good number to hit (well over 1,000,000 viewers), ideally they're probably aiming to have that break the 2.0 mark at the very least. For that to happen, you have to provide a product people enjoy, not just a single aspect of it (like Cena joining).

 

[Kaelthes]

Do you think the biggest draw in WWE could even boost their ratings up into the higher 1.0s or even 2.0s under the current booking regime and on Spike TV?

I think that Cena would most definitively bring in the numbers you are talking about.. The higher 1.0's would probably be attainable if John Cena were to jump ship to TNA... But I do not think the ratings would be this way permanently .. Maybe for the first few months, kind of like Jeff Hardy did, along with other names who have come to TNA, such as RVD, Christian Cage, Hogan, Flair, etc. But I do not think that TNA could boost their rating permanently by signing Cena. They would need to boost their overall product in order to keep these ratings. You cannot just build an entire company based around one guy.. (Although Cena is the face of WWE, they also have other angles that draw viewers.)

 

[justtxyank]

Cena wouldn't change anything. The brand WWE is too strong today. The only thing that could ever let another company compete with the E again is financial problems/scandals that run the E down like things did in the early 90s.

 

[Wolf Pac]

No. TNA isn't watched by kids, it's watched by adults and some of the adults who watch TNA, would switch off. He already gets mocked for his wrestling & gimmick by most adults, what makes anyone think he could help a company that's directed at adults? Now if he were in his rapper gimmick then it's a different story but even with the rapper gimmick I still don't think he could help TNA's ratings nor do I think he could be a main eventer with the gimmick. I don't think anyone has ever took that gimmick seriously.

 

[Headman]

I still can't believe people are under the misguided impression that Cena is some sort of transcendent superstar. Rock iss beyond wrestling. Cena is Ultimate Warrior. Fans love him, but outside wrestling, he's just another guy. He can't even give RAW a ratings bump, how's he gonna give Impact one? They'd pull a 1.6 and drop down to where they are now in a month.

If TNA drew RAW's ratings I'm sure they'd be happy.

 

[TUFFY54]

There is a possibility it could hurt their ratings if they signed Cena.

It's kind of a complicated question. Their ratings would certainly jump if Cena signed because a lot of him younger fans would start watching TNA. Hell, I'd say every wrestling fan would watch his debut with the company. I wouldn't be surprised if they did a 4.0 with his first Impact. It would be historic. The real question is what would happen over the next month.

Safe to say most TNA fans don't like Cena. However, the ones that quite watching would easily be replaced by the new viewers he brought in. Having Cena would be a double edged sword:

-His WWE fans like him because he's a superhero. If TNA doesn't book him the way his younger fans are used to, they could lose interest and stop watching.

-If they did book him as Super Cena to keep his fans happy, a lot of old TNA viewers would stop watching. They would probably not be fans of Cena squashing AJ, Angle, Joe, Roode, and anyone else they liked.

-They could try something to meet in the middle, but that wouldn't please the original TNA fans or the Cena fans they brought over when they signed him.

TNA could make some real money if they were able to do something with Cena that brought in all his WWE fans and made the TNA fans happy. Unfortunately, I think it would just fizzle out.

 

[Headman]

There is a possibility it could hurt their ratings if they signed Cena.

It's kind of a complicated question. Their ratings would certainly jump if Cena signed because a lot of him younger fans would start watching TNA. Hell, I'd say every wrestling fan would watch his debut with the company. I wouldn't be surprised if they did a 4.0 with his first Impact. It would be historic. The real question is what would happen over the next month.

Safe to say most TNA fans don't like Cena. However, the ones that quite watching would easily be replaced by the new viewers he brought in. Having Cena would be a double edged sword:

-His WWE fans like him because he's a superhero. If TNA doesn't book him the way his younger fans are used to, they could lose interest and stop watching.

-If they did book him as Super Cena to keep his fans happy, a lot of old TNA viewers would stop watching. They would probably not be fans of Cena squashing AJ, Angle, Joe, Roode, and anyone else they liked.

-They could try something to meet in the middle, but that wouldn't please the original TNA fans or the Cena fans they brought over when they signed him.

TNA could make some real money if they were able to do something with Cena that brought in all his WWE fans and made the TNA fans happy. Unfortunately, I think it would just fizzle out.

I kind of think a top shelf talent in the middle of his prime is a win/win for TNA. There's no downside to having him on the roster, but booking has always been more of an issue for TNA than talent. I don't think the TNA faithful would have much of a problem with him seeing as theme park patrons are more likely to know who John Cena is than Crimson or Robert Roode anyway. And the net fans... have you ever seen them happy anyway? My biggest point is Cena's critics think Cena is stale. Well he wouldn't be stale in TNA. His superman persona would work fine so long as they could find a decent foil to present him with a challenge. Angle comes to mind. The two have history and work well with eachother. Joe would be another. I think their battles would fall somewhere between "Joe vs Kobashi" and "Cena vs Umaga". Hard hitting, stiff looking slug fests where the last man standing looks like he just survived a nuclear bomb. So I think Cena could do good things for TNA, but TNA would probably ruin it by having Cena attack Sting, then tag with Sting the next week, then have nothing to do with Sting for three weeks while he feuds with Anderson, disappear from tv for a couple weeks and then come back still feuding with Sting as if nothing ever happened. You know, TNA booking.

 

[K-Mac]

If they brought him in, and let him loose on the mic. Everyone (YouTube) is always talking about how they miss the old Cena (Doctor of Thuganomics). Maybe that would work for TNA.

 

[crippler]

I think at 1st he would increase TNA ratings but after a while it would go back to normal.

 

[Uncle Phatso]

If Tna could build good matches with him in it then sure. He could be a major player in Tna like anyone. Guys like Kurt, Joe, and more would need to be brought in to have good matches with him. Lets get this straight, Cena can work a good match. We have seen them all, he just falls back to old tricks to much. But if he gets put up in shit matches with some of the garbage that Tna has in the locker room then signing Cena would be a huge mistake. Because Tna fans would rip that whole company apart if they signed Cena and he does half the stuff he does in the WWE.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

This question has been asked in numerous threads over the past few years, substituting another big name for Cena in this case. However, as some others have already said, I don't believe that there is any single huge name that's ultimately going to make TNA any bigger in terms of ratings.

TNA has tried everything from "big surprises" to launching angles in which they've claimed will change wrestling forever to bringing in some of the all time biggest stars in the history of professional wrestling. It's probably just not going to happen at anytime in the near future. It might not happen no matter what TNA tries. The general interest outside of the 1.4-1.7 million viewers it draws on average just might not be there.

If Cena came to TNA, I've little doubt that he'd generate a ratings pop for TNA that would probably last a few weeks. I don't think the interest would last over a long period of time because, quite frankly, nothing else has done the job and there's no real reason to believe that Cena could do it.

As far as ratings go, I don't think TNA really has much of anything to worry about overall. As long as they keep the hardcore audience that continues to tune in week after week, they'll continue to be among the top drawing shows on Spike.

 

[Dizzy]

Lol Are you really serious? The simple fact Hogan drew 3 million viewers for his debut entrance/promo alone just shows that big names can draw.

Cena coming to TNA would generate atleast 4-5 million viewers for his debut. Ratings would go down because the hype would be gone but also because Cena's fans are either casuals or straight up mark fanboys and we all know WWE has a sheep fanbase that will say "Come back to wwe! i dont watch tna but i luv u !"

I wouldn't give a shit about the ratings. Cena/Hardy together in the same company would probably draw a good 2 million but the merchandise potential is just outstanding.

People get caught up with ratings but at the end of the day, money is what makes it possible. WWE can have 10 million viewers and go bankrupt if they do not create revenue and profit from merchandise and all sorts of outlets. Cena would sell tickets, merchandise. Fans may not watch but they will still be forced to be interested and deal with the fact Cena and Hardy being their favorite stars is in another company.

I think TNA viewership WILL increase when fans take their heads out of their ass and stop trying to claim loyalty over a company and enjoy all wrestling promotions.

 

[BigPoppaPunk]

Could Cena give TNA a ratings boost? The short answer for that is yes. If you're talking short term, there's no doubt for me that he'd draw big numbers for a TNA debut. The real question is could he keep the ratings up for TNA? And that answer for me would be no. If Hogan couldn't do it, Cena or no one man could do it. But it would be interesting to see if TNA would use him properly, or botch the booking as usual.

Now, with all that said, if Cena were to jump to TNA, they should try to make a deal with a bigger network that will promote the hell of out them. The fact remains, Spike just doesn't do well in promoting TNA. And alot of cable providers don't carry Spike TV, so alot of their fanbase wouldn't even know if Cena did show up on TNA. It has been rumored that Spike is interested in purchasing TNA, so if TNA were to consider selling, they should sell to a larger network that most cable providers DO carry. Best case scenario would be selling TNA to Ted Turner and putting TNA on either TBS or TNT. That would ensure that ppl have the availibility to watch it and the shows would be promoted properly. Especially if the debut episode featured the debut of John Cena.

TNA has other issues though that they need to fix(and no one star can fix that). Firstly, they need to rid themselves of dead weight(meaning Hogan/Bischoff/Russo). Then, they have to stop focusing on older guys who aren't as good anymore(Sting, Angle, or any former WWE/WCW/ECW guys). Finally, and most importantly is booking. Russo has screwed the booking of TNA up so badly that he should definately be replaced by a smarter, more knowledgable guy. It's beyond me why TNA would get rid of Jim Cornette so they could keep Russo. Or why not hire Paul Heyman or even JR when his contract expires? Those three are more knowledgable about wrestling and or booking and listen to the fans.

In short, one guy can't completely save TNA, it will require alot more major changes in order for them to compete with WWE or secure a higher rating consistently.