DA Cancels TNA Officially (Effective January 2016)

[joeg]

Joeg, I never implied that Meltzer is always wrong. He wouldn't be the most popular pro wrestling journalist if he were so. Having said that, he has also been wrong many times in the last year or two, most notably the frequent false rumors of CM Punk's return and Sting's contract signing.

Believe what you want.
As for next year, things may change between now and then. TNA might not find another network, Destination America might change their mind... Wasn't Spike supposed to cancel TNA long before they actually did?

Nope, the plan was for Spike to let the contract to run out in October. TMZ's story even said that. Them announcing an extension to the end of the year proved that to be true.

We'll find out as time goes on. But paying any heed to bullshit reports like this one here, won't be a smart thing to do.

Spoiler

http://www.wrestlezone.com/news/598391-report-the-very-latest-on-tna-wrestling-potentially-leaving-destination-america-in-september

Here's what I don't get, people like you accuse Meltzer of fabricating while at the same time, his reports were the first time many people have ever heard of Destination America. Where did he get that information before it was publicized? What a bullshit report that turned out to be, am I right?

No doubt, it was silly of Dixie to reply with a smiley to a message like that, but it doesn't prove anything in regard to TNA's contract status or relationship with Destination America. Any inference drawn from this tweet alone (other than that Dixie is stupid), is an assumption at best.



I'd like to see the source of that information. Hopefully, it's not just a bunch of wrestling sites referencing each other. If it's someone close to Dixie (not named Russo) or someone from DA itself that made the revelation, then it has merit.

http://www.wrestlingnewsworld.com/w...ination-america-dixie-carters-damaging-email/

Did they actually say that, or was this reported by Meltzer too, counting on common knowledge about pro wrestling's high production costs?

Aye. Otherwise Spike wouldn't have kicked them off of their network. For the same reasons as DA, TNA was too expensive & they didn't profit. Spike acquired COPS which proved to have similar ratings to TNA in 2014.

http://www.wrestlezone.com/news/497741-update-on-spiketv-tna-relationship

 

[Rayne]

With the exception of the non-obnoxious TNA fans, it's hard to feel bad about this at this point. TNA can't continue in their present state, and things will only get worse as their income drops. Much as the TNA of this year wasn't the TNA of two years ago, if TNA is still around in another two years it will be in a drastically different form from today.

But for those of you who are old enough, remember back when WCW folded; most TNA/WCW parallels are terrible, but this one at least has similar conditions. When WCW folded, there was suddenly a great deal of talent that flooded the market. Not just former WCW talent, but all the performers who had been in the indies at that point, with two companies maintaining large rosters. Suddenly, a lot of people were looking for work.

The WWF took who they wanted, but there was a 'non-WWE performance' niche that needed to be filled. Several promotions formed and went out of business during this time, including XPW, CZW, TNA, while newer ones like IWA-MS got a huge boost. TNA has a lot of talented professional wrestlers, they just can't sell them. These people will go out on the market; ROH and the WWE will take their share, but new promotions will form. Some of them, like XPW, will suck. But someone's going to hit on a good idea. It'll take time, but the WWE doesn't have a monopoly on what people want to see.

TNA was awesome back when it was awesome. And for people like IDR, this kind of sucks, because it's going to be a while before another company fills the high-production not-WWE niche that TNA was filling. But TNA is long past its glory days. It's time to move on.

 

[TDFG]

Feb 2016 is the UK tour so TNA could go out on a high or tape a lot of content.

I hope some network out there picks them up, wrestling is struggling and needs exposure to be competitive again.

For TNA to survive they need to go back to how they started, a couple of veterans in a small roster with a lot of guys making there way into the business.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

With the exception of the non-obnoxious TNA fans, it's hard to feel bad about this at this point. TNA can't continue in their present state, and things will only get worse as their income drops. Much as the TNA of this year wasn't the TNA of two years ago, if TNA is still around in another two years it will be in a drastically different form from today.

But for those of you who are old enough, remember back when WCW folded; most TNA/WCW parallels are terrible, but this one at least has similar conditions. When WCW folded, there was suddenly a great deal of talent that flooded the market. Not just former WCW talent, but all the performers who had been in the indies at that point, with two companies maintaining large rosters. Suddenly, a lot of people were looking for work.

The WWF took who they wanted, but there was a 'non-WWE performance' niche that needed to be filled. Several promotions formed and went out of business during this time, including XPW, CZW, TNA, while newer ones like IWA-MS got a huge boost. TNA has a lot of talented professional wrestlers, they just can't sell them. These people will go out on the market; ROH and the WWE will take their share, but new promotions will form. Some of them, like XPW, will suck. But someone's going to hit on a good idea. It'll take time, but the WWE doesn't have a monopoly on what people want to see.

TNA was awesome back when it was awesome. And for people like IDR, this kind of sucks, because it's going to be a while before another company fills the high-production not-WWE niche that TNA was filling. But TNA is long past its glory days. It's time to move on.

This is my worry, especially. It's nothing really against ROH, but the production is fucking shit. It makes it a chore for me to even try sitting through the shows. It's an issue I've had with their content in general since day one. Even years ago watching DVD's in my buddy's living room with him while he tried to turn me onto the guys who eventually made TNA TNA — Joe, Daniels, Aries, Styles and more.

I was always impressed by the talents, but so, so, so, so, so underwhelmed by the production itself. It made it nearly impossible for me to really enjoy the show. Not in the way I could just sit back and be fully immersed in 2005-2009 TNA.

 

[akathelaw]

A lot of people want TNA to stick around and find another network, and they say that TNA going away would hurt the overall wrestling landscape. I don't think people are considering how TNA is actively hurting the wrestling business. The company's name alone is hurting wrestling right now because it puts out the dated misogynistic image of wrestling being a tits and ass spectacle, and while hardcore fans are numb to the initials, potential new viewers and parents see the letters "TNA" as a red flag for shitty TV. Ring of Honor is where all of WWE's new stars came from, and it's where our next stars are wrestling now. TNA folding would mean Ring of Honor gets a bigger slice of the pie.

Wrestlers who have gone to TNA in past years have suffered for it, due to bad booking and terrible stories. The matches are usually very good, but the story told over months is usually one with embarassingly bad developments like paternity tests or railroad track pushes and is then dropped for something else. MVP tried to get his BDC stable across but it wasn't given full focus. Sting had an embarassing incident with Jeff Hardy that tainted his career and slapped fans in the face. TNA going away is not as horrible of a thing to happen as some may think.

 

[GhettoV1]

TNA should go syndication only with various My Network and/or CW stations having two hours to fill every weekend and the "cord cutting" mode that alot of people who opting out of cable TV service it is a perfect time to ditch Cable Networks for OTA syndication. No other company outside of WWE should ever try prime time on basic cable due to the fact that the viewers are not there.

 

[Nada]

What i never understood, is why did people believe Meltzer would fabricate the story?

Meltzers own bussiness benefits from TNA being alive, if Raw was drawing 10 million viewers instead of 3 million and TNA was drawing 4 million instead of half, then the amount of attention on these companies and money poured into them would trickle down, to not wrestlers but also people like Meltzer.

Thus it makes no goddamn sense. And that is not even counting that the man has covered wrestling nearly his entire life, longer than some of us have been alive. And never did he take sides with any company, and suddenly just decided to "hate on" TNA for no reason.


And on the opposite end was a washed up rock star who wanted to be involved in some capacity and Dixie Carter, need i say more.

 

[MWRedskins]

i haven't read a report on the official WZ site yet...so i'll wait and see if it's 100% true, BUT if it is, i feel they will get a TV deal unless of course TNA doesnt want to have a TV deal anymore. Personally, i feel that the reason TNA failed on Destination America is more on the channel's availability. i'm not saying that TNA on another channel (like WGN) would thrive, i just think the limited amount of viewers who could get their channel hurt their ratings.

As for TNA itself, i think it's a good alternative to WWE, but i feel it's on at the wrong time. Wednesday is not a good idea for TV programming, especially in the fall time when shows like Criminal Minds, Law and Order and Duck Dynasty are on. i think Tuesday or a Friday would be a tad bit better of a time slot, i would aim more for Tuesday, but again, i feel they will find a TV Station and hopefully this station doesnt try to tell TNA who to push.

 

[d_henderson1810]

I have a network which TNA could go to.

It's called "WWE NETWORK".

I would like to see WWE buy out TNA, and repackage it as a "new" brand, exclusive to the Network.

WWE can re-sign Kurt Angle, the Hardys and others, plus signing some of their young promising stars (Young Bucks, EC3) and some of the Knockouts, plus they can own all the video library and archival footage.

Then restart the Brand Extension, with WWE and TNA, and have the TNA show have all the talent they signed over, plus past TNA guys like the Dudleys and Sting.

This would be a positive step in a number of ways:-

1) There can finally be a "proper" Invasion Angle. Since TNA don't have the guys on contracts that WCW did, Vince would have access to all the talent, so make the Invading side be more the top guys in TNA (plus Angle, Sting, Dudleyz and even Samoa Joe), and it could create a lot of interesting match ups.

2) It will start with a clean slate. Unlike WCW or ECW, WWE could let TNA continue, in its own image, and there won't be the objections or the fans not getting behind it, since WWE have never run down TNA on air, so it allows people to embrace it more, since its reputation hasn't been damaged to the majority of WWE fans (many of who have never watched TNA anyway). So having a completely different show competing against "Raw" would work better, than it did trying to revive Nitro or ECW.

3) It would buff up lots of content on the Network. Think about it, an original TNA show, (which helps WWE with original content), plus all "Impacts" and every TNA PPV ever). Plus it means that TNA will still be remembered, since there is footage of it, rather than disappear and never be heard of again. Criticize Vince as you will, but you must admit, the way WCW, ECW and soon TNA are treated on the Network is done very well. WWE can also absorb the TNA HoF into its own, since they will probably induct Angle, Sting and Christian at some stage anyway.

 

[BestSportsEntertainer]

Competition? No, but alternative, yes. For years it was the only televised U.S. promotion not named WWE until ROH got their television contract.

It's not even an alternative. It's either WWE or nothing.

Your logic is hilarious, though. You can't remember watching it for more than ten minutes, therefor it deserved to be cancelled. I can't remember sitting through more than four minutes of any WWE programming in the last like six years without rolling my fucking eyes into the back of my head in boredom. Therefor it deserves to go out of business.

See how stupid that line of thinking is?

I was just saying that it wasn't a good show. And few people really like it. So, why should they stay in business?

 

[It's Damn Real!]

It's not even an alternative. It's either WWE or nothing.

Do you know what the word "alternative" actaully means?

"available as another possibility"

So yes, it's an alternative. So is ROH. So is NJPW. So is Lucha Underground. All televised in the U.S. assuming you have a cable package that carries the channels they run on.

All alternatives to WWE. It's WWE or (for the time being) TNA, (for the time being) Lucha Underground, NJPW or ROH.

I was just saying that it wasn't a good show. And few people really like it. So, why should they stay in business?

Oh, I don't know, because it offers hundreds of people a living wage and a place to provide for their family?

You not liking a show isn't reason for people to lose their livelihoods. You know what I don't like? American Idol. By your logic, everyone who works on that show should go out of business. Because I don't like it.

 

[WorstWrestlingExcrement]

I think Dixie and or Panda Energy need to focus on Fox Sports and not only a new network they need to dish out the fringing money and invest on buying out stars elsewhere like WCW did and then they got bigger and bigger. WCW was getting stars left and right and center and had the attractions and convincements to get somewhere and Ted Turner was the guy who owned his own network! Seriously Panda Energy better stop being fringing cheap and get a permanent home and a permanent appealing roster to gain viewerships! You got to ride own Turners coattail if you need to make it huge Ditzy and Panda Energy! Try FOXSPORTS!!!! FOX !

 

[Messiah]

It's not a big deal, they'll just get another television deal. They have enough time to do so. If they do end up with another deal it will likely be better than DA anyways.

 

[BuriedByCena]

You guys care waaaaaaay too much about whatever Dave Meltzer says. It is sad you are arguing so much about the words he actually said and what happened.

Who cares if he was 10%, 50% or 100% right? Wrestlezone and other websites post false stories and rumors every single day.

You guys take this mans words too seriously. It's unhealthy.

 

[BestSportsEntertainer]

Do you know what the word "alternative" actaully means?

"available as another possibility"

So yes, it's an alternative. So is ROH. So is NJPW. So is Lucha Underground. All televised in the U.S. assuming you have a cable package that carries the channels they run on.

All alternatives to WWE. It's WWE or (for the time being) TNA, (for the time being) Lucha Underground, NJPW or ROH.

The problem is that TNA wasn't a good show. Perhaps an alternative but not a good alternative.

Oh, I don't know, because it offers hundreds of people a living wage and a place to provide for their family?

You not liking a show isn't reason for people to lose their livelihoods. You know what I don't like? American Idol. By your logic, everyone who works on that show should go out of business. Because I don't like it.

It's not just me that doesn't like TNA. Very few people like TNA. Their ratings are consistently dropping. Just last night, they only got 353,000 viewers, which is embarassing.

The season finale of American Idol, which happened about 4 months ago got over 8,000,000 viewers.

Do you see the problem with the comparison you was making?

It's not like TNA wrestlers can't go to WWE or another wrestling company. TNA has been late on paychecks here lately anyway.

 

[rmp0012002]

I want to see TNA succeed but it's just a horribly run company and the product is so bad I can't see another tv deal. Without tv there's no money to pay the roster, which they seem to have a hard time doing now anyway, so I the reaper is close. If there is a company left they keep talking international but I bet the roster is going to be ecstatic about spending all their time overseas in the UK and India.

 

[Bischoff's Knob Slobberer]

Blah...Blah...the same idiots claiming the end of TNA yet again. It gets old. Yes, it's the same morons. It's like they spam the forum just for these type of threads and post. TNA WILL get another deal. They always do.

WWE is straight shit these days. You got 60 year old Sting and 50+ year old Dudley Boyz competing for titles. Really, the Dudley Girlz? I felt bad for New Day and Prime Time Players having to job to that shit. That's fucking sad and pathetic.

I'd rather pull hairs out of my ass one by one and eat them than watch that boring shit. To each his own....

 

[Reflection]

Nope, the plan was for Spike to let the contract to run out in October. TMZ's story even said that. Them announcing an extension to the end of the year proved that to be true.

I'm positive that the rumors had been doing the rounds much earlier than that, but whatever...

Here's what I don't get, people like you accuse Meltzer of fabricating while at the same time, his reports were the first time many people have ever heard of Destination America. Where did he get that information before it was publicized? What a bullshit report that turned out to be, am I right?

And here's what I don't get- how can you use some of his true reports to conclude that all his reports must be true? I'm not accusing him of anything, it's blatantly obvious that many of his reports are false, and that he just makes guesses based on his knowledge. That many people heard about DA for the first time when Meltzer revealed its name, has nothing to do with whether he had any actual knowledge of what the DA officials felt about TNA, when he made the claim that TNA is going off DA come October. It is quite probable that he simply went by the alleged incident of Dixie Carter mailing the wrong guy and decided that this might happen as a consequence (as this next link has guessed). If it doesn't happen, he can simply claim that TNA has accepted a deal with lesser money. See how it works?

http://www.wrestlingnewsworld.com/w...ination-america-dixie-carters-damaging-email/

A dirt sheet report is hardly a reliable source to go by in a sensitive issue like that. They are claiming too many things- Dixie sending a mail expressing her discontent, putting the DA president's ID on the addressee list, TNA going into panic mode, Dixie skipping the next meeting, DA deciding to not continue with TNA for the fall season (which seems to have turned out false)... Looks like a report that's anywhere between fabricated to highly exaggerated.

http://www.wrestlezone.com/news/497741-update-on-spiketv-tna-relationship

Those are Wrestlezone's words, not Spike's words. Wrestlezone claimed that this was one of the things "being talked about," but it doesn't seem to be Spike's statement, as you had claimed. You take rumors from wrestling news sites way too seriously.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

The problem is that TNA wasn't a good show. Perhaps an alternative but not a good alternative.

You enjoying it or not isn't the issue here. The issue is that you objectively claimed it wasn't an alternative, which was absurd and wrong. So long as you understand this and agree it is an alternative (regardless of whether you think it's good or not), we're good.

 

[akathelaw]

Blah...Blah...the same idiots claiming the end of TNA yet again. It gets old. Yes, it's the same morons. It's like they spam the forum just for these type of threads and post. TNA WILL get another deal. They always do.

WWE is straight shit these days. You got 60 year old Sting and 50+ year old Dudley Boyz competing for titles. Really, the Dudley Girlz? I felt bad for New Day and Prime Time Players having to job to that shit. That's fucking sad and pathetic.

I'd rather pull hairs out of my ass one by one and eat them than watch that boring shit. To each his own....

Sting and the Dudleys DOMINATED TNA's booking for a long time up until the last 2 years, so are you trying to say that they just now got old after re-signing with WWE?

TNA's name is a curse at this point. Even Vince Russo, who came up with the initials, thinks it's hurting their brand. Not only does it bring the phrase "Tits and Ass" to mind, which hasn't helped their ratings at any point, the letters symbolize a philosophy of erratic booking with a strong focus on past their prime stars who did all their best work for another company with a better track record.

You can call everyone else morons but to continue thinking that TNA isn't spiraling towards the grave is intensely stupid.

 

[New Hot Fed]

Seems like they are talking to DA too so it doesn't seem like it's over there either.

Still it's unfortunate how Discovery handled this. They basically pulled the plug after 6 months. After giving the impression that they would give TNA the red carpet treatment, I mean they had what, 5 shows just at the beginning? That's re-runs, highlights of the company history, plus Impact. Then boom just one show and cancelled.

Whole thing is strange to me. In a way it was what people have been dreaming for a long time, having a channel that really support wrestling with having multiple shows. Sort of like what WWE does but one TV channel. DA was ideal for this cause it was a nothing network with ghost shows. TNA had been wanting to add shows on Spike but Spike never did it. Spike always refused. Even if say...Global Impact and ReAction and Xplosion had decent ratings.

At this point, I think Panda probably should maybe buy their own small network if they want their wrestling company to succeed(and I'm not talking about a digital thing like the WWE Network). I heard that they are richer than the WWE so if it's the case, then inject real money into TNA get top people but at least make sure you don't crawl before TV executives. Just buy your own platform. Buy Bravo or something.

 

[nick p]

WGN AND TNA would be great partners in growing TNA & bring excitement to WGN

 

[brooklynman2020]

If you wikipedia TNA there are now part of Panda Energy International.