Did TNA pick a bad time to start the war?

[Vincent Michaels]

OK, this is my first thread so level with me here, but please tell me if I did something wrong.

In January, TNA decided to go head to head with Raw every Monday night after the recent joining of Hulk Hogan.

The thing is, they may have succeded if they began the wars at a different time.

Raw was producing it's biggest and best story-lines such as Batista vs Cena, Taker vs Shawn, and Bret Hart's return. At a time when WWE pulls their best, no one can beat them.

Look at the Monday Night Wars, WCW survived through Mania 12 with Hall & Nash showing up and then the NWO debuted in the middle of the year, a perfect time which helped them take the lead.

So mainly what i'm asking is,

When should TNA have started to go head to head with Raw?

and

Would they be in the lead in ratings now?

 

[DirtyJosé]

It was incredibly ballsy to go after WWE when it knew they would be starting the build up to WrestleMania regardless of what TNA was doing. I know that's a big talking point for the TNA folk around here, and to a degree it's true. However, "ballsy" doesn't bring you a solid fan base. This can be proven by TNA's ratings since January 2010.

I firmly believe that Hogan and Bischoff should have been brought in sooner, and that the change should have been made sooner after the announcement. I think it painted the creative team into a corner, being too afraid to start anything new. They would have been better off not announcing until December if they intended not bring in Hogan until January.

I don't think they'd be ahead of the ratings either way, however. The installed WWE fan base is quite large, and when they took on this "war" doesn't change who was steering the ship. TNA didn't do itself many favors taking on WWE at it's strongest point, but it's far from being their biggest mistake.

 

[Rated-CMS]

OK first of all WWE was not at there best when they started the war..Cena and Batista was a stupid feud and bret hart coming back was just bad( not the comeback i expected) ..the problem for TNA is that they didn't use there x-division..they just wanted to do new things and there's nothing wrong with that but it seems that since Bischoff and Hogan came lot of the original guys have been pushed to the side.

 

[DirtyJosé]

OK first of all WWE was not at there best when they started the war..Cena and Batista was a stupid feud and bret hart coming back was just bad( not the comeback i expected)

That's nice and all for you, but historically the beginning of the year is the hottest time in the WWE. Everybody knows that this time is the build up to their biggest show of the year. Hart returning was pretty big fucking news. Cena-Batista brought out the best in Batista. And the HBK/Undertaker rematch was pretty big, and so was it's buildup. So yes, WWE was at their best when TNA turned up the heat

 

[brighamosity]

It should be noted that TNA planned their January 4th show (the debut of Hogan and Flair) before WWE announced that Bret Hart was coming back. I think that WWE was downright unwatchable at the end of 2009 and TNA picked a good time to attack. But I think WWE stepped up their game after that, and any fans who had intended to watch TNA, they quickly went back to WWE. I think WWE storylines are significantly more interesting than they were in December, and that is why I watch WWE. I think TNA is the reason that WWE got better.

 

[mister_b1LL]

Although it failed, I don't think there could have been a better time for TNA to start the war. They had to do it while Hogan's signing was still big news in the wrestling world. If they started anytime earlier or later, it would have ended up maybe even worse than how it did.

If executed better and not focusing on new acquisitions to make the product interesting, the plan could have worked. Seeing RVD come out is only news for one week, but then the heat dies down.

TNA has always been good with providing a consistent product, full of great wrestling, an awesome X-Division, and a women's division that was at that point in time miles better than what any other organization had to offer. These things kept the ratings steady. Consistency could have kept them in the running, using what they had to draw viewers to them on Mondays. Sadly, TNA blew their load in one night, the girlfriend(wrestling fans) wanted some more, but TNA was already in sleep mode.

 

[Ruthless-RKO]

It should be noted that TNA planned their January 4th show (the debut of Hogan and Flair) before WWE announced that Bret Hart was coming back. I think that WWE was downright unwatchable at the end of 2009 and TNA picked a good time to attack. But I think WWE stepped up their game after that, and any fans who had intended to watch TNA, they quickly went back to WWE.

WWE had been talking about Bret coming in for a long time, before Hogan/Bisch said they were coming...

WWE was all hyped up well, they did great on Jan 4th, Bret Harts return was HUGE....what more could you want?? another 60 min iron man match??

But because it was the start of the build towards WrestleMania, it was kinda hot, WWE were averaging a 3.7 everyweek...which was good...

 

[Wolfdemon]

Yes and no. As stated above January to Late April is the biggest time of the year for WWE. They bring out all the stops to get people excited for The Royal Rumble and Wrestlemania, but I do think that no matter what time of the year they came in against RAW that they would just get squashed for atleast the first few months. TNA gave up too easily I do believe that no matter when they came in if they woulda stuck with it they could have slowly built up a fan base.

 

[Pone]

I think TNA pick a good time regardless of it being first quarter for the WWE. TNA had a lot of momentum going into the Jan. 4th iMPACT!, however it was only one night and TNA couldn't follow up on the momentum they built. Additionally i think the only reason WWE is so good right now is because of TNA. Granted TNA has been around for awhile, it wasn't until this year that TNA blatantly called out the WWE and said we're coming for your spot. I feel WWE knows that the 2nd quarter is usually their weakest time of the year and instead of giving TNA the opportunity to capitalize on that, the creative team is going stronger then ever. I mean think about the past 3 or 4 years, has there ever been a summer so hot in the WWE? TNA picked a good time but again just didn't capitalize on it. You can't land a solid blow and not follow-up, that's how you get KNOCKED OUT. Every fighter will tell you that.

 

[wushady]

I think TNA should have waited at least a year or two before going head to head with RAW. Not only was WWE building towards Wrestlemania at the time TNA didn't have and still don't have a big enough name to compete with WWE. They could of been putting on way better shows than WWE. They pulled off some great matches and brought in some big stars during their run on Mondays, but it doesn't mean much if the majority of wrestling fans don't know it's out there.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

While it was an admirable effort, I though, I do feel they picked a poor time to go head-to-head because of the fact the company hadn't begun to develop enough of a national following over their televised product to warrant the jump. Had their ratings been on the rise, or even if they were pulling in consistent 2's or higher, the jump might have been a little more justified, but the .8's to the 1.2's just weren't good enough.

 

[D-Rock]

I agree with a couple of the other repliers....TNA didn't pick a bad time, BUT WWE always ramps things up when it has competition. HOWEVER, it seems that they were trying to recreate the magic from the 90's (specifically NWO). It irritates me that Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff feel they have to plug themselves into the main event to "entice" the users. I feel the same way when Vince McMahon does it, and you would have thought they'd have learned from the past.

They have unique talent and could do some really great things with their newer talent, but they want to push some of the already known wrestlers. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with the Band doing something here and there and I enjoy RVD and Jeff Hardy in their matches, but let's use some of the new faces. Use the "star power" to help create some new stars...to build your fan base, you need to win over the true wrestling fan that doesn't want to see 90% soap opera, 10% actual action.

It's just my opinion, but that doesn't make it any less right!!

 

[Mighty NorCal]

Uh, no shit. A time when they were half fucking competent would have been the right time. Clearly this is not the case, so, this was the wrong time.

 

[realdealasshole]

Yeah, it wasn't the smartest thing in the world to come in in January right after rumble time on the road to Wrestlemania.

With that said, I absolutely LOVED watching TNA on Monday nights. It made them truly up their game. Obviously a lot of that can be contributed to Hogan and Bischoff just coming aboard so a lot of people were pumped, but it just had a different feel watching live wrestling on a Monday night. It's just how wrestling is meant to be. I think TNA panicked a bit quickly after deciding to go on Monday nights. They should have stuck with starting an hour before Raw and stayed on Monday night. Did they really expect to get higher ratings than what they were getting? If they're goal was to get higher ratings than what they already were in the first place, the move to monday nights was just foolish. But if their goal was to maintain slightly similar ratings for a while and slowly win over fans, then the move should have remained permanent.

 

[thenextbigthing]

Did they really expect to get higher ratings than what they were getting?

Isn't that the point? Last I checked more ratings is what makes the company more money. Trust me, thats what the company wants, more money. Higher ratings is exactly what they expected to get. They had just signed Hulk fuggin Hogan for cryin' out loud.

If they're goal was to get higher ratings than what they already were in the first place, the move to monday nights was just foolish.

Correct.

Yes TNA picked a bad time. Bad time by a long shot.

 

[Maxx]

I don't want to sound like a hater but i don't think TNA would have had a "Right Time" to start a war with WWE for now. Because WWE is too big of a company with alot of history, no matter what TNA does. WWE still seems to be on top of it, TNA could defeat
WWE. How? I'm still not sure, but i know that TNA should do what they did before, right now it seems that they just want to buy stars for ratings (Anderson,Dinero,Hardy,Etc). Well yes that's a good thing, but TNA should also try to create it's own stars, WWE even though they may not always choose the right people. Always create a Star in a very fast way. That's how WWE has been "Evolving" all of these years,that's how they have survived. They lose stars and get new ones fast within their midcard division. Something TNA should do,with TNA having alot of great wrestlers they could create a great main event scene. It's good to buy stars with talent that are already made. But paying heavily for stars that dont have talent or refuse to do much for the company is desesperate and pointless. Like they could have Created a great Main Eventer in Christopher Daniels, just like they did with AJ Styles. Instead of having their MEM or their NWO in it, they could have had interesting feuds with good matches from alot of the X-Division wrestlers. I mean they have wrestlers that alot of people like (Homicide,MCMG,Kaz) which are very talented. So why not push them?
In short words, they should stop trying to defeat the masters of sports entertainment with a weaker version of it. Do another thing, I know this is a bad or random comparison but Frank Mir lost to Shane Carwin because he tried to strike with him,Carwin is a beast at striking. Mir could have tried to submit Carwin.
Same here, TNA should stop trying to compete with WWE on the "Entertainment" Value and try to top them with better matches. That's how i believe it should be done.

 

[Live2inspireX386X]

I feel the only thing TNA did wrong was when they decided to go head 2 head with WWE in the few weeks before wrestle mania since that seems to be the only times that E' goes full out and make Raw watchable i think if thy would have waited a little longer in the year they would have had a better chance to compete on there level because even the most causal fan with watch raw over impact when wrestlemania is right about the corner

 

[TheSpokenTruth95]

I Think That TNA Will Make A Great Effort But Nothing Can Top WWE Being That Vince Is A Smart Man and Will Try To Buy Out TNA As Well But With The Rate That TNA's Going With All These New Superstars, They're Heading In Only 2 Directions....Either Defeating The WWE and Becoming the Number 1 Wrestling Company or Becoming Bankrupt

 

[realdealasshole]

Isn't that the point? Last I checked more ratings is what makes the company more money. Trust me, thats what the company wants, more money. Higher ratings is exactly what they expected to get. They had just signed Hulk fuggin Hogan for cryin' out loud.

Well if that is what they were thinking....(and I agree it was because my question was a rhetorical one) that's just stupid. There's no way to get higher ratings on a night with competition than you would on a night without competition. As for Hulk Hogan.....the thought that he would be the reason they'd raise ratings is dumb. Hulk Hogan may be the face of wrestling to people who know nothing about it, but a lot of those who do watch it are pretty much tired of him.

 

[#hamler]

TNA picked a perfect time! WWE is at the lowest of the lows with this pg shit. TNA is giving us an alternative to pg for true die hard wrestling fans. Who watches wrestling for its violance. TNA is trying to strike the wwe when there down and "what a better time to kick a man than when he's down." -says John Bradshaw Layfield

 

[ABMorales787]

TNA did a big mistake by dangling the carrot for 3 months. When it was first announced, it was huge. However, it would've been impossible to start after BFG which would have been the most convenient time to start the regime, but Hulk had the Australia tour ready before signing. The only fault I saw was TNA announcing the plan to go to Mondays so early. Little by little announcement's and rumor of RVD, Jeff Hardy, Ric Flair and others coming along flooded. How could you expect WWE to let that go unprepared?

 

[Vincent Michaels]

TNA picked a perfect time! WWE is at the lowest of the lows with this pg shit. TNA is giving us an alternative to pg for true die hard wrestling fans. Who watches wrestling for its violance. TNA is trying to strike the wwe when there down and "what a better time to kick a man than when he's down." -says John Bradshaw Layfield

I'm not so sure on that, in the early months is when WWE is at their best at the early part of the year preparing for WM. The PG Era has had it's ups and downs, but for now there are some kick ass story-lines going on both shows! Also, TNA on Monday nights was lucky to get a 1.0 with all the suprise signings, while Raw was averaging a 3.5 per week and practically still are. So if you say that WWE was and is at it's weakest, what does that make TNA???

 

[Balls_of_Jericho]

Oh I guess this is a post for postings sake but what the hell.

Was a great time to do it, personally. Due to the time difference over here they were both on at stupid o'clock in the morning, so BANG! Sky+ them both and a lovely 4 hours of entertainment on a tuesday evening after work =)

Mind you, I don't think that's what you were actually asking, or at least in the spirit of the question. In presponce to that, I shall simply agree with Mr Norcal. What WERE they thinking???

Mind you, I tune in for Des Wolfe anyway - the dude is ace!


Balls!

 

[goodlay]

Not really. Like others have said, it was a good time due to Hogan's signing still being a potential draw. If they had done it now, I think we would have seen the same result. TNA could be putting on 5 star matches weekly and WWE would still be owning the ratings. If TNA wants to beat WWE they have to do a way better job of marketing their product. Now I understand financially they can't just throw a shit ton of money out in the open and wish for the best. But if you want to take down the WWE machine, you have to market your product extremely well.

When non-wrestling fans think of pro wrestling, I guarantee you the first thing they think of is WWE. It's the top dog, and non-wrestling fans don't know about TNA. And WWE fans are extremely loyal to the product, and with the younger audience now hooked on John Cena and the WWE product, they aren't going anywhere. Hell, even if WWE booked an entire show on lame comedy segments with guys like Santino and Hornswoggle, Raw would still probably pull a solid 3.0

It's gonna take a lot more than good wrestling to get more people to watch TNA, and to potentially take down the WWE machine.

 

[The Gribbler]

I doubt it would have made any difference, TNA are trying old methods of getting to the fans and couldn't book the finish to a Disney princess movie.

They took the attack and are still attacking the building of their market from the wrong direction.

Yes the timing was poor...but they had alot of other problems.