Does All of TNA's "Big Moves" Reek of Desperation to Anyone Else?

[Tenta]

Pretty simple question there. I mean, if you really think about it, Dixie's pulling out all the stops, including daddy's dollars, to put herself on the same level as the WWE. She signed the most legendary name in wrestling, who is probably far too old to work on a regular basis, and is going through a messy divorce, on top of a messy jail sentence of his son for a stupid car crash. She then signed his 16 Time World Heavyweight Champion Australian compadre, who everyone is well aware is going through a myriad of issues with his family, and is in dire need of money, and also has a history of pushing down talent. She signed the Wrestler of the Year for 2009, with well known drug problems and a pending drug case, and the world's most sought after wrestler, though he's made it known that he has many other interests outside of wrestling. She signed Bobby Lashley, though he can never guarantee her that he can work a full time schedule. She signed the world's greatest wrestler, knowing that he has a habit of being extremely violent, a publicity train wreck, and overall mere inches from snapping at a moment's notice. And have plenty of Hulk's buddies come in and try to earn a paycheck. If nothing else, you must admit, TNA is trying hard to be seen on "equal" footing as the WWE, and that all these moves, for better or worse, have made TNA watchable.

But is TNA trying too hard? Is this simply a case of desperation on TNA' part? Whether or not we like to admit it, TNA has more or less taken the broken, beaten, and damned names of the past ten years for wrestling. All of these names have not exactly been the most positive names you can hire, from a PR standpoint. Vince would probably sign Hulk Hogan right now if he could, and relish in the profits, were it not for his incredibly unstable personal life. That alone has made Hulk Hogan pretty much radioactive to the WWE, and if this were analogous to the real world, any type of company that attempted to hire him. Still, Dixie tends to ignore such matters, and go for the broken name who needs to rebuild his/her credibility. There's a word for that in business; desperation. TNA, instead of relying on the product to speak for itself, has gone after splashy name after splashy name, changing their philosophy on a moment's whim, it would appear. Yet, all of this is done for the sheer boost in rating that could possibly arise. TNA has continually forced itself to start over from scratch, all while chasing their windmill that all of these signings can make them, at this point, competitive to the WWE.

Again, I value ingenuity as much as the next guy. But does signing all of these names, which potentially bring with them so baggage, reek of desperation to anyone else?

 

[D-Man]

While I can see your point of view, Tenta, I don't see it as "desperation." I see it as the set of the smartest business decisions that Dixie and TNA could make, considering her decision to take her stand against the WWE.

Let's face facts: TNA against the WWE is like David vs. Goliath. The only dilemma is that TNA's slingshot is a sesame seed being shot from a rubber band in between two toothpicks. They've become more of an annoyance to the WWE than anything.

The problem isn't deperation... it's impatience. Dixie Carter made the decision to go up against the WWE too early in TNA's lifespan. I guess the pressure of knowing that you'll always be #2 to the WWE in our present day got the best of her. I'm sure that her financial advisors, pro-wrestling counterparts, as well as the backstage talent have been in her ear for some time in regards to competing with the WWE.

I feel that Dixie's inexperience in the pro-wrestling business has shown and she was peer pressured into jumping into this new-age war against the WWE with both feet. Her company was doing just fine without having to go toe-to-toe with the big dog. Down the road, this would have been the ultimate step to be taken. However, she is not (nor has she ever been) supported by the likes of Ted Turner's deep pockets and resources. It was WAY too early for her to take this step.

Therefore, I do not feel that "desperation" is the proper word to use here. Dixie is making the best of her decision to go toe-to-toe with the WWE. She is cleaning up the market by gathering every piece of talent that she could find that would relevantly provide TNA with some ammunition against the WWE. While her decision to go head to head with the WWE was premature (in my opinion), she's making every possible smart business decision to make this idea become a success.

 

[Tenta]

While I can see your point of view, Tenta, I don't see it as "desperation." I see it as the set of the smartest business decisions that Dixie and TNA could make, considering her decision to take her stand against the WWE.

Again, I have no problem with doing that, but the manner in which she's doing so is more the issue. I have no problem signing wrestlers, and wrestlers that used to work for Vince. It's really only natural; everyone's worked with everyone, at this point. Recently, TNA signed Elijah Burke, and Desmond Wolfe. Neither of these guys brought baggage, and look at them; their main cogs in what's going on at TNA. So the question becomes, does Dixie need to sign these potential basket cases, a la Hogan, Flair, et. all.

Let's face facts: TNA against the WWE is like David vs. Goliath. The only dilemma is that TNA's slingshot is a sesame seed being shot from a rubber band in between two toothpicks. They've become more of an annoyance to the WWE than anything.

This we agree on. It's funny, I was saying this earlier in another TNA thread. Sad, I'm feeling like such a pessimist today

The problem isn't deperation... it's impatience. Dixie Carter made the decision to go up against the WWE too early in TNA's lifespan. I guess the pressure of knowing that you'll always be #2 to the WWE in our present day got the best of her.

WCW had that same issue, and the only time they seemed half as desperate as TNA does right now was with Ric's Flair departure, and taking of their World Heavyweight Title. Though, I guess signing Scott Hall and Kevin Nash may seem problematic, but at the time, there were no red flags about their work rate coming in to WCW. The only red flags we found out about Hall and Nash came well during their stint in WCW. Simply put, they didn't respect WCW like they did the WWE. Otherwise, Bischoff went about being the "#2" perfectly, and almost beat the WWE.

I'm sure that her financial advisors, pro-wrestling counterparts, as well as the backstage talent have been in her ear for some time in regards to competing with the WWE.

Yes, but those same financial advisors must be aware Dixie doesn't have nearly the backing the WWE does. Daddy Warbucks can't help out Dixie much longer, parse, without gutting his own business.

As for the wrestler's, yeah, you have a good point, but those same wrestling advisors know everything there is to know about Hulk Hogan. And yet, someone didn't warn her this wasn't the way to go about business?

I feel that Dixie's inexperience in the pro-wrestling business has shown and she was peer pressured into jumping into this new-age war against the WWE with both feet. Her company was doing just fine without having to go toe-to-toe with the big dog. Down the road, this would have been the ultimate step to be taken. However, she is not (nor has she ever been) supported by the likes of Ted Turner's deep pockets and resources. It was WAY too early for her to take this step.

Therefore, I do not feel that "desperation" is the proper word to use here. Dixie is making the best of her decision to go toe-to-toe with the WWE. She is cleaning up the market by gathering every piece of talent that she could find that would relevantly provide TNA with some ammunition against the WWE. While her decision to go head to head with the WWE was premature (in my opinion), she's making every possible smart business decision to make this idea become a success.

I believe we agree in principle that Dixie fucked TNA by going so early in the process. But, can we also agree that this knowledge has caused her to panic, and thus, has caused for said desperation?

 

[D-Man]

I believe we agree in principle that Dixie fucked TNA by going so early in the process. But, can we also agree that this knowledge has caused her to panic, and thus, has caused for said desperation?

Once again, it's basically an argument of semantics. I totally see where you're coming from in calling these moves by Dixie to be "desperation." However, I look at it from a slightly diffferent perspective. I see that she's making smart business moves to support her stupid decision of challenging the WWE.

I understand how risky some of her talent can be, in terms of their personal demons and their troublesome history. But these moves are worth the risk when facing an opponent as strong, historic, and successful as the WWE. She needs to take out the biggest guns that she could get her hands on.

I tend to look at things this way:

Desperation - a state in which all hope is lost or absent

I really don't think that "all hope is lost" for Dixie Carter yet. So, once again, I feel that "desperation" is the wrong word to use here.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Desperation? It's too early for that. As D-Man said, it seems more like impatience than anything else. Early last summer was really when Dixie Carter was quoted in interviews and reported via backstage gossip that she wanted TNA to compete with the WWE and compete with it soon. This started a whole bunch of threads asking the usual questions like could she succeed or is it a mistake, etc.

While I don't necessarily like to agree with much that Mark Madden has to say, he has called Dixie Carter a mark that doesn't really know what she's doing and he's right about that. She's very inexperienced and doesn't know a whole lot about wrestling, at least not nearly as much as she should being in charge of a pro wrestling company. I'm sure there's been pressure among those she works with backstage, maybe among wrestlers on the roster, maybe even her own father for all anyone knows to jump into a head to head struggle against the WWE.

Dixie Carter has made her decision and I guess that she's trying to make the best of it. No matter what she does, however, there's going to be something of a backlash over her decisions. For instance, Dixie Carter very much tries to latch on to every wrestler she can that's achieved at least some success in the WWE. Some refer to them as "WWE Rejects" and, to some degree, I think it's fitting to some. On one hand, she gains talent that fans could well be familiar with and on the other, she has talent that the WWE doesn't want and I do feel that gives TNA something of a more minor league feel to it than the WWE. It's not something that TNA has intentionally done, but it's just the way it is. Not to say that all those former WWE wrestlers fall into that category.

In order for TNA to climb to the same heights as the WWE, it's going to have to kind of piggy back as much as it can off the success that the WWE and even WCW has attained and hiring all these former WWE and/or WCW wrestlers is a good example of that.

Last week, iMPACT! came out guns blazing just as they did on January 4th and they followed pretty much the same formula as they did on the 4th. If TNA can put out the exact same sort of effort week in and week out, that's the only way I see the WWE being in any real trouble. I looked over the spoilers for this week's episode of iMPACT! and it definitely doesn't live up to the hype of last Monday. There are a few spots that will definitely get a rise out of fans, but it doesn't have nearly the same feel as last week's. TNA has to capture that energy and that drive each week if it wants to beat the WWE, it's just how it is.

Now, this week, the WWE looks to be pulling out some big guns in an attempt to draw big numbers. Some have probably wondered why the WWE didn't do so last week. The answer is that Vince McMahon isn't worried that much about what TNA is doing. Dixie Carter is so wrapped up in trying to compete with the WWE that she relies on momentary gimmicks and shocks in the hopes that fans will just stick around week after week. Whatever one wishes to call this conflict between Raw and iMPACT!, Vince McMahon is conducting his part of it his way and not Carter's.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

I don't think it's desperation because it's too early to use that word. I'll also say that TNA is being very impatient right now. Now if they have AJ Styles VS RVD VS Sting VS Jeff Hardy in a fatal 4 way match for the TNA world heavyweight title on Impact in the coming weeks, then I definitely think you could call it desperation.

The problem is, in both head to head "battles" with WWE so far, TNA has fired off too many of their big guns already. I might be able to understand Jan 4 because that was the first time, it was the night of Hogan's arrival, and they needed to make a splash, but they came back and sort of did the same thing on March 8th. RVD made his debut, Sting made his return, and Jeff Hardy made his second appearance. Plus you had the Hogan/Flair VS Styles/Abyss tag match. Again, TNA threw way too much at us on March 8th. Then look at what they're doing tonight:

Love him or hate him, Jeff Hardy is a HUGE star, and with the proper build, this match could make it to a ppv. TNA shouldn't be giving us this match so soon, and they surely shouldn't be doing it on free TV. Although, you do have to consider what TNA is going up against tonight. Stone Cold Steve Austin, a Bret Hart/Vince McMahon contract signing,and three Wrestlemania re matches. WWE has the deck stacked pretty high against them tonight.

I don't think it's desperation, I just think TNA is being way to impatient. They've given away a lot surprises, and big returns in only 2 shows. Imagine if they could've just waited, and spread some of that shock factor around. They would be in a better position then they are now. Still I don't think TNA has reached the point of desperation just yet. More time will be needed before we can say that, but I do believe TNA is being way too impatient right now.

 

[Davi323]

The only difference between desperation and impatience is the motivation. If Dixie is just being impatient for the sake of being impatient, that is different than if she is being impatient because she has Panda Energy and Spike TV demanding that TNA start showing better results or they are considering pulling the plug...if TNA is impatient because of external motivation, its desperation. D-man and Tenta, I think you both are probably correct to some extent.

 

[psykohurricane]

I don'T see this as desperation because they been signing big names for years now, so all theses big moves are not desperation move. It's pretty much Dixie Carter being naïve about the wrestling business and listening to the wrong peoples. This decision of moving to monday nights probably isn't even her doing. I'm guessing that she got pressured by Hogan, Bischoff and Spike T.V. to move IMPACT to monday. All thoses big moves are just to try to cover up the stupid decision she made when they moved to monday nights. The only problem they had with all theses big move is that nobody knew about them because they didn'T advertise them except for the Hogan thing, so nobody tune in to see them when they happened.


TNA is desperate, maybe in a couple of months they will be and we will get a classic match up between Hulk Hogan and MAcho man randy savage but now it'S just impatience and the inabilty to learn from their past mistakes. We will have to wait and see if all these big moves will help them in the long run or just be the death nail in TNA's coffin.

 

[DeathOfTheFlesh]

Desperation? Possibly. But you have to understand that in her eyes this is a "war" and sometimes you have to pull out the "big guns" in order to win. Do I think TNA could win this thing? Yes I do but it will take a long time and some drastic changes in order to make that happen. The WWE will never go out of business but for sure some competition wouldn't hurt their product right now.....

 

[thepalaceprince]

Idk what to call anything that dixie has done. Desperation stupidity impatience all I know is it isnt good. I agree with the decisions to hire people like hogan flair and hardy because if you are going to compete with the wwe you need big recognizable names. Dixie combine a roster full of talented guys with guys that altho are past their prime are recognizable and could garner tna some attention. Then she goes and jumps the gun and makes the move to monday nights without having the proper marketing or a strong enough fanbase to compete with the wwe. Its like connecting on an 80yard bomb and then fumbling the snap on the next play. Whats ultimately going to define dixie and tna's legacy is one of two things she can either admit defeat move back to thursdays and try to build a bigger following before challenging the wwe again or she can call in damage control. She can turn over tna to someone who actually knows what they're doing like heyman or someone with deeper pockets like ted turner and hope that they can right the ship.

 

[Sabutage]

I do not think it's desperation, they are using what's available to them in order to try and achieve their goals.

Of course they have plenty of good wrestlers already, but adding people like Hardy and RVD is giving them much better name value, while Hogan and Flair, while no where near their peak do bring a certain added effect to making TNA seem bigger and more credible as a 'big' wrestling company'.

I do not think it is something they can rely on long term, but I think it is a good strategy for now at least.

 

[beso mi culo]

TNA is desperately trying way too hard with their current business model. Does anybody ever wonder why only around 1 million people watch TNA each week? Outside of Orlando Florida and these wrestling sites, who has really heard of TNA? To me, TNA's major problem is their lack of marketing of their product. You can sign all the "big names" you want and have a "better product" (aka blood and cursing) but without any marketing the product will never grow. Business 101. If TNA wants to compete with the WWE and actually put some truth behind the "new Monday night wars" phrase then I hate to break the news but TNA will have to move out of its comfort zone of Orlando and actually travel the country and market their product. Will TNA travel and or will their "talent" want to work more than 4-5 days a month will truly decide if TNA stands a chance in competing with the WWE. Personally, I think TNA will be on the verge of folding before they act out of desperation again and actually market their product outside of Orlando.

 

[Dum Dum Dudley]

I think desperation is the correct term because, for lack of a better saying, TNA have shot themselves in the foot. To come out and declare war on WWE without a clear and concise gameplan has made them resort to desperate actions. Could you see WWE try and sign Lashley back if he told them outright they were not his main priority? No, and i feel if TNA had the stars they have now like Hardy, Hogan and Flair; they'ld have told him to jog on before he had chance to sign the contract.

I agree with other posters that if they begin to put PPV quality matches on Impact every week (Hardy/Styles.. Hardy/Sting... or massive clusterfucks such as Hardy/Styles/Sting/RVD) just to try and beat RAW in the ratings, then that is true desperation, but at the moment, TNA does come with a whiff of desperation.

Even the talent seems desperate. I still to this day can not believe Flair pissed away the send off Vince gave him at WM 24 for a holiday around Australia and an angle where he is confined to a wheel chair after being chokeslammed by a ******ed man-child who is given magic powers from a ring. Hogan jumping on board after all his personal problems just adds to the feel that these guys are after one big moment or can't let go of the buisness and if anyone has seen 'The Wrestler' my point might be more clear (even though Flair and Hogan are nowhere near as desperate as Rourke's character).

Overall, at the time of writing, i do think TNA is desperate because their priority is the ratings war whereas RAW is solidly building to their biggest PPV of the year. I was reading the Sun's review of last nights RAW and i think they summed it up best. WWE is more concerned with getting their own shop in order and building towards what looks like a very good Wrestlemania. TNA on the other hand, always seems out to shock us and get our attention so they can say that all this talent they have acquired, all the swerves and angles they run, all the risks they have taken, have paid off.

 

[Meaty]

I look at it this way: take the "WWE rejects", sell out, and be successful, or listen to those who have never worked in the business and fail. TNA tried "being different". They tried to do all that flippy shit. And it didn't work. Now they have nothing to lose. Fuck "desperation". Say what you will, but TNA has gotten way more entertaining since Hogan and Bischoff stepped in. Every Monday night I hold out hope that Raw will be more entertaining than iMPACT. But every Monday night I waste my time and I am disappointed. TNA is starting to pwn Raw in every way. And the sad thing is that it's WrestleMania season, supposedly the best time of the year for WWE. Kudos to TNA.