Perhaps the product changed so much because the whole reason the company went out and got Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff was because they wanted to change the product so much in the first place? I don't see how this is any evidence that "they must be in control because they came in and it changed when they did."
I don't know that Carter wanted to change the product, as much as that Carter needed someone competent to manage the wrestling side of things. Remember, Hogan signs with Panda/TNA a few months after Jeff Jarrett gets sent home over the Karen Angle fracas.
Overall, did Dixie Carter want changes? Probably. She's certainly talked like she wanted TNA to be bigger than 1.0 ratings, crappy buyrates and free tickets to the Impact Zone. But is she qualified to say what those changes should be? Does she have the background, experience, creativity? I think she'd say no, herself. She needed a "wrestling mind", and Hogan and Bischoff were supposed to be it. I think it's delusional that Hogan was signed just as an ambassador for TNA--he and his team were supposed to turn TNA into a legitimate competitor to WWE.
If not Hogan and Bischoff, who would you suggest was responsible for the changes? Who do you think said, lose the 6-sided ring, make over the Impact Zone, install these new camera angles, sign these guys, use this plot arc? Who do you think designed the format for the ReAction show?
I'm giving Bischoff credit for some positive changes that happened in TNA in January, 2010. The look of the Impact Zone is much improved. ReAction is exactly what Bischoff said he was going to do, to use his experience in producing television shows and projects for the last 8-9 years to present pro wrestling in a new way to fans who have seen Hard Knocks (NFL), Playmakers and who have seen The Ultimate Fighter, Survivor, American Idol, Ice Road Truckers, Hell's Kitchen.
Why would he take responsibility for certain things that have failed miserably but lie about others? What does he accomplish by doing that? There are several people involved in the business behind the scenes...to say that Bischoff and Hogan have total control and dictate everything that goes on is absolutely ridiculous.
Where does he say "This sucked, and I did it?" He doesn't. TNA Creative is a mess? TNA Marketing sucks? "That's not me and Hulk, we don't run TNA." House show attendance still isn't good? "That's not my department." Was bringing in the Nasty Boys, Val Venis, Orlando Jordan, Hall and Waltman a complete joke that failed all over the place? "We don't do hiring and firing"
Why would he do it? To distance himself from failure. Bischoff is a smart guy and a survivor. If TNA starts to be regarded in the TV industry as a stinking pile of dogcrap, creatively or financially, and Bischoff is known as the No. 1 guy in charge, then what happens to Bischoff-Hervey Entertainment?
I think that Bischoff is smart to start disassociating himself. Especially if he IS letting Vince Russo run creative, or if Dixie Carter is letting Vince Russo run creative. Hogan to TNA fizzled as a phenomenon--that's Terry's and Dixie's problem. TNA's booking is poor? That's Russo's problem.
ReAction is quality TV? That's all Eric Bischoff and BHE. See how it works? Bischoff is looking beyond TNA. Not a lot of people are looking for a wrestling booker or a wrestling promoter. There are plenty of opportunities for new shows on cable TV. That's Easy E's focus in 2010.
Why did they change things in the first place? Because they didn't want to become another niche market product like ECW was. They thought that bringing in the most recognizable figures in the history of wrestling would help make them noticeable.
Specifically, Carter wanted to become remotely competitive with WWE. Either Hogan sold Carter on the project, or Carter sold Hogan on it, or they both bought huge bags of their own bullshit. But that fizzled out and TNA is in the same position it was a year ago--some good talent, but poor management, and no strategy no mission statement.
They brought back names, not realizing that those names' drawing power had faded away long ago. They tried to duplicate the WCW Nitro formula of buying established stars and being outrageous, but the stars had faded and outrageous doesn't shock anymore. It went about as well as a Marylin Manson comeback tour.
Hogan and Bischoff are not there on some agenda to ruin TNA for everyone.
Of course. They are/were doing their best. They're not coming in to work, tenting their fingers Mr Burns-style and saying "How can we make TNA fans suffer this week? Bwaa hahaha!"
But their best, in 2010, isn't very good. And Bischoff has a career and a company beyond TNA to think about. Creatively right now, TNA isn't helping his resume. And if things go in the toilet financially, he doesn't want to be known as the mastermind of two different (semi)major wrestling companies that failed. He wants to be known as the TV producer of late '90s Nitro, a megasuccess, and several other successful TV projects since then.
They were brought in because the investors and management wanted to go in a different direction in the first place..
The problem is that TNA management has no real idea what that direction is. Hogan and "Monday Night Wars 2.0" was a direction, but that failed. Now the ship is at sea with no wind in the sails, no map and no compass.
(It could be worse--let's say that they have fishing poles and a rain-catching barrel, so they're not going to starve. But they're not getting anywhere.)
BTW: PWI is desperate for audience, competing with WWE The Magazine. Putting Cena on the cover as #1 isn't going to sell more PWI. Cena fans will be the WWE magazine with lots more Cena pictures, and Cena-hating smarks won't want to buy that issue. PWI's ratings are as kayfabed as anything else in wrestling.
Samoa Joe has been nothing for a long time. Daniel Bryan, Randy Orton, CM Punk, Alberto Del Rio, fuck, there’s so many that are better than him. Wade Barrett, William Regal, I’m not going to continue because there’s many more who are more ‘intense’ and have more ‘skill’ than Samoa overrated Joe.