Has the WWE begun to really try and compete with TNA? Is TNA already out of ammo?

[D-Man]

Obviously, WWE vs. TNA is the #1 topic of interest on these forums.

Last night, we all witnessed the two promotions do battle in (what has been named) a new Monday Night War. TNA came out swinging and debuted more new and veteran talent in one night than any promotion has done in the history of professional wrestling. They got a hold of Jeff Hardy, Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall, Sean Waltman, Orlando Jordan, The Nasty Boys, Eric Bischoff, Val Venis, Shannon Moore, and others. Each of those men were used in some capacity during their three hour broadcast.

To compete with this, the WWE brought back Bret Hart and... well... that's it. Now don't get me wrong, Bret's return is a HUGE deal in the business of professional wrestling. But the WWE also knew that John Cena would not be attending this show, thus further weakening them in an imminent battle with TNA. Instead of bringing in big guns from Smackdown (like the Undertaker, for example), they decided to run with their current Raw format and treat it like another day at the office.

I believe that (by a relatively close margin) Impact edged Raw and produced a better television program last night. So TNA fans everywhere are rejoicing and dancing naked while screaming, "We were better than the WWE!!!"

However, I also believe that the WWE didn't even break a sweat in trying to compete with TNA. I think that Bret's return was a pre-planned happenstance, even prior to TNA's head-to-head announcement against the WWE on Spike TV. From where I sit, the WWE didn't even scratch the surface of their capabilities to go to war with TNA. If so, they would've convinced USA to give them an extra hour of television, brought in talent from all programs, and done a lot more with the show. After all, we all know they're more than capable.

I also believe that TNA exhausted all of their ammo against the WWE. Last night was a one-trick pony. We have no idea if even half of that newly acquired talent pool is here to stay, where the storylines are headed, and what the future holds.

So, this thread has two parts to discuss. As the subject line states:

Has the WWE begun to really try and compete with TNA?

And is TNA already out of ammo?

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Yeah, I do think WWE has begun to try and compete with TNA, but I think they're doing it on a down-low style. What I mean by that is, unless TNA starts to tie,catch,or beat WWE in the ratings war consistently, we won't see anyone on WWE tv shows take a shot at TNA. Like it or not, WWE is top dog in the wrestling world. Yes, Raw is stale as stale can be at times(especially in 2009), but there are people out there, who just love WWE. Vince will probably not acknowledge TNA for a while....until they become a real threat to him.

While I went nuts last night when Jeff Hardy and Hogan appeared in TNA, they did exhaust to much to soon. They had both of their women's championships change hands, they had a steel asylum match to open the show, Jeff Hardy and Ric Flair made appearances, there was pretty much an NWO reunion when Hogan finally got in the ring, and Mick Foley was beaten down at the end. But TNA did leave a few loose ends to potential storylines last night:

What was the deal with Ric Flair and AJ Styles?
What will become of Jeff Jarrett and Mick Foley?
Who keeps sneak attacking people backstage?
Will we be seeing more of Dixie Carter?

So there are still some interesting possibilities left, but TNA did fire way too many big shots last night....way too many.

 

[Phoenix]

The more I think about it, the more I think that the competition means more to TNA than Vince and the WWE. I think last night was basically Vince saying "Meh, let them do their thing and I'll do mine" and in a time where TNA is placing more emphasis about battle than WWE, I think Vince actually played the right role here.

Before people get on their high horses and ask me why? Well firstly, TNA did only edge out WWE through their suprise Main Event (one I expected to happen on either show) and the suprise appearances, which actually only pushes the engine so far, because by the time someone hears a guy is on TNA, they switch over, they got the Nasty Boys, they switch back. But I think the problem TNA has is they have too much ammo, but not enough guns to fire them. I mean how much of the roster that was actually there prior to last night made an appearance? Little more than 3 minutes outside of Angle and Styles. TNA have run themselves into a dilemma that WWE had at the end of 2001, it's called way too many people on the roster, because all TNA did prior to Jan 4th was sign as many as they could that would say yes and I think this has backfired because yeah they got to use them for last night, but what now?

Currently the result is that a PPV Main Event which given away for free and now Genesis has no pitch to the audience now as the Main Event they wanted has been taken off. Also, you have guys like Daniels, Lashley, Jarrett, Foley, Wolfe, etc and they get only a few minutes of screentime while Hogan gets all the glory? Problem is it's already showing the problems that WCW had and that was that they got too many people and don't know how to book them without having the second show on hand yet. It's meant to debut next week but all it is an extension of Impact and that just means more Hogan and another 3 minutes for the rest of the roster.

I think TNA has worked themselves in a dilemma, but it also begs to me ask, has Eric Bischoff actually learned anything? Fans of WCW have got their old show back, but I think TNA just simply does not know how to go from here which I feel is what Vince counted on, which is why he made no effort except to have Bret Hart on the show. He didn't feel the need to raise the bar because simply put, he knows TNA are not ready to compete when they got too much to offer but don't know how to book it. If they can't under Russo, what chance do they have with Hogan in charge?

In short, WWE are not trying because Vince doesn't believe in the war as much as TNA did with last night and TNA have too much ammo but not enough guns to fire them while exhausting the new extras ahead of the main guns they already had prior to Hogan joining.

 

[neildittmar]

To answer the first question in the thread topic, No, WWE has not even begun to compete with TNA on anything resembling a serious level. Why should they? TNA poses no credible threat to Vince and Company right now. I agree that Bret Hart on 1/4 was probably more about the timing of the Royal Rumble and Wrestlemania rather than TNA running a 3 hour program in a competing time slot.

As for TNA running out of ammo already... an equally emphatic No. TNA showed that when the formula is right, they can put on a compelling wrestling program that not only competes with WWE's A show, but possibly edges it out. Consistency will tell the story here, as where TNA goes from its success on 1/4 will be the deciding factor. There are a ton of "what happens next" scenarios in TNA right now that have this long-time wrestling fan interested... and that's the whole point.

WCW beat WWF in the ratings for a year and a half straight because folks wanted to see what would happen on Nitro next... much moreso than on RAW. It's difficult to deny that TNA had that intangible vibe all night on 1/4. They need to consistently prove that they can maintain that vibe on a weekly basis. If they can, we may just have another actual Monday Night War on our hands.

 

[Super Crazy]

I have to say the WWE does not appear to be attempting any form of competition. They know their current format works, they know it draws the fans and makes them money. WWE is just going to sit back and watch while TNA tries to get to their level. Once TNA reaches the level of succcess that the WWE has, or even comes to close to it, then I believe Vince will start pulling out the big guns.

As for your second question, I'd say no, TNA is not out of ammo. Sure they debuted a whole list of guys last night, but, it all depends on how they use them and their staff they had prior to last night. I'd say they run out of ammo once they stop coming up with entertaining storylines. But right now, they've still got ammo to fire and it should be interesting to see what happens.

The only issues is here that almost none of the original talent was showcased last night. All the main guys that are essentially the faces of the company got little to no time on air compared to Hogan and his buddies. The good thing out of this is that AJ got his time to shine, put on one hell of a match with Kurt, and Hogan said it best " AJ is the best wrestler in this business today. "

 

[hatehabsforever]

I couldn't agree with you more, D-MAN. TNA pulled out all the stops last night and went head to head with Monday Night Raw. They brought out a host of old recycled talent, pulled off a number of big surprises, had an extra hour or air time, and they still may only edge out WWE in the ratings for the night. Maybe. My prediction is that RAW will still maintain a comfortable lead in the ratings numbers, albeit closer than normal, and worse case scenario for WWE, iMPACT may very slightly get the upper hand, although I doubt it. RAW should still exceed 3.0 while TNA will be lucky to crack 1.5.

This is with WWE doing virtually nothing outstanding to quell the uprising. Because I agree with you, I think the whole Hart thing has been in the works, behind the scenes, for some time now and its head to head timing with Hogan was nothing more than a convenient coincidence. I believe Vince would have jumped at an opportunity to bring the Hitman back to RAW to heal old wounds for all parties, knowing it would make for extremely compelling television, whether the TNA assault began last night or not.

If WWE really saw TNA as competition and wanted to wage a war, they would have extended their time slot to the full three hour head to head and not give TNA a running head start. They would have brought in talent from their other brands such as the Undertaker, Mysterio, or Batista. And they certainly wouldn't have allowed their top guy to miss the event due to some Fiesta Bowl. They didn't even have a pre-recorded segment from Cena to further his feud with Sheamus. They wouldn't have had their top tier belt be held by some nobody. And they too would have attepted to bring in some big guns, such as SCSA or the Rock. It's total lack of effort and its complacency of effort reeks of confidence and the knowledge that in my earlier analogy of the Tortoiose and the Hare, they are content to be the Tortoise, slow and steady, letting the other side fizzle out and crash and burn early. Like a sprinter rather than a marathoner.

So the answer to part one of the question is NO, the WWE hasn't even begun to really try and compete with TNA. Watch out when and if they do.

For part two of the question, I do believe TNA is out of ammo, or soon will be. They are the sprinter, the hare, quick out of the gate without the ability or the resources to sustain it.

Jeff Hardy debuts. Shock value! But now what? Who does he wrestle? In the X-Division? Against a bunch of no-names? When he could be wrestling the Undertaker or Batista or someone like this for the World Heavyweight Championship at WM26? Is he going to leap frog Angle and several other guys into the main event picture? Will Angle's massive ego allow this? If not he'll be stuck in the upper mid-card until he self destructs or implodes without the constraints and controls offered by WWE.

Ric Flair debuts. Shock value! But now what? He's still old and looking very much so. He mentors Styles, who has already sort of been mentored by Sting. And has been at the top of TNA pretty much since its inception.

Val Venis, Orlando Jordan and the like debut. Classic "WWE rejects." They offer nothing.

Hogan and his cronies debut, complete with black attire, black beard, and old re-done nWo theme music. Where do they go with this? Hogan cannot wrestle. Bischoff isn't a wrestler. Hall is old, fat, and drunk. Waltman is an imbecile. Nash looks like the before image of a Grecian Formula commercial. If they reincarnate the nWo, it's old and tired a decade ago. If the new Hogan casts out his former cronies, it's of limited relevance. And isn't a Hogan/Bischoff/Carter versus Foley/Jarrett just WCW versus nWo a decade or so later?

I enjoyed iMPACT last night despite by Sidious-like negativity above. But it was all nostalgia, all style without substance, all pomp and pagentry without the funds or the ability to back it up. When push comes to shove, it's still only TNA. They're still a distant second place for a reason, and from where I'm sitting, few of these reasons have been addressed. It's still low budget. It's still in the Impact Zone. It's still WWE-lite. So enjoy it while you can, TNA smarks, because it won't last long. The War will be over before many more shots are fired, because one side is already almost out of ammo. All I hope is when the dust settles, the ingrates such as Jeff Hardy, Ric Flair, and Hulk Hogan are finally put out to pasture.

 

[MisterRob]

No, of course WWE hasn't begun to compete with TNA, because there's nothing to compete with. TNA isnt a threat. This past Mondays horrible, horrible Impact show certainly is not going to change that. TNA isn't competition, WWE and Vince McMahon know that, and so why would they care what TNA does? They don't. That was clear by the fact they weren't putting on a show to compete with TNA, they were putting on a show that fans wanted to see (Bret Hart) and building towards the Road to Wrestlemania. That's called good business. That's called good booking. That's somehting TNA has never learned and still can't seem to grasp, even with old veterans running the show.

TNA had no ammo in my mind. Hogan isn't ammo, he's an old past his prime legend who doesn't draw anymore and will just bury TNA because of his need to be in the spotlight. There were clear hints of that on Impact.. and that was his first show! Hall, Nash, Waltman are not ammo. Hall is a drunk who no one's interested in anymore and who will likely drop the ball, as he always does, and disappear in a few weeks because of his addictions. Nash is old and can't wrestle. No one cared about Waltman in his prime, why would they care about him now that he's almost 40 years old? Ric Flair can no longer carry the spotlight because no one wants to see him long term, and that's what WWE realized and that's what TNA is stupid for not realizing. Flair is a legend, he can draw still, but only when it's done on special occassions. No one wants to see a sixty year old man week after week on the show, he brings nothing long term to the table, and certainly not in the ring. The only hint of ammo they had was Jeff Hardy and lastnight proved they won't even be using him properly. Hardy's going to get buried in the mid card, overshadowed by old timers who don't even see him as a star or a main event player. Jeff Hardy was a star in WWE, he's nothing in TNA. He's not going to draw in the demographic he did in WWE, because for one.. they're kids. WWE's whole product was designed to draw in that demographic and Hardy was a piece of it, a highlight of it, that isn't the case in TNA because their product isn't built the same way and therefore that demographic won't even be watching TNA.

TNA was out of ammo before they even started, and from here on out they're going to be just shooting blanks. Big surprise.

 

[hatehabsforever]

That's another excellent point, MISTERROB, that I hadn't really thought of. TNA is clearly targeting a different demographic than WWE is. WWE has the whole debated-to-death PG-rating, like it or not. Language has been toned down (Vince wanted to kick Bret in the Guts). The women are more completely clothed (which is unfortunate with Maryse on the roster). There's no blood, no excessive violence. There's plenty of silly skits like Hornswoggle or Santino. This may targert a younger demographic audience, the type of audience, like my 10 year old son, who loves Jeff Hardy.

TNA, in contrast, has language, strip poker, obscene gestures, blood, etc., all reminiscent of the Attitude Era, which doesn't jive with Jeff Hardy's style or target audience. I would let my 10 year old son watch WWE, I would probably screen TNA first before letting him watch it if last night's show is indicative of their direction. Bottom line, Jeff Hardy may not be the superstar or the huge draw that he was in WWE.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

TNA came out guns blazing last night, no question. When you watch both shows, it was clear that both had different ideas about what last night meant. To TNA, they saw this as a chance to show ultimately what they can do. To the WWE, it was mostly about just putting on a solid show and welcoming back a legend in the business.

Did TNA fire too many shots last night? Well that all depends on how you look at it. Now, if you're someone that's excited about seeing a group of older wrestlers or an nWo reformation teaser, then you loved last night. Me personally, I just thought it was an average show for the most part. An nWo reunion, the Nasty Boys running around, Orlando Jordan, Shannon Moore, Ric Flair, and Hulk Hogan didn't interest me. I knew that those guys would all be at least shown on TNA tv last night, but it wasn't really a big deal to me. If it wasn't a big deal to you either, then the highlights of the night were easily Jeff Hardy showing up and the Angle/Styles main event classic.

The WWE did not really try to compete with TNA last night in my view. Like it or dislike it, the WWE is the top dog of wrestling companies in the world. We all sometimes have different opinions on what being top dog means, but the WWE is the company with the audience. The WWE ultimately isn't going to treat TNA as competition until/unless TNA starts putting up some much bigger numbers than the 1.0 they've been averaging for about 4 months now.

Vince McMahon fought and won the Monday Night Wars. If he ultimately winds up considering TNA competition, he will come out with guns blazing. Say whatever you like about Vince McMahon personally. He can be a true world class bastard I'm sure, but the man IS NOT afraid of a fight. He's fought other wrestling promoters, he's fought former wrestlers in court, he's fought the United States Judicial System and the federal government in and of itself. If he decides to "fight" TNA, believe me, we won't have to be wondering whether or not he's really trying to compete.

 

[Ambiguous Turd]

No, the WWE hasn't really tried to compete with TNA. Vince played a safe card last night against TNA with bringing Bret Hart on board. And that undoubtedly stimulated a lot of interest. But no, it is clear that they didn't come out with guns blazing last night, as other than Bret Hart, there was nothing else Vince really presented the fans with out of the norm.

However, as pretty much most acknowledge, TNA absolutely blew WWE out of the water last night in terms of show quality.

But TNA had to do this. Because they are NOT in the same level as WWE, and they had no choice but to find ways to increase their perception in the eyes of the fans in order to be a big time player in this game. The factors they have working against them are the "WWE Universe Fans", who will not give any other wrestling organization a chance to begin with. If the organization doesn't have the WWE initials, then they simply aren't interested, no matter what the organization puts on.

So TNA had an uphill battle to climb in this war.

Are they out of ammo after last night? Not at all. They fired a ton of ammo last night, but no they aren't out of ammo. I can think of any number of things to help spice interest for them that doesn't necessarily require them to sign new people. Although, new talent will come when TNA's perception is increased in the eyes of the fans, and more fans are drawn to the events.

Once TNA begins touring out of the Impact Zone, look out.

But there are any number of things TNA can do to get WWE's attention along with putting things on to interest fans. The booking last night provided the fans with an "Anything can happen at any time" feeling that has long been missed from the wrestling world for probably close to a decade. Crash TV, a product derived by Vince Russo in the WWE, made its return in full force last night. You keep that up and keep giving the fans what they want, and TNA will make waives.

After last night's show, I would not be surprised to see them move Impact to Monday Nights very shortly. They really stepped their game up last night BIG TIME, which is more ammo just waiting to be saved.

 

[Toroc102]

I think its weird the amount of Ric Flair hate that has started to come out of the woodwork, like they're going to build the company around Ric. Like in WWE he was valuable but not in TNA?

Anyway, no WWE hasn't, but the point is to get them to try or to get things changed. If Vince puts on a better product because of TNA then who loses? Hopefully this leads to the eradication of the PG thing, because if it doesn't, Vince will be limiting himself. TNA would be able to offer anything WWE could, but the WWE couldn't say the same. Of course if Vince were to try he'd probably destroy TNA. If he were to bring back an attitude style program I have no doubt TNA's hopes would be over, basically unless Ted Turner(or Mark Cuban or some other billionaire) were to start another Wrestling company, no one really stands a chance against a full force WWE. Against WWE, TNA is basically competeting with WcW and WWE combined. The sad thing is that WWE can do w/e they want when they have no competition, WWE will probably always have enough fans to dominate cable.

 

[Kenny Powers]

I don't think WWE is trying to compete with TNA at all really. I'm sure they would of brought Bret out sooner or later but without TNA competing, I think WWE would of brought Bret out after Royal Rumble.

TNA may have blew their wad early with all the debuts last night, but it gave that old feeling of excitement to wrestling fans and that anything can happen. Raw hasn't proved that in a long time. Sometimes Raw will put out something shocking and special once in a while, but usually its the same.

I guess it doesn't matter since Raw received the highest ratings they have ever got since last summer. I think TNA has a lot more surprises in store. I really think they are on the right track as long as Nash/Waltman and The Nasty Boys don't take up much of the show. I think we will see more TNA shows and possibly more shows on Monday Night in the future.

Who knows, maybe this time next year the Monday Night Wars will kick off again or TNA will be back where they started. I hope TNA continues to grow and people will give it a chance. It seems though no matter how much talent or success TNA gets, people will still hate on TNA just for being an alternative to WWE.

 

[burnout4200]

Since everyone said no I'm gonna switch it up again. Yes, WWE did try to compete with TNA last night. I'm not even saying this to be different. In my eyes it was obvious.

People seem to think The Hitman was already going to appear on RAW that night. So it's just a coincidence huh? I'm not buying it. After The Hitman got off the air one of the rumors came true. As soon as The Knockouts were out there they threw Maryse on TV fighting against a Bella Twin. The Bellas don't wrestle anymore. It must have been a special occasion to throw the hot ass twins out there. Let's look at some other matches as well. 4-way dance for #1 contender to The US Title. That match is a big deal. #1 contender matches are important. Jerishow vs DX, Jericho leaves RAW if Jerishow loses. So not only was it a title match but the added stipulation was an attention grabber. Kofi vs Orton is the hottest feud they got going. So they made them fight one on one giving Orton the clean win which kind of hurt Kofi. There was also an added stipulation to that one. If Orton loses he's out of Legacy. Another attention grabber. They also built their crappy champion by putting him up against Evan Bourne who always gets a good reaction from the crowd. He squashed him as expected but they gotta give their champion some credibility somehow.

So lets break down the card.

Hitman confronts Shawn Micheals
Maryse vs a Bella in the first round of the Divas Championship Tournament (in direct competition with the knockouts)
Miz woos Maryse
4-way Dance for US Title #1 Contender
Hitman meets Jericho
DX vs Jerishow for Tag Titles - If Jericho loses he's off RAW
Sheamus vs Bourne (If Bourne wins he gets a World Title shot at The Rumble)
Kofi vs Orton (If Orton loses he's out of Legacy)
Hitman/Vince confrontation

On paper thats the most stacked card WWE has had in forever. They simply don't give away that much stuff on one show. Every single match was for huge stakes. There wasn't one match on the card that didn't have a significant importance. Read my breakdown again then tell me WWE wasn't trying to compete with TNA. Stop being delusional. WWE didn't get stale by putting on cards like that.


TNA isn't out of ammo. They have way too much ammo and can use it as sparingly as they want. The thing is 1/4 wasn't the day to hold back. They had to throw everything out there and show RAW viewers why they should start watching Impact. Without the Hardy debut TNA would have gotten alot more bad reviews than it did. That was the most exciting thing that happened and people are saying they should have waited? That's why you'll never been in charge of a business let alone a wrestling promotion. You gotta show all of your cards if you're trying to get people addicted. If you want a guy hooked on cocaine you don't give him one line and hope it works. You fill up the damn tray in front of his face and say have at it. Bad example maybe but you get my point. TNA would have to be stupid to hold back.

 

[maar130]

Simple put, WWE will allow TNA do whatever the want until it is really start to pisses Vince off, and right now with all the Markets he has conquered, Ratings being not in a real downfall and nothing that can put him in jeopardy in the forseesable future, he is like in a regular day at the office.

TNA has pulled most of it surprises out on Monday but still has a few under their sleeve. hopefully they use them right, but it is going to be a long time before you see them anywhere near the WWE.

TNA showed they can put on a quality product but we all know that if the WWE wants, they can also bolw that product out of the water. AJ VS Angle was great but if the WWE wants to counter well you have a lot of posssibilites like HBK VS Punk that counter that.

 

[burnout4200]

RAW put their best foot forward on Monday and the show still sucked. Vince is already pissed off. Do you have any idea how much Hardy merchandise they sold? Not to mention that they just put out both a Hulk Hogan and Jeff Hardy DVD that they have to pull off the shelves. TNA is already costing Vince a whole lot of money.

I still can't believe everyone besides me seems to think WWE isn't even trying to compete and theyre ignoring TNA. The RAW card was stacked but it doesn't change the fact that their guys are getting stale. WWE hasn't had a card like that in years but I guess thats just a coincidence like Bret Hart being on RAW Monday. Surrrreeee.

 

[MisterRob]

RAW put their best foot forward on Monday and the show still sucked. Vince is already pissed off. Do you have any idea how much Hardy merchandise they sold? Not to mention that they just put out both a Hulk Hogan and Jeff Hardy DVD that they have to pull off the shelves. TNA is already costing Vince a whole lot of money.

I still can't believe everyone besides me seems to think WWE isn't even trying to compete and theyre ignoring TNA. The RAW card was stacked but it doesn't change the fact that their guys are getting stale. WWE hasn't had a card like that in years but I guess thats just a coincidence like Bret Hart being on RAW Monday. Surrrreeee.

What in the world are you talking about? How was that card stacked? A first round Diva match in a tournament is something special? Randy Orton vs. Kofi Kingston, which has been done before is a stacked card? Sheamus vs. Evan Bourne? Huh? A fatal four way between four mid card wrestlers? I didn't see anything different from other weeks on RAW, and if you stopped trying to pretend like WWE gave a damn and went back to previous RAW cards you'd understand that.

The week's card before they had John Cena vs. Sheamus for the WWE Championship, Kofi Kingston vs. the Miz for the US championship, Cody Rhodes vs. Mark Henry and Ted Dibiase vs. Evan Bourne (which if you combine is the same as four midcarders in a match like the Fatal Four way from this past week). So no, I think that cards just as stacked as this past Monday's. The only difference was the guest host.

How about the week before that? We had Sheamus defending the WWE championship against MVP, with Cena involved (certainly a bigger match then this week with Sheamus against Bourne). The Miz defended his US championship. John Cena vs. Jack Swagger, and even a six man tag between Kingston, Henry, Bourne vs. Legacy.

So no, you're entirely wrong. What RAW was doing, and you can see signs of it by reviewing the past several shows, was putting an end to feuds this week (Orton/Kingston, DX/Jerishow, Sheamus/Cena) and starting fresh to begin new feuds and move forward. It is the new year, after all.

The only thing that was huge about this past Monday's RAW was Bret Hart. The show wasn't anymore stacked then any other week, it didn't change at all from the routine and platform it's used every other week. So, you sound pretty silly, really.

And another thing: Why would Vince McMahon be pissed off and pull the Hardy and Hogan dvd? Them being promoted, whether it's with the WWE or not, is still going to make him money through those dvds. He doesn't give two shits, I'm sure, and I very much doubt you're going to see him pulling anything. This actually works in his favor, because Hogan and Hardy are still fresh and people will be more inclined to buy the dvds because those two are in fan's minds. He's just making money off the competition! It must be good to be Vince.