I'm not quite sure if WWE will respond to TNA just yet, I believe it is too early for them too know whether or not TNA will be able too draw a big enough audience but only time will tell. If it is true that WWE are having The Rock as the guest host then i'm guessing that's how they are dealing with it and its a pretty big way to respond too them.
How Will WWE respond to TNA?
- Thread starter The Viper
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Ambiguous Turd
Mid-Card Championship Winner
Well, according to this, Vince is keeping his mouth quiet, which is probably smart:
What a great thing for TNA to take advantage of, with Cena not being there. If they would go Commercial Free, and feature Hogan, Sting, Eric Bischoff and others on camera .... it will give RAW a run for it's money for sure.
As far as what WWE will do to respond, I am sure they will eventually make it a 3 hour Raw, but probably not announce it until we draw closer to the date. The will likely do that because if they announce it now, that will just give TNA more ammo to up the ante, since they see they are getting a response out of WWE.
So if WWE responds at all, it probably won't be until later down the road.
However, if TNA is smart, they will go all out for this, regardless if they see Vince reacting to it or not. Vince's reaction isn't the goal. Drawing fans and expanding your audience, IS the goal.
What a great thing for TNA to take advantage of, with Cena not being there. If they would go Commercial Free, and feature Hogan, Sting, Eric Bischoff and others on camera .... it will give RAW a run for it's money for sure.
As far as what WWE will do to respond, I am sure they will eventually make it a 3 hour Raw, but probably not announce it until we draw closer to the date. The will likely do that because if they announce it now, that will just give TNA more ammo to up the ante, since they see they are getting a response out of WWE.
So if WWE responds at all, it probably won't be until later down the road.
However, if TNA is smart, they will go all out for this, regardless if they see Vince reacting to it or not. Vince's reaction isn't the goal. Drawing fans and expanding your audience, IS the goal.
Kanye South
YEP YEP YEP WHAT IT DO
How? While I am a big TNA fan, the WWE could crush TNA with it's thumb. All Vince has to do is call up The Rock or Austin, and no matter how mediocre the show is, the ratings will still overcome TNA. So it's not really important how WWE responds, it's more how TNA attacks. We all know WWE can destroy TNA with a few phone calls or an advertisement of a big match. But with John Cena not being there, this is the perfect oppurtunity for TNA to make a dent in WWE. So to answer your question, the WWE will probably land Rock or Austin to host Raw, and get higher ratings than TNA. However, TNA will still win in the end if they put on the better show.
Jack-Hammer
YOU WILL RESPECT MY AUTHORITAH!!!!
The best thing that the WWE can do is to make the next few weeks of Raw as strong as they can while going into things and ultimately not announce what they ultimately plan to do for the Jan 4 show until much further down the line, roughly on the last Raw of this year.
TNA is the considerably smaller and less well known company and that puts it at more disadvantages than just sheer numbers. The WWE is a much more established company and name. The WWE is going to have millions of people tune in on Jan 4 no matter what, so they can afford to play coy for a while.
They can continue to downplay anything that TNA does or says by not even acknowledging TNA openly in the least. I have a feeling that the WWE will try to put on the strongest show it can by having a very very big name on Raw to try and counter Hulk Hogan on TNA. And, even if to counter TNA is the primary reason why the WWE would do that, they still don't have to say that's the reason. By even mentioning TNA, the WWE gives them publicity and they're not going to do that. The WWE is going to continue to do what it's been doing: ignore TNA and don't even acknowledge that it exists. If TNA wants media attention, if TNA wants to make itself more well known, then it would be foolish of the WWE to do anything ot make TNA's job easier.
TNA is the considerably smaller and less well known company and that puts it at more disadvantages than just sheer numbers. The WWE is a much more established company and name. The WWE is going to have millions of people tune in on Jan 4 no matter what, so they can afford to play coy for a while.
They can continue to downplay anything that TNA does or says by not even acknowledging TNA openly in the least. I have a feeling that the WWE will try to put on the strongest show it can by having a very very big name on Raw to try and counter Hulk Hogan on TNA. And, even if to counter TNA is the primary reason why the WWE would do that, they still don't have to say that's the reason. By even mentioning TNA, the WWE gives them publicity and they're not going to do that. The WWE is going to continue to do what it's been doing: ignore TNA and don't even acknowledge that it exists. If TNA wants media attention, if TNA wants to make itself more well known, then it would be foolish of the WWE to do anything ot make TNA's job easier.
Well, rumor is just a rumor that the Rock will be the guest host, but apparently the Rock has a full schedule for January promoting movies or something.
WWE still has to acknowledge what they will do. TNA should count it as a win if (A big IF) the WWE counters with anything, if the WWE does nothing about it, TNA has lost their battle, because there is no way, Not even if Hogan said so, that TNA is pulling a 3.0 for rating, not even if its live depended on it. I am going to be optimistic and say they will pull a 1.5 for the Hogan debut and that is been really optimistic.
Now, don't jump on it because you thing I believe TNA has a bad product, that is not about it, I like TNA too but is too soon, they are a young organization and need more time to grow and to make more mistakes (This being probably one of them in a good way) and to learn from them.
Come on, everyone is so desperate that TNA take the war to the WWE that is not even funny, and most of the people want that not because they want TNA to succeed but for WWE to improve and being that edgy Wrestling organization it once was.
TNA has only seven years in the park, not even if they say it a thousand times they are going to be competition for the WWE.
But hey, Monday January 4th will be a good example of what they can expect for the next year, just remeber that the night that Raw was aired on an Impact! night, TNA lost half of its audience.
I still thing that bringing the old carcase of Hogan (seriously, the guy is alucinating if he thinks they can get 3.0 of rating) is not the right solution for it all, specially with him saying he is going to be the Boss of TNA, saying that all WWE is scripted and all, if someone is scripted as Hell (just assuming, don´t know if Hell is scripted, haven't been there...yet) is Hulk Hogan, everything he does is scripted somehow, his reality show, his ways, etc.
WWE still has to acknowledge what they will do. TNA should count it as a win if (A big IF) the WWE counters with anything, if the WWE does nothing about it, TNA has lost their battle, because there is no way, Not even if Hogan said so, that TNA is pulling a 3.0 for rating, not even if its live depended on it. I am going to be optimistic and say they will pull a 1.5 for the Hogan debut and that is been really optimistic.
Now, don't jump on it because you thing I believe TNA has a bad product, that is not about it, I like TNA too but is too soon, they are a young organization and need more time to grow and to make more mistakes (This being probably one of them in a good way) and to learn from them.
Come on, everyone is so desperate that TNA take the war to the WWE that is not even funny, and most of the people want that not because they want TNA to succeed but for WWE to improve and being that edgy Wrestling organization it once was.
TNA has only seven years in the park, not even if they say it a thousand times they are going to be competition for the WWE.
But hey, Monday January 4th will be a good example of what they can expect for the next year, just remeber that the night that Raw was aired on an Impact! night, TNA lost half of its audience.
I still thing that bringing the old carcase of Hogan (seriously, the guy is alucinating if he thinks they can get 3.0 of rating) is not the right solution for it all, specially with him saying he is going to be the Boss of TNA, saying that all WWE is scripted and all, if someone is scripted as Hell (just assuming, don´t know if Hell is scripted, haven't been there...yet) is Hulk Hogan, everything he does is scripted somehow, his reality show, his ways, etc.
Supersayin
The Phenomenal
Im not getting defensive in anyway, your a typical WWE fanboy (Mcmahons servant) who speaks without logic like the rest of them. WWE hasnt blown anyone out of the water and never will. They buy out companies when they are vulnerable not "blow them out of the water".
I havent watched WWE properly since 2001 so no, i didnt copy it from them. They could of copied it from me for all i know. "more fans around the world means a better rating, sorry but thats the truth i guaranDANMtee it". Um yeah isnt that the point, no one wants to see a wrestling show in a theme park, but if they see a wrestling show in a proper arena (3000-20000) then TNA can easily beat WWE in the ratings.
They still wont make the same money as WWE but beating their flagship show head to head is better than nothing.
Of course you're being defensive, if anyone criticizes TNA, you immediately react negatively, usually with insults such as the particularly lame "WWE fanboy (Mcmahons servant)."
Plus you're delusional. Of course WWE blew WCW out of the water. They bought them out when they were vulnerable because WWE made them vulnerable. They blew them out of the water and when they were finished, they bought up any remaining vestiges of the competition. Same as ECW. And will be the same with TNA, if there's anything of value left to purchase when the WWE is through with them. Talk to me on Jan 05, when WWE, with or without Bret Hart or the Rock, has trounced TNA in the ratings. Again.
In an earlier thread, you stated something to the effect that McMahon is shitting his pants because of the threat being posed by TNA. This has to be one of the most laughable and uninformed comments I have ever read on this site. What is McMahon nervous about? The 1.1 rating which will swell up to a resounding 1.5 when Hogan debuts, stay there for a few weeks, and then go right back where it was? The threat to their live audiences, in case the WWE audience has a sudden urge to visit a school gymnasium, also known as the Impact Zone? The threat to their PPV purchases, in case WWE purchasers decide to buy TNA PPV's instead of WWE PPV's and TNA actually sells 1000 PPV's this time?
If Vince is nervous, he sure has a funny way of showing it. Putting the WWE title and the IC belt on new and untested guys. Continuing with the guest host concept and not deviating from his status quo, whether you like it or not.
Let's face it, Vince McMahon coulnn't care less about TNA, I doubt he barely acknowledges their existence, maybe he will if they get their ratings to consistently beat his "C" and "D" shows, with which they are neck and neck on an average week.
I'm being a little sarcastic, but come on, man, you talk like TNA is going to compete with WWE in the near future. While that would be great, I'd actually love it if it were true, as the competition would be great for everyone and make everyone's product better, plus it would give wrestling fans more options to watch. It's just that your viewpoint is pure fiction and will be for the forseeable future. And let's face it, once the forseeable future ends, so too will Hogan's tenure with the company, and the wars are over.
Kenny Powers
Bulletproof Tiger
WWE will probably blow them out of the water, but after seeing what garbage went down last night on Raw, I will be surprised. Next week we have Johnny Damon and his secret Santa to look forward too, along with the awesome Little People's Court segment.
WWE is pretty much saying we can put on what ever crap we want, and people will still watch it. It may be true, but ratings say otherwise. It sounds like Bret Hart may be brought in the near future. I'm not getting my hopes up because Bret Hart has been teased more times then The Rock or Austin wrestling again has been teased.
So yeah probably WWE doesn't have to do much to compete with TNA, but we may be singing a different tune after January 4th. Especially if TNA has Hogan, Sting, RVD, and Ric Flair up their sleeve, and that just may be the tip of the iceberg as far as what talent TNA will bring in.
WWE is pretty much saying we can put on what ever crap we want, and people will still watch it. It may be true, but ratings say otherwise. It sounds like Bret Hart may be brought in the near future. I'm not getting my hopes up because Bret Hart has been teased more times then The Rock or Austin wrestling again has been teased.
So yeah probably WWE doesn't have to do much to compete with TNA, but we may be singing a different tune after January 4th. Especially if TNA has Hogan, Sting, RVD, and Ric Flair up their sleeve, and that just may be the tip of the iceberg as far as what talent TNA will bring in.
Big Ol' Buckta AIDS
Pre-Show Stalwart
Last night I was watching The Rise and Fall of WCW after Raw and at the end alot of the people who had been interviewed kept saying one thing. in Profeesional Wrestling competion makes everyone better. So do I think that the WWE will respond to this? Definatly, my guess is that the E will take it into overdrive for at least that one Raw on the 4th and probably for a couple of months afterwords. After winning the Money Night Wars i dont think the E will even give TNA a chance to breath. As for changing the PG rating, that isn't going to change for the forseeable future. His wife is running for senate and she isn't going to be linked to an Atitude era type of show.
It's...Baylariat!
Team Finnley Baylor
This all depends on what TNA does. The ball's in their court. I'd like to see them be competitive and make a product that's not boring and stale. The WWE can turn on the jets if needed and that's a scary thought for TNA fans. The WWE's known to put their system on cruise control and just book for the sake of booking. Now, they can light a fire under the wrestlers to bring their A game and try to make a watchable product.
The past few months, the WWE's really taken a back seat and just let things happen. There's nothing to force the WWE to do anything, so they do what they want. The thing with TNA is they'll try to be an alternative to the WWE instead of better than the WWE, which may backfire. Hopefully, Vince has something up his sleeve and doesn't let TNA get a big swing of momentum.
The past few months, the WWE's really taken a back seat and just let things happen. There's nothing to force the WWE to do anything, so they do what they want. The thing with TNA is they'll try to be an alternative to the WWE instead of better than the WWE, which may backfire. Hopefully, Vince has something up his sleeve and doesn't let TNA get a big swing of momentum.
I don't think they'll do anything. Hogan has to prove that he is still relevant, and I already think that TNA is starting to lose steam with this Hogan angle. There's no reason for the WWE to react yet. A half arsed Raw will probably not even feel the bump of Impact, and I definitely feel it is too much too soon. I think that Vince will ignore it, TNA will go over the top, and set themselves back about 3 years in terms of being seen legitimate compensation. A horrendous move by TNA, and I doubt Vince will react, because it isn't a threat.
IMO WWE just took the ball from the opposite endzone and ran it back 110 yards for a touchdown with the 3 month signing of the "Hitman". Now can TNA create and offense to counter-produce this? I seriously doubt it. What wrestling fan in their right mind would miss Bret returning to the WWE. If you are out there you are dense or have no clue what the "screw job" was. As far as anything else they can or should do, they don't have to they are comfortable where they are.
If Bret Hart guest hosts the 4th January Raw then yes TNA are in big trouble because it's been 12 years since the Hitman was last seen in a WWE ring so WWE will have secured the victory for the night easily with him on board.
Hogan still has the it factor amongst the older fans but as he is approaching 60 years old many younger fans heading into the new decade will want to see a wrestling show now focusing on newer wrestlers.
Raw will win in the ratings easily for the night.
Hogan still has the it factor amongst the older fans but as he is approaching 60 years old many younger fans heading into the new decade will want to see a wrestling show now focusing on newer wrestlers.
Raw will win in the ratings easily for the night.
Dragonslayer
Getting Noticed By Management
Well as said before, I really think it is already an achievement of some sorts for TNA that WWE appears to be reacting at all (in the signing of Bret Hart, if he indeed will be the Guest Host of the Jan 4th Raw) - even if they only achieved so much as a tour de force by Vince McMahon, who's really flexing his muscles here quite a bit; if only to show TNA that they are in no position yet to challenge WWE, Hogan or no Hogan.
But overall, I'd see this as a really good sign. It might not be the start of a full-fledged Monday Night War again, but the mere fact that WWE is indeed trying to put on a better show simply because of the fact that "the other company" now has a live show as well, is nothing but good news for the wrestling business itself, as that is - ultimately - what made the Monday Night Wars so great: Two good shows, trying to outdo one another on a regular basis. Now in this case, it remains to be seen if TNA can walk that walk on a regular basis indeed (but it would already help if they only did like a "supershow" live every 3-4 months), because apparently, WWE does indeed see a small necessity to step up their game in a direct confrontation situation, if only to prove (and maybe secure) their absolute market dominance.
So I'd say, simply by forcing (or well, rather enticing) WWE to step up their game, TNA has achieved something that many wrestling fans have been longing for for a long time - they have given WWE a reason to try and deliver a better product instead of the stale same old-same old they've been dishing out for the past 2-3 years, if only for one night. And I'd say that is a big success; if not for TNA (which remains to be seen), then definitely for the wrestling community as a whole.
That being said, with Bret Hart now the more likely alternative as Guest Host for RAW as opposed to the Rock, I also think that RAW will have the definite edge. They might have already had it most likely with The Rock, but Bret Hart returning - especially to an older generation of fans, i.e. the Attitude Era fans who've outgrown WWE's product today due to the more child-friendly direction, might now be lured into tuning in again, just for nostalgia's sake.
And of course there is also the - very slim, but not quite impossible - chance that Vince will be pulling out all the stops on Jan 4th - and I mean ALL the stops - and have Bret Hart appear on RAW, but not as Guest Host, but already in an angle involvement around the Hart Dynasty and/or HBK/DX for example, and have ON THAT SAME NIGHT The Rock as the guest host... Guess that would be one HUGE Raw, lol. Not likely going to happen, but still not to be ruled out entirely.
In any case, Jan 4th should be a true feast for any wrestling fan, as there'll be a lot of stuff to see that night, both on WWE and TNA programming - something that has not taken place in almost a decade. And yeah, I'm getting myself hyped here, hehe.
But overall, I'd see this as a really good sign. It might not be the start of a full-fledged Monday Night War again, but the mere fact that WWE is indeed trying to put on a better show simply because of the fact that "the other company" now has a live show as well, is nothing but good news for the wrestling business itself, as that is - ultimately - what made the Monday Night Wars so great: Two good shows, trying to outdo one another on a regular basis. Now in this case, it remains to be seen if TNA can walk that walk on a regular basis indeed (but it would already help if they only did like a "supershow" live every 3-4 months), because apparently, WWE does indeed see a small necessity to step up their game in a direct confrontation situation, if only to prove (and maybe secure) their absolute market dominance.
So I'd say, simply by forcing (or well, rather enticing) WWE to step up their game, TNA has achieved something that many wrestling fans have been longing for for a long time - they have given WWE a reason to try and deliver a better product instead of the stale same old-same old they've been dishing out for the past 2-3 years, if only for one night. And I'd say that is a big success; if not for TNA (which remains to be seen), then definitely for the wrestling community as a whole.
That being said, with Bret Hart now the more likely alternative as Guest Host for RAW as opposed to the Rock, I also think that RAW will have the definite edge. They might have already had it most likely with The Rock, but Bret Hart returning - especially to an older generation of fans, i.e. the Attitude Era fans who've outgrown WWE's product today due to the more child-friendly direction, might now be lured into tuning in again, just for nostalgia's sake.
And of course there is also the - very slim, but not quite impossible - chance that Vince will be pulling out all the stops on Jan 4th - and I mean ALL the stops - and have Bret Hart appear on RAW, but not as Guest Host, but already in an angle involvement around the Hart Dynasty and/or HBK/DX for example, and have ON THAT SAME NIGHT The Rock as the guest host... Guess that would be one HUGE Raw, lol. Not likely going to happen, but still not to be ruled out entirely.
In any case, Jan 4th should be a true feast for any wrestling fan, as there'll be a lot of stuff to see that night, both on WWE and TNA programming - something that has not taken place in almost a decade. And yeah, I'm getting myself hyped here, hehe.
VintageWWE
Pre-Show Stalwart
I seriously doubt WWE will change much unless there is a significant drop in ratings, which I don't think will happen. If WWE does change then I hope the PG rating will go away. Seriously is the PG campaign even working? How many more kids have they attracted? How many parents actually look at ratings of tv shows? We need to see more action in the ring and better hosts. I hate it when the hosts are just B-list celebrities trying to promote a new movie. I rather see former wrestlers like Jesse Ventura and Ted DiBiase. WWE should stop trying to attract new audiences like kids and instead try to bring back the old audience. If a child's parents watch it chances are the kid will watch it too.
Big Nick Dudley
Nick
How will they respond??? BRET HART!! BABY!!! Haha, what an amazing counter to Hulk Hogan. If WWE can pull this off, and Hart comes in on Jan. 4th, and Raw does better that night in the ratings that TNA, that could be all she wrote. Hogan might be dead in the water over there quicker than Taz's WWF wrestling career.
I don't think there's any question that Raw will outdue TNA in the ratings. I'd be truly shocked if TNA outdid Raw on Monday. It's not about if Raw has higher ratings, it's about how much higher. If Raw drops significantly to something under 3, then things would get real interesting real fast.
However, bringing in Bret ensures that Raw won't drop to much, at least in my mind. Simply by bringing him back you're ensuring one of the biggest Raw shows in years and you are making sure you don't lose too much as far as ratings go. This is probably the best possible thing Vince could've done to counter TNA, aside from bringing back the Rock or having everyone wrestling nude.
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