IDR's Seven* Ways to Build a Successful TNA product

[It's Damn Real!]

For those of you who've been asking me to explain my signature, and for those of you who've just been waiting for me to do so, here it is:


1. Build stars. Don't buy them.

Yes, I'm aware that technically speaking all talents came from somewhere else at some point in time, be it the WCW, WWE, WWF, ECW, NWA, New Japan, etc., but no where in the wrestling industry is a company more discredited for signing on-the-declines, recent-releases or has-beens than than TNA. While in theory this isn't much of an issue as free agents are free agents, and talent is talent, every successful wrestling company in history has (generally speaking) built their biggest stars – not bought them. Three of the WWE's top-5 right now (IMO, Cena, Batista, Orton, Jericho and Edge) were all talent creations, not purchases. In fact, Cena, Batista and Orton all busted their way through the ranks in the WWE's developmental league OVW. Guys like The Giant (Big Show), Chris Kanyon, Kevin Nash, DDP and Daffney all developed their game by graduating through WCW's Power Plant. TNA doesn't have the same luxury as either powerhouse company seeing as they don't actually have a developmental league, but guys like AJ Styles, Desmond Wolfe, Samoe Joe and a number of their youth under contract despite coming from ROH and other independent circuits prior are still young enough to not be known for their work elsewhere (outside of the IWC), which still serves in the same manner in terms of building a star instead of buying one.

While RVD, Jeff Hardy, Kurt Angle, Mr. Anderson, D'Angelo Dinero and others are fantastic wrestlers, it's imperative that TNA still understand that youth will serve at one point or another if the company is to have any long-term success.


2. Don't close any show with Hogan (or Flair).

Yes, we realize they're stars. Yes, we realize they're legends. Yes, we realize they're (wrestling) gods. No, that doesn't mean they're still relevant main event caliber stars. No, that doesn't mean they still belong performing in that spot. It's hard enough fighting the penchant for fans to be just as turned off (as they are turned on) by Hogan because of his selfish tendencies as it is. The last thing the company needs is him using the spotlight he's more than capable of shining on guys in need of it to continue shining it on himself.


3. Add logic to storylines.

No more dropping the ball! I can't put it any simpler or in terms that could mean any more with less. Stories are supposed to arc and feuds are supposed to make sense. This crash-course TV shit is for the birds. It works for the momentary wrench-in-the-gears type swerve when you feel the company needs it, but to continue doing so week-after-week isn't any more compelling than it is confusing. If you're going to have Anderson and Pope feud because both need a new direction/partner, fine, so long as you actually explain why they're even feuding. If you're going to give RVD a title push, at least build to the fact that he's going to contend for the title. If you're going to have Flair feud with Abyss(mal) over Hall of Fame rings that don't even point to the Hall of Fame of your own company... actually, nevermind – that one isn't even moderately salvageable.


4. Get out of Orlando.

If the St. Louis (Saint Charles, Missouri) crowd that you drew for Lockdown 2010 wasn't proof enough that your company can and will draw and sell tickets if given the chance, I don't know what is. Futhermore, if you don't see the value in the size of your crowd making your product actually look more credible, I don't know what to tell you. Orlando is killing you, TNA. Absolutely killing you. Everything from the Cancer Crew you let into your doors week-after-week who do nothing but drag your product down by getting themselves over and onto your television broadcast by dancing around like idiots in front of the camera and chanting irrelevant and irreverent nonsense at the wrestlers on live television to the fact you make zero – count them – zero dollars on the price of admission because Universal Studios won't allow you to charge for the cost of ticket to your show because they own the building in which you film it is crushing you!


5. Be TNA, not WWE, WCW, ECW or WWF. Don't even be NWA.

Stop re-hashing the same tired and tried story lines that your competition exhausted and made famous a decade ago (or more). Even more so, stop thinking anyone still cares as it is! I am aware that the wrestling industry as a whole is for the most part one giant re-hash of some moment in time before it, but no company is more infamous for utilizing the same basic constructs that their competition has used (and often abused) before them like TNA. No one (and I speak for the general audience here) wants to see the nWo a la Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and Pac done all over again as a main event caliber angle when you're also re-hashing Golddust a la Orlando Jordan, Goldberg a la Rob Terry and Hulk Hogan a la Abyss(mal) at the same moment in time. It's too much credit conceded to your competition via the fact that you weren't creative enough to come up with your own ideas in the first place! Everyone begs, borrows and steals, but not everyone relies on all three at every turn as a means to sell their product on a weekly basis.


6. Market the product. You have to spend money to make money.

Facebook, Twitter and the internet in general can only do so much to sell your company to those who may not know about it. Take the time to advertise as best you can otherwise. You have to spend money to make money, afterall. The NYC billboard ads were a fantastic idea, as would any other promotional work you do in cities with media outlets as large as that, so capitalize on the opportunities there and market your product as best you can afford to as a means to sell it to new and old wrestling fans a like who may or may not know about your product already. In addition to this, get your biggest stars in front of cameras for a TNA plug at every opportunity. Free publicity is the best publicity – that means doing morning talk shows, radio and charity events especially.


7. Enjoy the success!

Self explanatory.


* OK, so the seventh doesn't really count, but you get the point!

 

[kobrad]

I will agree with you on all of those but the one i am having a little trouble with is not buying stars. The problem with that is they wont have any people that are notable. YOU NEED to buy stars because when they didnt buy stars no one watched and i mean no one. Only the loyal fans would watch week in and week out. There is no way they would even be in discussion of a "Monday Night War" if they didnt have some big names. Now i will agree with you that they need to continue to build new stars.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

I will agree with you on all of those but the one i am having a little trouble with is not buying stars. The problem with that is they wont have any people that are notable. YOU NEED to buy stars because when they didnt buy stars no one watched and i mean no one. Only the loyal fans would watch week in and week out. There is no way they would even be in discussion of a "Monday Night War" if they didnt have some big names. Now i will agree with you that they need to continue to build new stars.

I was implying that, in a sense. Perhaps I didn't phrase it as well as I should have, but the idea I was trying to convey was that despite the fact that guys like Hardy and RVD (among others) sell tickets, eventually the in-house guys you build do takeover in one way or another. It happened in WCW and it happened in the WWE, and it's how a lot of guys careers really took off.

One way or another though, without the young guys like Styles, Wolfe, Joe, etc. TNA would have died long ago IMO, so what does that say about their long-term value?

 

[StopFantasyBooking]

I agree with everything you posted. If they stopped trying to hard to be WWE-lite while at the same time slamming WWE whenever they can, they might actually get back to the wrestling aspect.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

I agree with everything you posted. If they stopped trying to hard to be WWE-lite while at the same time slamming WWE whenever they can, they might actually get back to the wrestling aspect.

I still think one of the funniest/saddest things they're doing right now is having Abyss(mal), Flair and Hogan feud over Hall of Fame rings that belong to the company they take pot shots at every week.

While I still think the pot shots are funny, I think the fact that TNA doesn't see the hypocrisy in that scenario even funnier.

 

[Adam08]

I agree as well with everything you posted. Espicelly with the storylines i will give tna credit they have made some good storylines in the past but they need to make some more and to make them different then every other company.

 

[Vintage]

About #4.. I believe TNA is getting paid big bucks to be a star attraction at Universal. They pay no rent, are provided everything they need regarding their set and have probably make a killing on merch sales. Then I'm pretty sure they are paid to produce a weekly television show as well. While they can stand to travel a bit more to make their on air product seem more legit, those same idiots in the crowd that you're talking about make more noise than the rest of the impact zone. They help a little more than they hurt, but they can use a few weeks of being forced to sit on the same side as the hard camera.

 

[Mr_Ratings]

I agree with most of everything being said on here..... But I need to correct you on something, Chris Jericho isnt home grown talent lol

 

[pgerasucks]

I agree with everything you posted. If they stopped trying to hard to be WWE-lite while at the same time slamming WWE whenever they can, they might actually get back to the wrestling aspect.

ok when do they ever bring up the wwe cuz i never hear them and will everyone please stop saying that the hall of fame rings are from the wwe because they are not they are from the pro wrestling hall of fame not wwe.....and come on now i think its better abyss has that ring because if the ring was gone then he would be in the title run and nobody wants to see that

 

[It's Damn Real!]

I agree with most of everything being said on here..... But I need to correct you on something, Chris Jericho isnt home grown talent lol

What correction? What I said was correct.

Three of the WWE's top-5 right now (IMO, Cena, Batista, Orton, Jericho and Edge) were all talent creations, not purchases.

Jericho got his start in Calgary and ECW before he made it to WCW and eventually the WWE. His real main event push didn't really come until the WWE days anyway, and a number of years into his working for the company, in fact.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

ok when do they ever bring up the wwe cuz i never hear them and will everyone please stop saying that the hall of fame rings are from the wwe because they are not they are from the pro wrestling hall of fame not wwe.....and come on now i think its better abyss has that ring because if the ring was gone then he would be in the title run and nobody wants to see that

Taz uses the "vintage" line almost weekly now as a false tribute to Michael Cole, and they take small pot shots that I think are actually quite funny at the WWE repeatedly in smaller segments. One was of Bischoff earlier this year in his office on the phone speaking to someone saying in response "...no, we don't use celebrity hosts – that's stupid.", or something to that extent. There was also an incident a few weeks ago when Taz or Tenay (IIRC) made reference to someone being stupid enough to take on the NFL with their own league – an obvious shot at Vince's XFL league that failed years back.

There are a number of others that I'm just not thinking of at this moment.

 

[pgerasucks]

What correction? What I said was correct.



Jericho got his start in Calgary and ECW before he made it to WCW and eventually the WWE. His real main event push didn't really come until the WWE days anyway, and a number of years into his working for the company, in fact.

so if jericho didnt count because he never got a main event push then why shoul it count with all the ex wwe stars who never got a main event push like anderson or pope or shelton????????????? the doesnt make alot of sense to me it sounds like a double standard and all these people may look like ex wwe rejects now but in 5 years they are gonna be tna main event division and it will be normal to se them there along with aj joe and any other talent the fans like why should it matter if people jump ship let wwe have all the actors and tna can take all the people who have love for the buisness and will put there bodys on line week after week to entertain us

 

[It's Damn Real!]

so if jericho didnt count because he never got a main event push then why shoul it count with all the ex wwe stars who never got a main event push like anderson or pope or shelton????????????? the doesnt make alot of sense to me it sounds like a double standard and all these people may look like ex wwe rejects now but in 5 years they are gonna be tna main event division and it will be normal to se them there along with aj joe and any other talent the fans like why should it matter if people jump ship let wwe have all the actors and tna can take all the people who have love for the buisness and will put there bodys on line week after week to entertain us

1. Anderson did get a main event push, twice, in fact. His last push was going to be against Orton before he was fired.

2. I have no problem with talent being bought so long as young talent is pushed to accompany them. If you do nothing but buy your main event, on top of infusing them in prominent feuds/story lines they've already run the gauntlet on earlier in their careers, it makes your creative team (or lack there of) look incredibly bad.

I love Anderson, and I was one of the only people here who said his singing was a very smart move – now everyone's on his jock and I just look like a bandwagoner, but that's neither here nor there – I also love Pope and a number of the talents they bought –*I just don't want them to learn the hard way that talent still needs to be pushed internally as much (if not more) as the talent that's bought externally.

 

[Spidey Revivey]

so if jericho didnt count because he never got a main event push then why shoul it count with all the ex wwe stars who never got a main event push like anderson or pope or shelton?????????????

WCW folded. WWE didn't. It's easy really. WWE is considered the largest wrestling base in the world. If anyone who is anyone there quits/is fired/ etc and jumps ship to a second-rate (not meant in offense, it's just what it is) they will be considered "rejects". That, and Jericho was still in his prime. Veterans like Nash, Hogan, Flair, Hall, etc will be labeled has-beens because they are past their prime. Y2J isn't.

As for people that complain about Anderson or Pope, I agree. It IS pointless to call them WWE rejects because they didn't leave much of a mark in WWE. Given Pope did lead the "ECW New Breed" angle that dropped just as hard as ECW itself, he didn't do much else. Now I don't know where Shelton Benjamin fits in this, unless I missed the memo that he went to TNA.

the doesnt make alot of sense to me it sounds like a double standard and all these people may look like ex wwe rejects now but in 5 years they are gonna be tna main event division and it will be normal to se them there along with aj joe and any other talent the fans like why should it matter if people jump ship let wwe have all the actors and tna can take all the people who have love for the buisness and will put there bodys on line week after week to entertain us

In 5 years time or so, I am entitled to agree that nobody will care about Anderson or Pope coming from WWE, but I assure you people will not forget where RVD, Dudley Boys, (fired but still) Nasty Boys, Jeff Hardy, Flair, Hogan, Nash, Hall, Sixx Pac, even Jarrett came from. It is easy to down TNA for its veterans and their buying of old talent- their roster is full of aged stars.

And your last statement of "TNA can take all the people who have love for the business and will put there bodys on line week after week to entertain us" is pure biase. A company is still a company, no matter how you look at it. WWE has superstars "put their bodies on the line" more than once a week. In fact its a safe bet WWE is on at least 4 out of 7 days in the week, not counting Pay Per Views.

The Original ECW it can be argued had love for the business and they DID put their bodies on the line sometimes on a daily basis. Where is it now? Gone, defunct, bankrupt. TNA, just like WWE, is a business that sells. You make it sound like "all you need is love" and that's not how a company is ran. Of course you need heart- that's a given. WWE has it believe it or not, hell they are now sponsoring for both children and adults. That takes guts to pull off a risky move like that, even if you have millions of dollars.

 

[StopFantasyBooking]

ok when do they ever bring up the wwe cuz i never hear them and will everyone please stop saying that the hall of fame rings are from the wwe because they are not they are from the pro wrestling hall of fame not wwe.....and come on now i think its better abyss has that ring because if the ring was gone then he would be in the title run and nobody wants to see that

Are you serious?

Bischoff mentioning the guest host concept, Hogan talking about "the guys 'up north'," Dudley Boyz constantly talking about ECW/WWE (or at least they were), the announcers declaring that they are taking the war to WWE.

The only thing TNA has declared war on is AM Raw. I want TNA to be better, but everything I said about trying to emulate and ride the coattails of their WWE castoff is true. Hopefully impact is good tonight.

 

[pgerasucks]

WCW folded. WWE didn't. It's easy really. WWE is considered the largest wrestling base in the world. If anyone who is anyone there quits/is fired/ etc and jumps ship to a second-rate (not meant in offense, it's just what it is) they will be considered "rejects". That, and Jericho was still in his prime. Veterans like Nash, Hogan, Flair, Hall, etc will be labeled has-beens because they are past their prime. Y2J isn't.

As for people that complain about Anderson or Pope, I agree. It IS pointless to call them WWE rejects because they didn't leave much of a mark in WWE. Given Pope did lead the "ECW New Breed" angle that dropped just as hard as ECW itself, he didn't do much else. Now I don't know where Shelton Benjamin fits in this, unless I missed the memo that he went to TNA.




In 5 years time or so, I am entitled to agree that nobody will care about Anderson or Pope coming from WWE, but I assure you people will not forget where RVD, Dudley Boys, (fired but still) Nasty Boys, Jeff Hardy, Flair, Hogan, Nash, Hall, Sixx Pac, even Jarrett came from. It is easy to down TNA for its veterans and their buying of old talent- their roster is full of aged stars.

And your last statement of "TNA can take all the people who have love for the business and will put there bodys on line week after week to entertain us" is pure biase. A company is still a company, no matter how you look at it.

The Original ECW it can be argued had love for the business and they DID put their bodies on the line sometimes on a daily basis. Where is it now? Gone, defunct, bankrupt. TNA, just like WWE, is a business that sells. You make it sound like "all you need is love" and that's not how a company is ran. Of course you need heart- that's a given. WWE has it believe it or not, hell they are now sponsoring for both children and adults. That takes guts to pull off a risky move like that, even if you have millions of dollars.

jeff hardy and rvd will still be capable of wrestling in five years from now and could still be in tna and yes you do need more than just love for the buisness but wwe are dropping people with love and talent for any guy who is six foot five and sounds like a robot on the mic now look i used to love wwe ive been watching for 10 years and ten years ago i watched all there older stuff on tape but wwe is nothing what it used to be all they want is a big guy with muscle and it gets boring

 

[Spidey Revivey]

jeff hardy and rvd will still be capable of wrestling in five years from now and could still be in tna and yes you do need more than just love for the buisness but wwe are dropping people with love and talent for any guy who is six foot five and sounds like a robot on the mic now look i used to love wwe ive been watching for 10 years and ten years ago i watched all there older stuff on tape but wwe is nothing what it used to be all they want is a big guy with muscle and it gets boring

1. Hardy and RVD MAY still be capable of wrestling in 5 years and MAY still be in TNA. You are not a fortune teller I would presume.

2. Give me examples of WWE "dropping" people with "love" and talent for a giant robot?

Anderson was always injured in WWE. He was out more than he was in. It was smart to let him go. I really like Anderson but he was more injury-prone then Batista, and that is saying something.

Pope? He was Elijah Burke. It's redundant to say WWE dropped the ball with him because Pope was a moniker TNA came up with. It's almost as pointless as saying WCW dropped the ball with Austin. Given the right move set and charisma, you can make anyone a star.

So who do you have to argue with me about WWE "dropping" anyone? Jeff Hardy? He was gunning for the World Championship then decided to go back to TNA. Matt Morgan? He was a big robot in your own words. They gave him a speech impediment- that's how much he was thought of. RVD, sad to say, is barely in his prime anymore. I would like to know who these "giant robots" you speak of are.

3. I agree WWE isn't anything like it was 10 years ago. That is called PROGRESSION. TNA lacks this majorly because they continue to hire senior citizens that can't do much more in the business

4. Big guys with muscle that bore...Steiner, Morgan, Hogan, etc. I can keep going with this, but I would REALLY like to know who these big boring guys are you speak of. Batista?

Spoiler

He is retiring

Cena? Well I can agree but he isn't boring on the mic if they don't let him talk for 20 minutes straight. Triple H? That's the only big muscled guy I can think of that you could be mentioning, but that doesn't sound right because he isn't bad in the ring. I'm tired of seeing him win all the time like Cena, but that doesn't make him boring.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Pope? He was Elijah Burke. It's redundant to say WWE dropped the ball with him because Pope was a moniker TNA came up with. It's almost as pointless as saying WCW dropped the ball with Austin. Given the right move set and charisma, you can make anyone a star.

Actually, "The Black Pope" was Burke's own character that TNA let him run with. The WWE shot the idea down in 2008 after he defeated Stevie Richards, Kung Fu Naki and Jamie Noble in dark matches on Smackdown, but failed to really get that character over with the WWE audience.

I'd consider that a substantial loss if not for the fact that the WWE did at least give him a shot to get it over with them. They let him go because it didn't work, and they wanted to get guys like Swagger, etc. pushed in ECW.

 

[pgerasucks]

1. Hardy and RVD MAY still be capable of wrestling in 5 years and MAY still be in TNA. You are not a fortune teller I would presume.

2. Give me examples of WWE "dropping" people with "love" and talent for a giant robot?

Anderson was always injured in WWE. He was out more than he was in. It was smart to let him go. I really like Anderson but he was more injury-prone then Batista, and that is saying something.

Pope? He was Elijah Burke. It's redundant to say WWE dropped the ball with him because Pope was a moniker TNA came up with. It's almost as pointless as saying WCW dropped the ball with Austin. Given the right move set and charisma, you can make anyone a star.

So who do you have to argue with me about WWE "dropping" anyone? Jeff Hardy? He was gunning for the World Championship then decided to go back to TNA. Matt Morgan? He was a big robot in your own words. They gave him a speech impediment- that's how much he was thought of. RVD, sad to say, is barely in his prime anymore. I would like to know who these "giant robots" you speak of are.

3. I agree WWE isn't anything like it was 10 years ago. That is called PROGRESSION. TNA lacks this majorly because they continue to hire senior citizens that can't do much more in the business

4. Big guys with muscle that bore...Steiner, Morgan, Hogan, etc. I can keep going with this, but I would REALLY like to know who these big boring guys are you speak of. Batista?

Spoiler

He is retiring

Cena? Well I can agree but he isn't boring on the mic if they don't let him talk for 20 minutes straight. Triple H? That's the only big muscled guy I can think of that you could be mentioning, but that doesn't sound right because he isn't bad in the ring. I'm tired of seeing him win all the time like Cena, but that doesn't make him boring.

even if they dont fire them they do not use them or give them anytime to shine. shelton is a prime example he has all the potential in the world yet wwe dropped and gave sheamus a push. mysterio is undersized and he doesnt do much i could go on and on talking about undersized people that will never amount to anything because they are not 6 foot 5 and when i say never amount to anything thats in the wwe's eyes not the fans eyes. and how long before kofi and yoshi tatsu and dolph ziggler and john morrison and the miz all get tired of being out shined by sheamus ,jack swagger,john cena, and anyone else wwe goes with instead of them because of there and yes vince will push smaller guys up to upper mid carder and thats where they stay and never go much further the smallest guy that they will give the title to is jericho and that is only because he is gold on the mic........And by the way steiner is not on tv anymore.and morgan can work a mic

 

[mister_b1LL]

On the point about getting out of Orlando, I partially agree. I rewatched this year's Lockdown and I was amazed by the crowd reaction as well. Because of this TNA should know that at least in the surrounding region that TNA is based in, they could prove to be very successful. However, I personally wouldn't mind if Impact was still shown in the Impact Zone. But PPV's should definitely be shown outside of the Impact Zone because a big crowd can really add to the big fight atmosphere that every PPV is trying to create. It worked at last year's Bound For Glory, it worked this year at Lockdown, why not do it at every PPV?

 

[Adam08]

I think partial why tna doesn't do ppvs outside the impact zone that much anymore. Is because it cost a lot of money and beside they dont even draw big enough to make a profit in less they go to a small arena that would be used for a indepent event.

 

[Spidey Revivey]

even if they dont fire them they do not use them or give them anytime to shine. shelton is a prime example he has all the potential in the world yet wwe dropped and gave sheamus a push.

Shelton Benjamin is your prime example? He is extremely athletic, but he lacks personality. They even once had him in an angle with his kayfabe mother. Sheamus has personality. Maybe not a great one, but still he had it in ECW and instantly became a fan favorite until he went to Raw. Once again PLEASE show me where Shelton said he was going to TNA. Would be odd to bring him up as an example if you have no proof he is heading to that rival promotion...

By the way, Benjamin was around since 2003. That was enough time to shine if he were to believe me.

mysterio is undersized and he doesnt do much i could go on and on talking about undersized people that will never amount to anything because they are not 6 foot 5 and when i say never amount to anything thats in the wwe's eyes not the fans eyes.

I beg you to correct me, but Mysterio happens to be one of the most prolific wrestlers WWE has. He won the Royal Rumble, headlined Wrestlemania, etc. How is that not doing much? He has done more in the WWE than most midcarders you see. Hell even now his feud with CM Punk is the most watchable thing Smackdown has.

and how long before kofi and yoshi tatsu and dolph ziggler and john morrison and the miz all get tired of being out shined by sheamus ,jack swagger,john cena, and anyone else wwe goes with

...You must not realize a show needs stars, and then it needs backup. When Brock Lesnar and Triple H were on top in 2002-03, Cena was midcard. WWE boosts them up to Main Event level and no, it can't happen overnight. The Miz happens to be the most pushed midcarder so far, with his on-air mic time and holding championships.

And Swagger is just now in the spotlight. It's ridiculous to say "get tired of being outshined" by him. Same goes for Sheamus. I redirect you to PROGRESSION. Not everyone can be in the Main Event, pgerasucks.

And people like Yoshi Tatsu and Dolph Ziggler are still relatively new. If anything they should be lower card. WWE is giving people fair chances to new blood if you look closer.

Khofi already recieved a push, and didn't capitalize much. He botches often, so WWE looks down on him most of the time. Not saying the fans dislike him- just saying WWE is looking out for its product.

instead of them because of there and yes vince will push smaller guys up to upper mid carder and thats where they stay and never go much further the smallest guy that they will give the title to is jericho and that is only because he is gold on the mic........And by the way steiner is not on tv anymore.and morgan can work a mic

Clearly you haven't been watching wrestling long. SEE Rey Mysterio. And compared to WWE Matt cannot. Like IDR corrected me, Pope was Pope in WWE for a limited time, but didnt get over with his gimmick. In TNA he did. Maybe it's because they are in Orlando and not getting around like WWE...

You still didn't give me an example of "who is a giant robot" and "who WWE dropped who had lots of heart and whatever."

 

[burnout4200]

8. Have Dixie ask daddy for more money.

Your list isn't that easy. Travel expenses for an entire company along with all of the equipment and advertising is more expensive than we can imagine. How much did they spend on that times square billboard? Did it work? It doesn't look like it to me. That money is down the toilet. I wonder how much those commercials during RAW cost. Way too much I'm sure. Especially considering they were trying to take viewers away from USA the moment they aired. USA probably charged a massive amount to allow that.

The reason why they're making a profit at all is because they don't over spend. Leaving Orlando could kill your company in a couple months if it doesn't work. They're alot better off grinding it out in Orlando to keep their business afloat until their profit margins grow a hell of alot more. Is it worth the risk to leave Orlando? Oh wow ... the crowd looks a little bigger on TV. That's not worth taking a chance to kill your company. Orlando isn't that bad anyway. It gives them more of a close knit/family feel and I like it.

Half of their roster is there because of the light travel schedule and I'm sure that's the recruitment hook that landed the deal. You can't say "We're gonna travel as much as The WWE now" and expect those guys to stick around. That's how you disgruntle an employee. What if someones contract terms stated that they don't have to attend the shows outside of Orlando? That would either equal a lawsuit or a voided contract. Either way a lawsuit would follow to receive the rest of the cash from their contract.

5. Be TNA, not WWE, WCW, ECW or WWF. Don't even be NWA.
3. Add logic to storylines.

Ok, so you're saying be your own promotion with your own identity but you should start doing your storylines like WWE does them and stop doing crash TV? Crash TV is their identity. TNA is Total Non Stop Action. Storylines constantly change. The very promotion was named after the crash TV style.

Shit ... Impacts starting. I'll reply again later but I had alot more lol.

 

[ncwriter2908]

I dont really agree with you on any of those.



1. Build Stars dont buy them? (Disagree)


TNA is trying to get outside fans. Fans who left wrestling years ago or fans from WWE. To do that they need to see guys they know on television. If you never saw AJ or Samoa Joe then why would any stick around to watch them. I myself never like Aj Styles but since he has been put with Flair. I watched him more and more an like him now. He has grown on me. Other wise I could careless. I started a small liken for him when I saw Sting talk him out of retirement but turned the channel. No Joe I still hate him but really havent paid enough attention to him. The fans who left wrestling want to see Hogan,Sting,Flair and those other guys who were on from when they use to watch. You use those guys to get fans interested in TNA younger talent. As for WWE rejects Jeff Hardy is going to attract a WWE fan no doubt about it. Mickie James would attract a WWE fan. I was flipping the channel along time ago and saw Tara debut in TNA and I stopped and said hey I remember her in WWE. Then I ended up watching the show. People get on these old guys so much but they draw in the fans its up the the TNA young guys to peek thier interest.

2. Do not close a show with Flair or Hogan? Are you serious? Hogan and Flair single handly have a collection of young stars who they are fueding with? You kill Wolfe,AJ,Beer Money,Abyss,Hardy,Jay Lethal,Team 3D. You would take away thier storyline and were would they go. Plus it destroys your fueds with a reason thoery Flair/Hogan have a reason to be in a fued. Now they continue it by gettin a group of young guys in on the action. Hogan and Flair are helping out so many young guys get over with fans. Aj,WOlFE, Beer MOney, are more interesting. Team 3D has shown new life.

4. Fueds with logic? What fueds doesnt have logic? Pope/Anderson has logic right off the top...both are top TNA stars. Pope just had a title shot. Why wouldnt Anderson go after a top dog on his way to to the top? It doesnt need to be mentioned anyone with a brian can figure it out. Plus you get the 2 best guys on the mic in TNA. It makes for great segments. It makes sense story and business wise. Flair/Hogan not make sense? I dont even need to talk about that do i? Jarrett/Sting how does that not make sense? Do you honestly watch the TNA show?

5. Be TNA not WWE,WCW,ECW,NWA? Again disagree....Flair/Hogan have history its not the same fued. Early it was Hogan red/yellow vs Flair an Horseman. The Flair face of WCW vs NWO. Now its another chapter both are past thier prime and out of world title reigns. Hogan runs TNA. Upon arriving Flair stole the face of TNA Aj Styles and turned him bad? Why wouldn't thier be a fued. He stole the companies top face? The one TNA could run with. Thats no where near close to the Horsemen or NWO story. Back in the 90's Hogan was the ultimate face of wrestling the Horsmen were by far the biggest heel group so when Hogan invaded thier turf um duh a fued. Then Hogan went to the NWO and tried to take over WCW the company Ric Flair helped build. Before it was just being the baddest heel group takin down the biggest face. Then it was a matter of survival to stop a take over. Others would be to long to explain. All long running tv shows have a long history behind it. These mega stars TNA has like Sting,Hogan,Flair have a long history its interesting to watch them evolve over the years. Infact without it then you go to fueds that have no meaning.

6. Travel out of orlando.....seems stupid infact it would bankrupt them. They dont have the funds nor the fan support. The monday night ratings prove that. In the long term future maybe but not anytime soon.

7 enjoy the success......not by following any of these.

 

[BetaMaleQ]

I had to register just to say that "IDR" and "Cult of Raven" have been secretly tapping into my brain.....I'm kidding!!!

In all seriousness, I think you hit it on the head in terms of what TNA really needs to get on. I think the big thing with the Hogan/Bischoff era was that they boasted an all-new different product from the old TNA, but all we learned was that they were bringing too much of the old WCW in. There's so much more I could say, but I think you pretty much got it. Oh, and Abyss using a HOF ring? I thought I was the only one who caught the hypocricy in all of that.

ok when do they ever bring up the wwe cuz i never hear them and will everyone please stop saying that the hall of fame rings are from the wwe because they are not they are from the pro wrestling hall of fame not wwe.....

What other notable/prominent Pro Wrestling Hall of Fames are there that are worth creating a storyline over? None...just the WWE.

The only thing TNA has declared war on is AM Raw. I want TNA to be better, but everything I said about trying to emulate and ride the coattails of their WWE castoff is true.

That's an awesome quote!! LOL!!! Very true, though. TNA's like that kid you see struggling to be on the football team and not quite making it because he's trying to be Joe Montana or Jerry Rice.

1. Build Stars dont buy them? (Disagree)

TNA is trying to get outside fans. Fans who left wrestling years ago or fans from WWE. To do that they need to see guys they know on television. If you never saw AJ or Samoa Joe then why would any stick around to watch them.

I sorta of see your point with this and both agree and disagree. What you're saying is that the company has to somewhat "jumpstart" their brand identity by procuring already-known talent to keep the viewer's attention. However, at the same time you need to keep the product fresh by introducing new and/or unknown talent. It's that fine balance that separates TNA and WWE. WWE's veterans are there because they earned that spot and they're a great example to the younger talent. TNA's vets/legends are there because TNA needs people to see a recognizable face in order to retain their viewership.

2. Do not close a show with Flair or Hogan? Are you serious? Hogan and Flair single handly have a collection of young stars who they are fueding with.

Being "Legends" aside, how are you going to have an action packed ending to a show when the "Legends" in question look like they should've been sent out to pasture long, long ago? I love Flair and Hogan, but have you seen Flair lately? Have you seen Hogan lately? Flair looks like he should stay in that wheelchair they gave him. The years haven't been good to the Nature Boy. I'd much rather watch a match from 2 younger, hungrier talent that aren't afraid to do whatever it takes to give you that show. Flair and Hogan are too worried trying to keep their knees from giving out from under them to do so.

5. Be TNA not WWE,WCW,ECW,NWA? Again disagree....Flair/Hogan have history its not the same fued. Early it was Hogan red/yellow vs Flair an Horseman. The Flair face of WCW vs NWO. Now its another chapter both are past thier prime and out of world title reigns. Hogan runs TNA. Upon arriving Flair stole the face of TNA Aj Styles and turned him bad? Why wouldn't thier be a fued. He stole the companies top face? The one TNA could run with. Thats no where near close to the Horsemen or NWO story. Back in the 90's Hogan was the ultimate face of wrestling the Horsmen were by far the biggest heel group so when Hogan invaded thier turf um duh a fued.

Regardless of what the story is, these two have met before and there have been too many angles between them to even single out one in particular and think that what they're doing ISN'T the same. However, you only wrote about these two. There are way too many similarities to things that have been done in the past to fool us non-casual viewers into thinking that it's fresh. Did anyone notice Bischoff getting his head shaved...again? Yup, old WCW. How about right before "The Band" got back together when Nash and Hall were facing each other? Again, old WCW. "Corporate/shaved head" Mick Foley? Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that old WWE/F? All of these storyline rip-offs, in my eyes, failed miserably. Why? Because I knew that they were rip offs. To the casual fan or someone new to wrestling, sure, it's a new storyline. TNA tried too hard to be someone else, when their most unique feature, the X-Division, was pushed to the back. The X-Division arguably put TNA on the map, and now it plays second fiddle to a WWE HOF ring.