It's Official TNA Taking Impact on the Road Permanently Starting 3/14 in Chicago!

[It's Damn Real!]

As per Dixie Carter's "major announcement", TNA will be taking IMPACT on the road permanently starting March 14th in Chicago, IL!

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No more speculation. No more hope.

Let's keep all the discussion about this announcement here, and remember that this is still a no-spam section, which makes this thread a no-spam thread.

 

[Lowdown]

This is good news for sure man. TNA die hards should be happy now, including myself. Starting off in Chicago is a great place with it being a major city in the US. Hell hopefully they can come to Tampa once in a blue moon. I'm not expecting a WWE type of turnout in each stop, but the exposure is just the shot in the arm that TNA needs.

 

[hatehabsforever]

That's an awesome development for TNA Wrestling. As long as they were going to continue to hold their weekly Impact programming in Orlando, there was simply no way that the company was ever going to progress. By branching out and reaching out to audiences in different cities different weeks, it has to be seen as a very positive step forward. Hopefully they have the financial resources to pull off such a venture and sustain it, because if they have to retreat back to the Impact zone, that would be disasterous. I'm sure they've crunched the numbers and have calculated the sustainability of the move. All things told, this should be a great day in the history of TNA Wrestling.

 

[The Brain]

Good for them. Staying in the same place for the majority of their shows is one reason TNA is looked at as a minor league company compared to WWE. I don't know that this is going to be a huge success right off the bat but having more exposure in more places has to be a good thing. I've got a connection at the Sears Center so maybe I'll go to the March 14 show.

 

[kor420]

This is GREAT news!!! Even if tna doesn't fill up the arenas, the will be having real wrestling fans attend the shows and this can make the show seem 10x better.

 

[Done]

If ROH can move around and draw well for the size of the company, so can TNA. Let's not forget TNA is a global brand with millions of U.S. viewers. This will bring in a lot of new revenue and really help to legitimize TNA the way it needs to be.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Good for them. Staying in the same place for the majority of their shows is one reason TNA is looked at as a minor league company compared to WWE. I don't know that this is going to be a huge success right off the bat but having more exposure in more places has to be a good thing. I've got a connection at the Sears Center so maybe I'll go to the March 14 show.

Define "huge success", because having a crowd even half as big as that high school gym they didn't make a fuckin' dime off of in Orlando to me is a huge success. If yours, or anyone else's definition, however, is comparing them to what the WWE is managing to accomplish, then yeah, it sure as hell won't be a huge success off the bat, but that's not exactly a fair comparison either.

So long as they're actually drawing a gate, make money off ticket sales and continue to perform in front of live, natural audiences there to see wrestling, and not just whatever the free show is that's being advertised at Universal Studios, I fail to see how this is at all a bad thing.

 

[The Brain]

Define "huge success", because having a crowd even half as big as that high school gym they didn't make a fuckin' dime off of in Orlando to me is a huge success. If yours, or anyone else's definition, however, is comparing them to what the WWE is managing to accomplish, then yeah, it sure as hell won't be a huge success off the bat, but that's not exactly a fair comparison either.

So long as they're actually drawing a gate, make money off ticket sales and continue to perform in front of live, natural audiences there to see wrestling, and not just whatever the free show is that's being advertised at Universal Studios, I fail to see how this is at all a bad thing.

It's not a bad thing at all. I think it's great. I certainly don't expect them to draw the kinds of crowds WWE does, but I don't think anyone expects that. If they sold out the Sears Center that would bring in about half the fans as a sold out Allstate Arena. I would consider that a huge success for starters. However I don't think that's going to happen. That's not a criticism. I'm just trying to be realistic. It's going to take time to draw crowds outside their comfort zone. I hope it works for them and maybe a year or two from now they will sell out the Sears Center and eventually move into bigger venues.

 

[UrUp]

This is great news - no longer will surprise debuts/returns or holy shit moments be squandered by the lousy surroundings of the IZone.

The biggest burier of talent in TNA history is the Impact Zone. It didn't matter who they signed or pushed, the IZone made them look cheap and like shit.

Also, am I the only one who can't help but think we will eventually see Goldberg in TNA?

SpikeTV just signed Randy Couture to be a coach for the upcoming Bellator reality series and between Goldberg mentioning the spear coming back and TNA needing draws especially now that they're on the road, Goldberg has the history to be useful to both TNA as well as Bellator (host, color commentator, interviewer) as well as be involved with other reality shows on the network.

Signing Couture is a big deal as that guy isn't cheap and I think right now, TNA and Bellators success go hand in hand and Spike is especially more open to helping TNA because of it. Why else help them with this huge endeavor when the ratings haven't even increased during the Live show experiment?

Either way, it's a great move and I can't wait to see what happens.

 

[dukes07]

I am stoked. I have not watched much lately due to some asinine angles. However, the in ring product is superior to WWE's. Mayhap people will get more exposure by going to the show and then tune in. Also, perhaps being on the road they will focus more on what makes TNA good: Wrestling.

 

[roethlisberger78]

I'm thrilled about this also for TNA as many has said that dead audiance only kills their product, and though they dont always have the best storylines they do have good wrestling with great spots that needs better reaction than what it gets. With all the good I'm sure will come with this what about the talent that doesnt what to travel and thats why they are there? I do hope they are willing to work with the company as they are trying to grow and become a bigger and better company which might make compition but if like angle or hardy doesnt what to travel and they lose a big name? Well I do hope all works great because if they grow two companies makes for better TV and better money for the talent that risk their health for us to enjoy.

 

[GameOver]

Don't see it's gonna make a difference in the short term, moving the show doesn't have any effect on the products production values and and overall appeal, but not having the same small group of Local Yokels, canned responses and this shitty look of the default Impact Zone every single week that make Impact from a TV viewer prespective seem low rent.

But and here's where i see the good, exposure to other markets and actually getting gate tickets from people to go and see the show, which they will i have no doubt. I'd pay to see it if it came here to Sth Australia atleast once anyway that extra influx of live viewers and cash has to be a boost to there morale and hopefully improves the product in leaps and bounds

That's something that watching a RAW or Smackdown shows, every week it's a different arena which every single one gives off a different atmosphere and the shows don't look exactly the same each episode, sure the ringside and the stage maybe the same but it's a different crowd each time and the overall look is slightly different (for the most part) which keeps it a little bit fresh in that regard.

Now as Brain and other said, even if they draw slightly more attendance then they already were they are surely making alot more money provided they aren't giving away tickets elsewhere too and that in turn would lead to be able to expand the product further

 

[Rayne]

Folks, mark it on your calendars. Dixie Carter said she had a big announcement, and this time she actually followed through.

TNA is past the point at which this would be a risk, either for better or for worse. Doing what they're doing, they haven't grown observably in the past year, and trying the same thing isn't going to change that. Depending on your reading of TNA's business situation, they are either taking a slow route to growth (as opposed to 2011's "Let's Hotshot Everything Except Hogan And Sting" approach), or they are doubling down and gambling big in the face of impending failure.

Don't ask me which it is. TNA doesn't look ill, but how many people saw WCW's demise coming when it did? Here is the point though- TNA wasn't going anywhere in the Impact Zone. They weren't building up a base of support from which they could launch a road tour. Without giving people a chance to be involved in their product- moreso than website polling and Twitter hashtags- people aren't going to get involved in their product.

This is the right move for TNA. I don't know that it'll work out for them, but I do know that staying where they are isn't.

 

[VencomHardcore]

This is a GREAT move for TNA. And if Dixie is as smart as I think she is, the lady has the numbers of on what cities to do live shows at and which ones to make house shows.

TNA does house shows mostly in third tier cities which is a great business move. The rent is cheap. There are no unions requiring you have to hire their workers for 3x the rate. And they don't have to split the merchandise sales with the building. In addition, you can draw a big crowd because most of the towns have very low populations and neighboring counties in similar situations which means great press. And they can draw from the region. VERY SMART BUSINESS MOVE .
[ I read the contract agreement from the TN Lockdown Show. And that building requires 25% of all merchandise sales ] .

TNA going on the road can work if they stick to the cities where they get the BEST turn outs. Fayetteville, NC is an example. That show had a very large crowd. So if TNA tracks the numbers from those bigger cities, they can make a great door, have Don West sell the hell out of the crowd, make money off fan interactions and have the biggest stars hit the TV and Radio Stations to build up the show. Something that the WWE fails to do when they come to Baltimore where I live.

Another plus is that Dixie can also draw off of local talent thats good in the ring. For example, she can get a guy that has a local following in a regional area on the card and do the press thing to let people know the hometown hero will be competing. That bit of local connection can add another 100 or more people. ROH did this in Baltimore by having some local wrestlers on the show, they have a good following and brought a crowd of people to cheer them on.

I won't go further but this is a great strategy if she has read her financials and marketing data. If possible, cut the roster of non essential wrestlers and take those who fans want to see. This would have been a great time to have the Beautiful People together. Fans would pay to see them in person....

 

[braveh]

The positives are:

WCW used to around 4000 for their Clash of champions. The big TNA PPVs do from 3000 to 5000. So if they somehow can do what WCW did and grow the audience for their weekly tv-show it could be growth. It's not impossible

The negatives:
Ratings for Impact were down last year. It's not like they have grown their business since 2009. They had to cancel the monthly PPVs. Is this really the time and the place for this?

 

[Zeven_Zion]

The positives are:

WCW used to around 4000 for their Clash of champions. The big TNA PPVs do from 3000 to 5000. So if they somehow can do what WCW did and grow the audience for their weekly tv-show it could be growth. It's not impossible

The negatives:
Ratings for Impact were down last year. It's not like they have grown their business since 2009. They had to cancel the monthly PPVs. Is this really the time and the place for this?

Has there ever been any proven correlation between the size of the arena, the number of people in attendance and TV ratings?

How do you know if them canceling monthly PPVs was a sign of financial trouble?

Here's the kicker. Essentially, they didn't cancel anything but instead lowered the prices of 8 of their PPVs and increased the prices of 4 of their PPVs. They still have monthly PPV content, they just change its gimmick, name and focused the attention on 4 of the PPVs.

Now then - will this improve ratings? No. Like I said, there's no reason to think that bigger crowds equal bigger ratings. Ratings are dependent on way too many factors in order to magically spike because of just going on the road. It won't happen, don't expect higher ratings, people don't watch for the extras in the background, they watch for the product in the foreground.

Will this improve the quality of the product? No. Quality is dependent on content. An extra few rows of people isn't content.

Will this improve the presentation? Yes. It looks bigger, it's more impressive and presumably better looking.

In the end, this was as much of a P.R move as it is an aesthetic boost. It's a morale boost, it's good in terms of being breaking news, it's good for marketing, it's good for business. This was a BUSINESS move, not a "let's make this shit more awesome" move. Don't expect a different product with this. We'll get the same amount of TNA we've gotten before. It'll just be in a different building.

If the company is ready to do it, if they have the financial backing to undertake this venture they go ahead and do it. Go nuts. It'll look better, it'll be a refreshing change.

It shows signs of TNA growing steadily. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

[fenderjapan]

I think it would help their on-the-road product if they made some changes in the production process. I was just watching the impact from the UK last night and it is evident that they still film the product the same way they do in the IZ...close ups, frequently shifting camera angles...I don't know anything about TV production so I can't really be specific as to what they were doing but it always made me kinda dizzy watching TNA matches.

More use of the hard camera, zoomed out set shots, etc. etc....those will help them succeed in looking like the big leagues on the road.

Good luck TNA! I hope they do well.

 

[tonykegger]

It's not a bad thing at all. I think it's great. I certainly don't expect them to draw the kinds of crowds WWE does, but I don't think anyone expects that. If they sold out the Sears Center that would bring in about half the fans as a sold out Allstate Arena. I would consider that a huge success for starters. However I don't think that's going to happen. That's not a criticism. I'm just trying to be realistic. It's going to take time to draw crowds outside their comfort zone. I hope it works for them and maybe a year or two from now they will sell out the Sears Center and eventually move into bigger venues.

I read the Sears Centre holds 11,000 fans. Allstate holds 15,000+ for wrestling events. If they sold out Sears, I think that would be a new U.S. attendance record.

 

[snoopy]

I think it would help their on-the-road product if they made some changes in the production process. I was just watching the impact from the UK last night and it is evident that they still film the product the same way they do in the IZ...close ups, frequently shifting camera angles...I don't know anything about TV production so I can't really be specific as to what they were doing but it always made me kinda dizzy watching TNA matches.

More use of the hard camera, zoomed out set shots, etc. etc....those will help them succeed in looking like the big leagues on the road.

Good luck TNA! I hope they do well.

Why can't people just stop harping on Tna's production. Just stop it! Tna's production is fine and it's different. They don't have to follow the WWE's lead on how they produce a show. It's Tna's style just like Ecw had their own distinctive style.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Folks, mark it on your calendars. Dixie Carter said she had a big announcement, and this time she actually followed through.

TNA is past the point at which this would be a risk, either for better or for worse. Doing what they're doing, they haven't grown observably in the past year, and trying the same thing isn't going to change that. Depending on your reading of TNA's business situation, they are either taking a slow route to growth (as opposed to 2011's "Let's Hotshot Everything Except Hogan And Sting" approach), or they are doubling down and gambling big in the face of impending failure.

Don't ask me which it is. TNA doesn't look ill, but how many people saw WCW's demise coming when it did? Here is the point though- TNA wasn't going anywhere in the Impact Zone. They weren't building up a base of support from which they could launch a road tour. Without giving people a chance to be involved in their product- moreso than website polling and Twitter hashtags- people aren't going to get involved in their product.

This is the right move for TNA. I don't know that it'll work out for them, but I do know that staying where they are isn't.

Bingo.

Caclulated risk. There's certainly still a risk they could fall flat, but the state of the company has far outgrown the fish bowl they were in, and as such, needed to take a crack at a much larger tank, even if it backfires, because stagnation is just as much of a business death sentence anyway.

 

[fenderjapan]

Why can't people just stop harping on Tna's production. Just stop it! Tna's production is fine and it's different. They don't have to follow the WWE's lead on how they produce a show. It's Tna's style just like Ecw had their own distinctive style.

Its different and IMHO it doesn't do justice to the in-ring action. Its not conducive to wrestling. Its just an opinion, I get dizzy watching their camera work. No one said anything about WWE.

WCW had their own style too...it was different than WWE's but it suited the product. Distinctive isn't always good though and IMHO TNA is an example of that.

 

[MB1025]

The positives are:

WCW used to around 4000 for their Clash of champions. The big TNA PPVs do from 3000 to 5000. So if they somehow can do what WCW did and grow the audience for their weekly tv-show it could be growth. It's not impossible

The negatives:
Ratings for Impact were down last year. It's not like they have grown their business since 2009. They had to cancel the monthly PPVs. Is this really the time and the place for this?

The ratings were down last year because they were transitioning new talent at the main event level. Hulk Hogan and Sting took a back seat. Kurt Angle, RVD, and Mr. Anderson took a step back from the main event scene. We saw Austin Aries, Bobby Roode, James Storm, Christopher Daniels, Bully Ray, Kazarian, and Jeff Hardy become the faces of Impact Wrestling. Not to mention there was a change in creative.

When you pull back Ric Flair, Sting, Hogan, Angle, and RVD you are sure to lose viewers who are just watching for them. However they got a 1.2 the last 2 weeks. Going on the road is just as good as advertising your product. They can now promote in every city they go to to get people to come out to the show.

 

[DirtyD79]

Good. It's about time TNA stops being a free sideshow at an amusement park. Every episode it's the same bored tourists killing the show. It's time to take TNA on the road to real venues with real wrestling fans, not a bunch of freeloaders.

 

[Papa Pillman]

The most important word in this announcement to me was "permanently".

I didn't expect TNA to completely move all Impact episodes completely out of the Impact Zone in this swift a manner. They have to be commended for making such a bold move, as it would have been much easier to rotate back and forth between road tapings and Impact Zone tapings until they really got their footing with the traveling production.

The major things that remain to be seen are:
First, How will the schedule look? Are we going to see an every other week scenario for roads tapings? If so, will we always get one "live" episode followed by one taped episode? Because that would appear to be the most conducive set-up, And one I think all the fans could get behind. It worked well in the early days of Raw(whenever Bischoff wasn't forcing Schiavone to spoil results on Nitro).

And Second, What is the stage set-up going to be? Are they going to have a new stage set, or are we going to see the return of the old road set with the triple screens that raise for entrances? Are they going to upgrade to a set-up that features pyro? None of their past road sets allowed for it, making pyro Impact Zone exclusive. I think the stage and "Dixie-tron" configuration will go along away toward determining just how much more "big leaugue" the road shows will look on television.

 

[ABMorales787]

Credit: Orlando Sentinel

A representative for Universal Studios Orlando says the theme park would like to still continue working with TNA after the company takes iMPACT! on the road permanently starting in March.


Universal spokesman Tom Schroder said, “We are grateful for the partnership we’ve had with TNA. We look forward to the opportunity to work with them again in the future.”

The final regular iMPACT! TV tapings in the Impact Zone are set for February 28 and March 7 before the Lockdown PPV on March 10. TNA has not yet stated where they will tape their new themed PPV specials which will be released on-demand. TNA’s new model will be four live Sunday night PPV’s a year, which will still be on the road.

The door is open for a different deal with Universal Studios. Crappy, repetitive audience aside, having TNA be still in the Studios did attract lots of people just for the show. It was a guaranteed 1100 people who might go out after the show for some drinks at Universal Citywalk or hang around the parks before the show at night. Another interesting thing is where will TNA hold the One Night Only PPV's? Will they tape them before/after a live broadcast at some point, or will they take Universal's offer and use the Impact Zone for these special occasions? Furthermore with such a wide amount of talent including OVW, maybe they should look into making special attractions there.