[OFFICIAL] TNA Potential Sale Discussion

[MrMojoRisin]

I suppose Vince could end up buying TNA, IF it turns out that it's for sale at some point, just for the sake of owning all TNA footage. However, the simple truth is that people aren't going to be lining up to buy DVD compilations of AJ Styles or Christopher Daniels.

No the WWE's buying audience could care less about DVD's of AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, or anyone that didn't make a name for themselves in the WWE. There's zero money in that for McMahon right now.

But the library still has value to McMahon. For one, there is money to be made by including TNA footage into new Sting, Kurt Angle, Hulk Hogan, Jeff Hardy or Dudley dvd's. There's money to be made in a history of TNA dvd that would probably be along the lines of the Rise and Fall of WCW or ECW, or the Self Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior.

There's also the idea that if they featured it properly on the possible, maybe it'll actually happen one day WWE network, that it could gain a cult following in time and there would be money in other TNA dvd's then.

Even if there's none of that, it's worthwhile as filler for a 24/7 network, because even though they do own probably 90% of the video that's been produced in North America, 168 hours a week is still a lot of time to fill.

You'd have to imagine that if he's only buying for the library though, he'll wait it out until he can get the lowest price possible. If he only paid $2 million for WCW, which was far more valuable, it won't be a major investment for him to purchase TNA, and he wouldn't let it be either.

Hopefully it doesn't come to that and that somehow a 2nd major company in North America can continue to exist.

 

[411GETmoney]

http://cnn.com/1054144_Viacom_buys%-TNAFRO..Panda

Viacom will pay more for TNA Wrestling Entertainment thin WWF did for WCW

As noted late last night, The Carter Family is looking to sell TNA iMPACT! Wrestling.

Several sources note that The Carter's are looking to sell the company, and have been "for a while now. There are a lot of "big things" going on behind-the-scenes right now as far as the future ownership of the company, but the bottom line is, they are basically looking to sell it to the highest bidder.

One report claims that some of the people interested in buying TNA from the Carter's include Eric Bischoff, Jeff Jarrett, Viacom and possibly even World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).

UPDATE...

NEW YORK CNNMoney report: "There is a strong.. strong feeling within TNA Wrestling Entertainment, not only in the "ups" in the office, but with the workers, too, that the announcement of the company's sale to Viacom could be made soon, it is expected to be confirmed imminently. A number of TNA employees who, only a few days ago, did not believe the talk of a sale had any truth to it like AJ Styles, now look at the sale as being imminent." Eric Bischoff is believed to be behind the Viacom bid.

Terms of the deal were disclosed in a small way , Viacom will pay more for TNA Wrestling Entertainment thin WWF did for WCW . Michael Nathanson said that Jeffrey Leonard "Jeff" Jarrett would retain a minority stake financial gain more shares up to %40. Viacom had brought on board Jeff Jarrett as a part owner and an active player in TNA Wrestling’s future, but said little else about how the brand would change.

the latest in a series of purchases "In fall 2011, the company paid around $50 million for a majority stake in Bellator Fighting Championships, according to people with knowledge of the deal who did not want to be identified discussing internal company business."

While the sum is astronomical by MMA standards, the sum represents approximately 1% of the five billions dollars in cash that Viacom is sitting on.

The cash-cow businesses owned by Panda Energy International, Inc parent company. It is the end of an era for Panda Energy International, Inc. the purchase should be financially manageable. TNA is worth about $1.2 billion, according to estimates by Viacom , which means the purchase price is about 3 percent of Viacom net worth. I think there’s is low-hanging fruit on the revenue front thats why the sale is already over” analyst Michael Nathanson said.

The quoted analyst Michael Nathanson wrote in a research note that "I think this is very scary if your name is Vince McMahon. Viacom will pay more for TNA Wrestling Entertainment thin WWF did for WCW .Viacom and Spike TV has enjoyed an extremely successful working relationship with TNA Wrestling, over the past several years, and we anticipate that relationship continuing,we are always interested in adding properties to our portfolio that will expand our presence and position in the field of sports entertainment. Unlike the limitations of Bellator Fighting Championships Viacom is looking to produce 40 to 50 hours a week a cross all television network owned by Viacom ."


http://cnn.com/1054144_Viacom_buys%-TNAFRO..Panda

 

[MrMojoRisin]

That stories been pulled from CNN and TNAsylum for lacking credibility.

The math in it is horrible too. I seriously doubt TNA is worth $1.2 billion. I'm not even sure WWE is worth that much today.

 

[Rayne]

That stories been pulled from CNN and TNAsylum for lacking credibility.

The math in it is horrible too. I seriously doubt TNA is worth $1.2 billion. I'm not even sure WWE is worth that much today.

As soon as I saw that $1.2b figure, I went "hahahahaha no". You add up everyone's investments and property costs, you're going to get a pretty decent number, but I'm very curious as to the fantasy math that pulls $1.2b out.

It's too soon for a deal from Viacom. They'd be the buyer of second-to-last resort, because they have a vested interest in keeping professional wrestling on their networks. A caution to fans- they want professional wrestling on their network, but don't need it. It's much more attractive for them to purchase a television show from a production company at a regular, negotiated price, opposed to taking control of production and risking losses on that end. Viacom wants to see TNA sold, but I doubt they really want to be the buyer.

I pulled short on my second laugh when I read about Eric Bischoff leading the charge, because despite the fact that he's the executive producer responsible for the shit you've seen on Impact for much of the four years, he is enough of a cockroach to survive the fallout from the nuclear wreckage that has been his management. Don't underestimate the greatest con artist in professional wrestling.

 

[BaconBits]

It's funny how nobody realizes that wrestling sucked pre NWO angle when it was mainly WWF (1996), and it sucked again when WCW went under (2001). The idiots don't see that the best era in wrestling (1997-2000) was because there were 2 main companies. Each pushing each other to put out the best every week. TNA may never reach were WCW was, but like Styles said in his promo a month ago; he goes out there to provide an "alternative" for all the fans. Impact needs to build on that alternative, and give people a reason to watch wrestling again cause that market is shrinking each year.

It's pretty sad that the morons that run this site, and it's IWC cronies get all giddy like a school girl on news that TNA is struggling, or possibly for sale. Why?

I don't know that anybody really wants to see TNA close up shop. Competition is good for the wrasslin' business overall. It gives the fans options, it gives the wrestlers themselves options, hell, it even gives arenas and other venues options if they're looking to book a wrasslin' event. If anybody understands that, it's "the morons that run this site and it's IWC cronies".

What people want to see is TNA to stop being such a giant clusterfuck. It's no secret for the largest part of the company's existence, it's been an ADD riddled mess of shit programming and questionable roster moves.

What folks would like to see is stable ownership/leadership with a clue, giving the little engine that couldn't a solid base to become the little engine that could.

 

[fenderjapan]

So the IWC is debating three possible things here. TNA just going under, WWE buying TNA, and someone else buying TNA.

First, TNA Going Under...

I agree with everyone who says "competition is good for business", but TNA/Impact isn't really competition at this point. Nevertheless, if they dissolve, there will be a sudden void and a lot of talent out of work. Now, maybe most of those talents are midcarders in WWE at best but someone will start up a number 2 promotion if TNA goes under. Maybe it will be Jarrett, Bischoff...whoever...there will be another. To be honest, with the kind of poor stuff that TNA is putting out at the moment, I'd take my chances on seeing what someone else has to offer.

WWE buying TNA...
Its not going to happen, we all know that. WWE doesn't need anything TNA has apart from Sting, who would just hang it up if WWE bought TNA, Angle, who will likely join WWE again someday regardless, and Jeff Hardy who is unlikely to be trusted to stay sober. AJ Styles had his chance at WWE years ago and chose not to go to developmental, now he is too old to start fresh. The younger TNA talent might have a chance if they were willing to go to developmental...still not worth it for WWE to buy the company.

As far as someone else buying TNA...

This seems like the most likely to happen. I just hope whoever buys it reboots it in such a way (new name, perhaps) that gets rid of the stigma TNA made for itself as being...well...junk.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

Not sure if this report is true but if they are selling it I want a price tag dammit!

I don't think its far fetched that the Carter's would want to sell TNA. Bob Carter is richer than Vinnie Mac so really he has no reason to keep funding the company outside of his daughter wants him to. If what Meltzer says is true all TNA does is cost him money and if the report is accurate then it would be foolish for him to keep TNA. TNA isn't a priority to him so might as well give it to someone who will make it a priority.

I wouldn't want Bischoff or Jarrett to buy the company, I just don't see either guy doing much with it. TNA would have been out of business in no time if it wasn't for Dixie showing interest (when Jarrett founded the company) and although Bischoff could probably make it some money I don't think the quality of programming would change much but that's just the fan talking. I think TNA would have the best chance to succeed under Bischoff but even that's a stretch. Whoever does buy it I hope they get the most out of it.

 

[Animeboy010]

WCW was a genuine competitor to WWE in every measurable sense whether it be wrestling talent, TV ratings, ppv buys, live events, etc. It got to the point where WCW was actually a little bit bigger than WWE in the late 90s. When Vince ultimately bought WCW in 2001, he also bought everything that WCW owned and WCW's most valuable commodity by that time was its extensive video library. In order to try to compete with Vince by the mid 80s, Jim Crockett began buying out other territories, just as Vince himself had been doing. Crockett bought out Central States Wrestling, Florida Championship Wrestling, Georgia Championship Wrestling, the St. Louis Wrestling Club, etc. and they were some of the true cornerstone promotions of the NWA.



I suppose Vince could end up buying TNA, IF it turns out that it's for sale at some point, just for the sake of owning all TNA footage. However, the simple truth is that people aren't going to be lining up to buy DVD compilations of AJ Styles or Christopher Daniels.[/QUOTE]


Agreed, .We don't even know if it's true. I hope not, I would love to see TNA around for a long time. If this is true, I hope it's not to WWE. Vince's ego only wants to be the only wrestling company out there, just cross my fingers and hope that it doesn't end up with him, I don't care who it is, as long it's not WWE. He got his own talent to work with, why even attempting a bid to buy it, if it's true. Vince and the WWE should just stay out of it, no real reason why they should even touch anyone's company.TNA is not competition for Vince, Nor is it a threat to WWE Universe.

if Vince did buy WWE, it's going to be WCW all over again, I can see Hardy,Sting,Angle and maybe Aries/Brooke making a return to WWE, other then that they will let go of many other wrestlers like AJ Styles for one.Only exception is Bobby Roode Due to him having the perfect size model Mcmahon,looks for in WWE Wrestlers..


Christopher Daniels, won't make it due to his lack of size and age

 

[Animeboy010]

Not sure if this report is true but if they are selling it I want a price tag dammit!


I wouldn't want Bischoff or Jarrett to buy the company, I just don't see either guy doing much with it. TNA would have been out of business in no time if it wasn't for Dixie showing interest (when Jarrett founded the company) and although Bischoff could probably make it some money I don't think the quality of programming would change much but that's just the fan talking. I think TNA would have the best chance to succeed under Bischoff but even that's a stretch. Whoever does buy it I hope they get the most out of it.

Hopefully Viacom buys TNA. Seems reasonable since they own SpikeTV. Then more money will be pumped into TNA and people can start enjoying TNA again if Vince gets it, TNA is done. he'll take Sting, Angle and maybe a couple others and the rest will go to the indies.

Don't think I would mind if Bischoff bought it. Would make up for him missing out on buying WCW. He just needs to stay away from Hogan, they're cancer together but If WWE buys it, it's game over. Vince only wants TNA merely for it's video library.. Best case scenario this just ends up like ROH and TNA gets sold to somebody who is interested in continuing the product.

 

[shalliin]

As soon as I saw that $1.2b figure, I went "hahahahaha no". You add up everyone's investments and property costs, you're going to get a pretty decent number, but I'm very curious as to the fantasy math that pulls $1.2b out.

It's too soon for a deal from Viacom. They'd be the buyer of second-to-last resort, because they have a vested interest in keeping professional wrestling on their networks. A caution to fans- they want professional wrestling on their network, but don't need it. It's much more attractive for them to purchase a television show from a production company at a regular, negotiated price, opposed to taking control of production and risking losses on that end. Viacom wants to see TNA sold, but I doubt they really want to be the buyer.

I pulled short on my second laugh when I read about Eric Bischoff leading the charge, because despite the fact that he's the executive producer responsible for the shit you've seen on Impact for much of the four years, he is enough of a cockroach to survive the fallout from the nuclear wreckage that has been his management. Don't underestimate the greatest con artist in professional wrestling.

I know. I was taking a drink and sprayed my screen with milk when I saw that number. VIACOM has 5$ billion in the bank and they think TNA is worth 1.2$bil? It was to be a typo. They Aren't even worth the .2bill let alone a whole billion. There are NBA/NFL/MLB/NHL teams that are worth less than that. In fact, for 1.2bill, VIACOM could likely buy the franchises for all 4 major sports for some cities. Hell, the Florida Panthers just sold the team and building for about 250milll reported(though NHL often bumps up the numbers on team sales to make smaller market teams seem more valuable). So Viacom could have bought the Panthers, Rays or Marlins, and still had money to look at either the Tampa Ray Buccaneers or Dolphins. a number of 1.2bil for TNA means that the Carters spent 250thousand back when they bought it and bumped it up to make $4800 for every $1 they spent? TNA is worth almost 4 time it's weight in gold!!!

Think about that. Panda would have made a profit of 4800 times what they spent. Those numbers are insanely inflated. Either a decimal was moved a few spots (12 to possibly 120 million) or I might, I repeat might believe a .2bill(which is 200million) $ figure. But 1.2billion? that's just plain ridiculous. The only way such a number even remotely makes sense, is if you consider the entirety of the Panda Energy company, and not just TNA.

 

[T2KFreeker]

Again, most of this screams smoke and mirrors. Every other year we have a "TNA is for Sale" thing going around. Point to point, I do believe that if somebody approached the Carters with a good offer, they would have no problem selling the company. That doesn't mean that the company is on the market though. I think they may just hold onto it for a bit longer and see what happens moneywise for them after going back to Orlando and not pumping tons of money into the company. Keep it lean and see if they can turn a profit. I see it happening.

WWE wanting it? Nope, just don't see it. The Video Library, maybe. That would be for a full career retrospective for guys like Sting, Angle, Hardy and possibly the Dudleys/Team 3D. With that idea in mind, it would mean he wouldn't be looking to spend much money on it.

Bischoff getting it wouldn't be very good either. Think about it, if you look at quality, leave the BS out of it, the company was much better off before Bischoff and Hoagn came along. Not saying that Bischoff is the entire reason that TNA is in the state it's in right now, but he's a big part of it, and I really do believe that.

Viacom is an option, but again, they really need to understand that to make it successful, they really need to get someone in there that understands the internal workings of the industry, so that they know what's happening and can hopefully run the company properly.

Which leads me too, if said person was around, it would make more sense to want them to buy it in the first place and hopefully continue to see TNA on Spike TV anyway, that way Spike can just run the show on the Network and the wrestling guys can worry about the show side of things. That's the scenario I would want to see anyway, if the company was indeed for sale.

 

[shalliin]

Just because there is a rumor of a sale every year, doesn't mean that it hasn't been for sale every year. Considering how long they've had it on the books and without knowing the full numbers, no one can honestly say 100% that they haven't tried to sell it at least a few times over the years.
It could be that they were asking too much for what was it's value, could be they weren't getting the kind of buyers they were hoping for. They might not have actively been shopping it around or at least not as apparently public in their shopping around, but they could have approached a few potentially interested buyers who simply decided not to buy or not match the price the Carter's were asking.
NO ONE KNOWS!!!
Unless you were one of the Carter's or other board members, or one of the potential buyers, NOT A SINGLE ONE OF US can say for certain that it was or wasn't on the sale block.
Contrarily, neither can ANY OF US say the opposite. NO ONE not directly involved can say one way or another if it was being shopped, or if someone approached the Carter's and they declined selling.

 

[d_henderson1810]

I've never got why the IWC WANT for TNA to fail?

Sure, criticise what it does, and how it can improve. But that is what we should all want from TNA-Improvement!

I thought people would be rooting for the underdog, and wanting a challenger for WWE. People here complain that WWE is getting too sure of itself. Many have criticised WWE,(e.g. how they have done the Daniel Bryan storyline), etc. Yet it seems that most want TNA to fail, rather than be a challenger to TNA.

You may say that TNA WON'T be a challenger to WWE, but you should hope that it might. People said the same thing about WCW- that it couldn't challenge WWE, that it was out of its league, etc. Yet WCW Nitro beat WWE Raw for 82 consecutive weeks, so it must have done something right.

If Vince McMahon thought TNA was never a threat, then why did he re-sign Matt Hardy to WWE, to feud with Edge over their real-life issues, after firing him initially? Because TNA were chasing him. Why did Jeff Hardy have a second stint in WWE? Because TNA wanted him. Why did WWE give Chris Benoit a new contract when Jeff Jarrett came out and said that he wanted to sign Benoit to TNA, and relive their Ladder Match series from WCW? Why was Vince pissed off when Kurt Angle showed up on TNA?

Could it be because WWE superstars "jumping ship" was partly how WCW became a power last time? If Vince didn't see TNA as a threat, why not just let people leave, and go to TNA. It won't hurt WWE. Why couldn't Vince be happy for Kurt Angle, if he went to TNA, since TNA is not a threat.

I think Vince knows that TNA always has the potential to be a danger. You might say that is foolish, but he dismissed WCW ever being a threat. He won't do that twice.

 

[Rayne]

So- and being on my phone, quoting is a pain in the ass - the argument is that someone should approve of TNA, even if they think it's awful, based on the premise that it *might* not suck in the future. Because the quickest way to encourage a company to change is by sending them money.

I don't watch professional wrestling because I'm confusing it with UNICEF. I watch television to be entertained. I'm not watching much professional wrestling lately.

You entertain the viewer, you don't demand the viewer be entertained. If you can't get that done, television is the wrong business for you.

 

[Vance Ryan]

Ok moderators please delete this thread now please. Dixie confirmed it's not true already. Which technically makes this spam.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

No it doesn't make it SPAM. Where did she confirm that the company is not actually up for sale? I'm not seeing it anywhere. Unless you're referring to the cryptic tweet about "gossip", which I'd argue is hardly confirmation of anything, other than her potentially being a fan of Erica Jong.

 

[Zeven_Zion]

Ok moderators please delete this thread now please. Dixie confirmed it's not true already. Which technically makes this spam.

One - easy on the requests. They're moderators, not your bitches.

Secondly, Dixie kind of confirmed something similar is going on (if not dead on), by simply responding to it. She reacted like one of those teenagers who suck eachother off at school, then someone spills the beans and they post a cryptic "Only God can judge me" Facebook update.

That's what teenagers do nowadays, right?

Well, anyjob, the point is that Dixie responded to it, but she didn't deny it. She should've never tweeted anything. You may argue that we don't know that that Tweet was references to the rumors of TNA being sold but c'mon, let's not kid ourselves. She's probably reading this very post right now. In which case ...

Please make the product better because even I am losing interest. I think you have beautiful breasts and you have a googly eye, but it's kinda cute. Call me.

 

[Sweettre15]

There is only so much stock you can put into what Dave Meltzer says(or atleast that's the feeling around here) but here's a somewhat cryptic update from Meltzer:

- There are a lot of stories going around about TNA being for sale but there are indeed serious talks going on behind the scenes. There is a potential buyer that has been looking at the company. Representatives for the potential new owners have been at TNA's offices recently. Talk of a potential sale has been going on for months but has reached a serious enough point where things are at a significant stage.

Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

I'm hoping Dave has no problem humoring us by telling us who said potential buyer is in the near future because I'd LOVE to know if TNA will be in good hands going forward if Panda Energy does indeed sell it when it's all said and done.

 

[ABMorales787]

There is only so much stock you can put into what Dave Meltzer says(or atleast that's the feeling around here) but here's a somewhat cryptic update from Meltzer:

- There are a lot of stories going around about TNA being for sale but there are indeed serious talks going on behind the scenes. There is a potential buyer that has been looking at the company. Representatives for the potential new owners have been at TNA's offices recently. Talk of a potential sale has been going on for months but has reached a serious enough point where things are at a significant stage.

Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

I'm hoping Dave has no problem humoring us by telling us who said potential buyer is in the near future because I'd LOVE to know if TNA will be in good hands going forward if Panda Energy does indeed sell it when it's all said and done.

Meltzer is full of shit. I've never believed he's ever had such detailed inside sources. According to this report, he's got someone snooping on TNA's central offices. I'm seriously supposed to buy that like he's some high end paparazzi?

I'll tell you this though, for sale or not, I'm almost certain that wherever TNA sets sail, whoever the captain may be, Dixie Carter will still be on that boat. I seriously do not see her just giving it up because her parents aren't investing. She has been with the company since it's first year and took full investment and has not backed down at all in that time.

 

[Rayne]

Ok moderators please delete this thread now please. Dixie confirmed it's not true already. Which technically makes this spam.

I could simply say "people lie", but there's a more amusing anecdote here.

In 2011, the big question on everyone's lips was "Is TNA Profitable?" You had one crowd which said "of course they have to be, they're in business, and as everyone knows that being in business means you're profitable", and another crowd (hi, me!) which was saying "there's no way the numbers could be adding up here."

Then, Jeff Jarrett gave an interview where he was asked directly about profitability, and he responded "we turned that corner back in 2006." The boards erupted. People insisted that here was the ultimate proof that TNA was a profitable (which means self-sustaining, yes, folks, profit matters) enterprise, and that no one was ever able to talk about TNA being unprofitable again. Meanwhile, I said "did anyone else notice he only talked about 2006?", and absolutely no one wanted to hear that at the time.

The moral here is that people in business, and especially people in professional wrestling business, have no problem whatsoever with lying to you or stretching the truth as they see fit. There is no truth serum being passed out once the hard cameras get taken down.

 

[Sweettre15]

Interesting update about TNA's potential buyer:

- Regarding TNA being for sale, Prowrestling.net is now reporting that there is indeed a person who has serious interest in TNA. This person is described as someone fans would know and someone that may surprise us. The party who is interested in buying TNA reportedly has money behind them and was described as intelligent. TNA doesn't necessarily have a "for sale" sign up but they are listening to this potential buyer and others. There are also rumors that a major celebrity may be interested in purchasing TNA.

http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news...-potential-buyer-for-tna/#AtOxyEMPl7KXM3TV.99


I want to know know who this familiar "intelligent" buyer is. Shane McMahon? Ted Turner? Chris Jericho?
I look forward to finding out who will possibly take TNA away from Dixie Carter either way.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Interestingly enough, and this is probably just baseless conjecture, but TNAInsider has the "potential buyer" story right below this fancy little quote from Jim Ross regarding the company:

“TNA needs to be re-booted with a new philosophy and structure. Too many people in the biz over think the biz and its simply not that complicated.”

Hmm... "described as intelligent", "someone fans would know and someone that may surprise us", etc?

Just sayin'...

 

[Borck Lesnar]

Today on wrestlezone.com chris cash reported this statement.

There is now a serious buyer in the mix when it comes to the possible sale of TNA, reports Jason Powell of ProWrestling.net. The interested party is said to be someone fans would know, yet might surprise us, and someone with money behind them.

The Carter Family might not be rushing to complete this sale, but the report implies they are certainly listening to this offer among others.

There are also rumors that a major celebrity might be interested in purchasing TNA, but again, no name was given. We'll keep you updated as more information becomes available on this developing story.

With the looks of this it seem's like their could be a future for tna after all, and maybe a bigger future then we expected, should we believe this post? and if this post is true, then who could this big celeb be?
Perhaps Donald Trump?

 

[Slyfox696]

I very seriously doubt Donald Trump would buy TNA. Trump and McMahon appear to be good friends, and buying the competition would immediately put them at odds.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

As I said in the TNA Sale thread, and it's probably a mixture of wishful thinking and quite a bit of conjecture, but TNAInsider actually had this story as well as a quote from Jim Ross speaking directly to the need for TNA to "re-boot" directly next to one another.

He doesn't really fit the "celebrity" mold, but he does fit the "someone fans would know" and "described as intelligent". Regardless though, this report is such yellow journalism. I have little interest in playing guessing games with dirt sheet reports who's truest goal is click-throughs that boost their AdSense revenues.

I'll hold out on any real "insight" until real insight is actually shared. None of this overly vague and likely misleading stuff is helping matters any.