Rumor: Viacom Says TNA to MTV?

[ABMorales787]

A news tidbit popped up on my Facebook wall saying Pro Wrestling Report is claiming that Viacom dead set on getting TNA on one of their networks should negotiations fail with Spike with the most likely place being MTV. I have yet to find this on any dirtsheet sites since the rumor stirs from a Podcast. However, should TNA land on MTV...... Wow. That just sounds like such a mixed bag to me.

MTV has been home to Sunday Night Heat, Lucha Libre USA and that abomination called Wrestling Society X. So a case can be made that the interest is there. But then again the latter two shows were ridiculous and never made it past their first season. Yeah, season. Because that's how I fear MTV thinks wrestling works. On the positive, TNA will probably get better advertising and reruns given there's MTV, MTV 2, MTV Tr3s, MTV Squared, MTV with actual music videos, well you get the point. But I fear tampering from the higher ups. Not to mention trading the plugs for Bar Rescue, Bellator and Deadliest Warrior for Teen Mom and whatever show those Jersey Shore guys do now. Ugh.

 

[Nate DaMac]

Ugh. Douche chills. I'd rather see it just die, honestly. Go out with a little bit of dignity.

 

[Slash-LN]

Half of me wants to say as long as I can continue watching every week I don't care what channel they're on.

The other half says what kind of restrictions will they have and would Viacom give them the money they need.

If they got picked up for one "season" and then cancelled I'd feel like it wasn't even worth it for that season.

 

[DirtyJosé]

If they got picked up for one "season" and then cancelled I'd feel like it wasn't even worth it for that season.

Oh yes the fuck it would. That's likely another round of tapings, which could buy them A LOT of time to get other shit in order. Not that I think any of this is likely, especially not TNA getting their shit together, but just pointing out the opportunity. MTV isn't a terrible home, depends on what kind of time slot and promotion they'd get. Wrestling on Spike hasn't been super successful either so I'm not too worried about what MTV would do to them. Also, Killjoy, why worry about cross-promotion with other MTV shows? Not like TNA wasn't going to rip them off for a gimmick down the line anyway

 

[ABMorales787]

Also, Killjoy, why worry about cross-promotion with other MTV shows? Not like TNA wasn't going to rip them off for a gimmick down the line anyway

Well, the rip-offs actually wrestle. And Robbie E is a rather ridiculously entertaining character.

Now that I think about it, they were cutting off kidneys to have Jersey Shore guys appear on the show a couple years ago. Now It'll be same. But less expensive. Maybe it won't be so bad. Unless they start booking Teen Mom's. Then I'd feel really uncomfortable.

 

[I_Like_All_Wrestling]

That's in interesting rumor, especially since Spike is part of Viacom, so it seems a little weird to me that Viacom would be "dead set" on getting TNA if negotiations fall apart. It also seems like if they were "dead set" they could have tried to put them on MTV or whatever earlier.

 

[DirtyJosé]

Well, the rip-offs actually wrestle. And Robbie E is a rather ridiculously entertaining character.

Now that I think about it, they were cutting off kidneys to have Jersey Shore guys appear on the show a couple years ago. Now It'll be same. But less expensive. Maybe it won't be so bad. Unless they start booking Teen Mom's. Then I'd feel really uncomfortable.

Was my thought exactly. And why not a Teen Mom? I would pay good money to see one of those hoes put through a table or get the taste slapped out of them by Angelina Love.

Of course, you're right in your first post: MTV has to let TNA be TNA. The last two projects failed because though the premise was neat, there was no long term plan for what the fuck they were doing. TNA doesn't really function that way.

 

[Slash-LN]

Oh yes the fuck it would. That's likely another round of tapings, which could buy them A LOT of time to get other shit in order. Not that I think any of this is likely, especially not TNA getting their shit together, but just pointing out the opportunity. MTV isn't a terrible home, depends on what kind of time slot and promotion they'd get. Wrestling on Spike hasn't been super successful either so I'm not too worried about what MTV would do to them. Also, Killjoy, why worry about cross-promotion with other MTV shows? Not like TNA wasn't going to rip them off for a gimmick down the line anyway

I should have been more clear. That was my fault for not elaborating.

I meant if they were there for a "season" and got cancelled and then go out of business because they couldn't get a new t.v. deal somewhere.

If they were on MTV or whatever and were able to get a better deal with someone and stay alive then yeah by all means that would be a good thing.

 

[lil steroid meat]

I'd love this.

This is the perfect way to be Anti-WWE.

WWE is ran by old, out of touch upper class white people that think that stuff like R-Truth and Cryme Tyme is an accurate portrayal or urban culture. And that's completely fine because their goal isn't to be "cool" it's to be a conservative, family friendly entertainment company.

The most glaring example I can think of, is a few months ago when Betty White was hosting RAW and during that same episode, Wiz Khalifa was on screen for like 5 seconds. Who is more relevant to the male 18-35 demographic?

Even stuff like when they have Flo Rida perform. That's something that a focus group or group of old out of touch execs do when they take a quick glance at the music charts and they see that's who is popular. Why not have the Migos, who JUST took a picture with Randy Orton a few months ago, come in and perform . . . I promise you, just an Instagram post from the Migos or Wiz telling people to watch RAW, culturally will reach a young demographic who isn't in to wrestling like that right now. Even Wale, who is a big wrestling fan and often posts pics of him at shows and with wrestling gear/memorabilia, has never had an official interaction with the WWE.

TNA will never be the main, family friendly entertainment company in pro wrestling as long as WWE exists, and this is the first step towards being that Anti-WWE company. Be youthful, be uber athletic, feature celebrities coming in and being involved with the company (not to physically get involved, but to perform, do some guest commentary, they can even just post on their Instagram to watch the show).

If the WWE is conservative and family friendly, be youthful, edgy and appeal to the teenagers and up.

It's the same mentality WCW had in the 90's when they were doing business with Master P and going to the college spring break weeks and shooting Nitro.

I'm hoping I'm right and along with a new channel, they found a new young culturally aware visionary to help run the company and get Dixie and the current creative team out of there, but I'm sure I'm jumping the shark, overthinking things and it's just a channel change with no real change in how they are going to operate.

 

[Bockwinkel's Class]

It's the same mentality WCW had in the 90's when they were doing business with Master P and going to the college spring break weeks and shooting Nitro.

You DO realize that whole angle with Master P and the No Limit Soldiers bombed right? The last thing TNA needs to be emulating is WCW during the last couple of years when it was self-destructing.

 

[lil steroid meat]

You DO realize that whole angle with Master P and the No Limit Soldiers bombed right? The last thing TNA needs to be emulating is WCW during the last couple of years when it was self-destructing.

I said in my post celebrities don't need to be wrestling or involved in angles but the simple involvement of them in the show in a non-wrestling/non-script capacity (like guest commentary or asking them who their favorite star on the roster or who they think will win the main event or something like that) definitely reaches out to a demographic that the WWE makes no effort to/cannot reach.

 

[Reflection]

Even living in the basement is better than not having a home; as long as you have a life, you have a chance to make it better. MTV, VH1, whatever... They should see this as a new life and dare not fuck it up.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

Even living in the basement is better than not having a home; as long as you have a life, you have a chance to make it better. MTV, VH1, whatever... They should see this as a new life and dare not fuck it up.

Agreed. If TNA can survive they need to seriously have a sit down and think of how they can attract new viewers and differentiate themselves from the competition.

They need to make themselves stand out from WWE, be more edgy, be more controversial, push the boundaries and try and attract the 18+ viewer who is bored by WWE's PG programming and wants to see wrestling that is more "adult". MTV could be the platform to do this, if they give TNA a proper chance, and time to adapt their product.

I like Barack Lesnar's idea of trying to get relevant celebritities to post on Twitter/Instagram about iMPACT! as that would certainly attract more viewers to the programme, espcially ones currently unaware of TNA's existance. Then it would be down to the company themselves to produce a good wrestling show that would entertain these viewers and keep them coming back for more.

 

[Rayne]

Considering that Spike and MTV are both owned by the same company, Viacom, I'd take this news with a fairly large grain of salt.

 

[SpecialFNK]

isn't MTV bigger/better than Spike? I know some of the other shows on Spike (Cops/Jail/Bar Rescue) but I don't watch anything else on Spike other than TNA. MTV is definitely a bigger name network than Spike.
I would think for your target audience of 18+ that you're going to have more potential on MTV than Spike.
I would think there is more there for better cross over appearances for sports entertainment, which is what professional wrestling is.

if this does happen I'd rather see TNA on a different night, like Wednesday. I think something that hurts TNA's possible ratings is going up against NFL and NBA playoffs that always seem to fall on a Thursday.

if Spike is not interested and doesn't renew TNA's contract for whatever reason, MTV is better than nothing at all. doesn't mean it would have to be something long term, but if it keeps the company going then it's a good thing.

 

[MrHashasheen]

You DO realize that whole angle with Master P and the No Limit Soldiers bombed right? The last thing TNA needs to be emulating is WCW during the last couple of years when it was self-destructing.

To be fair, the reason those angles bombed was because WCW was an inherently southern wrestling product with an inherently southern fanbase. TNA doesn't quite have that geographical/regional limitation.

As for this news.... I don't know. Sounds a bit weird, since both MTV and Spike are owned by Viacom. Maybe they just want them off Spike's yearly reports and onto a more sustainable channel?

 

[akathelaw]

TNA isn't good enough to be on MTV. They'd have to reinvent, and lose Dixie Carter to make it. It's the decision making that kills TNA and makes it impossible for them to grow. MTV could beat WWE in ratings with the right kind of show, but TNA is incapable of being anything but a "greatest hits" collection with ugly packaging. Fantastic talent handpicked from WWE and the indies, made to wrestle in an oversized playpen/trampoline with stupid storylines and the worst wrestling announcers alive. If MTV bought TNA, renamed it and replaced the entire company except for the wrestling talent roster, then you would see a great show that would last longer than a year. Otherwise, it will fail thanks to Dixie and the fat cats who run TNA.

 

[Pedigree1]

TNA or rumored moving to MTV,is indeed a mixed bag. Not a home run by any means,but it would depend on what kind of timeslot they get,and who they go against.. Shit shows like,Teen Mom,Teen Mom2,Road Rules 100,000! TNA does several weeks worth of taping ahead of time,so in case the rumored tv slot bombs,it would buy them time to get their act together..

Of course this is TNA,MTV would have to let them run their program the way they want too.. I would love to see Angelina Love slap the shit out of those teen moms.. But wrestling on MTV hasnt been exactly a homerun either.. I fear for the future of TNA,they might be better off just doing an internet thing

 

[Rayne]

Spike is a division of Viacom.
MTV is a division of Viacom.

Are people not seeing the very basic problem with this rumor here? Hey, I know that the faithful could really use some good news lately, it's been a rough fucking week. And the door isn't completely shut on TNA finding a new TV deal. However, a new deal from the people that just released them for failure to perform is...... unlikely?

 

[ABMorales787]

Spike is a division of Viacom.
MTV is a division of Viacom.

Are people not seeing the very basic problem with this rumor here? Hey, I know that the faithful could really use some good news lately, it's been a rough fucking week. And the door isn't completely shut on TNA finding a new TV deal. However, a new deal from the people that just released them for failure to perform is...... unlikely?

Yes, we know. Bu its a RUMOR. James Storm tweeted during the week that he was at a meeting with Viacom directly as opposed to Spike TV execs and a podcast claimed that Viacom wants to keep TNA, maybe even buy them, if it isn't on Spike. MTV has tried many times to have wrestling on their line up hence the rumors. We're just discussing on those rumor which have a small degree of base. Not to mention its a really interesting scenario.

 

[Weems2k]

Not sure if this was ever brought up, or even feasible. But what if Mark Cuban were to buy TNA, and work out a deal with either FX, or Fox Sports 1? Both networks have mma shows I believe, so they can try to market, and expand on that audience? We all know Cuban's pretty loaded, so who knows what kind of stars he can bring in. Just a thought.

 

[Rayne]

Yes, we know. Bu its a RUMOR. James Storm tweeted during the week that he was at a meeting with Viacom directly as opposed to Spike TV execs and a podcast claimed that Viacom wants to keep TNA, maybe even buy them, if it isn't on Spike. MTV has tried many times to have wrestling on their line up hence the rumors. We're just discussing on those rumor which have a small degree of base. Not to mention its a really interesting scenario.

Right, but there's usually a degree of plausibility to rumors worth discussing. This is blind grasping at straws. SpikeTV and MTV aren't separate companies. They're owned by the same guys. This isn't the case of one person making a decision and one person changing it. Viacom hired TNA to perform a job on one of their stations which they feel TNA did not accomplish. This rumor says that now, Viacom is going to rehire TNA not because there's a particular role for the program to play on the network, but because 'they've put wrestling on before'.

I'm allowed to discuss rumors too, right? I'm allowed to point out how completely ridiculous this scenario is? That it's the kind of thing concocted at best for website clicks, and has absolutely no basis in reality anywhere outside of that narrow frame?

Here's the real reality for TNA moving to another network. The way TNA is pitching themselves now, someone else will have to pay them with their current management intact, and based on the past six years, I certainly don't trust them with my investment. TNA management would have to get a drastic overhaul for another station to get involved with them, and they would see no reason to keep TNA the way it is. Any move to another station would come with either a horrible location at a cheap rate, or a teardown and restructure of TNA to fit the new channel's idea of what they want out of a professional wrestling show.

TNA's management (including Dixie) won't resign to keep the company going. There's no point in going to a much smaller station, since you're just buying yourself time to close in that scenario. You have to ask, not as a fan but as someone who understands that television is a product built to make a profit, why would someone buy into TNA today, the way it is?

Silver lining here: Fox Sports is in the middle of trying to establish themselves as an alternative to ESPN, and some form of professional wrestling show might be a way of doing that. I wouldn't bet on it, though.

 

[ajdb]

MTV worries me. Their last wrestling project was SO bad! WSX was basically MTV trying to do ECW to show up WWE's ECW brand. Explosions & camera shaking doesn't make a wrestling program. That's carnival sh*t.

Rayne makes a good point. Fox Sports is really starting to get desperate for ratings. Impact as is would probably in their Top 5 ratings wise.

 

[SpecialFNK]

out of all of these new start up wrestling companies that have aired on MTV, what "name" wrestlers did they have? I never watched any of them and don't think I even recognize the name of the promotions that have been mentioned. but I think it is a big plus to have some recognizable names that fans want to see.

 

[ajdb]

FNK, WSX's first title was Vampiro vs. X-Pac (He had to use a different name though). You could tell Vampiro booked the whole thing. He won with a tombstone into a casket that exploded.

Yes, it was that carny.

As long as TNA doesn't let people like that run the show they could be fine.