TNA Moving to Thursdays at 8pm Starting July 21st

[It's Damn Real!]

[YOUTUBE]Cz2KNk5HAf4[/YOUTUBE]

http://impactwrestling.com/impact-moves-home-to-thursday-nights-starting-july-21-at-87c/

--

I wrote a little bit ago that I really thought TNA should stand their ground this time around and just take on Smackdown head-to-head, but at the same time, I do "get" this move/retreat back to Thursdays. It's the safe play.

 

[MoRtAnDaD]

I think its not a wise move, maybe im wrong.

But go head to head against SD! which will be live, and with the brand split that will assure some big names on the show....dont know. TNA should have stay on Weds or try Tuesdays.

 

[Kyphael]

It's not a good move, it makes TNA look second rate as hell (which they already are) because it shows they have NO CONFIDENCE whatsoever their show will do even remotely decent against SmackDown. I know WWE is a titan (no pun) but if you're in TV production, and have no intention of ever trying to be number one in the game, you may as well quit and become a traveling indy promotion which would save them thousands in TV production costs.

Seriously, for the remaining TNA fans left, what the hell are they supposed to think? This company has no self-esteem. If TNA at least stayed their ground, it'd give the message they think "our wrestling show is better, you have the option of watching it over SmackDown" but no, they ran for the hills. What's next, TNA on Friday nights when WWE debuts a show on Thursday night?

 

[stingray11214]

If TNA did their shows live and not pre-recorded, this move would nonsensical and signal no confidence. The problem is that Impact is taped, and Pop! makes the call. For the situation TNA is in right now, it was the only move that made sense.

 

[ShinChan]

As expected. But still right enough.

TNA being pre-taped would find a hard time competing with live Smackdown whatsoever. It would have been a great daring move if TNA decided to compete with Smackdown.

Still I am glad that TNA is improving day by day, thanks to much better booking. Talents are good enough to take TNA to more high levels.

 

[Rayne]

It's not a good move, it makes TNA look second rate as hell (which they already are) because it shows they have NO CONFIDENCE whatsoever their show will do even remotely decent against SmackDown. I know WWE is a titan (no pun) but if you're in TV production, and have no intention of ever trying to be number one in the game, you may as well quit and become a traveling indy promotion which would save them thousands in TV production costs.

Seriously, for the remaining TNA fans left, what the hell are they supposed to think? This company has no self-esteem. If TNA at least stayed their ground, it'd give the message they think "our wrestling show is better, you have the option of watching it over SmackDown" but no, they ran for the hills. What's next, TNA on Friday nights when WWE debuts a show on Thursday night?

If you are a remaining TNA fan who has not accepted the fact that the WWE is the much, much larger promotion, and that TNA is not nor has ever been in the condition to compete against the WWE head to head, I congratulate you on your recent recovery after your coma. A lot has happened in the past five years!

The only real thing TNA could accomplish by going head to head with the WWE would be to slaughter their own ratings. Yes, maybe they'd have better self esteem; however, TNA is a business with the goal of surviving and hopefully profiting, not an underweight fourteen year-old. If you insist that your television programming has its own self-esteem, perhaps what the hell you should be thinking is "maybe I need to watch less television".

I was personally interested in seeing if TNA would schedule themselves from 9-11pm on Tuesdays to catch the bleedover audience, but this is the safe, smart play. I think it's probably more important that TNA focuses on doing what they can to be able to continue being TNA, rather than impress everybody by getting brutalized by the competition, yet while feeling good about it.

 

[Azane]

We saw how TNA's attempt to compete with RAW decimated it's ratings before, so this is a solid move to change it up. Most of the TNA fans I personally know still watch WWE as well as TNA, so the cross-over audience would be split at best.

 

[NJPW316]

Tough decision, but I think they should have stayed on Tuesdays. They're on an hour later than Smackdown, so maybe you get some people switching back and forth between the two and once Smackdown is over, maybe they switch back to TNA and stay there for the final hour. They should have given it a try for at least a few weeks, if it didn't work then they could move to Thursdays.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

It's not a good move, it makes TNA look second rate as hell (which they already are) because it shows they have NO CONFIDENCE whatsoever their show will do even remotely decent against SmackDown. I know WWE is a titan (no pun) but if you're in TV production, and have no intention of ever trying to be number one in the game, you may as well quit and become a traveling indy promotion which would save them thousands in TV production costs.

Seriously, for the remaining TNA fans left, what the hell are they supposed to think? This company has no self-esteem. If TNA at least stayed their ground, it'd give the message they think "our wrestling show is better, you have the option of watching it over SmackDown" but no, they ran for the hills. What's next, TNA on Friday nights when WWE debuts a show on Thursday night?

Realistically, TNA doesn't have a choice in the matter for a couple of reasons. For one thing, Pop ultimately makes and decides the scheduling for its programming, so Impact Wrestling airs on whatever night they want it to air. Secondly, TNA CANNOT compete in a head to head ratings fight against WWE; they went down that road back in 2010, it ended in a lopsided defeat for TNA and they were in a much stronger financial state than they are now. If reports are accurate, Billy Corgan is a new minority owner in TNA as he fronted TNA money for their last TV tapings for a percentage of ownership instead of a loan.

TNA isn't on WWE's level, that's just simply how it is. I'm not saying that as some sort of jab at TNA's talents or anything like that, I'm saying it from a business perspective. Whatever ideals some TNA fans might have in terms of the company standing its ground aren't realistic; it's easy for said fans to be idealistic when they're not the ones who have anything to risk in a straight up fight when TNA generally draws a third to a fourth of what they did a few years back going up against a live WWE broadcast.

 

[Kyphael]

If you are a remaining TNA fan who has not accepted the fact that the WWE is the much, much larger promotion, and that TNA is not nor has ever been in the condition to compete against the WWE head to head, I congratulate you on your recent recovery after your coma. A lot has happened in the past five years!

The only real thing TNA could accomplish by going head to head with the WWE would be to slaughter their own ratings. Yes, maybe they'd have better self esteem; however, TNA is a business with the goal of surviving and hopefully profiting, not an underweight fourteen year-old. If you insist that your television programming has its own self-esteem, perhaps what the hell you should be thinking is "maybe I need to watch less television".

I was personally interested in seeing if TNA would schedule themselves from 9-11pm on Tuesdays to catch the bleedover audience, but this is the safe, smart play. I think it's probably more important that TNA focuses on doing what they can to be able to continue being TNA, rather than impress everybody by getting brutalized by the competition, yet while feeling good about it.

I am not a TNA fan, well, I haven't been since they left Spike, and I got rid of my Dish bill. I haven't watched their show in about 2 or however many years it's been since they went to Destination America.

I don't know if you are a TNA fan or not, and I don't care. I know TNA isn't competition, and never will be, you're stating the obvious. I know they are in the business of making money, but with their current business model, and strategy, be it their decision, or the network's, they are found to forever be small time. If you are a TNA fan, and accept that, I weep for you. If not, well then, you're an outside observer with no emotional investment in anything TNA does.

 

[Rayne]

I am not a TNA fan, well, I haven't been since they left Spike, and I got rid of my Dish bill. I haven't watched their show in about 2 or however many years it's been since they went to Destination America.

I don't know if you are a TNA fan or not, and I don't care. I know TNA isn't competition, and never will be, you're stating the obvious. I know they are in the business of making money, but with their current business model, and strategy, be it their decision, or the network's, they are found to forever be small time. If you are a TNA fan, and accept that, I weep for you. If not, well then, you're an outside observer with no emotional investment in anything TNA does.

So, the path to not being small-time involves throwing themselves on their swords every Tuesday night for the sake of good self-esteem?

And if you weep for me over a hypothetical scenario where I accept TNA as the permanently smaller professional wrestling company, shit man, five cops just got murdered in Dallas. Have some sense of proportion.

 

[Sean Valjean]

It's not a good move, it makes TNA look second rate as hell (which they already are) because it shows they have NO CONFIDENCE whatsoever their show will do even remotely decent against SmackDown. I know WWE is a titan (no pun) but if you're in TV production, and have no intention of ever trying to be number one in the game, you may as well quit and become a traveling indy promotion which would save them thousands in TV production costs.

Seriously, for the remaining TNA fans left, what the hell are they supposed to think? This company has no self-esteem. If TNA at least stayed their ground, it'd give the message they think "our wrestling show is better, you have the option of watching it over SmackDown" but no, they ran for the hills. What's next, TNA on Friday nights when WWE debuts a show on Thursday night?

TNA stood their ground in 2010 and got slaughtered. Keep in mind that 2010 TNA had a FAR stronger roster, a healthier fanbase, and was financially better off than they are now. If TNA at their peak couldn't touch WWE, how can you expect crippled version of it to do so?

If anything, this is TNA learning from their mistakes for once. They'd have to be straight up delusional to think going head-to-head with a live Smackdown would be result in anything more than ratings suicide for them.

TNA shouldn't worry about trying to compete with WWE. That ship sailed a long time ago and it's probably never coming back. Simply being a profitable company should be their only concern, and avoiding WWE's blast radius is the smart way to do that.

 

[WorstWrestlingExcrement]

Just met Eric Bischoff and Ric Flair to ex TNA stars at Montreal Comic con and had an interesting conversation if Eric would rejoin TNA he said "you never know " He was very impressed with the TNA product recently.
Well where to start many wwe sheep followers and disbelievers like to steamroll TNA I do agree TNA got killed back in 2010 when they had a better roster but they had bad bookers then as for now and I don't think it is a wise chess move to make now for TNA to go head to head Thursdays regardless if POP or TNA decided to switch Tuesdays to Thursdays unless TNA goes live and gets new talent surprises signed to TNA like WCW used to do cause that is the only way TNA will remain afloat
TNA needs big names GOLDBERG would be one maybe Ryback , Batista, Cody Rhodes and Rey Mysterio Jr can increase the ratings if TNA can get them cause you need stars to promote your brand look how WCW did with Hall and Nash

 

[Kyphael]

And if you weep for me over a hypothetical scenario where I accept TNA as the permanently smaller professional wrestling company, shit man, five cops just got murdered in Dallas. Have some sense of proportion.

Wow.. really? That's how you refute an argument, by bringing up an unrelated tragedy as if I'm some sort of uncaring asshole who only cares about criticizing TNA and in my critique I somehow don't care about 5 cops gunned down which this thread isn't even about? Go take a debate class, please. I won't be addressing THAT again.

And Sean (Valjean), I recognize the validity in the point that yeah, they'll very likely sell their video library to Vince McMahon before they start scoring 2.0 ratings and competing even with WWE's B Show, I know that for a fact. I just don't see the point in TV production, then.

Obviously their current ratings and business revenue isn't enough for them to even be profitable if they got evicted, had to low-ball veteran talent to preferred to leave for greener pastures, and HAD to seek outside investors just to survive, let alone the embarrassing low pay. It's cringe-worthy to see, and clearly the business model is just keeping their head above water instead of thriving, whether they admit and conform to being a small-time alternative or not, they'll go out of business whether they want to compete or not.

So either they're delusional about how effective their current business model is and think they can be around for the next 5 to 10 years, even staying out of WWE's blast radius, or they know they're on borrowed time, so why not compete and go out with a blast instead of a whimper? No guts, no glory. With social media, they really are stupid. I'd have ECIII and Drew Galloway cutting the same shoot promos every week on their tapings to generate buzz and crap on WWE's product. I'd even hire a body-builder to dress up as John Cena to have their top talent squash on a weekly basis.