TNA "See The Difference" Campaign

[Shadow of Darkness]

Hell yeah...

Well i expect some heated arguments on this...

Ok now I have thought several times about how can TNA become more popular.

Now look WWE is kinda hot right now so there is no scope of competition. Look TNA too has its solid fanbase but donot have majority of ratings. People who watched wrestling during attitude era are not going to come back to watch wrestling. Currently wrestling is all favorite between a small millions of people. Some of them opt to watch WWE and other TNA. Being a TNA fan i can say that TNA need to capture these people. So i have a plan.

TNA has Thrusday nite timeslot. I want it to be shifted to 8-10 pm so that it doesnot face jersey shore. Secondly promote TNA thoroughout all network owned by viacom by airing commercials. Thirdly, let most cheered or most hated TNA wrestlers to join different realityshows. Let them use their same gimmick there aswell. I know it would need lot of cross promotion.

Fourthly, air a 1 Hr monday nite show featuring mainly main-event fueds just 1hr before WWE RAW kicks off. Promote throughout the media about the - see the difference - campaign. Tell people to see the edge in our product. See how our storylines
create suspense. See how we have great in-ring action. See how superior our overall product is in comparision to WWE. Dont go for direct war but go for a passive war.

Lastly, put your main surprizes for the PPVs. Think they are live, it can create a lot of buzz. It would be something new as WWE never gives much shock in PPVs and it will also adjust the - see the difference - campaign. Then tape your shows just a day before you air it. This will help them from the dirt spoilers.


Wrestling is not like it used to be, buddy.
--- Its Time For Difference ---

 

[Mark Gallows]

Ohhh boy, where to begin? See what difference!? TNA is still putting out the same GARBAGE they have since '08, except now they're loosing about 3 times the money with the Hogan/Bischoff/Flair/EX-WWE "stars" contracts. Of course they can't compete with WWE, they're both trying to do "sports entertainment", they're both doing it badly mind, but WWE's doing it badly with a bigger budget.

For any of the stuff you're talking about to work the show would need to be GOOD, it would need to be able to drawn on it's own, the cross promotion stuff should be icing on the cake, TNA right now can't even hold onto a CORE fan base. What would the benifit be of all this marketing? Think of when Hogan came in, ratings pop, the next week they die off. If the show's not any good (and it's not bro, it's just not) all this advertising/promotion is for nothing if you can't REATAIN the new fans you got from the campaign.

The reality show thing wouldn't work. It just wouldn't. TNA would need a very big hand in running the show to keep their guys looking good, no reality show is gonna give another production company control of their product without serious financial out lay from TNA, again, money TNA dosen't have. And what does it achieve? It's puts the reality show over not TNA. The only reason the nWo and WCW "invading" Leno worked was because it was a WORK, it kept the talent looking good and allowed them to further their angles. I'm not saying Leno and Rodman at Road Wild was a great idea (far from it) but getting your show over on Leno, a very watched primetime programme is a win however you cut it.

Taping the day before, a good idea in theory but in practice it's just not do-able for TNA right now. Right now they do 2 days of taping with roughly 3 weeks to do any edits/production on the show. You tape the day before it airs you double your production costs (you're running 4 days of free shows a month now instead of 2) and will need to hire more video production personel to meet the new 24 hour broadcast dead-line. Again, more cash outlay, little reward imo.

The hour special before Raw...actually a very good idea man, that could work. But again, looking at it buisness wise, what network will air it? WWE won't let USA or Sci-Fi touch it, not alot of big networks want wrestling right now, that pretty much leaves Spike and if the 2 hour Thursday prime-time show won't draw, will the monday show do numbers? Say they do get another network, what kind of conditions will they have to meet for the network? Remember when TNA were on Fox they were paying several thousands of dollars a week just to get the show air'd.

You hit the nail on the head about PPV's, but not just surprises, the whole TNA business model is wrong. You should save EVERYTHING for your PPV's, the TV show should just act to sell your product and sell your PPV, think about the Monday Night Wars, WCW put everything on Nitro, main event bouts, big angles...when it came time for the PPV they had nothing new for the fans to buy into. WWF did take a hammering in the ratings, BUT because their buisness model was PPV driven they survived. WCW was selling a TV show, WWF was selling monthly supercards for $40 a pop, which looks better to you, in terms of drawing money?

I don't want you thinking I'm being a douche here, you obviously love TNA and want to make it better, I'm just trying to point out the reality of how doing this stuff would go down....and I've still not forgiven them for bringing Russo back, they could've made it in '07 if they'd kept on with that booking team.

 

[The Suplexer Perfecter]

Hell yeah...

Well i expect some heated arguments on this...

Ok now I have thought several times about how can TNA become more popular.

Now look WWE is kinda hot right now so there is no scope of competition. Look TNA too has its solid fanbase but donot have majority of ratings. People who watched wrestling during attitude era are not going to come back to watch wrestling. Currently wrestling is all favorite between a small millions of people. Some of them opt to watch WWE and other TNA. Being a TNA fan i can say that TNA need to capture these people. So i have a plan.

TNA has Thrusday nite timeslot. I want it to be shifted to 8-10 pm so that it doesnot face jersey shore. Secondly promote TNA thoroughout all network owned by viacom by airing commercials. Thirdly, let most cheered or most hated TNA wrestlers to join different realityshows. Let them use their same gimmick there aswell. I know it would need lot of cross promotion.

Fourthly, air a 1 Hr monday nite show featuring mainly main-event fueds just 1hr before WWE RAW kicks off. Promote throughout the media about the - see the difference - campaign. Tell people to see the edge in our product. See how our storylines
create suspense. See how we have great in-ring action. See how superior our overall product is in comparision to WWE. Dont go for direct war but go for a passive war.

Lastly, put your main surprizes for the PPVs. Think they are live, it can create a lot of buzz. It would be something new as WWE never gives much shock in PPVs and it will also adjust the - see the difference - campaign. Then tape your shows just a day before you air it. This will help them from the dirt spoilers.


Wrestling is not like it used to be, buddy.
--- Its Time For Difference ---

You're acting like TNA has the pull and the ability to do any of what you're suggesting.

You think spoilers really effect the show? People still watch it regardless. Having the show air one day after it's taped won't prevent spoilers. People will still get them.

 

[ABMorales787]

You're a genius! What the hell do we have bookers and writers for? You should do this job!

Lets do this. Fuck TV proceedings! Let's jump to Mondays. Fuck taping procedings. Lets tape a day before it airs. We can edit and re-shoot at the last minute. See the difference? It's wrestling. It's always the same shit, just different people.

 

[Psykohurricane55]

Hell yeah...

Well i expect some heated arguments on this...

Ok now I have thought several times about how can TNA become more popular.

Now look WWE is kinda hot right now so there is no scope of competition. Look TNA too has its solid fanbase but donot have majority of ratings. People who watched wrestling during attitude era are not going to come back to watch wrestling. Currently wrestling is all favorite between a small millions of people. Some of them opt to watch WWE and other TNA. Being a TNA fan i can say that TNA need to capture these people. So i have a plan.

TNA has Thrusday nite timeslot. I want it to be shifted to 8-10 pm so that it doesnot face jersey shore. Secondly promote TNA thoroughout all network owned by viacom by airing commercials. Thirdly, let most cheered or most hated TNA wrestlers to join different realityshows. Let them use their same gimmick there aswell. I know it would need lot of cross promotion.

Fourthly, air a 1 Hr monday nite show featuring mainly main-event fueds just 1hr before WWE RAW kicks off. Promote throughout the media about the - see the difference - campaign. Tell people to see the edge in our product. See how our storylines
create suspense. See how we have great in-ring action. See how superior our overall product is in comparision to WWE. Dont go for direct war but go for a passive war.

Lastly, put your main surprizes for the PPVs. Think they are live, it can create a lot of buzz. It would be something new as WWE never gives much shock in PPVs and it will also adjust the - see the difference - campaign. Then tape your shows just a day before you air it. This will help them from the dirt spoilers.


Wrestling is not like it used to be, buddy.
--- Its Time For Difference ---

You got some great idea, the only problem with that plan is that even if TNA does all that, unless they move out of the IMPACT Zone permenantly, they will always look second rate because the visual that they project scream low indy promotion. Just compare the 2 london Impact taping they did last month. That crowd made them look like a big wrestling company. Then compare that to Against all odds live in the IMPACT Zone and it was night and day as far as visual was concern. The PPV made them look like a small indy promotion.

The fact is TNA can do all the promotion in the world, wrestling fans won't graviate to them if they stay in the IMPACT Zone even with the best wrestling and storytelling in the world because the product will still look like and Indy promotion and in the end the casual fans from the attitude era won't come back to watch a product that look minor league.

 

[Krossbreed]

most people i know dont like wrestling, they dont even want to see wrestlemania...so all that your suggestions are doing is dividing the wrestling audience with those gimmicks, a wrestling fan is a wrestling fan...not a reality show fan, not a movie fan, tna needs to stay on thursdays and perhaps promote an annual festival or an annual supershow cobrand with the x games, bike stunts, hot fitness models, snow boarding car drifiting...whatever it may be...but they truely need to be different and they should focus on making themselves better not trying to "compete"...


tna needs to figure out is how to incorporate procter and gambles method of marketing which is the 2 truths...an initial connection as the fans see it they want to be apart of the excitement aka shiny nice packaging...and an emotional connection...

 

[Azane]

TNA used to be different, since Hulk Hogan and Bischoff came, the company has gotten more and more similar to WWE in the last few years.

When they tried to compete with WWE directly, they lost viewers, they're not up to competing with the E right now, they're better off worrying about themselves.

As far as the reality show thing... how is that different? WWE stars go on reality shows and keep kayfabe all the time.

Given the choice between WWE and TNA, TNA will lose viewers, given both shows on opposing nights, many people watch both products.

 

[Headman]

The only problem is that it isn't even close to being superior to the WWE. It may be a small minority of wrestling fan's cup of tea, but this idea that TNA is better than the WWE but people just don't know it yet is ridiculous. You'd be hard pressed to find fans who aren't aware of TNA. It's not that they don't know they exist, they just don't care. They should just worry about the fans they have now and consistantly improve their product and maybe critics will come around. As it stands now, a comparison to the WWE wouldn't be favorable for TNA.

 

[MWRedskins]

honestly, for me, TNA (in order to improve) should do some things different, but other than that, it's not an awful show. i dont like how Bobby Roode has been built and they need to build him better as a champion and make him look stronger, but other than that, he's been fine, his mic work is good and he has that look of a champion. TNA needs to find some more tag teams (WWE does too), but the tag champs at least are fun to watch. TNA's knockouts are better than WWE's divas for many reasons, one of them is the build up of them and storylines. i may not love TNA's midcard or how they book Roode sometimes, but at least they dont have a good wrestling woman be a comedy act. Natalya shouldnt be a farting diva and if they pushed her right, she would put on a great match with Beth at WM, but instead, they may not even have a Diva's WM match. another high point in TNA is the X-Division and especially the current champion Austin Aries, that guy has potential and i hope to see him in a main event sometime, he can both wrestle and talk on the mic.

my biggest flaw with TNA is the TV title. that belt looks nice, but honestly, for prestige, i dont think that title is worth holding because it seems that lower midcarders hold that belt and i think that title shouldnt be for guys like Robbie E to hold and should be a belt for mid-carders or rising stars, guys like Kaz, Daniels, Bully Ray and let them hold that title until they drop it to move on to the big title. Anyways with all that said, TNA would be a better show if they just booked it better, that's all, it's got his pros and cons just like the WWE, but i think WWE's booking is a little bit better than TNA's.

 

[kor420]

Hell yeah...

Well i expect some heated arguments on this...

Ok now I have thought several times about how can TNA become more popular.

Now look WWE is kinda hot right now so there is no scope of competition. Look TNA too has its solid fanbase but donot have majority of ratings. People who watched wrestling during attitude era are not going to come back to watch wrestling. Currently wrestling is all favorite between a small millions of people. Some of them opt to watch WWE and other TNA. Being a TNA fan i can say that TNA need to capture these people. So i have a plan.

TNA has Thrusday nite timeslot. I want it to be shifted to 8-10 pm so that it doesnot face jersey shore. Secondly promote TNA thoroughout all network owned by viacom by airing commercials. Thirdly, let most cheered or most hated TNA wrestlers to join different realityshows. Let them use their same gimmick there aswell. I know it would need lot of cross promotion.

Fourthly, air a 1 Hr monday nite show featuring mainly main-event fueds just 1hr before WWE RAW kicks off. Promote throughout the media about the - see the difference - campaign. Tell people to see the edge in our product. See how our storylines
create suspense. See how we have great in-ring action. See how superior our overall product is in comparision to WWE. Dont go for direct war but go for a passive war.

Lastly, put your main surprizes for the PPVs. Think they are live, it can create a lot of buzz. It would be something new as WWE never gives much shock in PPVs and it will also adjust the - see the difference - campaign. Then tape your shows just a day before you air it. This will help them from the dirt spoilers.


Wrestling is not like it used to be, buddy.
--- Its Time For Difference ---

Okay, i'm still half a sleep... hell i haven't got my redbull drink yet, but after reading this, this is a VERY GOOD IDEA and would work extremely well, have you shot your idea to TNA?

As a Fan of TNA, i would do any thing to get them recognized and went as far as going to pay out of my own pocket to have TNA ads on roadside billboards, but i haven't heard back from TNA to see if this would be okay with them.

But yea, you should contact tna and tell them about your idea and tell them that you expect no money and no royalties if they use your idea and you're whiling to put that in writing.

Yes, they need to do something about the spoilers for both smackdown and tna. You've notice both smackdown and tna ratings are low. What these two shows have in common is both shows are taped and both shows have spoilers and both shows have low ratings. IMHO, this hurts both brands and is stealing money from their pocket. You're giving away the entire episode before it has a chance to air. It's no different for obtaining a copy of the show and airing it on your website before it airs on tv. You have taken money out of their pocket, because if you already seen/know the outcome, then why watch it again on tv? I Wish both brands would stand up and send cest and desist letters to all the dirt sheet sites because spoilers is a form of stealing.

If i owned a dirt sheet site, i wouldn't let spoilers be posted by my staff.

 

[xavyer]

That is not a bad idea, but you got to work on something different to try and have people watch TNA, don't get me wrong, i'm not trying to bash TNA, but at this moment people don't like TNA, including my self for some reasons, some of them are obious reasons, like tryingo to depend on big names, and by that i mean big names in the 70's, 80's and 90's, not even big names of today, like Hogan, Sting, Flair, Angle just to name a few, at least WWE or ROH have superstar made by their own product, TNA doesn't have that, like i said, the main event guys or the top guys are Sting, Hogan, etc. and the superstars that actually born with TNA are playing second or jobbers to those guys, what TNA needs to do is build a few original superstars and go all the way with them, just like the WWE did with Cena, Orton, etc. and make thos guys the real face of the company, ok, at this moment the champion is Bobby Roode, but even like that, the show is still around Hogan, The Bischoffs, Sting, and the world champion look like he's less important, and to top it off, Sting is the number one contender?? Wtf??

Ok, that's about the stars, now another thing TNA need to work on good writters or a better creative team, people that have the talent to build solid storylines, not make it all about Hogan and his people, at this moment TNA is too predictible and not exactly entertaining, the fans want to be entertained, surprised, even scocked every once in a wild, what TNA needs to do to be better is simple, stop trying to compete with the WWE and other promotions and just work on your own product, build your own people and make them the face of the company, get rid of all the wrestlers that refuse to retire, or use them in different things, but not in the ring, and that would be a great start for TNA to go up, people want to see something different, not the same thing in different shows and different promotions........

 

[mlp420]

Wow, I'm quite amused at some of the replies to this thread. Same stuff over and over. It's all nonsense. Truth is BOTH products are ice cold right now. The wrestling industry in general is ice cold right now. WWE is only hanging on because people still watch by habit. Just like they did in 95. WWE's ratings are going down too. The bleeding has stopped because Wrestlemania season is here and The Rock-Cena feud is in full swing. But they'll be down to the 2.0s regularly once it's over. That show's not any better at all.


But yet every time topics like this come up we get genius analysis: "TNA's not doing this" or "TNA's should start doing that" or my favorite: "TNA needs to be different (aka be that big-budget-nationally-televised-indy-wrestling promotion the IWC's been craving for)". Again, all nonsense. But hey it's fun to play pretend expert so, yeah TNA needs to be different from WWE by focusing more on the TNA originals and getting rid of ex-WWE talent, having wrestling and not sports entertainment, and bringing in Paul Heyman and giving him complete control of the company.

 

[Weems2k]

Wow, I'm quite amused at some of the replies to this thread. Same stuff over and over. It's all nonsense. Truth is BOTH products are ice cold right now. The wrestling industry in general is ice cold right now. WWE is only hanging on because people still watch by habit. Just like they did in 95. WWE's ratings are going down too. The bleeding has stopped because Wrestlemania season is here and The Rock-Cena feud is in full swing. But they'll be down to the 2.0s regularly once it's over. That show's not any better at all.


But yet every time topics like this come up we get genius analysis: "TNA's not doing this" or "TNA's should start doing that" or my favorite: "TNA needs to be different (aka be that big-budget-nationally-televised-indy-wrestling promotion the IWC's been craving for)". Again, all nonsense. But hey it's fun to play pretend expert so, yeah TNA needs to be different from WWE by focusing more on the TNA originals and getting rid of ex-WWE talent, having wrestling and not sports entertainment, and bringing in Paul Heyman and giving him complete control of the company.

Yeah, and if bringing in Paul Heyman, and doing an "All Wrestling" show is what TNA needs to get over the top, then why hasn't some network exec brought ROH in, since that is what your are describing. Nobody wants to see random matches with a bunch of nobodies, aka Daniel Bryan's of the world.

I suppose building up Storm, and Rhoode as one of their top stars is bad too. Like a lot of people have said, the Wrestling market is way down now. There's prolly never going to be another golden age like in the Mid 90's - 2000's again. TNA averaging a 1.5 or better would be highly successful busniness, no matter what The E is doing.

 

[whoopin' ass]

the biggest problem is actually the fans but not in the way everyone is thinking. we are all expecting TNA to grow into this monster like WWE with the idea that WCW did that. truth is, we are forgetting a lot of things. back in its glory days, WCW had Turner behind them and so they were able to waste a lot of money on things that WWE couldn't (like those dumb skits). good or bad, this helped them get noticed. also, truth is WCW was never WWE's equal outside of the States. they had deals with Mexico and Japan but those didn't last long as Bishoff screwed them over. even in Canada, WCW was nowhere near as popular as WWE. yeah, the States was their biggest market but do you think WWE would have survived if they only replied on American fans? plus, the WWE wasn't really that old when WCW came along. Yes, it existed for years already but this nation wide company that we know today was only about 15 years old or so when WCW really started coming on strong. What Wrestlemania are we coming up on this year? WWE is now established. a lot of WCW was luck and good timing, and it helped create the WWE we know today. we forget a lot over time and it has been over 10 years since WCW has been around.

the point is that we might be expecting too much from TNA. times have changed and instead of trying to take down WWE and be number 1, TNA might want to try and be the best number 2 company out there and see what happens. be the alternative, forget what WWE is doing and just be the best show possible. When WCW did its own thing(namely the nWo), it overtook WWE. that was its prime. maybe that is what TNA needs to take from WCW.

 

[Zeven_Zion]

Wow, I'm quite amused at some of the replies to this thread. Same stuff over and over. It's all nonsense. Truth is BOTH products are ice cold right now. The wrestling industry in general is ice cold right now. WWE is only hanging on because people still watch by habit. Just like they did in 95. WWE's ratings are going down too. The bleeding has stopped because Wrestlemania season is here and The Rock-Cena feud is in full swing. But they'll be down to the 2.0s regularly once it's over. That show's not any better at all.


But yet every time topics like this come up we get genius analysis: "TNA's not doing this" or "TNA's should start doing that" or my favorite: "TNA needs to be different (aka be that big-budget-nationally-televised-indy-wrestling promotion the IWC's been craving for)". Again, all nonsense. But hey it's fun to play pretend expert so, yeah TNA needs to be different from WWE by focusing more on the TNA originals and getting rid of ex-WWE talent, having wrestling and not sports entertainment, and bringing in Paul Heyman and giving him complete control of the company.

A spark of intelligence appears. The Spark uses Logic. It failed. Why? Most wrestling fans are immune to logic.

See, this is exactly what I wanted to say, except I would've added a few cheap shots to the WWE. But you're right.

See, lots of people don't seem to realize that product quality is not the end-all-be-all when it comes to how much a company grows. It's an important factor - nobody wants to watch a crappy show, but it does not make or break a company. At the end of the day Impact Wrestling is a show, and TNA is a business spanning over a few different types of media. If the growth a business relied only on the quality of the product, Burger King would be bigger than McDonalds right now and Ducatti would be bigger than Harley Davidson. DING DING! They're not. Harley Davidson keeps dominating the market despite the fact that they've produced shitty rinky dink bikes for the last two-three decades. Why? It's no longer about the product, it's about the brand.

This is the case with the WWE. WWE is not about the product, it's about the brand. It's about the logo, the merchandise, the movies, the music, the pyro, the social media presence, the charity, the talk show appearances, cross promotion and only THEN do they focus on the product. They are fully aware that they can produce a diarrhea of a product and people would still watch it. Not because it's that damn good, but because of the brand. Happened to WCW as well. WCW was pulling 2.0+ ratings close to its demise and the show fucking sucked. Why did it get these ratings? The ... damn ... brand. This was their core audience and they did not want to let go. Same thing's happening to the WWE right now. Fewer people who REALLY enjoy it, and most of them watch it just because. WWE fans are like hound dogs. They'll stand by the WWE's grave for years. Whether it's an emotional attatchment due to growing up with it or just refusing to let go of wrestling, a lot of fans are watching that shit for the wrong reasons. It's also why it never GAINS any fans. It just ain't good and WWE does great business, it's not like the business side is affecting them. Huge network, tons of money, mainstream presence, and they still struggle to draw new fans in.


TNA on the other hand is the company that just can't seem to earn people's respect. Product's not that bad (ain't that good either), but to claim it's atrocious is laughable. There's few things TNA can't do compared to the WWE, in terms of what they show on TV, and most of them have to do with cosmetic value which is extremely important. They have talkers, they have "rasslers", they have some nice stories, there's some entertainment, hot chicks, good wrestling and they are COMPLETELY different from the WWE. The two companies take two different approaches to how they produce their wrestling. Unfortunately some fans think that since TNA dropped the toys-R-us ring and stopped doing spot-fiestas they became a carbon copy of the WWE, which is bullshit.

The issue with TNA's growth lies in something else, and it's not only the broadcasted product. Product's fine. Could be better but it's worth watching. The business side is lacking. The promotion is lacking. The funding is lacking. The network is not doing them any favors. I think that the reason why TNA isn't growing is the same reason why the WWE has maintained this oh so helpful monopoly in pro wrestling. WWE knows how to do good business and ride the coattails of their previous glory, TNA doesn't.

I think that the only way for TNA to break through this glass ceiling is to attempt something radical both in terms of how they do business and what they show on TV. Not just different from the WWE but different from any other TV show in general. Unfortunately even if they accomplish something like that, I'm afraid they'll still be doomed.

Let's face it folks, wrestling's dying. Doesn't matter who has more money or who has better wrestling. It's fucking dying, people are no longer interested in it, there's better stuff on TV and wrestling has become old news. Britney was the shit back in the day. She's still singing but no one gives a crap. Even if she made an amazing song, lost all the fat and danced her ass off, people will still prefer the artists of today. Same thing with wrestling. Society's over that shit, it's only us left. Enjoy it while it lasts.

 

[kor420]

Wow, I'm quite amused at some of the replies to this thread. Same stuff over and over. It's all nonsense. Truth is BOTH products are ice cold right now. The wrestling industry in general is ice cold right now. WWE is only hanging on because people still watch by habit. Just like they did in 95. WWE's ratings are going down too. The bleeding has stopped because Wrestlemania season is here and The Rock-Cena feud is in full swing. But they'll be down to the 2.0s regularly once it's over. That show's not any better at all.


But yet every time topics like this come up we get genius analysis: "TNA's not doing this" or "TNA's should start doing that" or my favorite: "TNA needs to be different (aka be that big-budget-nationally-televised-indy-wrestling promotion the IWC's been craving for)". Again, all nonsense. But hey it's fun to play pretend expert so, yeah TNA needs to be different from WWE by focusing more on the TNA originals and getting rid of ex-WWE talent, having wrestling and not sports entertainment, and bringing in Paul Heyman and giving him complete control of the company.

I Agree with most of what you said, but two things "paul heyman" and "getting rid of ex-WWE talent"

Before TNA can build their own stars, they must first have them be put over by someone that has credibility to their name, someone that is recognized. If you just throw a bunch of unrecognizable wrestlers in there they cant be put over in a sense where people would care.

Everyone is so high on Paul Heyman.. Did everyone forget that paul heyman ran ECW into the ground? Did everyone forget that paul heyman couldn't compete with WCW and WWE when the industry was booming? ECW was the TNA of those years, and thats is when the industry was at it's highest. So why does everyone think that paul heyman can take a small company in this day and age, and take it to the top when he couldn't do it with ECW?

 

[Self High 5]

Let's face it folks, wrestling's dying. Doesn't matter who has more money or who has better wrestling. It's fucking dying, people are no longer interested in it, there's better stuff on TV and wrestling has become old news. Britney was the shit back in the day. She's still singing but no one gives a crap. Even if she made an amazing song, lost all the fat and danced her ass off, people will still prefer the artists of today. Same thing with wrestling. Society's over that shit, it's only us left. Enjoy it while it lasts.

This.

Spot, fucking, on. I love wrestling, but I'm under no illusions that it's ever going to take over the world again like in the 80s or late 90s. People need to realise this, stock up on some of the thousands upon thousands of hours of classic wrestling available on DVD and shut the fuck up. Being a wrestling fan these days is like having an infectious skin disease. We're viewed as weird, virginal adult-babies. Nobody wants to know. The ratings of current wrestling shows are just the WWE and TNA fighting over the scraps of what's left. Some people will pass a love of wrestling onto their kids, but I'd bet the number of people doing this is decreasing.

I can't even remember what point I wanted to make relevant to this thread. The above post was just too damn correct not to respond to. Something along the lines of the current TNA product being very good (IMO) and I enjoy it a lot, but in the grander scheme of things, who gives a shit? Wrestling is in terminal decline. Once VKM pops his grapefruits, it's only a matter of time.

The future is MMA, and let me say, MMA is a load of shit.

 

[Trill Co$by]

Ohhh boy, where to begin? See what difference!? TNA is still putting out the same GARBAGE they have since '08, except now they're loosing about 3 times the money with the Hogan/Bischoff/Flair/EX-WWE "stars" contracts.

All I read was "Bla bla bla I'm unoriginal and want to be a typical anti-TNA fan. I don't get laid, and I'm probably a 30+ year old virgin living in my mom's basement." Seriously, there is nothing wrong with using established talent to help build your own talent. Kurt Angle damn near created TNA's entire roster and made them all believable main eventers.

But you know, being simple minded like yourself, you only want to see the negatives don't you? Thought so. Get a life.

I don't want you thinking I'm being a douche here, you obviously love TNA and want to make it better, I'm just trying to point out the reality of how doing this stuff would go down....and I've still not forgiven them for bringing Russo back, they could've made it in '07 if they'd kept on with that booking team.

You mean the same Russo that made AJ Styles champion and started building the entire TNA company around AJ until Hogan and Bischoff came in? You mean the same Russo that put Main Event Mafia in the main event and gave the core TNA stars the main event pushes they deserved? Or maybe you mean the same Russo who paired Beer Money together and put them as the great tag team they were? I don't know... maybe you're just some stupid old WCW fan who can't get over the fact that WCW was a sinking ship when Bischoff took over anyway.


---

As for the OP's main idea, I really think that they should stick to maintaining Impact Wrestling as far as their shows go. Sending out their stars to other shows and commercial tapes to air on other Viacom channels is a smart idea, and even doable. TeenNick, ironically, is a smart place to search for some new fans. Tweens and Teens alike are still finding out who they are really and some might find the more drama based storylines to be entertaining while some might find out that they have a lot in common with their parents than realized.

As far as I remember, TNA has tried to send their stars to reality shows. I know Machine Guns and AJ Styles were on a few episodes of MTV's Made and Hogan's been making guest appearances to promote other shows as well.

Getting James Storm's theme on the radio also helps because if someone goes to research the song on youtube, they'll spot James Storm and realize they like a wrestling theme. It might even generate more interest from rednecks* who love bar fights and stuff like that.


*The term rednecks was not used for any derogatory manner. If offended, please see a therapist.

 

[Mark Gallows]

Awh man, it's that winning combination, thick as pig shit with delusions of being "Smart". I don't normally make fun of the mentally ill, but I'll make an exception for your motorised wheel-chair riding, crash helmet wearing, low-wattage gurgling, russo taint licking ass.

All I read was "Bla bla bla I'm unoriginal and want to be a typical anti-TNA fan. I don't get laid, and I'm probably a 30+ year old virgin living in my mom's basement." Seriously, there is nothing wrong with using established talent to help build your own talent. Kurt Angle damn near created TNA's entire roster and made them all believable main eventers.

-Not an "anti-TNA" fan, I said WWE sucked in the same sentance, but sure brah, truth is scary, especially when you're a died in the wool, uber-mark for a terrible "promotion". All I said was fact, you tried to make it personal.

I'm not 30, I get laid, I probably make more money than you and I don't live with either of my parents. Sounds like you're projecting brah, were you angry because your mum chewed you out this morning for using her tweezer's to jerk it in the shower again? Or was she angry you didn't wipe you "boy butter" off the magnefiying glass before you returned it?

Angle yes, Pope/Anderson/RVD/Shannon Moore/Kendrick...who the fuck have they ever put over in TNA?! or "made look like a main-eventer"?! And why won't RVD, a guy who headlined WWE, draw any more? Oh yeah, 'cuz your "saviour", Russo booked him in a BS squash debut followed by a 20 minutes beatdown...I'd never seen that before, never. Vinny Ru took a guy who'd been off TV for 3 years, put him on TV once and made him LESS OVER, than he was a year and a half before.

But you know, being simple minded like yourself, you only want to see the negatives don't you? Thought so. Get a life.

-Are you spastick? I mean seriously, are you a ******? Lets look at that, "simple minded"..well, I debated the issue raised from a logical TV and Buisness standpoint. You...got ********* and tried to call me out. So seeing the negatives makes me "simple minded"? What does ignoring the negatives as the company crawls closer to forced closure and sticking your head in the sand make you? A genius? Yeah, go into buisness with that philosophy homes, see how far you get.

You mean the same Russo that made AJ Styles champion and started building the entire TNA company around AJ until Hogan and Bischoff came in? You mean the same Russo that put Main Event Mafia in the main event and gave the core TNA stars the main event pushes they deserved? Or maybe you mean the same Russo who paired Beer Money together and put them as the great tag team they were? I don't know... maybe you're just some stupid old WCW fan who can't get over the fact that WCW was a sinking ship when Bischoff took over anyway.

-Uhhh...right dude, your license to watch wrestling has been revoked, you just don't get it. You're just TOO thick for it, you don't understand, but you think you do, which is worrying. I'd put good money on you being about 14 years old and a MASSIVE Chikara mark aswell.

Russo pushed a HEEL AJ, see..they problem with that is, AJ is a FUCKING WHITE MEAT BABYFACE. He can NEVER be heel, he can't pull it off, it dosen't work. The audience don't believe it, so it dosen't get over...remind me again, if Russo's so smart, why could he never clear a 1.0 on a consistant basis? Now, don't be a nut hugger, think about the question before you go "Nah, ZOMG! TNA have done 1.3's!!!!111". Yeah, doing one, one time, in a blue moon isn't "drawing a 1.3", it's getting lucky one time because Jersey Shore finished early. They have not grown their audience in 6 years and their PPV buys are in the toilet, now if the guy WRITING THE SHOW, dosen't take the heat for that, I don't know who does.

Beer Money? Go watch some AMW, ass.

I don't remember anyone getting a push in the MEM storyline. There were a bunch of stupid brawls, there were a bunch of stupid beatdowns, there were a bunch of bloated "nWo comeback tour '99" matches/finishes and oh so many dumb swerves, but there was no build, no story, no interest and NO HEAT. How did he make AJ/Kaz/Joe main-event out of that feud?! He didn't, they didn't get a "Push", idiot, they got used, and used badly. Were they more over after the angle than before? No.

Wanna debate me douche nozzle? Start by reaching into mommy's purse, pulling out a shiny dollar, walkin to the corner and buying your dumb ass a CLUE. Trying to tell me about wrestling like you know with a fucking Santino and Foley sig..two of the most irredeemably useless workers ever to get into the buisness.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

TNA needs to realize they aren't JUST a wrestling company. You can be JUST a wrestling company if you're an indy. If you're on TV though, everyone on Tv is your competition, not just the WWE.

TNA needs to start running their show like it's a business and the wrestlers are the product they're selling. It's not a sport, you aren't in a bubble, you are trying to draw in casual fans, not get Dave Metlzer to write "*****" after your matches.