TNA's new direction-- more Adult programming vs Family Friendly WWE programming

[Ambiguous Turd]

Bubba The Love Sponge was apparently talking on his Radio Show today and had this to say based on talking to Hulk Hogan:

Bubba the Love Sponge said on his radio show today that there was a TNA creative meeting last night and that Hulk Hogan is definitely in charge as he vetoed some of the ideas that were brought up at the meeting with a "we're not doing it like that" mentality.

Bubba says that the direction TNA is going will appeal to the 18-34 year old male demographic and will be the opposite of what WWE is putting out. Bubba used the term "man stuff" when describing the TNA storyline direction.

So it appears that the roles are not reversing with TNA going even more in a more adult direction than they have in the past, and WWE essentially being the WCW in this case, and being the family friendly organization.

This is quite intriguing to see the shoes on the other feet, with TNA more aggressively going after the 18-34 year old demo while WWE tries its best to appeal to everyone.

It would seem to me that the fans who enjoyed the Attitude Era because of its adult programming and envelope pushing are going to see more of an "adult programming" on TNA as opposed to WWE now.

My question is ... is it enough? Is this enough to get TNA to become prime competition for WWE heading into the future ... with more swearing, more violence, more skin shown from women?

What do some of the Attitude Era fans, that enjoyed that Era, have to say about the direction TNA will be shooting for?

 

[info62]

I just changed my mind about not watching Impact tonight. I was going to record it and go to sleep early tonight but I think I'll actually watch it now.

I really do think that this will be 'enough' to make some people switch over. I have said it a few times that if WWE is attempting to hook a new generation with their PG rating, then they will fail, because the new generation of "fans" will not wait for the product to become edgier. They will switch over to something that is known to be more adult-themed; they will not stay loyal to a program that might one day become more adult themed. (Where I live the kids think they are too old to watch WWE by the time they hit middle school.) If the younger viewer who has become "too cool" for WWE is genuinely interested in wrestling, then this will give them the opportunity to switch over to TNA.

It also of course will be more enjoyable to the attitude era fan or anyone else who is sick of watching a show that's being catered to children.

Although, a few weeks back I remember there was a segment with Abyss where Tenay was constantly saying throughout the show that TNA was waiting on permission from Spike TV on whether they could air it, and in the end they said they were told they could not air the footage ("too graphic") and that it could only be seen on the website. I don't know if that was just a ploy to get their website more hits or if Spike TV really wouldn't let them show the segment, but do you think Spike would prevent TNA from really reaching the 18-34 demographic?

 

[BladeRunner]

Tenay was constantly saying throughout the show that TNA was waiting on permission from Spike TV on whether they could air it, and in the end they said they were told they could not air the footage ("too graphic") and that it could only be seen on the website. I don't know if that was just a ploy to get their website more hits or if Spike TV really wouldn't let them show the segment, but do you think Spike would prevent TNA from really reaching the 18-34 demographic?

I believe it was when they caught Abyss on fire. I saw it on the website, they may have shown it on tv tho, because I missed some last bits of some episodes.

Anywho, yeah this is why I watch TNA. This is why I don't miss an episode of TNA.

I will rarely watch RAW, never watch ECW, and occasionally watch Smackdown. I watch Smackdown most because of it's slightly more mature themes actually.

TNA has been the place to go for wrestling with more of an adult product. It's got darker storylines, more backstage violence, blood, all that stuff.

Wrestling in and of itself is a violent idea. To try to make it otherwise goes against the very thing it is. How can you call two guys beating the crap out of each other PG in the first place? Kinda nonsensical, but hey, some people think they can pull that off.

Me, I'm gonna stick with what I want from wrestling. To me it's about aggressiveness, overt masculinity, insults being thrown back and forth, crudity, and controlled chaos.

If WWE wants to change things up a bit, I'm always open for more higher quality wrestling programming. I like both organizations honestly, and want the best quality wrestling I can get. WWE had a great product back when RAW was WAR, and I think it still can, if they want to. They've got the wrestlers.

 

[Skorpiunz]

I totally agree, That quote by bubba love or wat ever his name is, is 100% correct..
WWE cant keep up with its PG rating for that long. Lets get real for a sec, kids like excitement, interesting, high flying, surprises and creativity. Thats what TNA does and TNA does it better then WWE. Kids look for non kid stuff most of the time. once they realize WWE is to childish even for them, TNA will get them too.

I also wanted to point out that if parents let their kids watch wrestling in general then TNA isn't going to be out of the question for them. For those stuck with strict parents, haha i wish WWE luck in making money on such a low demo..

 

[Dagger Dias]

My question is ... is it enough? Is this enough to get TNA to become prime competition for WWE heading into the future ... with more swearing, more violence, more skin shown from women?

What do some of the Attitude Era fans, that enjoyed that Era, have to say about the direction TNA will be shooting for?

I'm not sure if it's enough. TNA put on a fantastic show tonight that felt like it was the attitude era again, and tonight reminded me of those days.... however, it is going to take more than an edgy product in my opinion. WWE is a more established federation and has so much more history. TNA putting on a more edgy product is a step in the right direction, and bringing in big names like they did tonight will help too. TNA's odds do look a lot better after seeing tonight's show because it felt like it was the start of something huge.

 

[Toroc102]

I think that it might possibly be enough to make Vince rethink PG. Basically WWE limits itself with a PG rating, it has to cater to children. I've said it before, kids usually like whatever the people they look up to like in addition to what they like themselves. Adults tolerate kid stuff but don't really enjoy it. During the attitude era, there wasn't any shortage of kids who loved the WWF, Stone Cold, The Rock, or the real D/X. Also, remember all those Cartman shirts that got banned. Just because its not PG doesn't mean kids can't like it.

Wrestling AT ITS CORE is a mans show, you have to cater to men. Cater to men and you'll get the boys because boys want to be like their dads or older brothers. Men don't aspire to be like their children until their children hit high school. Bubba is right. TNA right now has no limits to what it can do, WWE is holding itself back, and things like Linda McMahon possibly landing a senate seat(or w/e she's running for)could end up stifling the WWE.

 

[Suneeboy]

I always wondered what else can be done to make pro wrestling interesting again, and I think Bischoff the genius that he is along with Hogan have found what the game needs.

What they seem to be going towards is Reality Television. Now we all know Reality TV is fake. It is scripted, but it is based on real life personalities and situations. Reality TV has become a major phenomenon in TV culture with Flavor of Love, Jersey Shore, The Osbournes, and so many more. They drew in fans who weren't fans of their work, but they were intrigued by their on-air antics.

Look at TNA, and the stories they started last night. All worked shoots, and they were all great. Why? Because its based off real emotions. What does that do for us the viewers? Keep us guessing, and really allow us to relate to the characters. Plus, with 10x the characters of an average reality show, and so many more angles to create, the possibilities are immense.

A lot of what they put on TV is what we’ve all been talking about for the past few weeks and months. From Bobby Lashley to Mick Foley, from the nWo to Jeff Jarrett.

Make a pro wrestling show that is actually Reality TV with story lines based on real life situations that the people are going through? How genius.

 

[original_ecw_fan]

on jr's bbq website q&a a fan asked jr if he thought stone cold could have made it big if wwe was pg at the time and he said with the right writing yes but i totally disagree all the best 90's gimmicks worked because of the attitude, yes even the nwo had some on wcw. i also feel the reason tna had so many things going on at once is to see what works and what doesnt. they will cut and paste and be ready for next week.

 

[Husker]

First TNA will not even come close to winning this Monday Night War, here is why...

1. Hogan has no imagination, this was proved in WCW when he had creative control.

2. Bischoff - is a tool, add to that he has already failed to beat Vince.

3. Hogan & Bischoff, the biggest hypocrites out there, all night long they were saying it is going to be different, things will change, Hogan een told Hall and Waltman that it won't be the same, and then all night long we see the NWO doing what they did ten years ago. Pathetic.

4. Hall, Waltman, Flair, Hardy, Val Venus, Moore, The Nasty Boys seriously??? this is the giant additions to TNA, all of these were Vince's rejects, (exactly what Bischoff did in WCW and failed mind you).

5. Treating us like we are stupid, at the beginning of the show, Tenay and Tazz kept showing us the Limo and the eminent arrival of Hogan, then when Hogan is in ring he says he has been there all day long, talking and getting crap ready for the show. Pathetic writting.

6. Do they really expect us to think that in approx. 4 - 6 months Hogan won't be in the ring fighting Jarrett or Angle? Please.

This is nothing new and Vince has already beat this tactic, plus the fact that Vince is a BILLIONARE, has the resources to destroy TNA, much the same way he did against WCW and ECW. I really hope I am wrong in this but I know I'm not.

 

[Ambiguous Turd]

First TNA will not even come close to winning this Monday Night War, here is why...

1. Hogan has no imagination, this was proved in WCW when he had creative control.

2. Bischoff - is a tool, add to that he has already failed to beat Vince.

3. Hogan & Bischoff, the biggest hypocrites out there, all night long they were saying it is going to be different, things will change, Hogan een told Hall and Waltman that it won't be the same, and then all night long we see the NWO doing what they did ten years ago. Pathetic.

4. Hall, Waltman, Flair, Hardy, Val Venus, Moore, The Nasty Boys seriously??? this is the giant additions to TNA, all of these were Vince's rejects, (exactly what Bischoff did in WCW and failed mind you).

5. Treating us like we are stupid, at the beginning of the show, Tenay and Tazz kept showing us the Limo and the eminent arrival of Hogan, then when Hogan is in ring he says he has been there all day long, talking and getting crap ready for the show. Pathetic writting.

6. Do they really expect us to think that in approx. 4 - 6 months Hogan won't be in the ring fighting Jarrett or Angle? Please.

This is nothing new and Vince has already beat this tactic, plus the fact that Vince is a BILLIONARE, has the resources to destroy TNA, much the same way he did against WCW and ECW. I really hope I am wrong in this but I know I'm not.

If anything, I would say that if WWE wins the war and they probably will .... it will be because of fans with the mentality of yours .... the fans I used to refer to as the "WWE Shareholders" who I now simply refer to as the "WWE Universe Fans" (I suppose this is less offensive for them to hear).

Fans like you will NOT allow for any competition to arise because you keep telling yourself that everything Vince McMahon puts on the air, regardless of content, is superior to anything anybody else puts on. In other words, if the TV show doesn't have the initials "WWE" attached to it, it's Case Closed for you.

The reason I have been so heated against fans with this mentality is that you are the ones truly destroying the wrestling business. Because by not allowing competition to rise and not giving it an HONEST chance, you are keeping the business restricted to one company and only one company. And therefore that provides less incentive to Vince to actually give you quality television, because he knows you are going to watch no matter what.

I just think this is such a sad and misguided philosophy, which wouldn't bother me as much, however I feel it has done tremendous harm to the wrestling business over the years.



With that being said, TNA made a clear distinction last night in trying to differentiate themselves from the WWE. While WWE has Hornswoggle running wild all over the TV, DX and Hornswoggle peddling merchandise in everyone's faces, Vince McMahon saying the word "gut", because he can't say "wanted to kick you in the nuts" (gasp) ..... TNA provided a clear cut distinction with Strip Poker from the Beautiful People, swearing from various talents, and other grownup storylines.

TNA is going after a combination of people through pushing their now publicized direction. They are going after the 18-34 year old males who watch wrestling today, in addition to the ones who used to watch wrestling. They are appealing to both by featuring high-quality wrestling matches along with familiar faces from the stars of yesterday such as Hall, Nash, and Waltman, along with cameo appearances from the Nasty Boys and Val Venis.

They are offering something for everyone IN THE TARGET AGE BRACKET, while WWE is putting out one toned down product and telling everyone that they SHOULD LIKE IT. And like I have argued for a long time now, the problem is that their programming doesn't do enough to target adult men aggressively enough and is least likely to hold their interests. So that is why TNA is moving in and actually giving the 18-34 year old men what they want, because Vince is not.

 

[original_ecw_fan]

sidious i couldnt agree more and i've been a fan since 1989. the wwe marks (i think that sounds better lol) will keep swinging on vinces grapefruits no matter what happens. eb is a genius maybe he didnt win but he came closer then anyone else. vince needs a reality check and i think over time tna can give it to him.

 

[psykohurricane]

Somebody need to tell Hogan and Bischoff that The Attitude Era is dead. Last night, they went on TNA Wrestling and pretty much recycled every single storylines from the Attitude era they could think of. The funny thing is that for the last two months, TNA was actually watchable. IMPACT had some really good wrestling match and there PPV were getting positive reviews, so why in would you change something that actually worked for something that'S been outdated for long time. Hogan doesn't get it, when wrestling fans says that they want a alternative to what the WWE is giving then, they don'T say they want to relive the past with edgier storyline and edgier gimmick. What they want is pretty much what wrestling was in the 80's, a simple storyline they with the proper developpement would get deliver a great wresling match. The alternatve to the WWE is to give the wrestling fan actual wrestling. This adult programming stuff doesn'T work anymore, if you don't believe me ask Vince Russo, he actually tried that a couple of times in TNA and fail miserably or better yet, Ask Hogan and Bischoff in 4 months when they realise that it was a bad idea to go back to the past to be successful.

 

[Toroc102]

I don't see how Impact was succeding before, I mean, it might have put on a good wrestling show but, it was still more or less retaining the same ratings no ne was noticing, now people have noticed, it gave old fans a reason to watch it. No one cares about PPV reviews, they care about buys.

The attitude era only died because Vince killed it, and never replaced the attitude stars. How can anyone say they enjoy todays era more than Attitude, I just don't understand it, even if you didn't like the edge to it, its not like they replaced that edge with more wrestling, they replaced it with Hornswaggle, they replaced D/X with glowstick D/X, Stone Cold with kid-friendly John Cena.

I don't see how someone can say that their new direction is better than what TNA is doing. I mean they have William Shatner hosting a Raw in a few weeks, WTF man, I can't stand Shatner. If Impact was on that night, I don't know what could get me to switch to Raw other than Maryse VS Kelly Bra and Panties Match. Raw's guest host concept gives me a reason to tune out of a whole show, not counting all the usual suspects(HSwaggle, Santino, Divas Matches, D/X). Smackdown, thats a good wrestling show, but damn man, nothing Epic ever happens anywhere in the WWE, I never feel like I'm watching a major event anymore. TNA made me feel that way for the first time in a long time, since I don't know when, maybe since the Invasion, or since the nWo came to the WWE.

 

[Kenny Powers]

I'm one fan of both the PG era in the 80's along with the attitude era in the 90's. The reason the PG worked in the 80's was because wrestling was widely popular with Hogan, Andre the Giant, Ultimate Warrior, and Roddy Piper just to name a few. There were some silly gimmicks and moments with Bobby the Brain and Mean Gene, but they were great wrestlers and great managers. Not to mention the great announce team of legend Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse Ventura.

Now obviously that couldn't work for long with all the talent leaving WWE for WCW, and WCW destroying Raw in the ratings. Vince had to act fast and copy the attitude from WCW and ECW to create the attitude era of Raw. Now though that WWE owns everything almost, there is no creativity. Hollywood writers write the show with no emotion and even less wrestling. There are no real big name stars like there were 10 or 20 years ago.

That is why adult wrestling fans can't stomach WWE and their focus on child programming with celebrities, comedy skits, and leprechauns. Hopefully Spike TV will continue to allow TNA to be edgier and a more adult product. I don't need to see blood, barbwire, and boobs to be entertained. I just don't want to see a leprechaun or a guy in a tiger suit running around the ring.

WWE has a lot of fans but they have also lost a lot with their family friendly stale programming. TNA needs to maintain that shoot style attitude that Nitro and WWE once had. Last night showed that TNA was about pro wrestling and for teenage/adult audiences. Lets hope it stays that way. Whether people like TNA or not, they can't deny that TNA is more free and expressive then anything scripted Raw has shown.

 

[Royco]

Hey guys , I never bothered to post on this forum (Eventhough i listen to all the wrestlezone radio programming) untill now.

Sidious I couldn't agree more with u man.

I'm a huge WWE fan but last night TNA gave me a wake up call. I never bothered watching TNA after i gave it a few tries, it just didnt catch on to me. But last night TNA gave me this wake up call and I realised I was so mixed up in this PG rating stuff that I didnt even realise what kind of show I was watching.

Its the first time in 7 years of TNA I'm looking forward to the next impact, that says enough. I love how TNA is going with the more adult version of wrestling and I hope they keep going with it.

The only thing as a wrestling fan I'm hoping for at the moment is that Vince drops his PG rating and we have some good old monday night wars again

 

[Doubleo13]

I have to agree with Sidious i like WWE mainly Smack down, But i have watched TNA from the early days when they were on ppv for the shows. and i got to admit Mondays impact, was real good. In the long run i believe TNA will get a lot of the older fans that the WWE has lost. WWE needs some competition, Because lets face it WWE is boring with out competition.

 

[JayBriscoe2010]

TV Wrestling should be edgy and mature, with the ppv's being about the Wrestling Matches. Impact was better but not by much at all, alot of times it takes me a day or 2 to re-evaluate a Wrestling show. To be honest without the ME and the KO Tag Match it would of been a crappy Impact. TNA has been more eddy/mature then WWE since 06-07 but they were god awful in 07 and most of 08. Now I dont think TV Wrestling needs to be all edgy to be good as long as the Wrestling and Story Lines are decent im happy. More Hardcore Fans want Mature where so all the Nintendo Wii Families and shit like Cena/Hornswoggle and Kiddie DX of the WWE. The fact that the E has the mainstream audience and have so since about 99/2000 will make it VERY hard for TNA to truly compete. If done right by TNA especially from Carter and Hogan they will get there in due time but if theres a OD of The Band or w/e the hell you call em now then theres issues. I like TNA just the way they are minus the crappy booking of Daniels, The Guns and The X Division in general but their still miles and miles away from being real competition.

 

[wolvdog316]

"Fans like you will NOT allow for any competition to arise because you keep telling yourself that everything Vince McMahon puts on the air, regardless of content, is superior to anything anybody else puts on"

Or people could be like you Sid, who will bitch and moan that WWE is stale, yet brace Hogan, Hall, Nash and Val Venus like they are fresh off the territories. Who will bitch that WWE doesn't use their talent right, and in the same sentence was fine with letting Kurt Angle destroy TNAs champion making him look a bitch. The same people that claim HHH buries people, but Sheman gets the title push and that's HHHs fault too. The same people that bitch WWE never pushes anybody else yet their Raw Champion, US, IC are all fresh blood

Does WWE fuck up? Yep.Do I find their shows entertaining? Nope. But TNA isn't this fucking end all be all great promotion either or they wouldn't be shitting their pants over a worthles 1.5 rating.

Ya know what's really ruining this industry. Guys like you. That label a certain group if they happen to like WWE. Like it's a bad thing? Who the fuck are you to tell people what they should and shouldn't like. And then tell them they are whats wrong with wrestling? I got no problem with TNA. I don't like them. And I give my reasons why, but guess what I watched Impact on Monday. And I bitched about the stuff that was horrible and I praised the stuff I thought was fantastic. I didn't sit there and call TNA fans TNAssholes cause they are acting like they have never seen Hogan, Hall, Or Nash before. If they like it, more power to them.

If your so much of a fucking wrestling god, why hasn't TNA hired your ass then? You got the answers. You can right the world. You can explain to them how WWE is such a horrible company and ruining this business. You can explain how to turn those "WWE Shareholders" into TNA fans.

And TNA isn't going to win jack shit until they realize kids are the driving force behind wrestling right now. I don't like it, you don't like it, nobody likes it but it's the way it is right now. Vince is only pulling in 3.6s but selling more merchandise in a month than TNA makes in a year. So who is actually losing there.

You want to make a difference? Don't fucking sit here and bitch and whine all the time, get your ass up, pay to air a commercial during Raw and convince those 12 years old why Cena, HHH, and Hornswallows are bad for the business. Anything less than that and it won't matter.

Or here's an idea. How about writing TNA a letter and tell them the average fan was sick of nWo 11 years ago. That we don't give a shit about Jeff, or Dixie, or Bobby Lashley, or a fat ass Joe, or worthless Bubba or Foley. You can also tell them they are doing a great job with Wolfe and Pope and to keep it up

Now, let the bad rap begin. First one to red me gets a cookie

 

[Zeedeevel]

I like the more adult themed programing but I dont feel it can work with TNA unless they got rid of the older guys and used their own talent.

I'm all for a promotion to compete with WWE, I watched WCW and WWE religiously from 93-98. Once 98 rolled around I just stuck with WWE cuz I lost interest in it. I honestly tried to watch Impact and I prolly will next week too but even with the edgy storylines it just doesnt interest me. It seems like the same things I hated about WWE are showing up there. While I hate hornswoggle with a passion, I also hate the thought of Kevin Nash being anything more than a manager or announcer.

Both promotions have bright spots but I feel once Linda has her Senate seat, WWE will target the 18-34 demo as well and they have the better tools for the job.

 

[I own a set of balls]

3. Hogan & Bischoff, the biggest hypocrites out there, all night long they were saying it is going to be different, things will change, Hogan een told Hall and Waltman that it won't be the same, and then all night long we see the NWO doing what they did ten years ago. Pathetic.

For the love of..

Kicking Foley's ass is a part of a STORYLINE. It's what they WANT you to believe, and heck, they did a good job tricking you on this part.

What does TNA want to do right now? They want to make a step in the RIGHT direction.

This is why they brought in Hogan and Bischoff, because both these men had experiences since they failed back in the late 90's.

STORYLINE wise, TNA is saying that they must go in the right direction and promote younger talent. IN ORDER TO MAKE THAT AN EFFECTIVE STORYLINE, you need to have the bad guys, the counter part to all this sweet talk patriotic bullshit, which is WHY they brought in the original NWO and do their usual stunts to create STIPULATION, and to make the fans wonder whether Hogan & Bischoff will truly do what's right for TNA or indeed go back on their words.

And i'll pretty much say that Hogan and Bischoff doing what they did in WCW AGAIN in TNA will probably NEVER happen because unless they are stupid, they probably learned from their mistakes when they lost to the WWE back in the 90's.


You should use your head to process out information because all the information you wrote made absolutely no sense.

 

[Uncle Sam]

I don't see what's so 'adult' about TNA. I certainly didn't notice any shift in direction on Monday. I mean, TNA really shouldn't aim for an older audience - their booking makes no sense to someone over the age of six.

What was so adult about promos and commentary being ruined by censoring out cries of "Bullshit!"? Surely the adult market have heard swearing before.

So by 'adult', I'm supposing they mean, "Well, there are only so many people that remember Sean Waltman and the Nasty Boys".

 

[King Douche]

I do not see why wrestling has to be adult. Jeez the attitude era corrupted people to the core. It can be a success as family friendly oriented. As proven in the 1980s. Rock N Wrestling Era in my mind was better then the Attitude Era.

 

[original_ecw_fan]

KING DOUCHE, i started watching wrestling in the rock n wrestling era and looking back i can say the attitude era was way better, i loved the moment when the kat went topless, to me that moment is even bigger then when hulk slammed andre. because i am a man and most men like seeing topless women. when people bash the divas its stupid. it's things like that that make alot of people think wrestling fans r gay

 

[justinept]

King, the reason people think wrestling has to be adult is because when wrestling pushed the envelope in the late 90's, the ratings were through the roof. Merchandise moved at an all-time high. And wrestling hit the mainstream for the first since Hulk-a-Mania ran wild in the 80's.

It is your opinion that wrestling was better in the Rock N Wrestling Era - a lot of people share that opinion. I'd also agree with you that wrestling can be - and has proven to be - successful as family-friendly program.

But it is fact - in terms of ratings and merch sales - that wrestling was most popular during the Attitude Era.

Saying that, if TNA moves to an adult-oriented show, I'd watch it over WWE. However, like most fans have suggested, that didn't happen Monday night.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Exactly what is it that's so "adult" about TNA programming? I keep hearing that TNA has more of an edge or appeal to adults about it, but I don't really see what's so cutting edge adult about it?

Does having Kevin Nash call someone a bitch once every six months qualify? I mean, is it supposed to make someone stop and say "Wow, now that's spicy"? While watching Velvet Sky shake her ass as she gets into the ring is an example of fine genetic material, is it really something that's going to draw in people? That's pretty tame compared to watching porn, which is easily, readily and freely available on the internet now.

For me to be impressed with TNA's efforts to be more "adult", it's going to take more than a dirty word tossed out now and again and a couple of hot women wearing booty shorts to wrestle in.