TNA's REAL Problem Is...

[TJWWE]

that most of the roster has and is full of ex-WWE superstars & divas. The current roster that has been in WWE are:
Brian Kendrick, Brooke Tessmacher, Bully Ray, Christy Hemme, D'Angelo 'Pope' Dinero, Devon, Eric Bischoff, Gail Kim, Jeff Hardy, Jeff Jarrett, Kid Kash, Kurt Angle, Matt Morgan, Mickie James, Mr. Anderson, Rob Van Dam, Tara, Taz and Winter.

The fact that all of these people have been in WWE, we have already seen them before on TV and the fact that TNA has more former WWE stars than TNA homegrown talent is one if not the main reason why TNA is not doing as well as it should.

What's your opinion on all of this?

 

[It's Damn Real!]

that most of the roster has and is full of ex-WWE superstars & divas. The current roster that has been in WWE are:
Brian Kendrick, Brooke Tessmacher, Bully Ray, Christy Hemme, D'Angelo 'Pope' Dinero, Devon, Eric Bischoff, Gail Kim, Jeff Hardy, Jeff Jarrett, Kid Kash, Kurt Angle, Matt Morgan, Mickie James, Mr. Anderson, Rob Van Dam, Tara, Taz and Winter.

The fact that all of these people have been in WWE, we have already seen them before on TV and the fact that TNA has more former WWE stars than TNA homegrown talent is one if not the main reason why TNA is not doing as well as it should.

What's your opinion on all of this?

I have no idea how many times I have to say this, so I'll just swallow the jagged pill again and reiterate yet again for yet another ignorant user regurgitating IWC rhetoric and thinking they're insightful for it (or worse yet... smart).

Talent is talent, regardless of where it comes from.

You know what? Once is not enough.

Talent is talent, regardless of where it comes from.
Talent is talent, regardless of where it comes from.
Talent is talent, regardless of where it comes from.
Talent is talent, regardless of where it comes from.
Talent is talent, regardless of where it comes from.

Are you getting that through your head yet? The idea that you think TNA isn't doing "as well as it should" because it's somehow being held down by the fact that they've given hire to ex-WWE employees is not only laughable but downright wrong as it's a lot of those names that have helped to establish the company, not destroy it. I'd love to see you tell Kurt Angle that the fact he's in the company is the reason they "aren't doing as well as they should".

My guess is that you're another one of these know-it-all 16 year old marks who thinks because he's watched wrestling on television for a couple years and posts on an internet forum that he thinks he has any idea what makes a company tick, but that's just a guess. You could be 17, after all...

So weird about that whole having worked for a recognizable brand before you show up somewhere thing... it sure seemed to work wonders for WCW, but I guess that's why they failed too, huh? It couldn't possibly have to do with any sort of economic or financial issues, politics or business structures that operated primarily behind the curtain, right?

 

[Lowdown]

I disagree. Its true that TNA has quite a bit of ex-WWE stars but keep in mind that some of them had a huge to cult like following, like the Dudleys, RVD, and even Jeff Hardy. As such its at the very least brought over a few fans that still want to see them entertain. Keep in mind that some of them left or was released under less than acrimonious circumstances. And when you mentioned Jeff Jarrett, you're forgetting that TNA wouldn't exist if not for him and his father. One of TNA's issues is the constant changing or shifting of storylines among creative. Plus I believe they have been making a little more revenue bringing in recognizable names like Hogan to help boost income and even ratings.

 

[klunderbunker]

There's a difference between being a WWE reject and being someone that used to work for WWE. I mean, there's a difference in signing Jeff Hardy and signing Shannon Moore. Jeff is a big name that was one of the top draws in the WWE. It's a smart move to get him on the roster. Moore is a guy that used to work in WWE and really doesn't bring anything else to the table. There's nothing he does that a bunch of other guys can't do.

Also, there are certainly good ways to bring in talent on TV before. There was this guy named Steve Austin who had been in WCW for awhile and had a very solid career there, as US and TV Champion. I mean, why would the WWF have wanted him? He was some old talent that had been in WCW. They couldn't possibly get something new out of him.

In today's wrestling world, the WWE is by far and away the top dog. they have a much bigger audience than TNA and if you want name recognition, you go to WWE. TNA picking some of their leftovers off isn't a bad idea at all. It's a bad idea when they hire people that have no value whatsoever. Big difference.

 

[Iversen]

TNA's real problem isn't where the talent comes from that makes no difference. The real problem is that they don't offer anything different from WWE to attract the fans. Everyone knows that if you want to watch pure wrestling you go to ROH. If you want to watch Sports Entertainment you watch WWE. Sure TNA occasionally does something better than WWE but people know the WWE brand and their loyal to it. TNA needs to market themselves as something different which so far they've failed to do. I don't personally have the answer but then again I'm not being paid a shit ton of cash to get it.

 

[VinnieSunshine]

that most of the roster has and is full of ex-WWE superstars & divas. The current roster that has been in WWE are:
Brian Kendrick, Brooke Tessmacher, Bully Ray, Christy Hemme, D'Angelo 'Pope' Dinero, Devon, Eric Bischoff, Gail Kim, Jeff Hardy, Jeff Jarrett, Kid Kash, Kurt Angle, Matt Morgan, Mickie James, Mr. Anderson, Rob Van Dam, Tara, Taz and Winter.

The fact that all of these people have been in WWE, we have already seen them before on TV and the fact that TNA has more former WWE stars than TNA homegrown talent is one if not the main reason why TNA is not doing as well as it should.

What's your opinion on all of this?

Ok...I used to be one of you. I used to sit there and say this same thing. I used to say "TNA needs to focus less on ex-WWE and more on homegrown talent". Mostly because I didn't like TNA. I still dont care too much for it...but it has grown on me. Like a crappy song that you hear until you hear it over and over and realize that you actually like it. But then I thought about it, and came to this...

EVERYONE COMES FROM EVERYWHERE!!!!!

Taz, Devon, Bully Ray, and RVD came from ECW before going to WWE. Bischoff worked for WCW before he went to WWE. Hogan worked for WWE, then WCW, then WWE.

Look at WWEs roster right now...how many of them wrestled for other promotions before going to WWE. Punk was ROH, Bryan was all over the place, Sin Cara was in Mexico (he was a superstar)...catch my drift.

If I go work for...say, Universal Studios, but I worked for Paramont before that, where is the harm? Thats why we have resumes!!!

These guys helped make TNA what it is today. They didn't have the money to score these guys right away, or couldn't because they were in the building stages. Majority of people dont want to work for a company unless they know that the company is established.

Talent is talent, regardless of where it comes from.

You know what? Once is not enough.

Talent is talent, regardless of where it comes from.
Talent is talent, regardless of where it comes from.
Talent is talent, regardless of where it comes from.
Talent is talent, regardless of where it comes from.
Talent is talent, regardless of where it comes from.

Thank you! Totally agree. TNA is doing fine

So weird about that whole having worked for a recognizable brand before you show up somewhere thing... it sure seemed to work wonders for WCW, but I guess that's why they failed too, huh? It couldn't possibly have to do with any sort of economic or financial issues, politics or business structures that operated primarily behind the curtain, right?

Again I agree. TNA is doing fine as it is. Could they do better...probably. It MIGHT be due to political or financial issues...it could be a variety of issues. We as fans dont know what is going on behind the scenes, only what we read from the dirt sheets.

 

[RD_21]

I have no idea how many times I have to say this, so I'll just swallow the jagged pill again and reiterate yet again for yet another ignorant user regurgitating IWC rhetoric and thinking they're insightful for it (or worse yet... smart).

Talent is talent, regardless of where it comes from.

You know what? Once is not enough.

Talent is talent, regardless of where it comes from.
Talent is talent, regardless of where it comes from.
Talent is talent, regardless of where it comes from.
Talent is talent, regardless of where it comes from.
Talent is talent, regardless of where it comes from.

Are you getting that through your head yet? The idea that you think TNA isn't doing "as well as it should" because it's somehow being held down by the fact that they've given hire to ex-WWE employees is not only laughable but downright wrong as it's a lot of those names that have helped to establish the company, not destroy it. I'd love to see you tell Kurt Angle that the fact he's in the company is the reason they "aren't doing as well as they should".

My guess is that you're another one of these know-it-all 16 year old marks who thinks because he's watched wrestling on television for a couple years and posts on an internet forum that he thinks he has any idea what makes a company tick, but that's just a guess. You could be 17, after all...

So weird about that whole having worked for a recognizable brand before you show up somewhere thing... it sure seemed to work wonders for WCW, but I guess that's why they failed too, huh? It couldn't possibly have to do with any sort of economic or financial issues, politics or business structures that operated primarily behind the curtain, right?

IDR couldn't have said it better but I will give you an example with another sport. Take Hockey, let's say Ovechkin is not playing anymore for the NHL, should the KHL or AHL ignore him because he is an NHL reject? You want to contract the best possible athlethe not matter where they came from.

Of course at first glance you could say bah TNA is the reject of WWE and it can make it seem second rate, but you think TNA should pass on the best talent available and instead only get talent who were never good enough to make it big time, and what if lightning struck with an indy worker that they took a LOT of chances on, he would went to WWE.

TNA need to employ the best talent available.

 

[marklouis]

So when WWE hired a bunch of guys from WCW & ECW in the late 90s & early 2000s, that caused their horrible ratings? Oh, wait, they didn't have horrible ratings. They had the best ratings in wrestling history. But then, the 80s had to be a horrible time for the WWE, because Hogan & Savage had worked in other companies before they arrived in WWE. What's that? The 80s was one of the most profitable eras in pro wrestling history? Oh. The problem isn't where your talent comes from. Talent is talent, you just know how to use it correctly.

And by the way, stop with the "TNA is in trouble" crap. They have a national TV deal, & they are one of the highest rated programs on their network. This is a down time for the wrestling business, for all companies. Just look at WWE ticket sales, TV ratings, & PPV buy rates.

 

[Paralyzer Z]

Talent is talent, regardless of where it comes from.
Talent is talent, regardless of where it comes from.
Talent is talent, regardless of where it comes from.
Talent is talent, regardless of where it comes from.
Talent is talent, regardless of where it comes from.

Could not have said it better.

Back to the OP


It is of no relevance where they came from, and it also does not affect the quality of the product. You know that Daniel Bryan came from ROH? So do you think that he is ruining WWE's Product because he is an "ROH reject"? No he is a great talent, but back to TNA now, the fact that they were released from WWE shouldn't indicate of they are talented or not. Anderson, RVD, and all the other guys that got future endeavored at the hands of Johnny Ace, are as talented as hell, they just did not cater to what WWE wanted at the time. Regardless of that they are talented veterans who are recognizable to casual fans. They have the drawing abilities that the TNA originals do not have, it's a business the more asses in seats the more cash. If Sting was signed by WWE would you say "He is a TNA reject, this is horrible"? No most or you would be mesmerized and blubbering at the possibility of a Sting/Taker match. Signing a talent opens new opportunities for the guy, the company and the roster in terms of new feuds and matches, what does it matter where he wrestled before? If it happened to be the largest wrestling company in the world, than good for TNA, they have a recognizable name with them.

 

[The Suplexer Perfecter]

They can't rely on using stars WWE fires forever, though they really like that idea and are trying to do it.

 

[dwith]

TNA's problem mainly is IWC, and WWE MARK'S. Otherwise in my eye's I see the company growning and getting better everyday except in the eyes of the majority IWC, and the WWE marks of course which alot of times are the same thing.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

They can't rely on using stars WWE fires forever, though they really like that idea and are trying to do it.

Actually, they can. Again, talent is talent. It's how it's used that matters most. Steve Austin had an average WCW career. He was let off his leash and ended his career as one of the most popular stars of all-time. I guess WWE never should have given him that shot though, since he worked for WCW before.

Every time these threads come up I feel like I'm reading posts from a bunch of third-graders who are running around talking about others having cooties. It's so incredibly misinformed and juvenile that it's nto actually funny. It's just aggravating because the people regurgitating this shit are of an age where they could actually educate themselves otherwise, unlike those third-graders who are still too young to understand what maturity really means.

I don't even get the argument here anyway. TNA is in the middle of pushing Robert Roode, AJ Styles, Robbie E, Eric Young, Matt Morgan, Crimson, Austin Aries, etc. I doubt anyone even remembers Morgan's WWE run, and they sure as shit don't remember AJ Styles' handful of matches on Sunday Night Heat, so where is this argument even coming from logistically when you realize that Kurt Angle, the biggest "WWE" name among the group in the upper-end of the card is losing matches to put over guys like James Storm right now?

This entire thread is ridiculous.

 

[TheLastHorsemen]

For me, TNA's problem is that there really isn't much consistency with storylines. One minute Joe is a beast, now he's getting wins infrequently. They also shuffle characters between faces and heels at such a frequency, when I turn it on I'm not sure who's on what side. They feel like they need to make an impact (Ha! Puns are fun!) so they don't take the time developing storylines and letting this play out.

Fourtune, Legacy, the Network... it just gets ridiculous. I think it's important to have established wrestlers, but they shouldn't be rehashing previous storylines. It's like WCW Pt. 2

 

[AmerikanWolves619]

My opinion here is why the heck is this same, exact topic continues to be posted here 3 or 4 times a month?!?! Really? REALLY?? Do we need to continually beat a dead horse on this topic?? LOL
In all seriousness, IDR could not have (and repeatedly) coined it better.

 

[Deexter Jorgan]

Actually TNA's problem has nothing to do with the talent, it's more or less due to the booking of the entire show, you have someone like Bully Ray for instance who was positioned to be world champion, now he's nothing left but filler for Bischoff's son.

You have the world champion Bobby Roode who turned heel suddenly with no prior reason being established, his feud with storm could have lasted over six months but instead a quick title change happened.

You also have Hulk Hogan, a guy that rags on his own company and it's roster and commends a guy like Jeff Hardy who for whatever reason refused to go to rehab after committing one of wrestling's biggest sins, it has nothing to do with WWE's former talent it's more to do with TNA's constant changes and lack of faith in any of its established talent.

 

[TJWWE]

My guess is that you're another one of these know-it-all 16 year old marks who thinks because he's watched wrestling on television for a couple years and posts on an internet forum that he thinks he has any idea what makes a company tick, but that's just a guess. You could be 17, after all...

Actually, i'm 20 & have been watching wrestling for 14 years..
What i'm trying to say is that i am finding it exhausting that TNA is keep bringing in talent that came from the WWE & i want TNA to have their own talent by bringing them in from the independents & making them big stars.

 

[WTK]

TNA actually started out full of WWE/WCW guys.. Back in 03-06ish they had Raven, Hardy ,Nash, Hall, DDP, Jarrett, Savage, Sting, Konan, X-Pac, Sabu, Sandman etc etc. Rowdy Piper even made appearances during TNAs early days.... So I dont understand why you still complain about TNA having so many Ex-WWE/WCW/ECW guys, because they've always had them, since Day 1....

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Actually, i'm 20 & have been watching wrestling for 14 years..
What i'm trying to say is that i am finding it exhausting that TNA is keep bringing in talent that came from the WWE & i want TNA to have their own talent by bringing them in from the independents & making them big stars.

...what's the fucking difference? Why does it matter that they came from WWE but doesn't if they came from ROH, New Japan, AAA, NWA or any other federation or wrestling promotion?

You seem to be struggling mightily with the fact that where a talent comes from is 100%, beyond a shadow of doubt, unequivocally and completely irrelevant. You are treating anyone who even so much as had a cup of coffee with WWE as though they have cooties and need to be herded into some group of untouchables as though they are now lepers once WWE releases them. It's ridiculous.

 

[jungledeano]

Yeah, that's not TNA's problem, in fact if anything, TNA are pushing their homegrown talent more than ever. Storm and Roode are going to be the top fued over the next year. Styles has had two main events in a row at PPVs. Christopher Daniels is being pushed as one of the top heels in the company. Things are going good. Plus, they have a consistant fanbase of 1.4 million in the US. Plus their international fanbase. And for my money, TNA's storylines aren't so convulted as they were earlier in the year. TNA are fine, but of course they can always do better.

 

[shattered dreams]

Will people get a fucking clue already?

Current TNA Champions:

Roode - not a WWE guy, been mainly in story with AJ and Storm recently (neither WWE guys)

Robbie E - Hangs out with Robbie T and beat Eric Young for the title (neither are WWE guys)

Crimson and Morgan - beat Mexican America for the titles (4 people that are not WWE) and Crimson isn't a WWE guy either while Morgan wasn't even active in WWE for a year combined while he has been in TNA wrestling for over 3.5 years straight

Austin Aries- Not a WWE guy and most of the new look X-division isn't either

Madison Rayne - not WWE

Gail Kim - First KO champion; spent about a year longer in WWE than she has in TNA

 

[Poop Master Flex]

Well as much as I enjoy a good TNA bashing I'm gonna have to say that it doesn't matter who is employed in a company its how you USE who is employed.

For example WWE did a horrible job using Gail Kim but TNA uses her very well and is much more relevant on TNA television than she ever would have been on WWE television, just look at her right now and her feud with Awesome Kong in '07. Gail Kim may have started in WWE but I definitely look at her time in TNA much more favorably.

TNA has a great amount of talent, WWE has a great amount of talent, there are people who work for WWE that were initially TNA guys or ROH guys, does that mean Daniel Bryan is ROH's trash? Not at all and some wrestlers have better career's outside of WWE. Look at guys like Ric Flair, Harley Race and Dusty Rhodes. These are some of the greatest wrestlers of all time and all of them had better careers in NWA than they EVER did in WWE, while in WWE they had great potential but the Vinnie Mac and company didn't capitalize on that. Chris Harris did great in TNA and shit the bed in WWE and the list goes on and on.

Guys like Kurt Angle and Jeff Hardy (who are WWE guys) have done tremendous in TNA, they were both good signings and have both done their part in helping TNA move along.

On top of that TNA has PLENTY of homegrown talent like Bobby Roode, James Storm, AJ Styles, ect. that have done well in the boundaries of TNA.

What I'm trying to say is there is no issue with who is on the TNA roster (and the WWE roster for that matter) as long as they're used properly. A lot of guys who went from WWE to TNA could have had much better careers in WWE if they were used properly. If they took the time back in '03 to season Matt Morgan instead of giving him some stupid stuttering gimmick who knows how far in the wrestling business he could have went. Then he comes to TNA and although he's not their best guy or anything he has done pretty well for himself and TNA treats him as a guy who can in the future become one of their big names. In a lot of cases its not TNA taking WWE's garbage, its TNA capitalizing on opportunities WWE didn't (and vice versa with WWE).

 

[George Steele's Barber]

The OP is not completely wrong, just mostly wrong. Guys that leave WWE leave for a reason (money, ability, discipline, choice). Whatever the reason, the wrestler comes in to TNA with a reputation. Some of the reputations lead to a bias within the wrestling audience that can leave a bad taste in a viewer's mouth and therefore get turned off to the whole TNA product.

Also, a lot of TNA fans take pride in TNA as an independent organization or their baby. When you start adding guys from WWE, this type of fan may lose the attachment they have to the product.

Kind of like IDR said a former WWE wrestler has the opportunity to change these perceptions by showing their loyalty and performing well (Angle, Christian Cage) but it doesn't always work (Anderson, Matt Hardy).

 

[tornadof86]

that most of the roster has and is full of ex-WWE superstars & divas. The current roster that has been in WWE are:
Brian Kendrick, Brooke Tessmacher, Bully Ray, Christy Hemme, D'Angelo 'Pope' Dinero, Devon, Eric Bischoff, Gail Kim, Jeff Hardy, Jeff Jarrett, Kid Kash, Kurt Angle, Matt Morgan, Mickie James, Mr. Anderson, Rob Van Dam, Tara, Taz and Winter.

The fact that all of these people have been in WWE, we have already seen them before on TV and the fact that TNA has more former WWE stars than TNA homegrown talent is one if not the main reason why TNA is not doing as well as it should.

What's your opinion on all of this?

a lot of the people you mention here were also a part of ecw and wcw (wouldn't that make them rejects of those two companies as well?) and mickie james was a member of tna before she went to the wwe...anyone remember alexis laree?

 

[SpecialFNK]

I admit I did not read much of the rest of this thread. doesn't matter.
if TNA was to rid of all wrestlers that have seen time in WWE/ECW and only go with wrestlers from TNA only.. they would never last on TV, guaranteed. they could be the greatest wrestlers in the ring in the entire world. would not matter one bit if people watching on TV did not know who they were.
always remember, the number one factor in wrestling business is that it's a TELEVISION SHOW first. there are a lot more general wrestling fans that watch than there are hard core wrestling fans.

 

[kor420]

Let me try to explain this in terms so you nitwits can understand. Lets say 70% (i pulled that number out of my ass) are casual wrestling fans and the other 30% is hardcore wrestling fans.

When the casual wrestling fan is channel flipping on a thursday night and happens to land on spike tv, they see AJ Styles vs Joe. The causal fan is going to be like "who is this?"

Take my mother for example, she likes wrestling and is a casual fan, she watches the WWE with her husband because she recognizes the people she is seeing like cena, ut, hhh etc... if she doesn't recognizes the talent, her face goes back into the laptop.

When i do get her to watch TNA, she watches a few mins but she says that she doesn't know anybody and her nose goes right back into the laptop. If sting, angle or another "name" that is recognizable, she watches

:::REWIND:::

When the casual wrestling fan is channel flipping on a thursday night and happens to land on spike tv, they see AJ Styles vs Angle. The causal fan is going to be like "Hey i know him!" and watches the match.

TNA needs a perfect balanced mix of "NAMES!" so they can introduce the "WHOS?" (homegrown talent) to the casual fans.