Toby Keith Wanted to Buy TNA; Bring in Jim Ross, Fully Re-Brand

[It's Damn Real!]

Country music star Toby Keith has been linked to TNA in the past as a potential owner/investor as the company.

However, Jim Ross revealed that Keith is essentially out of the mix after dealing with control/creative issues that certain members of TNA management wanted to retain.

Ross added in a new blog at jrsbarbq.com that he would have been part of a re-branded/re-named “TNA” package if Keith bought an interest in the company.

“My Oklahoma friend Toby Keith had a legit interest in buying TNA in the past and he and I discussed my potential involvement, of which I was interested working with Toby,” Ross revealed. “He was ready to write a check, but he had to have full control with no restrictions regarding creative, etc. and that was not on the table.”

http://www.pwtorch.com/site/2016/04...a-following-toby-keiths-attempted-investment/

—

Oh. My. God.

This is upsetting on so many levels. Not only would this have completely saved the company, but it'd have seen it rebranded top-to-bottom (whatever built-in equity it used to have is gone), and probably would have meant the return to broadcasting in the U.S. for Ross.

I'm not happy.

 

[klunderbunker]

This sounds like:

"If you want TNA, you have to keep me DARLIN!"

If you look around at other stories, that's the big sticking point: Dixie Carter has to stay around, despite almost no one wanting her in the picture anymore. If TNA wants to have a chance to survive long term, they need to drop everything associated with their old style. Dixie and her whole generation need to leave for that to be the case and if the new boss has to deal with not having full power, there's no reason for him to stick around. This limited creative control is a bad sign for TNA and even more of a reason that they need to change everything they have going on for their own survival.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

And there's good reason for not wanting her around. Nice a lady as she is, she's the face of failure. She's the face attached to a product that went from two million viewers to one struggling to break 300,000. It's on her watch. For better or for worse. Her fault or not.

I agree — whoever is coming in should want utter control, and if I were a buyer, my first step is publicly exorcizing her (and her upper management) through the media as a reach-out attempt to old TNA viewers who've largely quit because of her decisions. The same as you see happen when a pro sports team loses for too long. The front office gets wiped out. The new owner steps in and hires all his or her guys and gals. Top to bottom.

Step two would be rebranding. Step three bringing in a solid long-term booker to write a solid years' worth of angles and stories to run the new philosophy.

 

[Vintage]

Dixie does not deserve to be bought out. I'm sure she's pumped more money into that company than she ever made back in profits. Whether she's the right person to run it or not, that lady will not quit and I have grown to respect that about her. Potential investors should respect her enough to at least make fair offers. Jim Ross is not the instant fix we all like to imagine it is. Neither is her losing a controlling share of the company she has owned since 2003

 

[whoopin' ass]

Meh, Toby Keith made his money by playing into American's fears after 9-11. Look at his career before and after - he was successful but not really important before it but after he because successful with songs like Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue and American Soldier and his feuding with the Dixie Chicks. He took the easy route and played off of the anger the States felt after the attacks. I have to reason to believe he would have been able to make TNA successful because of that.

 

[Starkist]

Dixie just needs to go. She is the reason for the brands decline while she won't ever admit that. Toby Keith buying it would be good. TNA could get on CMT which has to be a world wide channel. But no. Dumb Ditsy Carter steps in the way again because she needs to be on TV? Bye Felicia. Get to going Dixie Carter. No. One. Cares. About. You.


Yes i know this is harsh but now i am turning truly pessimistic towards TNA. Not the show but the monekys ruining the business. Hopefully things will change but I am starting to doubt that.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Dixie does not deserve to be bought out. I'm sure she's pumped more money into that company than she ever made back in profits. Whether she's the right person to run it or not, that lady will not quit and I have grown to respect that about her. Potential investors should respect her enough to at least make fair offers.

Dixie is the face of TNA's failure. This is on her watch. Going from two million viewers to just under 300,000 is on her.

This is also a business. Nice a person as she may be, and as much money as she may lost entitles her to exactly nothing.

 

[Spidey Revivey]

Only a fool would turn down the star power of Toby Keith, perhaps modern Country's most recognized male singer. Only a complete nut would not accept wrestling's most beloved commentator JR to their business. Dixie has killed the brand's popularity. A country star on perhaps a country network would have garnered mass appeal unlike anything it saw previously. Stupid.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

A Keith/JR combo would have rivaled the popularity of Hogan/Bischoff coming into the company in '09, except in this case, it'd almost certainly be a good thing.

 

[Charismatic Enigma]

I don't think Toby Keith would have the money it would require to successfully rebrand TNA longterm.

TNA has a lot it can do to help with the rebrand that would cost them virtually nothing...new name, 4 sided ring, new graphics, new entrance way, etc. A visual refresh, if you will. They could also have better writing, music, etc. these things can be done on a limited budget.

What it doesn't currently have is a good TV home that everyone is able to get with basic cable and/or a subscription platform (i.e. Netflix, Hulu). Beyond that though, they need top level talent, commentators certainly, but also some big name indy guys, some more recent ex WWE guys, they need to get back to where they were 10 years ago, and pick up from there, but this time do it right. The problem is talent comes at a premium.

Also, here's a big one...live spontaneity, you simply can't film 3 or 4 months of TV at a time in front of the same audience. It doesn't work, the performers are burnt out, the crowd is burnt out, spoilers are everywhere. They need to have that energy back, go live at least once a month.

 

[klunderbunker]

Dixie is the face of TNA's failure. This is on her watch. Going from two million viewers to just under 300,000 is on her.

This is also a business. Nice a person as she may be, and as much money as she may lost entitles her to exactly nothing.

To go along with this: she's the one who was on TV all the time with her Dixieland and "MAKE SURE YOU FOLLOW DIXIE CARTER ON TWITTER!" and "No this isn't the surprise. Here's the REAL surprise: TOMMY DREAMER!" and all the other stupid things that happen under her watch.

Whether she likes it or not, she's the face of the promotion and the person who is going to get the heat for whatever happens. Vince gets the same treatment in WWE because that's how it works in wrestling, or any business for that matter. If you're the person in charge and things go bad, it's on your head.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Exactly. And when you look at the numbers, it's understandtable that any investor doesn't want her anywhere near the book or shot-calling again.

If you give $2M to an investor who comes back to you and says "it's down to $300K", and you find another $2M to invest, are you giving it back to that same fucking clown? Hell no.

 

[FromGlasgow]

To be fair ratings have been going down for all of wrestling lately not just TNA, I don't want them to go out of business like a lot on here appear to want as the more wrestling companies the better the more choice we have the more different styles of wrestling and big names can be built up like more guys like AJ Styles, I don't want it to be just about WWE and nothing else, Being around in the days of when we had WCW, ECW, NWA, AWA, USWA, SMW, World Class, Mid South etc we miss out on so much now that their no longer around, I do think it was a mistake to have Jeff Jarrett walk away as it was him and his father that created it and TNA's best years in my opinion where when Jeff Jarrett was around.

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

To be fair ratings have been going down for all of wrestling lately not just TNA

This is true, even WWE's ratings are down. But has WWE been kicked so far down the totem pole in terms of TV stations that their viewership is approximately 1/7 of what it was 2 years ago? They weren't economically viable enough to justify their spots on those stations so they were sent packing.

When you're in charge of everything you take credit for the good and the bad. When it's really good you're looked at with serious praise. When it's really bad the sharks start circling. It's the way business works.

I for one would've been very interested if they were able to pull this deal off. Hopefully they could get back on a network I get so I could watch again.

 

[midgensa]

There is so much frustrating about this report. You can simply chalk it up to TNA being TNA.

I am no fan of Toby Keith, not even slightly, and I do not think he really knows anything about turning around a wrestling company. BUT ... I know who does know a thing or two about wrestling and is respected by damn near everyone in the industry ... Jim Ross.

There is NO doubt that Keith/Ross would have made some strong hires in offscreen talent and it would make a major difference over the course of a year or two.

As someone has stated, Dixie is the problem with TNA. She was the problem off screen and then she was a MAJOR problem on screen.

Whether you love him or hate him, Jeff Jarrett knows wrestling and wrestling fans. He built this company from nothing. They became serious players in the wrestling world, whether WWE wants to admit it or not. And Dixie decided she wanted more and more and eventually (along with Jeff not keeping it in his pants) drove Jarrett away and destroyed so much of the loyalty in the company.

Once the always loyal wrestlers weren't loyal anymore, how did you expect the fans to be?

It is time for a new start. And it is clear that Toby and JR were on board for a full reset. It is extremely frustrating that we are not going to get it.

 

[Azane]

Ya, me thinks TNA is going to shrivel up and die at this point, Dixie Carter getting ousted is the top priority for anyone who comes in, and a ton of fans (myself included) refuse to come back to the product, as long as shes calling the major shots and especially when shes the on air character. She's like a real life Vicke Guererro at this point.

I don't know about Toby Keith's wrestling knowledge, but a big country star like that would immediately cause social media buzz and national exposure, and bring back a lot of TNA's root fans which come from the country music background. Even if he doesn't know wrestling, handing off the creative to someone like JR would get make for solid television and most of all, would lead to strong talent decisions, since 90% of the time when I see a great wwe wrestler they were scouted or sponsored by JR.

Sorry dixie, you're eternally seen as the downfall of TNA in most peoples eyes, Personally, I've stopped caring for the product since Hogan/Bischoff decided to make TNA WCW, and I completely stopped watching during A&8s, and I only peak in here or there to see if there's been much improvement, the taping months ahead during the Post written World Title tournament was disgusting and showed how mismanaged the company was. OH, and Josh Matthews.

But I 100% think Dixie is going to kill the company before giving up her character and power, and it's a damn shame.

 

[dsotm5150]

Toby Keith has been popping up in wrestling off and on for 20 years, I seem to recall he popped up in WCW during the West Texas rednecks storyline, and he's popped up in TNA on occassion and even attempted to help Jarrett buy TNA back from Dixie before he left to start GFW. As far as what expertise Keith has to run wrestling promotion, I don't know but if he were to bring in people who know how the industry works like a Jim Ross he could probably be successful

 

[Rayne]

Dixie does not deserve to be bought out. I'm sure she's pumped more money into that company than she ever made back in profits. Whether she's the right person to run it or not, that lady will not quit and I have grown to respect that about her. Potential investors should respect her enough to at least make fair offers. Jim Ross is not the instant fix we all like to imagine it is. Neither is her losing a controlling share of the company she has owned since 2003

Wait, what is with these words 'fair' and 'deserve'? You seem to be under some misapprehension that business is about honoring someone for trying their best.

What Dixie deserves is the exact precise fiscal position of her company under her management- people can talk about the decline of the industry as a whole, but choosing a business is as much a part of business as being a business. What's a "fair offer" is what the biggest bidder thinks is the bare minimum amount required to purchase what they're looking for. If you want to respect Dixie for trying, sure, ok, but please let's not pretend that TNA, under her tenure, has been a disaster financially. Merit points for trying are worth exactly zero dollars.



As far as Jim Ross and Toby Keith go.......... well, I was saying at the time that it would be the best time to sell TNA, as it was unlikely that its current owners would turn it around and it still had high brand value. It's good to know people were making offers.

 

[TDFG]

Having a man like Jim Ross at the helm would be gold for any wrestling company. All those fans that say such and such should have one more match, well I think Jim Ross has one big last wrestling job in him, his passion for the business is bigger than anyone and that doesn't mean calling matches, acting as talent VP/President.

Dixie Carter wanting to sell 49% so she can maintain a majority share isn't going to entice many investors, it'll show that's she someone that still wants the limelight and she would be difficult to work with.

 

[johnbragg]

Dixie does not deserve to be bought out.

Well, then she won't be. Nobody will buy her out. TNA will last until Dixie Carter (not Panda Energy) is out of money.

I'm sure she's pumped more money into that company than she ever made back in profits.

That is super true. And that is also not something you look for in an investment.

Whether she's the right person to run it or not, that lady will not quit and I have grown to respect that about her. Potential investors should respect her enough to at least make fair offers.

A "fair offer" is "here's a pile of money for ownership and control of TNA LLC and the associated companies, trademarks etc. Take your money, and good day madam."

No one is going to offer TNA a pile of money without getting control. And getting control means getting Dixie Carter outtathere.

Jim Ross is not the instant fix we all like to imagine it is. Neither is her losing a controlling share of the company she has owned since 2003

Jim Ross might be an instant fix or he might not. (HE might fail, just as every wrestling promoter not named Vincent K McMahon or Dixie Carter has failed and been driven out of business.)

But if Dixie Carter wants to remain in control of TNA, she needs to keep financing its red ink. Nobody on god's green earth is going to come into TNA and finance its losses so that Dixie Carter can continue to run TNA.

 

[Harthan]

Dixie's continued belief that someone out there is going to finance her company while giving her total creative control is the height of madness, and really strikes me as nothing more than the attitude of a spoiled child whose father gave her that exact arrangement, and now that he apparently won't do so, she wants someone else to. It's insanity that her father would in the first place and it's doubly insane that someone else would.

You know what really bugs me about the way Dixie has handled this? There's a perfect example of a wrestling owner who did exactly what Dixie should be doing now and it's led to nothing but good for his company, and that's Cary Silkin. Silkin owned ROH (nearly 100% from what I understand) and sold the controlling interest to Sinclair in 2011, even though he loved it, because he wanted the business to grow beyond what he alone could have done for it. Now Silkin is an ambassador and is ringside at every ROH show, still taking in what he loves, but with his hands off and someone else at the reigns. If Dixie had had the grace to do that with this deal, or with Heyman in 2010, or with any investor, how much better off would TNA be?

If someone more like Cary Silkin had owned TNA instead of Dixie, they would probably still have the Spike TV deal, they would probably still have Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, and all the other people who helped build the company in the first place, and they would probably be massively more respected as a company. As it is, the best that can be said about TNA these days is that the show is still good, but they lack the superstar talent, the live events, and the PPV that made them what they were at their best years ago.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

So the plan was to bring in a past his best Jim Ross on commentary and that'd be enough to revitalize TNA?

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

So the plan was to bring in a past his best Jim Ross on commentary and that'd be enough to revitalize TNA?

While he might have also done commentary, I have a feeling he'd have a lot of creative, booking and hiring control.

 

[rbv13]

During what time frame was Toby Keith interested in investing in or purchasing TNA? This seems like an important questions as it would heavily influence negotiations. I seem to remember hearing this story years ago so it is possible Dixie had valid reason to believe she was capable of leading TNA. There is also no mention of the figure Keith placed on the table. It might have not been up to par.

Also about the time frame, I'd be interested to see the marketplace for the industry as a whole. I fully understand the value of buying an established Brand, even one like TNA, but had the marketplace been strong enough why not try to create his own company?

Not that Dixie shouldn't sell now. I'm just not getting a hard on over this story.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Keith's been a huge star in country music with some 40+ top ten songs, 20+ have been #1 hits, he's the writer or co-writer on almost of them and he owns the publishing rights to them, so he earns millions of dollars a year in royalties alone, let along his cuts from record sales, merchandise, concert tours, etc. Surprisingly, Keith's also a pretty savvy businessman and founded a chain of eateries called Toby Keith's I love This Bar & Grill, there are about 15 or so nationwide now, back in 2005. Most of these are located in cities that have at least one significant sports arena or stadium, usually within a few blocks of them, so they do pretty big and steady business. He has a net worth estimated to be between $350 and $500 million, so he definitely has the finances to make a real impact. There'd be no guarantee of success with a huge influx of capital and with Jim Ross in the mix, but if Keith was smart enough to know that he needs wrestling people making the creative decisions and effectively running the company, that'd be a great start.

The more I keep reading about these potential investors and all, the more it seems Dixie is willing to sell so long as she remains and has a great measure of power, if not the majority of the power, within the company and I think that may be a deal killer. I'll give Dixie Carter credit, we all rag on her at various times, but I don't think it can be doubted that she genuinely loves TNA; she has scratched and clawed to keep TNA going through any obstacle and nobody fights as hard to keep something going as she has without a lot of love for it. However, she's done all she can and the only thing that most people seem to talk about these days, and really for a couple of years now if you get right down to it, is how TNA is barely treading water, how there just isn't anything buzzworthy to talk about and discussions on when the company will close its doors. The dirt sheets frequently give the business to the more "mainstream" companies like WWE and TNA but even the most jaded of those writers usually have something positive to say, but that hasn't been the case with TNA for a long time.

If TNA surviving, albeit under a potentially different brand, is what Dixie really wants, then I'm of the opinion that she needs to step aside if that's really what's keeping potential buyers uninterested. The TNA brand itself is too damaged and Dixie is a connection to the failure of the TNA brand that can't just be overlooked. If potential investors/buyers want to start everything out fresh, they can't do that with Dixie hanging on.