[UnOfficial] WWE vs. TNA Thread - New one active

[Ushiku]

WCW were helped by firstly Hulk Hogan's move to WCW, but then the moves of several other main eventers, so far the only main eventer from WWE to TNA is Kurt Angle, however that could soon change, Robert Conway is pretty unhappy at WWE at the moment for being a jobber on WWE Heat, at the moment he's probably low to mid card material at best, but he has great potential and I think he's the kind of guy TNA need.

A lot of WWE's tag team matches take place on WWE Heat whilst tag team matches are a large part of TNA, so unless WWE take their tag team scene seriously I predict a large migration to TNA, I'm not sure how The Highlanders feel, but as an onlooker I think they must be pretty annoyed, Rated RKO, DX and Cryme Tyme are being hyped up in RAW's tag team scene - The Highlanders were even made to job for Rated RKO in their first live RAW appearance in weeks in the UK - which is utterly disgraceful to make The Highlanders lose their first home turf match!

SmackDown and ECW's respective tag team scenes are pretty much dead since their potential isn't used to its fullest.

What TNA need to do is take note of what WWE isn't doing i.e. promoting its tag teams and cruiserweights fairly, and do so with their tag team division and x division. This will surely give them an edge in their "war".

 

[Kasey]

^This is only part of what irritates me with regards to what WWE has been doing. They have some of the best wrestling talent in the world rotting away on their three rosters. I personally think they have too much talent spread way too thin on each show. ECW should house the cruiserweights. Raw the best singles competitors. Smackdown the tag teams. Either that, or they'll have to higher many more wrestlers on each show to stengthen the divisions. I could write a college thesis on ways the WWE could be fixed overnight. The first step would be doing away with bull$hit DQ and schmoz finishes all of the time. Especially on ECW, where none of that crap belongs.

 

[Kasey]

WWE rejected christian by not giving him what he thought he deserved in the wwe. He was never good enough to be on top. He tried several times to get to the top using his own methods. But wwe kept regecting his efforts. Then he decided to leave because he kept getting rejected. He is such a wwe reject.

Actually, toward the hind end of his WWE run he was pretty much over with the fans using his own methods. As opposed to WWE's brillaint f***ing strategy of having him throw tantrums and slap the ring. Yeah, creative genius in that one there. He had, and still has, some of the best mic work in the industry, and is just as capable a worker as most of the WWE's top talent. He's also loads better than guys like Cena. He was just denied a lengthy feud because he out-promo'd Cena and helped the fans to understand exactly how much of a goddamn joke Cena is. Once this stuff came out on Raw, he was summarily buried and conveniently dumped to Smackdown. Never outdo any of Vince's pet projects...he doesn't like that.

 

[Kasey]

Ok....I won't use Rey on you...But I will use Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit, RVD, Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle(can't believe the man's only like 5'11)...Theres a couple more I seem to have forgotten..Oh yeah, Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels...Yes, WWE does gravitate more towards bigger guys, but then again, who's the NWA World Champion right now?It ain't Brother Runt i'll tell ya that much...Big guys are just generally more marketable...That's the business we watch..If they could market smaller guys as Credible World Champions, then Chris Benoit would be the World Champion, Sabu would be the ECW Champion, Jeff Hardy would be WWE Champion, and AJ Styles would be the NWA Champion.. Smaller guys maybe more talented but thats what the X Division(Samoa Joe only won the X Division Title so they could build him up instead of throwing him in the World Title mix immediatly) and the Cruiserweight division(as lacking as it is, There ARE some great Cruiserweights in the WWE), are for. Jeff Hardy went back to the WWE so He could reunite with his Brother, Plain and Simple..He figured, TNA tried to do it by signing Matt Hardy last year but he resigned with WWE instead so Jeff figured his best shot was to go back to the WWE.Being paid twice as much as he was being paid in TNA probably doesn't hurt either.

The majority of the guys you listed were or are still buried behind big guys on the shows, so try again. Eddie Guererro? Passed up for Batista? Chris Benoit? Has a US TITLE RUN? That's a joke right there. RVD? Big Slow has his belt, but then again RVD needs to keep his face out of a bong for five minutes, so I'll give you that one. However, the ECW show is a pile of $hit, so I'll take that back. Getting a push on that show is the equivalent of being the smartest kid with down syndrome. Jericho? Passed up for John Cena of all people. Ouch. Kurt Angle? I'm not even going to start on that one. Jeff Hardy left TNA because they weren't going to give a huge push to someone they finally realized can't wrestle worth a damn. On the flipside, he will now have much more money for dope due to his shiny new contract.

 

[Kasey]

Most of what TNA has been doing in relation to pushing former WWE talent was so they could garner a spot on Spike TV in the first place (Christian, Rhino, Dudleys). It's also important for them to do this because if they have elevated WWE talent squaring off against their own guys and having even matches, then it makes the TNA boys look like they can go toe-to-toe. This is a lot of the same strategy WCW displayed back when they were having a mass exodus of talent from up north come down to Atlanta. TNA spent time doing what a lot of people are suggesting in terms of building their own stars and it got them a failed Fox Sports run and a show that was only broadcast on the internet for months, not a solid recipe for fiscal security. They did what they had to survive as they realized that some of their younger talent was a bit green in the character department and didn't hold up the personality aspect of things.

Sting was brought in as a short term ratings boots and to help him finish up his career with at least a morsel of dignity. Angle was brought in and pushed heavily because he should be. He's probably one of the best workers alive today and is also a successful character. He's had less than a handful of matches with victories over some TNA guys at the outset and people are spelling doom as Angle is the most selfish bastard in the business. If they would've brought him in and jobbed him, that would've damaged his credibility instantly. This is what McMahon did to the majority of the WCW and ECW stars he brought onboard in the last five years. They were buried and their viability was damaged as a result. In some cases, Vince was able to rebuild them, but in others he wasn't (especially with former ECW champion Rhino). I think that as long as TNA spends time trying to get people over and doing something fresh with regards to their approach (however disjointed it may be at times) they'll have an easier time of developing characters and finding stuff that works in the end.

Look at the X-division before Russo came on board. ZERO character except for the little bit Daniels, Styles, and Joe had. Sabin, Dutt, and the rest were bland and weren't really over to a point where the audience cared for them as much as they did A.J. and the others. Russo is having to rebuild the X-divison from the ground up, as well as the tag division by doing the intelligent thing and splitting Daniels and Styles after he ran their angle to its finish at BFG. Most of his booking and roster decisions I've been okay with. I'm still on the fence and waiting for some things to come to pass within the next six months before I can make a complete judgment as to whether or not he's done good or failed miserably in his role. Whether or not TNA can make a run at WWE in the near future is very hard to determine at this stage. For all intents and purposes TNA is still a promotion in its infancy. It doesn't have the years and years of legacy to go from as it's pretty much a new entity. WWE has loads of legacy to build from as they've been around for ages and are undeniably the most established name in American pro-wrestling.

 

[showtyme27]

When I look around this forum and read some of the things people try to make a point on it's pretty fu*k up, I don't know if we are seeing the same TNA shows but TNA and WWE are more alike then you TNA marks and WWE marks want to admitt, TNA is now bringing us the same bullsh*t storylines and sh*tty champions that TNA marks claim the WWE of having, every TNA marks also claims TNA has more wrestling less talk, do you guys watch the show TNA does all these half-a** promo's, sorry storylines, poor booking of it's talent, and who the hell let A.J. get on the mic that was the most horrible interview piece I have ever seen, TNA's show is very poorly writen, don't get me wrong I love wrestling and watch ever show I can but some of you need to face the truth TNA is not even close to being better than WWE, now that I talked about the problems with TNA marks let move on to WWE marks, WWE is not the powerhouse it was years ago storylines are okay at best, mis-used and abused talent all over the WWE roster, pushes to wrestlers that are only reciving them because they know how to kiss Mcmahon or HHH a**, my whole point is there is problems in both companys and although TNA is getting better it is still no where near the WWE, also I wanted to stated that some keeps talking about how great the TNA DVD's are we know they're great that's how TNA pulled in it's fan base, the matches on their DVD's are the best of/PPV matches, you act like they have matches on their card like that every single night, yes TNA has great wrestling matches but so does every other wrestling company.

 

[Kasey]

^I fail to make the comparison of talent between guys like Daniels and Abyss wearing their respective straps against the talent of Batista, Show, and Cena (which there is basically no talent to speak of). Daniels and Abyss are great credits to their titles and respective divisions. Cena, Show, and Batista are the furthest thing from that. TNA doesn't focus on the "entertainment" side of wrestling. That's a given going in. Their promos are way more old-school and have less of the pre-fabricated scripting you'll find frequently on the WWE shows. As good as I think guys like Cena and Edge are on the mic, I still remember that there is a staff of college graduates behind the scenes feeding them what they're saying most of the time.

The name and concept of TNA doesn't include the word entertainment, but is geared around "wrestling." Not "sports-entertainment." I'm about fifty/fifty with regards to which WWE and TNA storylines I think are solidly prepared. Where I differ in liking each product is the wrestlers who are chosen for their specific pushes in the WWE product and the resulting matches that come out of each angle. Not to mention the booking decisions, and the matches themselves are definitely inferior to what TNA puts out on the average card. Yes, some of TNA's DVDs are in fact "best of" compilations, but they also have individual PPV discs that are solid from top to bottom and the proof is in the pudding. TNA crowd response at the events is way more involved and passionate on the average than what you'll find in any one of the WWE's brands and their repspective cards. TNA isn't geared towards the "sports-entertainment" crowd and never really has been. The strength of the show is the in-ring product.

 

[jefferson411]

Your point about the ratings is true as WWE does surpass them and are the dominant brand in sports entertainment, but as "anything can happen in the WWE" the same can be said with sports entertainment, from a business perspective it would be counterproductive for SmackDown to revert back to Thursday nights because it would therefore being admitting that TNA was a rival, which is just what TNA needs in order to truly initiate a ratings war instead of ranting to no avail.

Furthermore, WWE couldn't move SD! back to thursdays anyway without CW permission. CW moved them to Fridays, WWE hates it cause they get pre-empted a whole lot more and less people are home on friday nights to watch. So it wouldnt be as much them admitting TNA is competition as it would be them taking advantage of the better ratings night.

 

[jefferson411]

^I fail to make the comparison of talent between guys like Daniels and Abyss wearing their respective straps against the talent of Batista, Show, and Cena (which there is basically no talent to speak of). Daniels and Abyss are great credits to their titles and respective divisions. Cena, Show, and Batista are the furthest thing from that. TNA doesn't focus on the "entertainment" side of wrestling. That's a given going in. Their promos are way more old-school and have less of the pre-fabricated scripting you'll find frequently on the WWE shows. As good as I think guys like Cena and Edge are on the mic, I still remember that there is a staff of college graduates behind the scenes feeding them what they're saying most of the time.

The name and concept of TNA doesn't include the word entertainment, but is geared around "wrestling." Not "sports-entertainment." I'm about fifty/fifty with regards to which WWE and TNA storylines I think are solidly prepared. Where I differ in liking each product is the wrestlers who are chosen for their specific pushes in the WWE product and the resulting matches that come out of each angle. Not to mention the booking decisions, and the matches themselves are definitely inferior to what TNA puts out on the average card. Yes, some of TNA's DVDs are in fact "best of" compilations, but they also have individual PPV discs that are solid from top to bottom and the proof is in the pudding. TNA crowd response at the events is way more involved and passionate on the average than what you'll find in any one of the WWE's brands and their repspective cards. TNA isn't geared towards the "sports-entertainment" crowd and never really has been. The strength of the show is the in-ring product.

You are joking. TNA is quickly transforming into TNAE. Bikini contest? Less wrestling, more promos. Just keep watching, hell their biggest angle right now has nothing to do with wrestling it involves two guys fighting an imaginary war against the WWE. Their other big angle is LAX which stands out because of how great they are from an entertainment aspect. If that wasn't the case then why the f*** would they have Konnan with them, all he can do is talk. And why would they be adding more entertainment to their broadcast than just wrestling? Well it wouldn't make sense for them to be becoming entertainment oriented if they arent trying to draw in the "sport entertainment crowd" that you dont think they are geared towards.

You are right that they were created with a different concpet, but they are rapidly abandoning that concept because theyve been trying it for 4 or 5 years now and are not catching up as quick as they would like. It works for WWE so maybe they think it will for them. I don't think they will be able to win at WWE's game though.

And WWE crowd response would be more involved if they were wrestling on a soundstage with a couple hundred fans instead of 5000+. Someday when TNA begins arena tours, you won't be able to say that anymore.

My understanding of promos is the writers tell them the jists of what to say, key points, etc.. but the wrestlers have the job of making it their own, so Edge and Cena have some talent in that regard. You think the writers wrote all of Cenas freestyles way back when? Or all the stuff Edge and Christian ever did?

And what makes Batista the farther thing from being a credit to his title. He is pure intensity, and I enjoy watching him greatly.

 

[Kasey]

You are joking. TNA is quickly transforming into TNAE. Bikini contest? Less wrestling, more promos. Just keep watching, hell their biggest angle right now has nothing to do with wrestling it involves two guys fighting an imaginary war against the WWE. Their other big angle is LAX which stands out because of how great they are from an entertainment aspect. If that wasn't the case then why the f*** would they have Konnan with them, all he can do is talk. And why would they be adding more entertainment to their broadcast than just wrestling? Well it wouldn't make sense for them to be becoming entertainment oriented if they arent trying to draw in the "sport entertainment crowd" that you dont think they are geared towards.

I just watched the rerun of Impact and you are sadly in the right with the amount of that stuff they push now. In terms of what the product is anchored on though, I still feel it is the wrestling that helps to retain any sort of buoyancy. You may see the VKM angle as their biggest, but it depends on what you are watching for. Some vignette time and a promo here and there doesn't exactly establish the biggest angle for me within the company, but rather an attempt to find two wrestlers something to do (whilst letting them clear the air regarding their feelings on key members of the competition). These guys aren't even in a title program, so I fail to see how this is TNA's big end-all, be-all front runner. And here I thought Joe and Angle were main-eventing.

You are right that they were created with a different concpet, but they are rapidly abandoning that concept because theyve been trying it for 4 or 5 years now and are not catching up as quick as they would like. It works for WWE so maybe they think it will for them. I don't think they will be able to win at WWE's game though.

Do I honestly think the core of the product is geared towards that? Not as much the wrestling is...and to me that is paramount. Konnan is a manager. There have been many of those in just about every wrestling company ever. Even in ROH I think they have those. I could be wrong. The storylines have incorporated more of the crash TV element, due to Russo. However, that isn't the axis by which the product swings, unlike their competitor which makes it the primary leg to stand on these days. WWE's game these days doesn't involve very good wrestling on average, so TNA is already one-up in that department.

And WWE crowd response would be more involved if they were wrestling on a soundstage with a couple hundred fans instead of 5000+. Someday when TNA begins arena tours, you won't be able to say that anymore.

Even with the BFG crowd's drastic increase in attendance over the normal event sizes, that crowd was insane and involved throughout the entire broadcast. And WWF once had that passionate of a response, but that hasn't been since Bill Clinton was in office, so it may seem like a dream to some people.

My understanding of promos is the writers tell them the jists of what to say, key points, etc.. but the wrestlers have the job of making it their own, so Edge and Cena have some talent in that regard. You think the writers wrote all of Cenas freestyles way back when? Or all the stuff Edge and Christian ever did?

A lot of what happens in terms of the promos aren't decided by the wrestlers themselves anymore. This is why WWE hires college-educated writers to do all of the dirty work. I mean when was the last time you saw a promo on WWE in the likes of Anvil Neidhart? One of the best promo-men of all time. Years. All of the tv product WWE produces these days is way more scripted and is light-years slicker than what they did in the past. This isn't due to the wrestler's suddenly getting artistic, taking interpersonal communications classes or some horse$hit like that. Most of what the wrestlers and announcers say is fed to them. Obviously more of what TNA does is free form for some of the guys (at least it was until Russo arrived).

And what makes Batista the farther thing from being a credit to his title. He is pure intensity, and I enjoy watching him greatly.

Good for you. One man's trash is another's treasure. What makes him that way? Lack of offensive moves, lack of mobility, lack of speed-strength for a man of his build, phony punches, weak clotheslines, Ultimate Warrior-ripoff gimmickry, bad match pacing, and this is all off the top of my head.

Jefferson, in the end, I don't think that "sport-entertainment" is completely bad route to take. But when the sport aspect is almost entirely replaced by the entertainment aspect, then you have a problem. This is why I don't see TNA as completely sucking. At least with Impact, when the promos don't strike me, I can cue past that to a match and still be satisfied. With WWE, that's nearly impossible for me these days.

 

[Ushiku]

I think the best thing to do is not to give TNA originals or former WWE, ECW and WCW talent the cold shoulder, but have a healthy rotation of talent, if there's too much booking for one wrestler or specific wrestlers then things can become bland unless they're given good storylines to develop their run.

I think the current angle with Abyss and his mystery is pretty good and I hope it gets developed well and isn't made secondary to the "war".

For TNA good storylines, character development and long term strategies are what will help them, and not just an anti-WWE stance.

Whether they're trying to be controversial or their feelings are genuine, they should think carefully about what their aspirations are. They should be to be the best TNA can be, and if they beat WWE great, but if they concentrate all their energies on trying to be like WWE or belittling WWE then they won't succeed.

I've said before that the "war" angle could backfire on them, so they need to think carefully about how they work with the war, some shoddy footage by Voodoo Kin Mafia or a flop of a rap by Ron "The Truth" Killings isn't going to scare WWE, in fact I'm pretty sure WWE are laughing at how futile their current attempts of "warfare" actually are. If they want a war, they should use decent strategies which can hurt WWE, signing and pushing some unhappy WWE talent is a start, getting TNA wrestlers and fans to WWE live televised shows and erupting in TNA chants is another, getting TNA wrestlers to interupt WWE live televised shows is another, but again Vince McMahon has the money and resources to get ugly, so they need to realise that if you play with fire, you're gonna get burned... unless you have an extinguisher handy.

 

[Ushiku]

The trouble with TNA is its inconsistency in terms of storylines and developments - the wrestling is second to none, but the storylines could be improved. Russo has lost his edge, he used to be great at his job, but now he's not so original and likes to try and revamp old ideas to no avail.

I think they should be innovative, allow fans to comment on angles and how they think wrestlers within the rosters should and can be developed, WWE's creative team is to stuck up its own backside it refuses to allow this, all feedback must either be positive or negative in a black and white basis, real feedback is about "I liked this, but this could be improved and I think you could improve it by doing this" not all "It was a bad/good show but I can't comment on what I (dis)liked since it would be against the strict rules you enforce in terms of feedback" as WWE feedback is limited to being.

Perhaps bringing in new writers or even hiring Eric Bischoff with some sort of input when his WWE contract expires could work well for TNA.

Moving back to my earlier point of involving fans, this could also help in their war, if anybody remembers Club ECW, they gave loyal fans better seats and discounted tickets, which could work well for TNA since WWE is hugely expensive in terms of ticket prices and getting to an event if you live out of an area where an event is being held. A TNA version of Club ECW could work well for them, especially in terms of fan interaction and loyalty, and building up their fanbase. Also WWE doesn't have an official fan club, nor does it endorse any, it says that very thing on its official website's contact page.

I also think this could help TNA with their "war" against WWE, if they are able to take advantage and do the things WWE aren't doing, and do them effectively they will experience a massive boost in ratings, fan following, merchandise purchases, ticket purchases etc.

These things from a business perspective would help TNA a lot more than Voodoo Kin Mafia launching unwarranted threats which don't have subsequent powerful actions, and Ron "The Truth" Killings proving that he should let his wrestling ability do the talking for him and not the mic.

However the "war" angle does have good potential if they turn up at WWE live televised events, issue challenges, bring TNA fans along, and heckle, chant TNA and cause a fuss. Even if they're ejected it causes the hype TNA wants as those who don't know about TNA will think "They must be good if they're willing to mess with the big boys of the business in WWE", and their aims are complete, and if they're really lucky they'll get acknowledgement via their challenges being accepted.

 

[Kasey]

The trouble with TNA is its inconsistency in terms of storylines and developments - the wrestling is second to none, but the storylines could be improved. Russo has lost his edge, he used to be great at his job, but now he's not so original and likes to try and revamp old ideas to no avail.

I think as a whole, the entire American industry grew up so fast in the 90's due to the Monday Night War and ECW pushing the envelope that once they ran out of fresh ideas, none of the companies knew their ass from a hole in the ground with regards to something that was creative, but also intelligent and worthwhile. This is why I quit watching for almost an entire year after WCW folded. I could smell the staleness in the ideas and as soon as I saw the NWO resurface, I just gave up. Russo is doing the same things that have been done before, especially with the LAX angle, which is just a little takeoff on the Hart Foundation/DX angle that pitted US fans against Canadians of all people. Most of what I've gravitated towards in terms of which show I like is the in-ring product. I haven't been completely enthralled by a storyline for a long, long time. It's like with the WWE and Taboo Tuesday/Cyber Sunday. One of the greatest ideas of all time, but the choices of what matches you can pick are some of the $hittiest booking ideas of all time. Instead of giving all of the fans multiple arrangements and matches to pick through, they're spoonfed crap to choose from. When I initially heard about the first PPV like that, I though, wow! McMahon is really onto something here.

I think they should be innovative, allow fans to comment on angles and how they think wrestlers within the rosters should and can be developed, WWE's creative team is to stuck up its own backside it refuses to allow this, all feedback must either be positive or negative in a black and white basis, real feedback is about "I liked this, but this could be improved and I think you could improve it by doing this" not all "It was a bad/good show but I can't comment on what I (dis)liked since it would be against the strict rules you enforce in terms of feedback" as WWE feedback is limited to being.

Most of the companies hate these kinds of boards and dislike the exchange of info and ideas because they believe that everyone who posts on here is clueless and doesn't know what we're talking about, but that's fine. They can keep doing what they're doing and not breaking any seriously new ground, but instead treading water. Whether or not they know it, us smarks are the life's blood of their industry. When every one of the fair-weather fans tunes out, we're the ones that will keep watching every night. It's not hard to guage audience response from a TV broadcast to tell if something is working or not, whether it's an angle, promo, gimmick, or a match itself.

Perhaps bringing in new writers or even hiring Eric Bischoff with some sort of input when his WWE contract expires could work well for TNA.

Never say never. After reading Bischoff's book, I'll admit that I do have a different view of the man as opposed to what has been constantly pushed in the past. Looking at what was done with WCW, he's a miracle-worker in my book. The problem was that by the time he had pulled ahead of the competition he was too burned out mentally and physically to keep up the fresh ideas, and that's when things fell apart.

Moving back to my earlier point of involving fans, this could also help in their war, if anybody remembers Club ECW, they gave loyal fans better seats and discounted tickets, which could work well for TNA since WWE is hugely expensive in terms of ticket prices and getting to an event if you live out of an area where an event is being held...

Having a club would be a good idea in theory for TNA, but I'm not sure if Disney would go for that as they're the ones charging at the door for the Impact tapings. If they manage to get on the road doing shows, then it could definitely be a potential avenue. I personally don't put as heavy of stake in the war angle as some others. For me, it's definitely not my motive for tuning in to TNA each week. The same goes for Truth's cute attempts at rapping. I want to watch the wrestling, as that is what sold me in the first place. For me the jury's still out as to whether this whole Russo regime is going to be a success or a complete farce. What I hope, though, is that Russo has a clear idea of where he wants the company to be in six months or a year so he's not just flying week to week with no steady rhythm or purpose.

 

[Ushiku]

The basic make-up of wrestling storylines are: Face vs heel, face vs tweener, face vs face, heel vs heel, heel vs tweener, tweener vs tweener.

In that sense wrestling in itself is repetitive in terms of storylines, but what they need to do is to create solid structures for their storylines, subliminal workings and subtle hints here and there, unexpected and controversial twists in a storyline (although I don't think that anyone can ever top Hogan turning heel and joining N.W.O. but never say never), good promos for feuds and upcoming Pay Per View events, but most of all good, solid wrestling.

Of the 5 things that are essential for a great storyline, I feel that TNA has the latter 2 points out of 5.

Whilst they may dislike fan input, I think that wrestling companies will force to acknowledge us, especially with wrestling interest falling after its peak during the Attitude Era/N.W.O. Era/Monday Night Wars, specifically after the Invasion storyline which didn't use the the opportunity to its full potential. However fans are to wrestling what consumers are to economists - vital, to quote J.R. "Without the fans, there'd be no WWE" and that's the same with every wrestling organisation or promotion in the world.

I personally think Eric Bischoff is at the top of his game now, he's recovered from the traumas in his life and he's wrote a hugely popular book, plus the guy's talented economically as well as in terms of booking, storylines and character development. It would certainly create cash without a doubt.

I think that Disney would endorse it as they're always looking for ways to make money, especially since apart from P of C they've got nothing fresh and original worth watching to make them revenue, that's why they're releasing all their special editions, I see Dreamworks taking their spot, but that's beside the point, the point is I think Disney should and would endorse a TNA Club.

As for how it would help the "war", I too don't see the "war" as the main reason for watching TNA, but if they're going to push an angle, they'll need to do so effectively and in style, especially by exploiting the mistakes WWE make as a business and making good use of them, I think the best way to win is by great business decisions and pure economics, they're not yet strong enough to win by hype, although hype would help them get to "Stage 2" of the economic model I thought of for them.

My TNA Economic "War" Model:

Stage 1

Firstly they should have a fan input section on their website where TNA online researches review any ideas or feedback in terms of storylines, promos, character development, live arena tours etc.

They should then use the advise given to them to make sure they've got solid storylines aside from their "secondary war angle". With this interested wrestlers from the TNA roster can do the following at WWE live shows: calling out WWE wrestlers, heckling during matches, chant TNA during matches and during in ring promos, push for dark matches if televised interpromotional matches aren't permitted by Vince McMahon.

If possible they should try to get Eric Bischoff during the 1st stage as he would be a great asset and help to create the hype and controversy needed for the 2nd stage.

Stage 2:

After creating some hype and word getting round about the willingness for TNA to give the fans what they want - pure wrestling with good storylines, they should start a TNA Club, similar to the old Club ECW in which loyal fans were given better seats and ticket discounts, this would make TNA appear friendly in comparison to WWE which is expensive and doesn't endorse any fan feedback or clubs in which loyal fans get discounts or better seats.

Once the club has been up and running for a few months, they should announce a tour of the US in all of the 50 states. That would spread their influence all around the US. If they haven't hired Eric Bischoff by then they should do so to help them with their tour.

Stage 3:

Now that TNA has become more popular with fans and the viewers, and they've acquired Eric Bischoff, they should announce a new Hardcore Division, this would be headed by their wrestlers who are former ECW wrestlers or were part of WCW and WWE's hardcore divisions in the past - potentially even having Chris Benoit, RVD and Sabu by this point.

After a few months of high ratings for TNA: Impact! that included a weekly Hardcore Division match, they should launch a program on Tuesday's called TNA: Hardcore! This would be 2 hours of pure hardcore wrestling, and would give fans of the former ECW something to watch as they're currently alienated. After the first few weeks of TNA: Hardcore! they should offer an Open Invitational for a schedualed TNA Hardcore Championship title defense - but unlike the WWE let anybody join in, and if wrestlers from other promotions and organisations join the event give them the chance to stay on with TNA in their Hardcore Division.

Stage 4:

Now that they're pulling in high ratings, have a strong Hardcore Division and a large fan following TNA should attempt to conquer Europe with a European tour.

If this goes well they should start to look to other countries for up and coming talent, as well as the American guys to build the future of TNA.

Stage 5:

Now that TNA has built itself up to a point that it is equal to WWE in fan following and prestige it should launch its first live televised show, revamping TNA:Impact and making it go head to head with WWE RAW.

There they have the foundation to have a real "war"

Stage 6:

Now they're on an equal capacity to WWE they should introduce some of the talent they've been grooming on TNA: Evolution - a show specifically for developmental talent, in hopes of seeing what types of matches suit them best, it should run against WWE SmackDown on Friday nights since fans are becoming sick of SmackDown's predictable storylines and frequent booking.

Stage 7:

Once they're equal or beating WWE in 3 nights of ratings they should propose a cross-promotional "war" to decide which is the dominant brand of wrestling, if WWE turn the offer down they could run skits with somebody playing Vince McMahon in an old folks' home saying "Wrestling aint what it used to be" and then Eric Bischoff coming into the room and spoon feeding him "Wrestling miracle medicine" and saying "Hey gramps, you need it!"

But if WWE don't turn down the offer, then they've got the "war" they wanted, and could even win, either way with all the hype both companies would gain quite a lot economically and in terms of prestige.

 

[nortongene]

Why TNA is indifferent to WWE

I like both WWE and TNA but for different reasons
First: WWE is no more than a male soap opera wrestling is all subpar
Second: TNA has better younger talet with out stupid gimmicks (ie spiritSquad and eugene

So pick your poision. Plus how is it that TNA can have as many matches in 1 hour as WWE has in 2?

 

[ErkBono23]

because it doesnt take jus a wrestling match to make a good show and get good ratings..whcih is y wwe is ontop

 

[INFERNO]

All you TNA fans are going to have a field day over the WWE's handelling of the ECW PPV I can see it coming

 

[jefferson411]

Let them have a field day then see the buy rate of it compared to the buy rate of TNA ppv's.

 

[ErkBono23]

lol yea i agree on that one jefferson i agree that this was a horrrrrrrrrrible ppv but it def got a better buy rate than a tna ppv LOL and it was only hyped around like 2 matches lol that tells u somthin bout tna right there

 

[Kasey]

Let them have a field day then see the buy rate of it compared to the buy rate of TNA ppv's.

Yes, because the buyrates will probably stay consistent like the TV show's ratings also did...oh, wait...

 

[Kasey]

All you TNA fans are going to have a field day over the WWE's handelling of the ECW PPV I can see it coming

There is no field day for TNA fans to have. Any old ECW faithful (including myself) knew this whole attempt at raping and pretty much exploiting the ECW legacy and namesake was going to be complete garbage two episodes in. When your best match on the PPV card involves Jeff Hardy, and it's the opener no less, then you've really, really fu**ed up. The sad thing for me is that I was more into ECW than I was ever into the other wrestling companies during the original ECW run. For a time it was my favorite promotion, without question. I stopped buying WCW and WWF pay-per-views and only plucked down my hard earned money for a dose of the Extreme. That's why McMahon's mishandling of it pisses me off to no end. Now I gotta go watch an old RVD/Lynn match to get this stuff out of my head. I hope the new ECW either succeeds and has a complete turnaround in quality or just keeps getting worse so they put a fork in it. What I don't want is to see it just eek by the way it has been.

 

[Kasey]

because it doesnt take jus a wrestling match to make a good show and get good ratings..whcih is y wwe is ontop

Actually, what it takes is years of previous success and an already established fanbase cultivated over a few decades to garner those ratings. The large TV deals and massive exposure throughout the week on different networks doesn't help either.

 

[attila]

lol yea i agree on that one jefferson i agree that this was a horrrrrrrrrrible ppv but it def got a better buy rate than a tna ppv LOL and it was only hyped around like 2 matches lol that tells u somthin bout tna right there

Yeah. TNA's marketing sucks. If Vince promoted a TNA PPV on RAW, the buyrates would go through the roof. And not just that, but people would then tune into Impact! and a whole bunch of them would return week after week, even more will give up watching WWE altogether. There is a famous quote (I can't for the life of me remember who it was that said it, but nonethless) "its amazing how incredibly dumb the people of America are and how incredibly smart our marketers are".

 

[Kasey]

Yeah. TNA's marketing sucks. If Vince promoted a TNA PPV on RAW, the buyrates would go through the roof. And not just that, but people would then tune into Impact! and a whole bunch of them would return week after week, even more will give up watching WWE altogether. There is a famous quote (I can't for the life of me remember who it was that said it, but nonethless) "its amazing how incredibly dumb the people of America are and how incredibly smart our marketers are".

It's the truth. ECW had terrific lead-in ratings that were neck and neck with the flagship shows WWE has. Only because the product sucked did they fall. If they would've kept ECW in better standing, then WWE would definitely have had another bona fide hit on their hands. I mean, the average wrestling fan doesn't usually frequent Sci-Fi (I do, but that's because I'm a f***ing nerd) so the initial ratings says loads for WWE's marketing skills. They could sell ice to eskimos...probably on PPV, no less.

 

[showtyme27]

Well I guess I just happen to have a different opinion then everybody else, because TNA used to focus only on in ring action but ever since it got it's T.V. deal they have been slowly moving more into the sport entertainment side of wrestling, storylines and character delovpement is still new to TNA and some of their more backable star aren't very entertaining on the mic, I also fail to see TNA as a all around better wrestling show then any WWE show at best to me it's on par with ECW, I don't think TNA has more or better talent then anyone on the WWE roster, some of WWE's mid/lower card guys would be bone-a-fide stars in TNA, I personaly think most people are ready for something new and have decided to build TNA up in their minds it's diffinently not as good as some of you are putting it over as, as far as the cartoony/sada** gimmicks in WWE like Boogeyman, Eugene, and Spirit Squad too name a few I mean you guys act as though TNA doesn't have Eric Young, Shark Boy, and Abyss too name a few, shi**y gimmicks are apart of wrestling they always have and always will just take a minute and think about all your favorite wrestlers of all-time and I bet there is at the very least one silly gimmick wrestler on your list, now to tell the truth i'm not a fan of the stupid gimmicks but I have accepted that as apart of the thing I love to watch, now on to Big Show, Batista, and John Cena, I saw someone put that most of the things wrestlers say in WWE has already been writen out for them, and I just want to say in most cases that may be true but in that case why isn't everybody on the WWE roster incredible on the mic? being good on the mic is truly a gift and their are not many people that master mic work let's take Cena if some is writing everything or evcen most of what he says then why in the hell don't they do the same thing for Batista? who is possibly has the worst mic skills I have ever seen, so don't sit there and tell me that you truly believe that gifted entertainers on the mic like Cena, Edge, HHH, and more are being force read lines to make them seem incredible on the mic, now back to the champs I don't have a problem with the WWE's choises of champions Big Show: The most hated and underrated wrestler of the roster to me for his size, size him up againist other giants and big men and maybe you will get my point I think he's very good at his job. John Cena: love him or hate him he is the most entertaining personality in wrestling right now incredible on the mic better in the ring then he shows (try watching old OVW tapes) and all around WWE's biggest selling point right now you can hate him all you want but he is one of the hardest working men in wrestling right now he has more passion for wrestling then most of your favorite wrestlers right now and that's something even fans that hate him have to respect. Batista: I mean I can't really defend him i'm not a big fan of his all that I can say is that in his last couple of matches he has been trying to add new moves into his matches and trying to improve in the ring do I like him as champ? i'd have to say no but the average WWE fan loves him so I can see why he's champ. In closeing I want to say that I like wrestling as a whole and will watch every and any wrestling show I can because it's something i've love to watch since I was a kid, but even with all that love I refuse to be blind to the true state of wrestling TNA is not better than WWE, TNA doesn't have the better storylines, talent, and/or show, TNA has the same problems as WWE and alot more because they are trying to gain a new fan base, that's right TNA has silly gimmicks, mis-used talent, overpused/overexposed superstars, and many more I could name, some of you need to face facts it's not better just different but maybe that's what most of you havr been waiting for I don't know.