What's the better option: Another show or roster cuts?

[Thriller Ant]

I know there have been a few threads about the size of TNA's roster, but I'm pretty sure this is the only one asking this question.

Every week it seems that those of us in the Impact LD mention someone who isn't on the show, with it being the Pope this week. It is pretty much an accepted fact that one 2 hour show a week isn't enough TV time for the roster that TNA has. The two most basic options for the company to deal with this problem would be to either start making roster cuts or add another show.

The roster cuts would work because there would be that many fewer guys to get on air. Also, this would help save the company money. I don't know TNA's financial situation, but a little extra money never hurt anyone.

The other option would be add another show. This would, of course, require some more airtime from Spike, but with Impact moving to Mondays there could potentially be 2 hours for TNA to take advantage of. Plus, this makes sure the company can hold on to and utilize this talent instead of letting these guys waste away and/or go to the competition.

So what do you think is the better route for TNA to take here? Roster cuts or additional programming?

 

[Lancer]

I think TNA needs an additional show. More air time means more exposure to the casual wrestling fan, an audience they seem to be eager to cater to. Also, it prevents a lot of their amazing talents from becoming free agents, and possibly heading to the WWE.

The second show could be used to showcase the X Division or Knockouts Division (an idea that has already been run by Spike), or mainly the guys that never make it to Impact on a weekly basis (anyone not named Hogan, Bischoff, Flair, Styles, Jarrett or Nasty at the moment, it seems).

Or it could be used as a type of developmental show to help groom the future stars of TNA. The ratings wouldn't be phenomenal, but TNA needs to develop some type of farm system for scouting new talent. WWE has them trumped in this department. Hell, even WCW had the freaking Power Plant.

 

[Svengoolie]

If it was all up to me, I'd want another show hands down. But at the same time, another show that doesn't pull in ratings could kill the company. I think at this point as they are trying to grow their audience, the smartest thing to do would be massive roster cuts.

When someone pops up that hasn't been seen in months and then just disappears again after that, all it does is bury them and confuse the casual viewer. It doesn't help anyone other than old TNA fans who just end up getting pissed off that their old favorites are getting the bone.

 

[Kenny Powers]

They said they were adding new shows, so it would be great to see an X Division show with some Knockouts in it. I don't think the knockouts would gain any ratings alone. The New Years Eve Special did a 0.7. It was New Years Eve, but it was early in the evening. I don't think the show would of drawn ratings if it was on a regular day anyways.

TNA needs to do some roster cuts? Team 3D, Nasty Boys, and Jesse Neal is your 5 right there. Not to mention Hall and Sixx Pac draining the life out of the show. I think Bubba is done with TNA. Homicide, Creed, and Kiyoshi are ones you can easily use. Homicide is TNA's Carlito. The guy bitches and moans anyway. There is no need for him. Unless they do something provocative with Orlando Jordan, he can go too. He isn't a bad wrestler but there is nothing for him there. I can say the same about Sean Morley.

Morley is talented and was a big name over ten years ago, but no one wants to see an old porn star wrestler anymore. No one wants to see Sean Morley either. Tomko is just a fat waste of space that contributes nothing either. I like Stevie, Raven, and Rhino, but if they aren't being used why do they need to be there? There isn't much left any of these guys can do unless Dreamer comes in and feuds with Raven.

So there is 15 people they can easily lose. I'll give Big Rob a chance since he didn't sound horrible on the mic and gave a good power slam. I'll even give Lacey Von Erich a chance since she actually hit a moonsault in her match a few weeks ago instead of falling on her face. The Suicide character can be scrapped altogether. They can have whatever Japanese wrestler who is hiding in the costume actually wrestle as himself.

That's what I would do in a nutshell. I think it would be great for TNA to have an X Division show with some of the Knockouts. However, there is a lot of unneeded talent TNA can easily lose and make way for some fresh young talent. No I'm not talking about Goldberg, DDP, or Ultimate Warrior. I'm talking about young independents or the good strays from WWE.

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

I would say do both. Add another show on Thursday nights (after March 8th). It doesn't HAVE to be right away, but it needs to happen. Also, I don't see anything wrong with "trimming the fat (not the Knockouts, keep as many of them around as possible haha)."

I am pretty sure TNA has just over 40 active, male wrestlers on their roster. I think it would be a good idea to cut maybe 5-10 guys, so there isn't such a cluster-f**k.

There are some guys, like Tomko, Sharkboy, and Creed who are just not seeing the light of day, and probably won't anytime soon (maybe Tomko, but probably not). I would just cut those guys, and let them work elsewhere.

And then there are veteran guys, like Raven, Stevie Richards, and both Nasty Boys. Those guys just don't have it. Nasty Boys are wayyyy, wayyyy past their prime (and their prime wasn't all that great either, trust me). I am not really sure why they are there. They put on entertaining promos, but in the ring...come on, they look pathetic. I'm not a big-spot guy, so that isn't it at all. They just look like they could die at any second (especially Knobs). I know that every ECW super-mark is going to complain, but Richards never had it. He was never a big name and hasn't contributed to anything since ECW. Raven had it once upon a time, but that time is long gone.

And then there are veterans who have something to offer...just maybe not INSIDE the ring anymore. Guys like Nash, Foley, and even Sean Morley (yes all of you TNA smarks, yes, the dreaded, horrible Sean Morley). All three of those guys are good on-air personalities, but are done in the ring. Foley and Nash are two of my favorites of all time, but they need to hang up the boots..for good. Morley can still wrestle, but with every TNA smark out there hating his guts for no reason, what's the point?

I also think Team 3D needs to put over as many young tag teams as possible, and get the hell out of Dodge. They are not looking much better than the Nasty's these days, it might be time to hane em' up soon.

So, I think two shows will help every creative problem I have with TNA; under-devoloped storylines, division structure, and lack of developed characters. It will also help guys to develop better mic skills, having two more hours per week to do so. It will also save us from having to listen to complaining TNA smarks about there not being enough "action."

But I think roster cuts are needed as well (in the WWE too). Just too many wrestlers, and not enough time, even if they get two shows up and running.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

The move to Monday nights regarding iMPACT! leaves at least a one-hour block open on the former Thursday night slot (potentially two hours) in which to slot in Xplosion, which as has been covered by quite a few users in quite a few threads here already, could act as a "Thunder" type show (as opposed to the "branded" Smackdown! v. RAW type programming style) where feuds can carry over from iMPACT!, and/or where the lesser exposed of the company can still find television time to make a name for themselves.

I would be fully on board with TNA producing a second show, even if the alternate programming saw significantly less in terms of ratings, as I'd imagine they would for at least the first few weeks.

Developmental is an important aspect of developing future success, so having a show in which the risk of developing isn't nearly as dangerous is win/win for TNA.

 

[GenMe]

I think do another a second show, TNA has alot of good stars in there roster, And by letting them go they will lose alot of good wrestlers. Most of the stars that aint getting alot of TV are the X Division, And most of the X division there pretty dam good.

Now that TNA is moving to Monday nights, They should just add another show for both the KO and the X Divison, And this will give every member of TNA to get some TV time, Also by adding another show TNA could actually finish the storyline that they created. Because now they start a pretty good feud and storyline by they just dont end them. And by Adding a second show the fans could see what ever type of wrestles they like, Such as maineventer, KO's or the X-Division.

 

[neildittmar]

I love how the assumption here is that because of TNA's diverse and semi-extensive roster, they either need another show or to start "future endeavoring" people in rapid fashion. Why is it such a killer that certain people don't appear on the show week in and week out? Isn't an often cited complaint with WWE that we see the same folks week in and week out and they get "stale" or "boring?"

So Pope wasn't on iMPACT this week. I like him as much as the next guy, but I gotta say "big deal." He'll probably be on next week. This week I got to see the Abyss storyline play out a bit. Foley/Bischoff got moved along a bit more, as well as the Daffney "out of her skull" storyline. Speaking of which I got to see ODB again, who is one of my favorites. The Band/Kevin Nash/Eric Young storyline got a bit of TV time too. All in all I'd say it was like the last few iMPACT's I've watched... mostly interesting with a few low spots that ultimately don't spoil the show.

I actually think it's good that we don't see the same guys week in and week out. It gives some variety to the show and keeps things looking fresh. Sure, some guys aren't going to get spots on the show every week, but that just means they have to work a bit harder when they do. Is that such a bad thing?

To directly answer the question, I simply don't think a new show or roster cuts are necessary. TNA is still in a "development" phase of sorts... still finding out what works and what doesn't on a larger scale. Who people want to see and who they don't. Expanding the brand with another dedicated show might be streching things (not necessarily the roster) too thin at the moment. Releasing people so early may be a big mistake... I mean, isn't that how TNA got guys like Pope, Morgan, and Kendrick in the first place?

 

[Souls On Fire]

So I've thought about this for awhile. Even before Hogan and Bischoff came into the picture. How to truely utilize all the talent TNA has on their rosters. The first thought of course was add a second two hour show, it worked for both WWE and WCW. However I actually enjoy not seeing the same guys out there week in and week out. Everyone complains about how WWE likes to shove a superstar down our throats and is tired of the same thing over and over. TNA is good at keeping a mix and they're trying to run storylines right down the board which is great. But at the same time if there are 4 or 5 stories going and you only have 2 hours to play them all out it gets crammed.

TNA is very good at throwing 2 or 3 filler matches in around their main stories. They are also good at playing stories out over time instead of the one and done tactic. They also do their best to give everyone some sort of air time. An example being Rob Terry facing Mr. Anderson. Anderson has his feud with Angle but TNA puts it out there that their roster is filled with wrestlers that's their job and it's what they do. I'm sick of WWE's style of whoever is feuding means we have to watch them in some sort of tag match or something that puts those 2 guys in the ring with each other week in and out. Where's the payoff in a ppv when your main event saw the two guys have a street fight on raw just 6 days before. So I praise TNA for keeping it mixed up.

So back to the theory of a second show. I believe they should have one. Put it on Thursday nights in the impact slot but trim it to a one hour show. Whether it's on from 9-10 or 10-11 it doesn't matter, but don't play out storylines through the whole thing. Feature 4 matches from different divisions. An x-division match, a knockout match, a tag match and a main event for that week. I unfortunately do not have WGN and it leaves me unable to watch superstars but I believe that the basis of that show has to do with it strictly being a wrestling show. We all know that in ring performance, TNA outshines the E any day of the week. So TNA should do what they set out to do, prove they are the better "wrestling" company.....thoughts?

 

[Rated_R_Superstar2010]

with tna moving impact to mondays why not keep the thursday time slot and just call it something else. you will want to show the top guys on mondays but atleast give us another x division and knockout match each week. maybe carry some of the mid-card storylines over to both shows, keep anything thats really important like the ME feuds and hulk on mondays and give us some real x division and knockout matches on thursdays. before hulk and EB came there was always 2 knockout matches and 2 xdivision matches on impact, now they are lucky to get 1. not saying this is bad because i really enjoy the new tna but they shouldnt forget what got them to the level they are now. hell we havent even heard of the knockouts tagteam titles lately, tna needs another show and i think they could pull it off

 

[Dowdsy McDowds]

I'm afraid I'm going to sit on the fence with this and say both. With Hogan and Bischoff's arrival, there has been a sudden influx of new wrestlers to what was arguably already a pretty crammed roster. How long some of these guys will hang about for is anyone's guess, but even if most of the 'new arrivals' are only there for a couple of months, the remaining guys/gals could still manage to fill another show.

I seem to remember the suggestion a while back about the Knockouts getting their own show. While this is a revolutionary idea (over here anyway, I don't know about Japanese/Mexican wrestling) I really don't think that would help to elevate TNA as much as a show dedicated for the X Division wrestlers. Plus, if they do have a show for a certain type of wrestler, for those that have no or little interest in it then there will be no appeal. However I would like the new show, if it were to ever happen, to be a lot more focussed on the wrestling side of developing feuds rather than another stage for people to just talk as I feel TNA needs an outlet for the wrestling talent that they do possess, as Impact seems quite busy with people just talking about feuds.

 

[klunderbunker]

Another show.

With roster cuts you're not solving the problem as more people are just going to be left off again later on. There is too much going on on Impact at the moment. They need a second show to spread things out. You can have guys like Wolfe and the Guns and Generation Me on there where they can have a 7 minute match rather than having a 3 minute match. What sounds more appealing? With all the angles and interviews going on at Impact, there should be a balance of wrestling and talking. With roster cuts that won't happen. With a second show you can have that.

 

[wwetna]

i think tna needs to release some stars and bring in new free agents. release amazing red because he is not amazin. release generation me i mean where did they come from. bring back sid vicious , goldberg , the rock , ken shamrock , ahmed johnson . ps i am only 16 and i know about old skool wresslin just like bischoff , hogan , and the band do. tna owns the monday night wars 2 - 4 life.

 

[shattered dreams]

I have to play bad guy on the second show, at least as far as immediately having one. While some people are answering the question with both. I am going to say neither. The company's number one priority should be to put on the best Impact show it possibly can. No matter how you do it a second show dilutes the product. As a fan would I love a second show where the x-division gets let loose in the ring along with some extra knockout matches? Of course. Unfortunately, I just cannot see that show doing well in ratings and it would certainly tax creative unnecessarily. It would also take away from what was going on in those divisions on impact and probably the whole show since they would have to use the top end talent to launch a new show. Just does not make sense right now. At the same time why do they need to cut some of these guys just because they are not being used much? A lot of those guys are dirt cheap and many are on pay by appearance contracts. They need an expanded roster since they have quite a few guys that are basically tv only anyway. Let some of the old school guys programs run the course and then I imagine most of them will be phased out and some of the younger guys given a chance to fill there spot. In the long term I think a version of the idea from wcw that they thought about building up to with nwo having its own show could play out in tna. It would be interesting to have tna kayfabe competing with itself with some version of hogan,bischoff,foley,jarrett and maybe to a lesser extent dixie divide to run two opposing shows.

 

[wwetna]

bubbha the love sponge has left tna . release consequences who has not been seen in how long. release don west the worst commentator and bring in good old jr. reunite lax. release dr.stevie who can hardly move because of his neck. bring back randy savage to manage black machissmo . plz release kiyoshi , kendrick , and orlando jordan , sean morley who were wwe flops. reveal who really is suicide its not kazarian who could it be. bring back and i repeat bring back the wolfpac or nwo e.g. being bagwell , luger, konnan, harris bros.

 

[billm75]

I would think they should get a solid footing with their current show first. An additional show wouldn't be an altogether bad thing, but right now isn't the time to do it in my opinion. They're just now starting to rebuild their image and make a serious push to go mainstream in the wrestling viewer community's mind. Once they're a little bit established as a major player, that's when the idea of a second show would make sense. Just like Smackdown for WWE, TNA could do a pre-taped airing of another show. And they don't need to do a brand-split, but maybe rotate their roster through both shows. If you see AJ Styles on the Monday night show, then the next week, he'll appear on the Friday night show. Keep it fresh and give people a real reason to tune into both shows.

 

[Tastycles]

Both. TNA has almost as many people on the roster as WWE, but a third of the programming. Even if they got another two hour show they'd still have too many people. They have featured an average of two knockouts per show in recent weeks, so that is certainly somewhere they can cut down, as is the X division. Most importantly, they need to get rid of the people who are doing absolutely nothing like Tomko and Jesse Neal. Then they need to stop hiring everyone who's ever been in WWE.

 

[Alex]

Do both. I mean there are some people that haven't been used in months (and I mean months) Shark Boy, Consequences Creed, Kioyshi etc, if your not going to use them release them, some of the older talent (Morley Nastys etc) if they are kept around should work behind the scenes, they have the knowledge to be valuable.

A new show should not just be a X-Division and Knockouts show, this would tell everyone 'hey these aren't main event stuff so it should be here'. Have a mixture of everything, people who aren't on Mondays can be on Thursdays, either that or do a brand split

 

[The Viper Orton]

I would say cut wrestlers. What Hogan Brought is 90% Junk. The only good ones are Flair and Mr.Anderson.

Cuts: Nasty Boys, Kioushi, Basheer, Big Rob, Rhino (he's good but not goodly sued), Jesse Neil, Six Pack, Scott Hall, Val Venis, maybe Orlando Jordan and Bryan Kendrick

And they can open a second show for two kinds:

1) tag team because I feel hogan doesn't wanna use any other than Matt Morgan and Hernandez

2) X-division, There more than Brian Kendrick and Amazing red
Knockouts are doing great they just need to add hamada since they lost Awesome Kong (the best lady wrestler I ever saw)

 

[NearlyDead]

I don't know if it's been said already or not, but I think TNA should get another show. But, not do the branding like WWE. Have all wrestlers available to go on all shows. That way, you won't be seeing the same people every show.

I know from experience that I never have time available to watch Smackdown, and most of my favourite superstars are on that show. I am getting tired of watching the same superstars on Raw every week.

The only way I'd be happy with TNA doing a branding type thing, is if they made an all X-Division show.

But, TNA does need either a roster cut or a new show. I'd prefer a new show, but a roster cut could work too. But then again, most of the talent in TNA is underused, or not used to their full potential.

 

[Zigglerfan227]

Here is the easy decision. If TNA is moving to Monday night, then they could have another show that comes on on Thursday night. this way, they not only can keep all there guys, but bring in new ones. It would be really cool, especially to see guys who dont get much tv time like Jay lethal.