Not another one of these pipe dream threads.
Idealism is a good thing, but not when it completely blinds you to the way things really are and how they really work.
The only way there'll ever be some sort of partnership between WWE and TNA is if WWE ultimately buys out TNA. Otherwise, there's no reason whatsoever for WWE to even consider entering into a partnership with TNA. The WWE has nothing to gain through a partnership with TNA. They already have a much larger viewing audience than TNA, they already play in front of much larger crowds at house shows, they already garner far more ppv buys than TNA does and they make far more money than TNA does in every area of their respective businesses.
A partnership with WWE would only be of benefit to TNA. TNA would be the ones with something to gain out of the deal, so why should WWE use their talent to potentially expose TNA to a broader audience?
Any sort of joint card is also pretty unrealistic because both the WWE & TNA power structure is loaded with people that have massive egos. These egos would have to work together and put their personal pride aside in order to pull this off and I don't think it could happen. We all know Vince holds grudges to an extreme, for instance, and Hogan boastfully claimed in an interview sometime last year that he taught Vince everything that he knows. They'd have to get together to decide on a card, who would go up against who and which wrestlers would go over. No doubt that TNA would want their talent to win a majority of the matches and WWE would want the same. They could go the route of having each company win the same number of matches but I don't think Vince would go for that because he sees his company as the superior one. WWE would be the real draw for such a joint card and Vince would want that reflected. I'm sure Hogan & Bischoff think that TNA is the superior company even if the numbers don't reflect it. Quality is always subjective after all, though it can't be denied that WWE is a much bigger draw.
Vince won't agree to anything that even hints at his company being embarassed or made to look inferior. I'm sure the honchos at TNA would feel the same about their company. Ultimately in a joint venture like this, someone would realistically have to come out on the losing end and that's not going to happen with WWE and TNA being two separate companies.
We agree pretty often, but I've gotta disagree with some of this post.
First things first- I don't expect any kind of partnership between the WWE and TNA/IW. It's not because I don't see money in it; it's because I don't think that the two companies entirely realize that (italicized to stand out)
they are no longer competitors.
The sports as entertainment (meaning any athletic related activity you bring people into an arena for) has changed drastically with the rise of the UFC. Amongst fans that you want to bring into the sport, professional wrestling is still "fake". If you've been watching, if you're familiar with it, this isn't an issue for you- but also, if you're a company who doesn't have a user base that you're growing, all that you're doing is dying slowly, which is what professional wrestling has been doing for the past five years. Something different has to be done, because the status quo of doing business just isn't doing business anymore. Storylines that really get professional wrestling fans talking interest them for a few months, and then they're forgotten; there's no carry-over to a different story. Ratings aren't being
built, there's a pop for a couple of months, and then that's it.
What sets the WWE and TNA/IW apart from UFC these days is storyline; not who is running what stories, but the fact that the professional wrestling companies have stories. UFC kills it when they get two athletes talking shit to each other- Chael Sonnen makes money, and brilliantly, with his mouth. I feel that the WWE and TNA/IW need to take this ball and help
each other grow.
The WWE vs. TNA/IW isn't a zero-sum game. There isn't a winner and a loser. There's room for both of them to improve themselves simultaneously. There's a healthy audience just begging for some kind of 'company warfare'. Give it to people! Fake it! I feel it would behoove both companies if they came to some kind of off-the-table arrangement where they agreed to talk trash about each other; in pre-agreed upon ways that do not diminish each other's brand. Talk about the other product, so people watch that and see them talking about
your product. Let people pick sides in this silly fake company warfare. Encourage people to argue about which company is better.
A "supercard" isn't necessarily required for this, but I don't think a one-off type performance is the worst idea- but not with the situation as it is at present. TNA/IW needs to be closer to the WWE before this could be credible. The 'world at large' needs to believe in Bobby Roode, Austin Aries, James Storm, et al before this could go through; they're famous in Orlando, but not Madison Square Garden famous. Yet.
I don't think that the WWE and TNA/IW are competitors anymore. There's a bigger fish in the water right now that's siphoning more and more of their business away every year. They need to work on getting people interested in professional wrestling again, rather than worrying about who the bigger professional wrestling company is.
Again, I'll say I think there's almost no chance of the related parties getting their egos in check for this to happen. Sadly, I don't think either company has any brilliant ideas to grow their business either.
