The General Wrestling Thread

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

At least when they do half arenas for Smackdown or whatever, it's actually 1/2 of the arena, and they cattle everybody to one side where if they didn't it would just be scattered fans on both sides.

TNA curtains off half the place to start, then herds everybody to one side. So they use like 1/4 of the building, or in the case of Tulsa last week, like 1/8.

Why do they do this?

The cost to pay for the bigger arenas is much more than it would to go say...an auditorium-like venue that would suit their capacity better.

When they booked these buildings, did they have too loft of expectations that by September/October they'd be drawing or what?

[FedEx227]

Dude, it's TNA. They are fucking idiots. They probably thought "oh man, once we go on the road everyone is going to want to come to these shows" so they booked giant arenas they wouldn't have a chance of selling out. Shit, WWE doesn't get big crowds for anything that's not Raw or a PPV. Smackdown shows have tons of empty seats – only an idiot would think they would fill the taped off Alamo Dome.

This is the same company that knew full well taping shows on the road would cost $600,000 a pop and failed at doing it the year before but Hogan/Bisch said it was a good idea so "LETS TRY IT OUT!"

[Warner2BruceTD]

Why do they do this?

The cost to pay for the bigger arenas is much more than it would to go say...an auditorium-like venue that would suit their capacity better.

When they booked these buildings, did they have too loft of expectations that by September/October they'd be drawing or what?

Are you talking about TNA?

Because they were delusional, that's why.

You know how the TNA fan base is completely insane & refuses to acknowledge facts? I get the sense the management wasn't much better until the finally pulled the plug and abandoned ship.

Fact is, as a live product, they don't draw much better than ROH. ROH house shows do better in some markets. TNA TV tapings or PPV usually (not always) hit four figures paid, where ROH only really does that on NYC, but for a nuts & bolts show? Most markets, neck & neck. The difference is ROH stays in their lane and doesn't book NBA & CBB arenas.

Probably the same reason TNA thought they could move to Mondays head to head. They fancy themselves as a major league product, but at the end if the day TNA is an indie that has national TV & some national stars. That's the reality. I'd be willing to bet multiple indies could do TNA buy rates if they had TV on Spike. Maybe better.

[Warner2BruceTD]

Take away the 1.1 million people who watch TNA religiously for free, but 99% of which refuse to spend $1 on the product, and what do you have?

The biggest indie promotion.

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

Take away the 1.1 million people who watch TNA religiously for free, but 99% of which refuse to spend $1 on the product, and what do you have?

The biggest indie promotion.

I would question calling it the biggest indie promotion...they don't even turn a profit. There are numerous indies that turn a profit without National TV.

[Warner2BruceTD]

That 99% isn't even really exaggerating either. They were converting about 1% of the audience into PPV buys for some of the non BFG/Lockdown shows. Even the "big" PPV's were doing 10,000 or numbers so low that estimates were basically guesses.

[Warner2BruceTD]

You put Biss on Spike in prime time and I bet he could get a couple thousand people to plunk down some cash for Great Depression vs Mike Dell.

ROH was doing 2k before Sinclair.

[FedEx227]

It's a shame ROH is still running in place because this impending TNA doom could be a huge chance for them to step up and maybe not shoot video into ring lights.

[BigBiss]

I would question calling it the biggest indie promotion...they don't even turn a profit. There are numerous indies that turn a profit without National TV.

there are less then you think ... for most promoter is a vanity job

[JimLeavy59]

I honestly think I could knock out CM Punk in a fight. Not sure why.

[JayDizzle]

Santino in an Elvis costume.

The game don' changed, son.

[Guest]

Santino in an Elvis costume.

The game don' changed, son.

And somehow he keeps getting a good pop week after week.......

[JayDizzle]

And somehow he keeps getting a good pop week after week.......

It's the one remnant of fun in a god-forsaken men's soap opera.

I'd watch a million Elvis Santino matches instead of the drivel that TNA's churning out and THEY have a roster of dudes that can go night-after-night.

[JayDizzle]

So this upcoming HIAC, Alberto Del Rio puts his title against the World Wrestling Entertainment World Champion of the Universe Times-a-Million-Trillion-Billion Title of Being John Cena.

I got a feeling it'll be a toughie.

[Guest]

Not like it will continue to happen, but I could get behind a team of Punk/Langston. Both are definitely more valuable than just a tag team though.