The General Wrestling Thread

[Warner2BruceTD]

The TNA product isn't worth much, IMO. The timeslot is what it has going for it. Whatever the market rate is for that, is where I see this thing going.

You are either going to get a Bischoff-led group or a group of TV investors that want what comes with that 1.1 on Spike TV every week. Either way, TNA will never get appreciably better.

The chance an investment group comes in with a guy who has a love for wrestling is slim and none.

I don't think anybody disagrees with the idea that the TV slot is 99% of whatever the company is worth.

My point is people will spend money on wrestling if it's good wrestling. Easier said than done. Will a potential new ownership group have the right people in place to produce something people will pay for?

I have zero confidence.

 

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

I don't think anybody disagrees with the idea that the TV slot is 99% of whatever the company is worth.

My point is people will spend money on wrestling if it's good wrestling. Easier said than done. Will a potential new ownership group have the right people in place to produce something people will pay for?

I have zero confidence.

At this point TNA's 1.1 is conditioned to not pay.

That 1.1 will never pay, and shouldn't be relied on paying in the future no matter how good it is. If you want people to pay, you need to seek out a bigger audience because TNA has had the same fans since the start and they have not and will never pay for anything.

The WWE's 3-4 share (is low as hell, considering) is conditioned to spend spend spend and when they draw the casuals (WrestleMania) they spend, too.

 

[JimLeavy59]

I could turn around Impact.

 

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

I could turn around Impact.

TNA is a bad brand. Its like saying you could turn around Faygo to compete with Coca Cola.

 

[BigBiss]

TNA is a bad brand. Its like saying you could turn around Faygo to compete with Coca Cola.

Trying to compete with Coca Cola is what started the decline to start with.

 

[SuperKevin]

not that I'm surprised but my motorcycle mechanic school sells Faygo

 

[s@ppisgod]

TNA is a bad brand. Its like saying you could turn around Faygo to compete with Coca Cola.

I don't think TNA is a solid buy, but whoever buys them should pay the Carters extra to take the name and history with them.

 

[SuperKevin]

TNA is a godawful name.

 

[BigBiss]

You would be better off building from scratch ... who do you need from TNA that you couldnt get your hands on when they die on the vine ...

 

[SuperKevin]

Not that they have the money for it but the NWA or this new wrestling alliance should buy it for the national television timeslot. Air the individual promotions on local TV and tape a months worth of joint shows for Spike. Could see ratings increases in the markets that have these local promotions people tune in to see their champions take on other champions

 

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

You would be better off building from scratch ... who do you need from TNA that you couldnt get your hands on when they die on the vine ...

I agree. TNA as a brand is just damaged goods. At this point, you couldn't reclaim the brand as something the market would want to support a bigger share of.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

You would be better off building from scratch ... who do you need from TNA that you couldnt get your hands on when they die on the vine ...

Here is what you get....

Thursday 8PM Spike TV.

Easy money international TV deals.

Sweet sponsorship money from Direct Auto.

The first two are worth more than $2.5M. I think that's the point Fed was making in the article. Nobody is claiming TNA is a hot property, but they have valuable assets.

 

[SuperKevin]

Impact got bumped back to 9 pm I thought

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

Impact got bumped back to 9 pm I thought

I had to think hard about what night it was on, cut me a break.

 

[BigBiss]

Not that they have the money for it but the NWA or this new wrestling alliance should buy it for the national television timeslot. Air the individual promotions on local TV and tape a months worth of joint shows for Spike. Could see ratings increases in the markets that have these local promotions people tune in to see their champions take on other champions

You cant just buy the TV slot, Im sure new owenership would give Spike a loop hole to back out much less changing the product all together.

I'll bet you the house NWA is not making a big and the new group has less money

 

[s@ppisgod]

I think, especially if a Bischoff-led group buys it, they shouldo through with Bischoff's WCW idea. Take a break from TV for a little bit after the buy, let some anticipation build, then come back with EVERYTHING different. Separate yourself from the past as much as possible. New wrestlers, new location, new set, new enterance videos/music, new format, new name, new announcers, new ring announcer, new belts. Every little thing you can change, do change.

 

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

I think, especially if a Bischoff-led group buys it, they shouldo through with Bischoff's WCW idea. Take a break from TV for a little bit after the buy, let some anticipation build, then come back with EVERYTHING different. Separate yourself from the past as much as possible. New wrestlers, new location, new set, new enterance videos/music, new format, new name, new announcers, new ring announcer, new belts. Every little thing you can change, do change.

Bischoff's idea was and is dumb. wCw tried several brand restarts in its dying days and with each restart, the ratings were even worse and the product never got better. You can't polish a turd...and especially under Bischoff. Under Bischoff and Hogan, TNA had a rebranding...and it did nothing.

 

[s@ppisgod]

Bischoff's idea was and is dumb. wCw tried several brand restarts in its dying days and with each restart, the ratings were even worse and the product never got better. You can't polish a turd...and especially under Bischoff. Under Bischoff and Hogan, TNA had a rebranding...and it did nothing.

How is it dumb? The TNA brand isn't worthless, it's negative. It's associated with a poor product and not money-making endeavor. It NEEDS a new brand. Just because Bischoff's execution was awful (and Russo's for that matter), doesn't mean the idea sucked. TNA absolutely needs a new name, it needs entrance videos that aren't outdone by fans on YouTube, it needs a lot of things...

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

The most important thing TNA (or any group for that matter) can do is to be as different from the WWE as possible.

Different in ring style, no backstage "why is there a camera here for out secret conversation" segments, no on screen authority figures, etc. All of these things just make you look like WWE-lite. Be bold and do something different.

When biss started Inspire, he didn't copy Anarchy. His promotion has a completely different tone & feel. He runs his shows in an art house as opposed to a rowdy bar, he uses a lot of different talent, he doesn't do 4 or 5 hours shows, he has stayed away from women's matches, etc. Why the fuck would anybody go to an Inspire show if it was just a junior version of the already established promotion that runs across town? I see many of the same faces at both shows, because they are getting something different at each one.

I don't think the brand damage is impossible to overcome. A fresh, unique product that focuses on the things WWE does not emphasize, with smart, logical booking & fresh stars would appeal to wrestling fans and might just bring back some people who handwaved wrestling when WCW went under. I don't think it would matter if you call it TNA or Impact Wrestling or Inspire Pro Wrestling or NWA or United Wrestling Association.

 

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

The most important thing TNA (or any group for that matter) can do is to be as different from the WWE as possible.

Different in ring style, no backstage "why is there a camera here for out secret conversation" segments, no on screen authority figures, etc. All of these things just make you look like WWE-lite. Be bold and do something different.

When biss started Inspire, he didn't copy Anarchy. His promotion has a completely different tone & feel. He runs his shows in an art house as opposed to a rowdy bar, he uses a lot of different talent, he doesn't do 4 or 5 hours shows, he has stayed away from women's matches, etc. Why the fuck would anybody go to an Inspire show if it was just a junior version of the already established promotion that runs across town? I see many of the same faces at both shows, because they are getting something different at each one.

I don't think the brand damage is impossible to overcome. A fresh, unique product that focuses on the things WWE does not emphasize, with smart, logical booking & fresh stars would appeal to wrestling fans and might just bring back some people who handwaved wrestling when WCW went under. I don't think it would matter if you call it TNA or Impact Wrestling or Inspire Pro Wrestling or NWA or United Wrestling Association.

The one problem with this, is that the WWE, has a lot of bases covered under their umbrella. There is very little a company can truly offer to appeal to the masses that the WWE doesn't already cover. You can hit a niche, sure...but are you ever expanding past the 1.1 with said niche? I don't know.

New Japan is an A+ player, brother...even with the invention known as the internet, you can barely get very die hard wrestling fans to seek it out for free. Yes, TV changes the landscape, but I've feared for a long time that many wrestling fans are gone and they ain't comin back.

Basically, what you are saying, is for TNA to not be TNA...in any way...if that is the case...why would you buy it for anything outside of the time slot? The stench of being TNA, whether its by relation or buyout, needs more than a bleach bath to make it something viable.