TNA is Dead

[EmpireWF]

In before Vince buys the library for $1.

 

[MrBill]

Is it possible that this is just a hardball negotiation tactic on behalf of Spike?

Dixie Carter Holds Meeting at TNA Headquarters; Major Rumor Regarding the Future of Impact Wrestling on SpikeTV
Mike Killam
July 27, 2014

impact wrestling on spiketvEarlier today TNA President Dixie Carter held a meeting at company headquarters in Nashville, but until now it was unclear what the meeting was about. Wrestlezone has learned Dixie did in fact meet with SpikeTV representatives last week – most likely on Thursday afternoon – and that she met with her inner circle on Friday to discuss the results of that meeting, in addition to today’s gathering with company officials.

While the following rumor remains unconfirmed, multiple sources close to both TNA and the network have informed WZ that SpikeTV does not want to renew its contract with TNA Wrestling, and when the current TNA/Spike deal expires, Impact Wrestling will be cancelled if the show cannot find a new home in a very short amount of time. It is possible the two sides are still trying to come to some sort of agreement, but at this point that’s what we know.

Wrestlezone has reached out to SpikeTV for comment, and will update the situation as we learn more.

 

[EmpireWF]

TMZ broke it, Spike let them know TNA will not be renewed when their deal is up in October.

Next move is for Dixie to try and quickly get a network on board. But there's almost no shot they can get as good a platform as Spike...let alone in just a few months.

That's also TV money that won't be coming in anymore.

 

[dave]

Not sure why anyone would celebrate this. Competition is good.

 

[s@ppisgod]

Not sure why anyone would celebrate this. Competition is good.

ROH is more competition than TNA has been in some time. Watching TNA will make people fans of WWE. Even people that were fans of TNA, like myself, will argue that it's only been a passable product for a handful of months the past 5 YEARS! It needed to be taken out back badly, and I'm glad it got put down when it did. It's the right time. It was barely hanging on and losing the small (paying) fan base it once had.

 

[EmpireWF]

Not sure why anyone would celebrate this. Competition is good.

TNA has been horribly mismanaged for years.

They have never been competition for anyone other than years ago when they started signing the ROH guys to contracts.

 

[dave]

Honestly guys, I want TNA and ROH to be healthy. It's good for the industry.

 

[MrBill]

It seemed like TNA had been producing a better product the past few months. Was there some fallout with Spike behind the scene or ratings decline that led to this parting of ways?

 

[ThomasTomasz]

ROH is more competition than TNA has been in some time. Watching TNA will make people fans of WWE. Even people that were fans of TNA, like myself, will argue that it's only been a passable product for a handful of months the past 5 YEARS! It needed to be taken out back badly, and I'm glad it got put down when it did. It's the right time. It was barely hanging on and losing the small (paying) fan base it once had.

I really got into TNA around BFG'12, but it's gone way downhill. Once they started cutting people and getting rid of many tag teams, I just stopped watching. Around that time in 2012, the thing TNA had going for them over WWE was the quality of their tag division, and since then, that's become an area that WWE has become passable in. TNA meanwhile, has struggled with the roster cutbacks.

I won't celebrate it, but I think it's a foregone conclusion that TNA gets bought out by Vince. ROH is probably happy at this one, as they could get that spot on Spike unless they are locked in elsewhere (I will admit that I am not up to date on anything with ROH, so feel free to shoot that down.)

 

[s@ppisgod]

ROH is owned by Sinclair, so it's probably staying right where it is for a long time.

 

[EmpireWF]

It seemed like TNA had been producing a better product the past few months. Was there some fallout with Spike behind the scene or ratings decline that led to this parting of ways?

building over time. Spike not seeing much in return for their investment. Apparently, letting Sting walk and most definitely it coming out that Vince Russo was working with them didn't sit well with Spike.

 

[s@ppisgod]

Honestly guys, I want TNA and ROH to be healthy. It's good for the industry.

You want them to be healthy, but they aren't, they haven't been for some time, and they aren't going to right the ship. They were going to do what they've done the past two years for the next two years and no one was going to pay attention. That's not good for competition, that's the same type of complacency that competition is supposed to DRIVE AWAY! They've actually been losing fans, likely averaging worse numbers per year in ratings, worse buys (if any), ATROCIOUS attendance outside of UK, and losing talent left and right.

The only thing it was good for lately was talent getting paid. I feel bad for those guys, especially the ones who earned it like Bully Ray, the Wolves, King, Angle, etc. Those guys are out of a job for showing up and working hard for a completely incompetent company.

 

[s@ppisgod]

I really got into TNA around BFG'12, but it's gone way downhill. Once they started cutting people and getting rid of many tag teams, I just stopped watching. Around that time in 2012, the thing TNA had going for them over WWE was the quality of their tag division, and since then, that's become an area that WWE has become passable in. TNA meanwhile, has struggled with the roster cutbacks.

I won't celebrate it, but I think it's a foregone conclusion that TNA gets bought out by Vince. ROH is probably happy at this one, as they could get that spot on Spike unless they are locked in elsewhere (I will admit that I am not up to date on anything with ROH, so feel free to shoot that down.)

They've had TONS of great tag talent over the years and lately outside of the Wolves and Bromance, they've got none. They had the Bucks, MCMGs, and Beer Money at the same time. At that time, maybe 3 of the best 5 or 6 teams in the world (I know Web won't agree on BM). And they just didn't do anything with them. Same with Kaz and Daniels. Sure, they're a great team and they are great in the ring. But NOTHING THEY EVER DID FUCKING MATTERED! EVER. TNA had less memorable moments than most indy feds. I actually have more fond memories of the Indy show I went to Friday than TNA the last 5 years. Turrible.

 

[s@ppisgod]

Actually Dave, you could argue that TNA dying is better for competition. ROH should get more talent, maybe NJPW picks a few carcasses up like they have before and makes them passable to great wrestlers. Aries is in a weird position, and Richards could just end up retiring altogether from the way he talked after signing with TNA to begin with (light schedule allowing for a normal life outside, which isn't terribly possible cramming Indy bookings).

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

They lied about Russo working for them, which was said to be the straw that broke the camel's back with Spike (they hate Russo). Russo accidentally attached Mike Johnson (PWInsider) to an email meant for Mike Tenay and outed himself.

It's not just a matter of finding TV, but finding TV that will pay them what Spike was paying them. Not going to happen. WWE can't even find TV for their shows not named RAW or Smackdown. If places like Ion, WGN, etc didn't want WWE anymore, they won't want the Dixie Carter vanity project.

Spike was said to be cognizant of how fans perceive TNA. They were also annoyed that TNA couldnt cut a deal with Sting after Spike fronted money for year to keep Sting on as the "big name" mascot.

Worst part of the story is the 30+ wrestlers out of work, with very very few places to go. Not to mention the non on air staff & employees. TJ Perkins for example told us straight up that he liked working for TNA because it was a steady paycheck without the grind of being your own boss that he went through for 12 years. Davey Richards clearly loves being there. Guys like Bully Ray who still get quarterly checks from WWE had a nice income with an easy schedule. Somebody like Michael Hutter (Ethan Carter III) or Spud are talented guys who deserve to have major league jobs. Robbie E, Zema Ion, Crazzy Steve, it means right back to the low/mid level indie grind.

I don't see WWE being interested in very many of these guys at all. New Japan might book somebody like Perkins for a tour or two, especially during Super Juniors, and Jeff Hardy will never starve for work.

Samoa Joe will kill it on the indies or a while and could probably hook on in Japan, if he wants to go back to working hard. He's in his mid 30's and carries a ton of weight. He's no kid and his style isn't an easy one on the body for fat guys creeping on 40.

AJ Styles smells like a billion roses right now. He was on Observer Radio and said he already made more in New Japan this year than he would have made all year in TNA had he taken the deal offered, and will likely make more than he made on his old deal too.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

Bryan Alvarez says he talked to "people in ROH" (he's tight with Delirious, so probably him), and was told that they have plenty of guys and not a lot of spots.

Meltzer makes a great point about the Roode's, Aries, Storm's, Joe's of the world. All talented to some degree, all mid 30's,and WWE barely making a play for AJ Styles who is arguably more marketable than any of them means these guys are pretty unlikely to get any WWE attention. And unlike the younger guys who weren't making all that much money, they will have a ton of trouble making the same money anywhere but WWE. New Japan isn't taking on all (if any) of these people. ROH can't match the pay. There is no place else.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

Alvarez: "Why did Dixie think Russo was so important that she would go to these lengths to hire him and then keep it from Spike?"

Meltzer: "I have no answer for that. I have no idea."

This will go down as one of the great mysteries of the Earth. Sinking your company for Vince f'n Russo.

 

[s@ppisgod]

Why is that even a question posed? She's a dingbat. Russo has tricked smarter people than her. Nothing she's done has been logical or a good decision. So yeah, she'd fuckin love having Russo around...

 

[Bigpapa42]

Feel for the talent, but good riddance beyond that. Seeing a company with so much potential to at least be good instead be consistently awful over an extended period of time, with just a few burps of solid, is infuriating. To watch the company make every mistake possible, then repeat them, refusing to learn from the past of companies like WCW and ECW or their own past.

 

[ThomasTomasz]

SpikeTV offering to front part of the money for a Sting contract renewal really shows how bad TNA is financially I think. They wanted Sting as the mascot and a promotion piece, and the Carters couldn't provide even that. I think they were done with TNA before the Russo leak, but when that came out, Spike was done.

This really works out well for Jeff Jarrett it seems, at least right now.