It's Now or Never

[phlewfy]

TNA lives! The company sidesteps certain death for the umpteenth time and signs a multi-year deal with POPTV. Now I know most of you could care less about this recent news and I understand. After years of shoddy booking and mostly putrid television, why would a move to POP mean anything different for the beleaguered brand? What has TNA ever done to suggest that they can use this opportunity to positively grow the brand and improve as a company? Let me tell you why this is finally the time that TNA rises to another level and achieves more then ever before.

As the interminable tournament to crown a new champion winds down and TNA makes the jump to POP I predict the first three months of programming on the new network to be the best in wrestling. TNA pre-taped this tournament months ago and creative has had all kinds of time to put together some compelling programming for the initial run on POP. There is no reason for TNA to not have something good planned initially. This is a unique opportunity to push the RESET button and launch the promotion anew.
The Tuesday time slot is an interesting one and if TNA can settle in it for the long haul there is a real chance to find some footing.

WWE is at an all time low as viewers are turning away from the promotion's flagship Monday Night Raw program in droves. The roster is in shambles, the titles don't mean anything, and the booking is consistently atrocious. WWE is arguably at an all time low as far as the television product is concerned. This is a real chance for TNA to swoop in and grab some viewers if they are able to put a compelling product on television. I believe with good booking decisions and quality programming TNA could increase their viewership. The timing could not be better for TNA to do something BIG and finally make some headway. TNA will never be WWE and should not aspire to be, but TNA could definitely be a successful wrestling promotion. The pieces are in place, it's up to TNA to finally put the puzzle together.

Of course TNA finding any success is all dependent on the booking. If the booking is not there or they choose to imitate an awful WWE product, they are doomed.

Am I delusional for thinking TNA has a real opportunity here? Is there any chance TNA can find any momentum? Are you so disillusioned with the brand that no matter how compelling the television is, you are not interested?

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Most likely their last real shot at carving out a larger piece of the pie for themselves. I've actually skipped IMPACT altogether the last three weeks straight, which is the first time in history I not only missed the show, but did so intentionally. I just don't care. I need feuds. I need stories. I need compelling television. The early rounds of a like six-month tournament to crown a champion composed almost entirely of throw-together matches taped months before this just isn't compelling television. It's boring. I couldn't suffer through it. I was even falling asleep during a few episodes before I decided to stop watching.

This new deal has actually rekindled my hope a bit. I'm really excited to see what they can do to start the new year. But there's no more rope past this if you ask me. Just a short drop and a sudden stop. So while I'm legitimately excited for January 5th, I'm more than prepared for what could very well be the death throes. We'll see.

 

[NSL]

The early rounds of a like six-month tournament to crown a champion composed almost entirely of throw-together matches taped months before this just isn't compelling television.

This does feel a bit like the early days of ECW, when it was Eastern Championship Wrestling. Matches would be taped, and then cards and storylines were built around it, and while the matches were amazing, there was no reason to watch. The storylines had gaping holes in them, and a lot of matches aired after talent was already gone and working somewhere else.

This is not history worth repeating. If they want to repeat history, they align themselves with the NWA again. Sure, the NWA isn't even a shell of its old self, but it isn't exactly going under anytime soon, and would provide some stability, as well as talent, until TNA can get on their own feet.

So while I'm legitimately excited for January 5th, I'm more than prepared for what could very well be the death throes. We'll see.

January 5th? What is with TNA and these early January changes? Hogan arrived January 4th, and look where that got them...

 

[The Samoan Heritage]

AFTER TONIGHT/SURVIVOR SERIES IM DONE WITH WWE!(at least until a month before WM) I've honestly tried but I just can't any more. So I really am anticipating TNA's move to their new network in January.

I haven't watched TNA since April (dont have DA network) but IMO TNA was putting out the best product out of Wwe/ROH week after week in the 1st half of this year. I've been staying up to date with TNA by reading their results and from what I've read they seems to have gone down in this 2nd half of the year.
Can't really blame them with the extreme depletion of their roster. But if TNA truly want to change things for the better they are going to have to fix their roster first.
TNA needs to go back to their basics.
1. Re-build the X-Divsion as the star of the company it once was. Pack the division, there's only so much DJZ, Manik, and Tiger Uno can do.
2. sign teams to work with the Wolves and recreate that tag team magic teams like Team 3D, MCMG, LAX, and BeerMoney brought.
3. Add new faces to the knockouts division.
4. fix their main eventers. Stop allowing guys like Mr. Anderson, Abyss, etc fall into obscurity when they aren't being used. There's no reason why Lashley went from one of the most dominant championship run in the company to doing nothing.
5. Last but not least they need plenty of storylines. (Something I feel wwe is lacking BIG TIME ) They use to be pretty good with stories but now TNA's only stories are over titles or a faction trying to take over.

 

[Fabulous Freebirds]

TNA lives! The company sidesteps certain death for the umpteenth time and signs a multi-year deal with POPTV. Now I know most of you could care less about this recent news and I understand. After years of shoddy booking and mostly putrid television, why would a move to POP mean anything different for the beleaguered brand? What has TNA ever done to suggest that they can use this opportunity to positively grow the brand and improve as a company? Let me tell you why this is finally the time that TNA rises to another level and achieves more then ever before.

As the interminable tournament to crown a new champion winds down and TNA makes the jump to POP I predict the first three months of programming on the new network to be the best in wrestling. TNA pre-taped this tournament months ago and creative has had all kinds of time to put together some compelling programming for the initial run on POP. There is no reason for TNA to not have something good planned initially. This is a unique opportunity to push the RESET button and launch the promotion anew.
The Tuesday time slot is an interesting one and if TNA can settle in it for the long haul there is a real chance to find some footing.

WWE is at an all time low as viewers are turning away from the promotion's flagship Monday Night Raw program in droves. The roster is in shambles, the titles don't mean anything, and the booking is consistently atrocious. WWE is arguably at an all time low as far as the television product is concerned. This is a real chance for TNA to swoop in and grab some viewers if they are able to put a compelling product on television. I believe with good booking decisions and quality programming TNA could increase their viewership. The timing could not be better for TNA to do something BIG and finally make some headway. TNA will never be WWE and should not aspire to be, but TNA could definitely be a successful wrestling promotion. The pieces are in place, it's up to TNA to finally put the puzzle together.

Of course TNA finding any success is all dependent on the booking. If the booking is not there or they choose to imitate an awful WWE product, they are doomed.

Am I delusional for thinking TNA has a real opportunity here? Is there any chance TNA can find any momentum? Are you so disillusioned with the brand that no matter how compelling the television is, you are not interested?

I think you are being delusional. TNA has their core fanbase that is loyal and will watch then no matter what. TNA also has a wrestling fanbase that will not watch them no matter how much they improve. I don't see WWE fans being so disenchanted with the WWE to jump on the TNA bandwagon.

I do see the 500,000 fanbase that did not watch TNA on DA, coming back now that they have channel that is available on basic cable.

Also, I am so sick and tired of the it's "now or never" with TNA. TNA stays on as long as Panda Energy wants them on. This is one case where fans don't really make the choice.

 

[whoopin' ass]

I do think TNA has an opportunity here to really show what they have to offer but they need to spend the money to make it happen. They need to get back some guys like James Storm to show that not only do they have top talent, the talent chose to be there instead of going to wwe. That is what has stuck with TNA for hte last few years - all the homegrown talent like Styles and Daniels that have left. I think if they can do that, the ratings will start to go up and they will slowly carve out a bigger spot in wrestling. With wwe's ratings dropping like this, it is obvious that the wrestling audience is looking for something different and TNA has to jump on it because if they don't someone else like GFW will.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I think this is definitely TNA's last lifeline. If they fail again, I can't see another station taking them on, or many wrestlers remaining with the company. This is it for them, and I really hope they manage to make a success of it, as a healthy TNA is definitely a good thing for the wrestling business as a whole.

I used to watch most weeks here in the UK, but over the last few months I've totally lost interest. Hopefully, this move to a new network can breathe some much needed life into TNA, and they can have a good 2016 and secure their long term future.

 

[Jeff Deliverer of Mail]

Jeff Jarrett should come to the rescue with everything he's built up with GFW. He should strike a deal with TNA and combine his roster and meld it into the TNA roster. Somehow, TNA has to go live every week instead of taped broadcasts. Influx as much overseas talent as you can into the promotion , hire new creation staff, new commentary staff and a new name for the show. Like TNA Tuesday Night Wrestling or something simple with a new logo. Pick five or six really nice venues across the United States and Canada and use those same venues exclusively. That way the live audience will be more dedicated to the product after awhile. ( example ECW crowds were insanely dedicated to the show and went nuts for everything ).

Have Live PPVs as well in those same venues.

 

[johnbragg]

http://www.tnasylum.net/home/tna-weekly-1019-1025

I'm posting a link to the only source I can find right now of something I just learned in the last few days. TNA is getting significant money from its Indian TV deal. The article said $60M. Somewhere else I saw that the deal started in 2013 and runs through 2022. That gives an average of $6M a year, which is in the ballpark of what TNA was getting from Spike. ($8M per, plus paying big stars and maybe paying for TV production).

Even if the deal is inflated (let's say half the money is in non-guaranteed end-of-contract years, like an NFL contract), it's a serious revenue stream that I had never seen confirmed anywhere. We all know that TNA is on TV in seventy-eleven countries, but I've never seen any data on how much revenue that was producing. Now I have.

So maybe TNA can keep doing what they've been doing indefinitely.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

On top of that, I just read this morning at The Inquisitor that TNA has reportedly entered into an agreement with PopTV that they will share advertising revenue, giving Dixie Carter the freedom to find her own advertisers and sponsors. Apparently this will enable them to receive a larger share of advertising revenue than they were allowed to with both Spike and Destination America. High risk/high reward model.

 

[phlewfy]

If the rumors are true and TNA is significantly monetizing the deal and India and the POPTV deal has as much of an upside as recently reported than TNA is positioning itself nicely to generate significant revenue which in turn would lead to bigger budgets and better production. Of course none of that matters if TNA does not book a compelling television product. In recent interviews POPTV execs have been saying all the right things and are behind TNA big time, but if the viewers do not come, things could sour fast. As we have recently seen with the WWE if you do not book a compelling product with dramatic storytelling and personal issues, viewers will turn their backs. TNA has been the worst booked promotion in the history of television wrestling save for WCW in its dying days, and if the product on television in the beginning of the year is not the best product TNA can produce, they do not stand a chance. That being said, I am more optimistic about TNA's chances today than I think I have ever been. Sure, they have not really given me any reason to believe that the booking will be better, but like I said in my original post, "It's now or never". I think Dixie is smart enough to recognize that the brand has been damaged severely through years of shoddy booking and no consistency in the creative department. Hopefully she has learned from her mistakes. Say what you want about Gaburick, but he has had the reigns for awhile now and if TNA can keep the consistency and book something compelling, the sky really is the limit. The opportunity has never been bigger than it is right now with wrestling fans finally turning away from WWE's crapfest and looking for an alternative. Now is the time for TNA to do something, anything to stake out a legitimate foothold in televised wrestling.

 

[JJohns]

Before I say anything else, I want to make this abundantly clear...I want to see TNA survive, thrive, and become a true competitor to WWE.

Now, that being said, there are a lot of issues that are hurting TNA. Some of these issues can be avoided, some of them can't. They need to look at everything from the top on down. The presentation needs to be shaken up. Now, I haven't watched in quite a while, but when I did watch last, they had these backstage segments that made it seem like I was watching the Office. As a fan of pro wrestling, I don't want to see that. They also need to do away with Josh Mathews and The Pope. They make me want Don West back, and as enjoyable as I thought Don West was, that isn't a good thing.

They need to also stop with the nonsense like "Oh, I lost my title, so I'm going to sue to get it back." "Hey YouTube, my name is Matt Hardy, and as of right now, I relinquish the TNA World Heavyweight Title". My god, did that actually happen? That was my first thought when I heard about it. This is after the company had created a storyline injury to take the title off of a champion who has been over since longer than the company has been around, put the title on a guy whose contract, if I remember correctly, and if I'm wrong please correct me, had expired and was unable to negotiate a new contract, and released a lower tier champion BEFORE getting the belt back...again, if I'm wrong about any of this, I'm sorry, don't come at me with the same vitriol and pitchforks that the fans in Philly had when Daniel Bryan was eliminated from the Royal Rumble this past year.

TNA needs to go back to the basics. We already know that they are losing Kurt Angle. We know that James Storm and Austin Aries probably won't be back. So focus on building up guys like ECIII, like Robbie E., like Rockstar Spud. Focus on the basics of storytelling. Find a guy that you can put as the face of the company, and put it on his back and build around him, but don't choose the Man just because he is a former WWE guy. Choose him because the fans will either cheer him heavily, or boo him out of the building, because that sells tickets. Even if that's putting everything on Jeff Hardy, or Matt Hardy, or Abyss.

TNA needs to do something different, because the same old, same old doesn't work anymore.