TNA Has Modelled Itself After AAA A Lot

[ABMorales787]

* At "Rey De Reyes 2000" AAA debuted the 6 sided ring. 4 years later, TNA followed suit once their partnership formed.

* AAA's Hall of Fame has one inductee per year (with 2007 having 2 to induct founder Antonio Pe~a). TNA has seemingly adopted the same format for their Hall Of Fame.

* AAA features 2 reoccurring unconventional tournaments in "Rey De Reyes" and "Copa Antonio Pe~a". TNA has tried to do the same with the "Fight For The Right", "8 Card Stud" and many others before settling with the "Bound For Glory Series".

* AAA uses a 4 Supercards per year format (though they added a 5th as a tribute to the company's founder in 2007) which TNA adopted this year. AAA also hypes up particular tapings with World title matches as does TNA. Though this particular practice has existed long before, TNA has opted to use this format in this modern time as opposed to WWE's 12-13 PPV's.

* Stables. Loads of them. El Inframundo, La Milicia, La Secta Bizarra, La Sociedad, AAA has featured loads of storylines that revolve around stables, mostly heel ones about as far back as 2006. Main Event Mafia, Immortal, Ace's & 8's, TNA Frontline, Angle Alliance, Christian Coalition, World Elite, TNA has also been known for it's stable-craze. It's a known Russo tactic, but it really blew up following 2004 and it's not stopping after his departure.

* TNA's Steel Asylum/Terrordome match has similar features to AAA's "Domo De La Muerte". Though TNA's is "one escape to a finish" while AAA's is "last one in the ring loses". Both feature a somewhat circular shaped cage and have escaping as it's main objective.

* Both companies feature two Women's titles. Though AAA has "Mixed Tag Team" titles in instead of TNA's Women's Tag Team titles. Hell, both are rarely defended and are seen as more of a running joke. Just to add to it, TNA's current champions are a man and a woman. If the belts are still active.

A particularly curious parallel also goes on between today's top stories between the two promotions. We're of course familiar with TNA's "invaders", A's & 8's and resident bully, Bully Ray whipping people with chains, getting in people's faces and beating everyone up. AAA also features an invading faction (2 actually, but the second isn't relevant here) "El Consejo". Who's leader is also World Champion, also boasts a habit of bullying, defying and even whipping people. Though Texano Jr. uses a lariat instead of a chain.

Their relationship started in 2004. I've been watching AAA as best as possible since late 2011. All I've seen AAA do, TNA eventually does themselves. Whether it's done good or not is something I'd like people to have an opinion on. From my point of view, it's done good. TNA doesn't borrow talent like they used to but what they have borrowed from them has made TNA in it's own rights stand out. Of course, TNA adds it's own twists to it and some of it is new to the U.S. To my believe, "what's Triple A doing right now?" probably comes up a lot during creative meetings.

 

[mlp420]

First of all, the "stable craze" comes from WCW, not AAA. WCW had various versions of the NWO, along with the Horsemen, Dungeon of Doom, Filthy Animalz, LWO, Team Canada, Raven's flock, The New Blood, Millionaire's Club, Magnificent Seven, ect.

TNA cut PPVs for business reasons, not because AAA only has four.

*Unconventional tournaments likely inspired by NWA/WCW. In the 90s WCW had the Lethal lottery tournament, and a World cup style team tournament that TNA has adopted. The BFG series is obviously inspired by racing. In fact IIRC they lifted it from some racing project they were working on, not AAA

You are right about the six sided ring and some of the cages, but you're really reaching with everything else.

It's a longstanding tradition in wrestling to take ideas from other promotions that you're audience is unfamiliar with. WWE did it to the territories and ECW. ECW did it to FMW. Most of the top indy promotions in America emulate Japan/Mexico/ECW or some combination of those three.

 

[P. Nut Butters]

First of all, the "stable craze" comes from WCW, not AAA. WCW had various versions of the NWO, along with the Horsemen, Dungeon of Doom, Filthy Animalz, LWO, Team Canada, Raven's flock, The New Blood, Millionaire's Club, Magnificent Seven, ect.

TNA cut PPVs for business reasons, not because AAA only has four.

*Unconventional tournaments likely inspired by NWA/WCW. In the 90s WCW had the Lethal lottery tournament, and a World cup style team tournament that TNA has adopted. The BFG series is obviously inspired by racing. In fact IIRC they lifted it from some racing project they were working on, not AAA

You are right about the six sided ring and some of the cages, but you're really reaching with everything else.

It's a longstanding tradition in wrestling to take ideas from other promotions that you're audience is unfamiliar with. WWE did it to the territories and ECW. ECW did it to FMW. Most of the top indy promotions in America emulate Japan/Mexico/ECW or some combination of those three.

You can even go one further and say that WCW took the "factions" idea from the popular faction format that was employed in many Japanese promotions prior to that.

While I found this topic an interesting read, I do think that some of it is a stretch. You could draw some similar conclusions with WWE along the way aswell. They had two Womens' titles and also they used to have four supercards back when until the 90s wrestling boom.

Also, as you said, there is no harm in borrowing or adapting ideas, particularly from Mexican or Japanese-based promotions as their "inventions" are less-commonly known on a global scale.

 

[waylon p]

What are you young folks talking about? If I remember correctly, it was bill watts who invented overuse of stables.
Other than that, sure. TNA has stolen stuff from AAA and other companies. It is wrestling. This is what happens. This is what has always happened.

Killjoy, are you really trying to back up your argument by noting that the women's title is rarely defended? Did you type that part with a straight face?

I would enjoy seeing a terror dome tournament with a "last guy out loses" one each week, until everyone is eliminated except the new champ. Never gonna happen, but I would love seeing the entire x-division in that tourney.

 

[nutt]

TNA has not modeled itself after AAA. I don't think you've ever watched AAA, CMLL or any Lucha.

AAA has had the same setup (minus the ring and HOF, which are purely coincidental) for years. Lucha Libre promotions have always been about stables, period.