Can TNA reach the next level?

[Loki]

What's the criteria for "the next level"? 2.0 on Spike? If so, in the long term, yes I think they might be able to get there but it's going to need an upsurge in WWE's popularity as well I suspect. Wrestling just isn't hot right now.

 

I certainly think they can repair their PPV business and get 6 good, decent selling PPVs a year. I also think their ultimate goal of getting Impact! out and about every week, is also do-able.

 

Above and beyond that, they'll never challenge WWE's top position in the domestic market, but they've done better than any other competitor apart from WCW since the 80s. Overseas they can continue to grow their markets and, like WWE, ultimately that model might give them the financial security they need for the future.

[IANdrewDiceClay]

The Gut check segments with Taz, Bruce Prichard and Al Snow are not exactly shoots, but are closer to shoots than most of what is on wrestling television. In a lot of ways, they are like stuff from another era where everyone has bullet points but nothing is scripted in the modern sense of the word. The talent itself, Alex Silva the first time and Joey Ryan the second time, is not clued into what is happening and in a sense it is like contestants on a reality show or Tough Enough or Diva Search in WWE. With Silva last month, the actual original plan was for Silva to be turned down, which kind of made no sense when it comes to establishing a concept. I believe it was to come down to Ric Flair, who would turn him down. However, Flair, on the fly, "changed his vote," and then Prichard, who was supposed to go second, say "No," and leave it to Flair as the decider (the idea is to split votes and have it come down to a decider for dramatic purposes), also said "Yes" because at that point, why not? When Flair was asked why he deviated from the plan, he said because he was told to treat it as a shoot and the guy’s promo was so good he changed his mind. The feeling when it was over is that Silva’s promo after Flair told him to, "Stop talking to the marks and talk to me," was a home run and nobody had any indication Silva could talk at that level. As it turned out, Silva didn’t have a working visa. So he had to go back to Canada for two months to get it taken care of. He disappeared from OVW right in the middle of a angle right after doing the Gut check. He’s been back in Montreal. Silva has been legitimately signed to a TNA contract pending the papers coming through.

 

With Joey Ryan, it was the same situation except the feeling was Ryan didn’t deliver that promo to make them change their mind. But Ryan himself would not have been clued in. To me, I’d bring the guy back to TV one or two times just because there is a little interest in him and do a small story with him being mad about being bounced. I’m skeptical it’ll be long term interest, but if he gets over, I wouldn’t be close minded on him. The fan reaction was negative to Ryan being bounced because Ryan was so much more polished in the ring than Silva, but Ryan did nothing on his promo to change anyone’s mind. All the stuff said by Taz, Prichard and Snow was not scripted, but it’s not like they don’t go in there with a general direction of where they are going. The idea is to do more segments like this where it would simulate what goes on behind the scene with the idea fans would see a more realistic backstage version of wrestling. But it’s obviously not real backstage. The idea of Snow and Prichard splitting votes and leaving everything to Taz to be the star and decider was obviously not a coincidence. Taz was really good in the segment as well.

 

Source: The Wrestling Observer

That's hilarious! This makes Gut Check a must watch if they are legit getting the piss ripped out of them.

[A Screen Up]

I've heard a fair few people saying that they disliked the Gut Check segments, but other than a couple of bad points (such as the use of the word "marks" etc) and Naitch's anticipation-bursting change of mind, I've loved them so far. Taz ripping into Joey Ryan was heated as fuck, and probably the only time I've been interested in Taz since he took a steel chair to his back against Hunter, back in '01. I really am enjoying the new 'reality'-based segments.

[Arch Stanton]

Gut Check is one of the best things in wrestling right now- I love it so far. Was very intrigued to know how much of it was legit. It comes across very real, which is brilliant to see in wrestling in 2012.

[Colt Stevens]

Aye, Gutcheck segments are great.

The first one with Alex Silva was a shoot in the sense Flair decided to put him in (and wasn't supposed to). They could have re-taped the segment if they wanted to. As it stands Silva is coming in but he needs a working Visa sorted out. Flair shooting was probably his final fuck you to TNA on the way out.

 

With Joey Ryan the deal was always he wasn't coming in. The format for it was loose in the sense they were all told to go out there and say what they wanted within the lines of him not coming in.

[ajmcstyles]

I haven't seen much of this Gut Check. I saw Taz, Brother Love and Al Snow talking in the back the other week like it was an episode of loose women. It is always like that?

[Loki]

You gotta feel for Joey Ryan if the deal was that he was chosen specifically to lose. It's not like they gave him a new gimmick, he's brought his own gimmick up to the big show and had it "shoot" shot down.

 

The whole thing is confusing and I'm not convinced it'll actually create any new stars.

[A Screen Up]

As much as I do like the Gut Check idea, it may make more sense if the newcomer had to overcome a more "kayfabe-friendly" challenge. Obviously you couldn't expect them to go over clean in a match against a TNA wrestler, but they could have two new guys wrestling each other with the winner being granted the chance of a contract, subjected to a fan vote on the site and from a panel of judges.

 

As there's only one of these per month, and with the stipulation that's involved, I'm sure it wouldn't do too much harm having a match with two "no-name" guys.

[Whiskey_Jim]

A local venue to me ran a wrestling show featuring 'TNA Superstar - Mark Haskins' recently. Talking with the events organiser for the venue I discovered he more calls asking what TNA was than he did for details about the rest of the show. I think that about says it all. 90% of wrestling fans on around the world are unaware of any other wrestling organisation, even one that has weekly free television in the UK.

It may unfathomable for the arrogant internet masses, but just because something has been around a long time and the IWC are all perfectly aware of it doesn't necessarily mean that any one else either knows or gives a shit about anything other than WWE.

Sooooooo in answer to the original question, no. TNA will not take the next step and be on the same level as WWE.

[WWFChilli]

A local venue to me ran a wrestling show featuring 'TNA Superstar - Mark Haskins' recently. Talking with the events organiser for the venue I discovered he more calls asking what TNA was than he did for details about the rest of the show. I think that about says it all. 90% of wrestling fans on around the world are unaware of any other wrestling organisation, even one that has weekly free television in the UK.

It may unfathomable for the arrogant internet masses, but just because something has been around a long time and the IWC are all perfectly aware of it doesn't necessarily mean that any one else either knows or gives a shit about anything other than WWE.

Sooooooo in answer to the original question, no. TNA will not take the next step and be on the same level as WWE.

 

[unfitfinlay]

You gotta feel for Joey Ryan if the deal was that he was chosen specifically to lose. It's not like they gave him a new gimmick, he's brought his own gimmick up to the big show and had it "shoot" shot down.

 

The whole thing is confusing and I'm not convinced it'll actually create any new stars.

 

Agreed.

 

It reminds me of Million Dollar Tough Enough where the competitors basically had to choose between impressing the crowd or "the boys in the back". Daniel Puder was doomed the moment he made Angle look like a bitch but, if he hadn't done it, he wouldn't have won the contest.

 

Ryan came across like an arrogant dickhead and obviously rubbed Prichard, Snow and Taz up the wrong way, but if he'd cut the kind of promo THEY wanted, where he's nice and humble and begging for a job, then he'd have killed his gimmick and positioned himself as a jobber for life.

 

He was also right not to back down from Taz.

[C-Rock]

I think for TNA to reach the next level they need to focus on their strengths and hide their weaknesess, if I were running TNA I'd focus on offering wrestling fans something they can't see elsewhere or even if they can offer it on a better level which I know is difficult for TNA as they don't have WWE's money or production skills. I think TNA need to think out of the box which again is difficult because everything that could be done has been done over the years in not only WWE but WCW and to a lesser extent ECW (but obviously ECW offered the hardcore wrestling product which was totally different to WWE and WCW which appealed to a different kind of wrestling fan, which worked...for a short time).

 

I'd look at ways of cutting costs and I'd cut back on house shows which from what I have read aren't drawing very well, I'd get rid of un-wanted talent, I'd cut down on the amount of PPV's TNA are currently doing and instead have maybe 2-3 were I'd go out all out on production from the money saved on they others. I'd make a play for getting celebrities to appear on my shows and not Z-list nobodys instead credibile celebrities who people are going to want to see in a wrestling ring. I'd try to create a mega over face superstar that people wanted to watch e.g. Hogan or Austin. I'd spend a lot of money on Advertising and Marketing and really seek out what wrestling fans liked and disliked about TNA and make changes accordingly.

 

I can't see TNA beating WWE but I can see TNA growing to become a strong alternative product to WWE but in order for that to happen they need to, like I say offer wrestling fans something different. Your not going to beat WWE at its own game which is big name, big production which is the problem because strip things back and save money and your ROH keep spending money trying to beat WWE at there own game and your bankrupt. Keep production the same but offer something fresh and exciting in-ring and on TV thats going to make people take notice, give things a less scripted feel more edgy more contraversal. WWE is PG so can't use blood or anything to risky...I'd focus on leading my product into were WWE can't similar to what ECW did with its hardcore edge but keep the actual wrestling as well. I'd base myself in the same venue also and limit they amount of travel the promotion did which would save a fortune. When TNA tours the UK I'd have my stars on every chat show possible promoting the product also.

[Sphinx]

Very simplistic.