Impact wrestling thread - It's a Don West tribute thread now!

[Rob Lowe]

TNA aren't all bad. Just won

[Ant]

It looks like they are coming off the road soon.

TNA officials have discussed the idea of pulling the Impact tapings from the road and returning to a single location for the television tapings, as we first reported in Dot Net Weekly over a week ago. Multiple sources report that Las Vegas and Orlando are under the strongest consideration.

 

Powell's POV: Sources feel it's a foregone conclusion that the tapings will eventually move back to a single location, and one source predicted it will occur early next year at the latest. Obviously, this would be a cost cutting measure.

 

These tapings have been a huge waste of time. This has been horrible for them. I hope they got to Las Vegas, though. It'll be easy to paper, since its a tourist town. And its not like they are trotting off back to Orlando (if they would even be allowed back). You can at least spin it that TNA have found a new home base. This whole going on the road has been an embarrassing one, though.

 

I remember WWA struggled to attract a crowd to its Vegas PPV in 2002, even after giving away tickets.

 

There are so many things to do in Vegas I'd be worried that the talent would turn up never mind an audience.

 

Permanently going on the road to tape TV never made sense to me. I would imagine that with 10,000 paying fans in the arena Vince still considers ways to reduce TV taping overhead costs.

 

I think the acid test on whether TNA permanently going on the road was a good thing was established when TNA announced it thought it was a good idea.

[Loki]

It looks like they are coming off the road soon.

TNA officials have discussed the idea of pulling the Impact tapings from the road and returning to a single location for the television tapings, as we first reported in Dot Net Weekly over a week ago. Multiple sources report that Las Vegas and Orlando are under the strongest consideration.

 

Powell's POV: Sources feel it's a foregone conclusion that the tapings will eventually move back to a single location, and one source predicted it will occur early next year at the latest. Obviously, this would be a cost cutting measure.

 

These tapings have been a huge waste of time. This has been horrible for them. I hope they got to Las Vegas, though. It'll be easy to paper, since its a tourist town. And its not like they are trotting off back to Orlando (if they would even be allowed back). You can at least spin it that TNA have found a new home base. This whole going on the road has been an embarrassing one, though.

 

Thing is, Ian, I reckon they had to try. People like you and me were sitting behind our computer screens saying "they have to go on the road, the Impact Zone is killing the product".

 

Then when they started hitting those big arenas, the product started looking much better and you could tell who was over and we were jizzing into our hands about it.

 

They just fucked up their calculations and booked the wrong arenas. Given how cautious they were about getting on the road, I'm amazed they didn't have it costed down to the last bean before they started. Someone really screwed the pooch.

 

Still and all, at least they tried. As they tried with head-to-head with Raw. Their ambition outstrips their capability but I'm glad they have ambition. If they can reset, go back to breaking even or making a small profit, put together a cheaper but decent roster, I might start watching again.

[Ant]

Not a lot of TNA's venue booking makes sense. I dare say it has already been mentioned in this thread, but for years it has come to Glasgow and failed to sell out the small Braehead Arena (circa 5,000 capacity). As such it makes little sense to book the Hydro Arena (circa 10,000 capacity) for the 2014 show, other than to create the perception of being a big time production that is capable of selling out or at least getting close to selling out such a decent venue. I anticipate the big black curtains will be out just like the Manchester Arena shows.

[AshC]

They may as well start doing squashes if they go to a studio format, build the guys back up. Guys like a Hernandez would benefit greatly from a series of showcase squash wins on TV. I think times have changed again to the point that you could get away with squashes on TV again. Especially when the Impact audience is always around the same figure no matter what they put on the show. Also, rotating ring~

[Loki]

I agree!

 

I'd also consider... bringing back squash matches. If they're going to insist on touring, grab a couple of local guys for each show and start making your stars look like stars. Have Knox totally fuck up some jobbers for a few months. Have Joe slapping the taste out of people's mouths. Reduce the number of times your mid-top level stars face each other.

 

TNA used to have squashes in the early days, you'd get a lot more random locals and indy tag teams getting beat on their programming. Always enjoyed it. You don't say "and here's a jobber", but you have a much larger rotating roster of non-contract talent who are just there to get beat. So they appear on telly maybe half a dozen times a year. Include some overseas guys, that always used to make TNA feel bigger as it was more international.

[Ant]

I don't watch TNA programming, so really don't know the value/impact of Jeff Jarrett returning - what do you guys think?

 

If the company was on its last legs I'd imagine it could do worse than bring JJ back, and operating the 2002-3 model of JJ main eventing against pretty much anyone and everyone. That or him working a very long series as a heel against Hardy, who I'd imagine is still the most over face in TNA, just as he was the most over face in WWE during his last run.

 

It's worth noting that I appreciate Stinger and Hogan and the other main eventers probably have clauses in their contract that ensure the financial cost of releasing/not using them equals the cost of carrying on business as usual. However, in theory, I think it's worth a shot; if the rumours are true anything is worth a punt!

[garynysmon]

Thing is, Ian, I reckon they had to try. People like you and me were sitting behind our computer screens saying "they have to go on the road, the Impact Zone is killing the product".

 

Exactly. You only have to go through some six month old threads to see that was a constant theme on the board.

 

I'm still tempted to say that the problem wasn't the fact it was Orlando more than anywhere else, just that they were there *too* long. It reached the stage where nothing got over and the local fans in the city were accustomed to their free entry wrestling show and had seen everything before. What's to say the same thing won't happen in Vegas given the time? Orlando is also a touristy city.

 

I'd like to see some rotation take place, maybe two months of tapings in Vegas before moving to other hotbeds like Toronto, Philly and New York, for a similar run. But are they going to have a free venue like the Impact Zone again? Despite not being able to sell tickets there, it was a pretty good deal they had. If they decide to run Orlando again, I wonder if Disney/MGM would take them like for WCW Worldwide.

Edited September 17, 2013 by garynysmon

[Carbomb]

Maybe they should consider running universities, given how well NXT has done? Or do those cost too much?

[Doctor Whos Next]

If they decide to run Orlando again, I wonder if Disney/MGM would take them like for WCW Worldwide.

 

Can't see Disney being overly keen on the more risque elements of TNA content. The name, for a start.

[garynysmon]

True, but technically it's Impact Wrestling I suppose.

[JNLister]

I wonder what the taping schedule will be. If there are hardly any PPVs to book and the house shows take little notice of TV angles, if you really wanted to save money you could just book a studio for a long weekend and tape three months of shows (building up to a PPV) at a time, WCW 1993 style. It might make for uninspiring TV, but that's not exactly going to change their rating these days.

[Doctor Whos Next]

True, but technically it's Impact Wrestling I suppose.

 

Yeah, but what is the shows rating now, TV-14? I reckon here would have to be major changes, even more drastic than the WWE's move to PG-13 before the Diz'd consider taking iMPACT on. Then again, I suppose getting Christy Hemme in a propper blouse and having James Storm switch to soda aren't going to erode the TNA fanbase anymore than their other decisions.

[Loki]

I bloody hope they hang on to Hemme, she's one of the best reasons for tuning in! Fit as fuck and a good match announcer. I'm sure she's on good money, but more power to her.

[IANdrewDiceClay]

Thing is, Ian, I reckon they had to try. People like you and me were sitting behind our computer screens saying "they have to go on the road, the Impact Zone is killing the product".

 

Exactly. You only have to go through some six month old threads to see that was a constant theme on the board.

 

Yeah, people were saying "they had to go on the road" as a means to increase perception and bring in some revenue. They did neither of that, and anyone could see they were going to do neither of those things with the way they went about it. Nobody in their right mind was suggesting they pay the building rent on 10,000 seaters every week. The strategy they used when they left the Impact Zone has killed their business and has killed any belief in the promotion. They should never have left the Impact Zone if they didn't have a idea of how to at least break even. That's just common sense. If you can't sell more that 1500 tickets, then you shouldn't be paying ridiculous fees on buildings that old up to 12,000 people.

 

The problem with TNA is its TNA. Nobody cares about them. Nobody pays for their PPVs, nobody goes to the house shows and nobody buys their merch. So they did they think they would be selling out 10,000 seats every 2 weeks? And they've killed another golden carrot. They'll never go back to promotion shows in arenas. They will be in studios forever now. They'll never risk leaving whatever free location.

 

And the big thing is, they have killed moral. They've sacked so many people and so many people now want out. There hasn't been a single positive in this experiment.

 

I remember WWA struggled to attract a crowd to its Vegas PPV in 2002, even after giving away tickets.

WWA got around 3000 in there. And TNA wouldn't want that amount. The Impact Zone regularly got about 350-400 people in on a bad night. They'd just want enough bodies in to shoot it correctly.

Edited September 17, 2013 by IANdrewDiceClay