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

[PowerButchi]

I think they're getting something like a 0.6 on a Wednesdays.

[Big Benny HG]

It did a 0.93 last week, which is the best they've done on a Wednesday, but this week they didn't even crack the top 100 for the night on cable, so that's looking a bad one.

[thefallenangel]

Surely though from a business point of view there's got to be a business to save. Roster has some decent name value and if they are running Hammerstein ballroom on a 2 month taping schedule then with a quartley ppv and sensible office running you'd make a viable product.

[PunkStep]

It has no value without a tv show. No tv show =nobody will know about the PPVs. Bisch said that he pulled out of buying WCW because the tv slot wasn't included, and without it to him the company was virtually worthless. This is even more true in TNA's case you would've thought.

[WyattSheepMask]

TNA isn't worth £20 without the TV time.

I think it was the observer this week that reported that the only financial layout the company has for BFG is paying the talents airfare, everything else is being footed by Wrestle-1, which I can't decide whether that's great business by TNA by letting someone else fit the bill or completely depressing that they can't even afford to run their own PPV

Edited September 26, 2014 by WyattSheepMask

[Undefeated Steak]

Yeah I tried saying that there could still be a business without the TV deal a few pages back but I was (rightly) shot down. They need a legit TV station to air them.

[Rossman]

It is pretty sad, it's their biggest show of the year and they've sub-letted it to another promotion to sort out. Because they've taped all the future episodes of Impact and the title changes. Meltzer was saying Wrestle 1 had a problem with featuring the title holders so a load of talent wouldn't be on the show at all.

[Benno]

Is a shame if this weeks rating really is low, they'd been stablising back up to their usual Thursday 1 million number the last few weeks.

 

I quite enjoyed this weeks TV. Thought the one night tournament was a reasonable enough idea and it gave some solid matches. Considering you could go for *any* title, I didn't think the result was exactly a foregone conclusion.

 

The TV as a whole has been good for a few weeks, better than Raw anyway. The 3D/Hardys/Wolves thing has been top notch and MVP's stable & EC3/Spud have been really entertaining. The Sam Shaw stuff is shite, obviously, but other than that my only problem has been how inconsequential it all feels when you know how uncertain their future is.

 

Hope they get a deal sorted.

[Psygnosis]

It is pretty sad, it's their biggest show of the year and they've sub-letted it to another promotion to sort out. Because they've taped all the future episodes of Impact and the title changes. Meltzer was saying Wrestle 1 had a problem with featuring the title holders so a load of talent wouldn't be on the show at all.

 

I wouldn't say this is all Dixies doing, she's just obliging to a deal already made by this guy, he left 2 weeks after this handshake.

 

 

 

As for TNA they'll be all right, all the signs pointing towards WGN America as Jason Hervey tweeted a photo of himself outside WGN in Chicago, and Dixie hinted at how nice it was in the Windy City, I think they need to accept they're not going to challenge WWE and just need to concentrate on running a business and becoming another place for people to work, any growth has more potential internationally.

Edited September 26, 2014 by Psygnosis

[IANdrewDiceClay]

Its not about finding TV. Its about how much they are getting paid to be on TV. They signed a deal with this agancy who is doing the negotiations for a new TV deal and they will take 15% of TNA's money from this new deal. And whatever this new deal is, it wont be near $13 million a year that Spike gave them. TNA are in a position where they dont make money on attendances, PPV, home video or merchandise. They have no video game deal or action figures deal worth a shit. Adding to that, they lost the deal with Universal to house their TV tapings, which means they have to keep paying those huge fees to tape on the road. They lost dozens of wrestlers and staff over the last year because they couldn't afford to keep them. People were late on pay a few months back and that was with the Spike money coming in. If they get a new TV deal which wont pay them near what Spike did, its going to be a massive dent in the company and they'll lose pretty much the rest of their names. Jarrett's group and ROH could get TV if they wanted. Its not like there aren't channels that wont put you on air. Its whether the deal you sign is in anyway viable to your business. And losing half of the only income could be the nail in the coffin for TNA.

Edited September 27, 2014 by IANdrewDiceClay

[simonworden]

So what do you do if you're in TNA's shoes?

 

Throw in the towel unless you can get a certain figure to keep at least what you have left going/ get back on track. Sell off the tape library  and become a distant memory

 

or

 

Accept a lower TV deal, decide on a handful of solid name talents and vets to keep on with a some cheaper names to fill out alongside pay per appearance guys. Use smaller cheaper non arena venues for TV holding 500-100 people, get rid of all but the necessary staging, lighting and ring. Hope you can find something to make your product take off and in the mean time just accept you have a minimal but profitable company.

 

Personally I hope if it comes to these two choices they take the latter, really don't want to see them disappear

[Your Fight Site]

What was the deal with Universal? Were TNA paying a residency fee when they taped out of Universal Studios? What happened for them to be annexed? Did they just think they were big enough to fly the coup and start touring, or did Universal oust them?

[IANdrewDiceClay]

They were paying a small fee to rent it each month. And they left Universal without much notice and went on the road. When they lost their arse, they wanted to come back, but the soundstage they used for all those years was rented out perminantly, so TNA had to make do with the odd spare one whenever it was free. But there is no soundstage they can use all the time anymore, so they have to pretty much be on the road full time now. Its madness really. They dumped Universal because they wanted to go on the road and when they wanted to be off the road, they had to stay on. Taping on the road is what is killing them in all honestly. They tape in New York and that costs them 6 figures (once the rent, the originality fee for taping at the building and the travel and all that). And when you only have 800 people getting in, there's no way of making it up. Universal was perfect for them, because most of the roster live around it and just show up.

Edited September 27, 2014 by IANdrewDiceClay

[Benno]

I'm pretty sure we were all sat in this thread a couple of years ago agreeing how TNA just *had* to go on the road. It's just the shame the people whose actually job it was didn't actually look into it any further than that and crunch the numbers and realise just how much they'd clearly lose their arse.

 

We'd all still be sat here going "they really should try going on the road!" though, wouldn't we.

Edited September 27, 2014 by Benno

[Sphinx]

Did TNA's problems exacerbate after the signing of Hogan and the influx of guys that came with it? That was a fair gamble to take to get them to the next level except from your Val Venises and your Orlando Jordans, but it was sad to see Hogan in his Hi-Tec trainers and F&F jeans on Impact so much. He was on there too much and it diluted his star. What needed to change for that move to be successful? Or should it have never happened? I weren't really watching at the time other than the January 4th show.

Edited September 27, 2014 by Sphinx