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

[pgi86]

If Alberto signed with TNA, wouldn't he have to cut his dates with Mexico etc?

No. He's not full-time in Mexico. Despite being the AAA champion he only works a few dates per month for them (it's been anywhere from 2 to 5 per month). Hence why he has the time to work places like ROH, Lucha Underground and every indy that wants to pay him. Hell, technically he can even fit TNA into that schedule too since they tape TV on weekdays and all the other places he works usually tape on the weekend.

[Buzz Lightyear]

Anybody seen the iMPACT unlocked show?

 

Just read a review, it's basically the previous night's iMPACT (which is also repeated directly after iMPACT) but with Tenay involved and the odd extra interview.

[ColinBollocks]

Meltzer was saying Alberto still has a silly over-the-odds money deal from Bellator on the table. His stock is clearly very high, and I understand why he thinks that TNA stink will ruin it, they could ruin toast.

 

I'm pleased he's another one doing well without WWE/TNA.

[Syl]

TNA have started a new, weekly Impact preview webshow:

 

[garynysmon]

 

Apparently he thinks TNA is a a career killer. But I don't get that.

You only have to look at their roster to get it. Everyone is working in front of what looks like the set of the first series of Bullseye. Who would look at TNA and think "I'm going places here."

 

 

Yeah, but he's bound to turn up in ROH or somewhere with even worse production values, so what difference is it going to make? Going anywhere from the WWE is a massive step down anyway.

[IANdrewDiceClay]

 

Yeah, but he's bound to turn up in ROH or somewhere with even worse production values, so what difference is it going to make? Going anywhere from the WWE is a massive step down anyway.

But TNA's stigma is 50 times worse than Ring of Honor. Its not even close. In ROH, you can at least gave fun and sell your t-shirts at the table. ROH is probably more attractive to wrestlers. ROH does far better attendance, the viewership figures are more or less the same and ROH outdraws them on PPV. The gap isn't there anymore, now they havent got national TV. And the stigma with TNA is that once your contract is done, you will have so much damage to your character, there will be nobody who wants you. Del Rio is a hot free agent at the minute. Everyone wants him. If everyone wants to sign you, TNA is the last place you want to go.

Edited January 20, 2015 by IANdrewDiceClay

[Undefeated Steak]

That webshow is ace. They can't even set the tripod up straight to film Josh Matthews. Filming TNA on a lopsided screen looks like somebody's filming a sinking ship on a sinking ship. 

[Linus]

Also, if you sign with TNA you kiss goodbye to New Japan, the only place to really make money in Japan.

[Merzbow]

Did TNA ever treat New Japan guys like they weren't shit on the bottom of your boot? I'm surprised they got along as long as they did, the recent ROH/NJPW shows have been great tho.

 

(inb4 the chinese dont draw in america, nothing in tna does)

Edited January 20, 2015 by Merzbow

[Onyx2]

Three Borash avatars in a row. Ding ding ding!

[Big Benny HG]

Three Borash avatars in a row. Ding ding ding!

The 'Borash Face Rating' needs to become the official UKFF scale for how "TNA" something is.

Edited January 20, 2015 by Big Benny HG

[garynysmon]

New interview with Dixie Carter

 

Now, I know you should never shit on your own product in public, but c'mon? There's bigging up your company and there's being deluded as fuck too.

 

Do you think that TNA will ever be in a position to challenge the WWE in the manner that WCW did in the 1990s?
Absolutely, I think we can be in that position or we wouldn’t be in business today. We’ve got some exciting things on the horizon and our television partners worldwide are really stepping up and are committed to growing our brand, and that’s a big part of it.
In the United States, we have one, two hour television show every week and we want to be developing the programming and doing some exciting new strategic things to grow our company in ways that we’ve never even had the opportunity to do in the past. So 2015 and beyond looks very bright for us.

[Rossman]

Tara/Victoria was on J.R.'s podcast yesterday talking about her experience working with Dixie & TNA. She said because TNA doesn't do promotion and it was her hometown Chicago show. She spent $6k of her own money for 3 months of promotion for the show. She said it drew 5000 people. When she asked Dixie if she had heard about the promotion she had done, Dixie's response was "yeah, I heard about that." No thank you or appreciation at all. After the show the wrestlers were going to Tara's pizza restaurant for a VIP party. Two people in the TNA office who weren't invited (but turned up anyway) booked a bunch of knockouts to go to a different pizza restaurant for media and give out a tagline about how this was the best pizza in Chicago. Tara heard about this and was fuming, Bruce Prichard took her into a room and she said about (Dixie) "When I quit, I'm going to punch that CNUT in the face" & Bruce's reply was "Oh, you don't like her either." & he went on to say how she was difficult to work because she doesn't know the business, etc. She also said everytime she went on her radio show and said it was great working for a female boss. She wanted to vomit in her mouth because it was a lie but its what TNA expected you to say.

 

It starts a 1:25.00 on the podcast.

[King Pitcos]

I've never thought about this before, but the "Dixie doesn't know the business" thing is really weird because she's been in the business for well over a decade now, running America's second biggest promotion for most of that time. She's been in charge of a promotion longer than Heyman or Bischoff ever were. It always strikes me that "doesn't know the business" is just code for "wasn't in the business during or before the attitude era" but based on TNA's fortunes, it's clear she doesn't really have a clue. How can that be though after all this time? Is it because she's the only notable promoter who didn't start out in another role first?

[tiger_rick]

I've never thought about this before, but the "Dixie doesn't know the business" thing is really weird because she's been in the business for well over a decade now, running America's second biggest promotion for most of that time. She's been in charge of a promotion longer than Heyman or Bischoff ever were. It always strikes me that "doesn't know the business" is just code for "wasn't in the business during or before the attitude era" but based on TNA's fortunes, it's clear she doesn't really have a clue. How can that be though after all this time? Is it because she's the only notable promoter who didn't start out in another role first?

Good question. I think the problem that she's never really worked in the business. She came from outside and seemingly delegated the hands on stuff for a long time. she's always been easily influenced and susceptible to the gift of the gab of long time bullshitters.

 

For someone who some say is hard-nosed, she seems seriously naive. She also seems focused on TV. She actually did a good job of expanding their TV deals around various places in the world but her lack of grounding as a promoter means she neglects things like local promotion, advertising and such. It's similar to Bischoff in a way but he was smart enough or lucky enough to have people who did do all the donkey work that he wasn't interested in. Dixie has never put anything in place in that regard. She's all about what happens on TV but continued to run it like any other promotion for god knows what reason. Maybe because that's what she thinks she should do or because she's got people in her ear telling her that's what a promotion is.

 

She's got a lot in common with some people who buy football clubs. They like the idea but have no idea what they've bought and don't put the right people in place. They fall victim to people who are telling them how wonderful they are and how good they are. They also fall for their excuses time and time again.

 

This isn't based on those recent comments. They are perfectly understandable. People can scoff but if she doesn't believe that TNA can grow and acheive something then there'd be no point her even trying.