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

[ColinBollocks]

Fair points, Butch, but TNA had as good a chance as anybody ever will to at least make a decent number 2, given their resources and support from Spike. Heyman talked about that when discussing his takeover of TNA; he never saw TNA as being WWE big, but was looking to at least make a percentage on what WWE were capable of, by creating a brand people were actually bothered about. Whether it can be achieved is up for debate, of course.

Edited May 21, 2015 by ColinBollocks

[IANdrewDiceClay]

Cornette will be rifling through the bins

Looking for those Matt Morgan and Basham Brothers matches.

[Dr.PeterVenkman]

How much money were they losing around 2005/6? Thats the only time I'd say I was ever a proper TNA fan, watched a few 2010 shows when they had everyone showing up but they were shite

[Jizzlobber]

I watched TNA consistently for 10 years, and was even a fan for a couple of those years. But TNA deserve everything they're about to get. I can't believe Dixie Carter had the audacity to come out and say the wrestling business is immeasurably better off thanks to TNA's existence. That is the biggest load of shite I have ever heard. TNA have blown opportunity after opportunity to make something of themselves thanks to Dixie and co's incompetence. And any company employing shitarses like Vince Russo and Bob Fucking Ryder for almost their entire run doesn't deserve to stay in business. Fuck TNA. They've wasted so much time and potential it really is unbelievable.

 

Oh, and let's not forget the hilarity going on between Dave Meltzer and the deluded TNA fan base. Apparently, a TNA fan website are claiming that Meltzer is reporting fake news stories about TNA's demise because Dixie refused his sexual advances at a live show. One of the funniest things I've heard in a while.

Edited May 21, 2015 by Jizzlobber

[chokeout]

TNA has been around for a decade and yet hasn't managed to make anything close to a brand. Its crazy when you compare it to ECW ( around for 9 years including the Eastern Championship Wrestling days), WCW (13 years but obviously had the connection to the NWA from the start) and ROH (13 years so far) They've never managed to form any sort of identity for themselves. the others managed to make themselves homegrown stars and be known for specific styles and angles.

 

How often have they actually turned a profit since they've been active. I'd love them to be put up for sale just so we'd have a chance of seeing how much they've spent / earned over their lifetime.

[garynysmon]

How much money were they losing around 2005/6? Thats the only time I'd say I was ever a proper TNA fan, watched a few 2010 shows when they had everyone showing up but they were shite

 

I won't hear that kind of talk about the January 4 show thank you! 

 

In fairness, I think any other wrestling promotion that hopes to get above a certain level is pretty much fucked now. ROH has its niche audience of course, but the vast majority of the WWE's support has no interest in giving any other promotion a chance any more.

When I grew up it was almost expected that you watched WWF and WCW side by side, but I think the norm now is that WWE is the only game in town (which it is to be fair) and sod the rest.  

Edited May 21, 2015 by garynysmon

[Jizzlobber]

Those are some good points, and what I will say is that this leads back to a huge criticism towards TNA. They're the only ones who've had any remote opportunity to compete whatsoever with WWE in the last fourteen years and they've royally fucked it up on every conceivable level. What other promotion is going to get the same opportunity again? They had a good TV deal with Spike and a money mark willing to bankroll the company to the hilt. That's a competent booker's dream. Even as far back as 2009 they were still salvageable. But once 2010 hit and Hogan/Bischoff milked it for everything they could, they were dead in the water. 

 

There are more alternatives to WWE right now than ever. Let's put TNA to one side and at the very least you have New Japan, ROH and Lucha Underground. Sure, part of the problem is exposure, but a lot of wrestling fans are aware of these companies and just don't bother. WWE is a niche product as it is, and these are a niche of a niche. As long as they have that perception, their audiences will be severely limited. TNA had the chance to be something more, a lot more. At one stage they had the perfect combination of names people knew and recognised with homegrown talent that people wanted to see, and a national platform to showcase them. And they fucked it up.

 

How can Jeff Jarrett approach any network with a straight face and try to sell them the merits of GFW after this debacle? TNA have been booted out of two networks in less than a year. That is an ASTOUNDING achievement. They have and continue to cause so much damage to the business on a macro level that it could be a long time before another promotion gets any sort of break. 

[Snitsky's back acne]

Surely this is the death knell for TNA, isn't it?

Shame, as they had a chance to be a true alternative to WWE with the X-Division and the Knockouts, but WWE is currently doing TNA far better than TNA ever could with NXT.
 

[Guest]

is TNA even gonna be on tomorrow? it's hard to have loads of sympathy for TNA if this is the end, the stuff they were doing at the turning point of the decade pretty much deserves this, but I had just started to give it another chance in 2015 and I wasn't regretting that - the main event scene is as good as I can remember it, they have plenty of guys who are a lot of fun in and out of the ring, X Division not what it used to be but by no means dead.

so I'll be disappointed if this is it. Remember discovering TNA on TWC back in the day, Styles/Joe/Daniels matches were hugely significant in turning me from a person who watched wrestling to someone who was obsessed with it, and Ultimate X seemed like just about the freshest thing ever at the time.

I might have to buy some 2004/2005 DVDs if they're about, who knows I might keep the company afloat

Edited May 21, 2015 by sj5522

[Undefeated Steak]

NXT is what TNA should've always been. Young, up and coming guys putting on exciting matches with logical storylines and a one-hour weekly show. A completely alternative product. With the quality of wrestlers they've had, chances from TV stations and fans, and amount of financial backing, I honestly don't know how (or even if) they could've done any worse.

 

They're a million miles away from the days when people were chanting 'TNA' at Raw. I remember at one point my non-wrestling nerd mates used to casually watch it, people who no longer watched even WWE. 

 

I can't think of a single positive impact (no pun) they've had on wrestling. Good riddance to them. 

[garynysmon]

Quite funny that Destination America are still plugging Slammiversary on their Twitter.

[Guest]

 

 

They're a million miles away from the days when people were chanting 'TNA' at Raw. I remember at one point my non-wrestling nerd mates used to casually watch it, people who no longer watched even WWE. 

 

I can't think of a single positive impact (no pun) they've had on wrestling. Good riddance to them. 

sounds a bit contradictory, surely they deserve at least a little credit for having got to that stage at one point, it's not like that was ever their rightful place.

 

the only time I actually recall a TNA chant on WWE TV was for, I think, Donald Trump v Rosie O'Donnell lookalikes. and that was a drawn out, 7 minute gimmick match. the sort of thing literally only Vince finds funny, I'm convinced they'd have chanted for anything. CZW, Juggalo Championship Wrestling..

[WyattSheepMask]

I seem to remember hearing a TNA chant at Unforgiven 2007(?) when Undertaker squashed Mark Henry in the means nothing main event

[King Pitcos]

In fairness, I think any other wrestling promotion that hopes to get above a certain level is pretty much fucked now. ROH has its niche audience of course, but the vast majority of the WWE's support has no interest in giving any other promotion a chance any more.

 

Even kids and idiots with the big anti-WWE bias have been convinced by WWE that NXT is the best anti-WWE promotion in the world. WWE have well and truly got the industry sewn up.

 

Fair play to TNA though. Throughout its history, it never ever seemed like anything other than someone found some old leftover WCW in the fridge and microwaved it. And yet they lasted longer than WCW did. Of course, that was nothing to do with the promotion itself and purely down to Dixie's parents, but still.

[GlennCullen]

Looking forward to Dixie spinning this as a positive. She's like that Iraqi information minister.

 

Look for "Destination America didn't like us touring the UK, and we want to go to our fans around the world so we had to cut them loose" to come from her soon enough.