TNA vs. ROH

[saintpat]

Now that ROH has TV (non-satellite dish TV), will it supplant TNA as the No. 2 (by a mile, but still second) wrestling promotion in the U.S.

How long will that take, if it's ever going to happen? And will ROH fall into the trap TNA did and try to hire "names" to lure WWE fans into watching?

Or is TNA likely to hold that spot for the next 2-3 years, or longer?

[Krimzon]

It all depends. We don't really know how large ROH's fanbase is. TNA averages between 1.3-1.6 million viewers a week. We have next to nothing to judge ROH on. Now that they are going to be on a channel most people actually have, it'll be interesting to see.

[Deleted]

I think it depends o if ROH can get a steady time slot somewhere. Being on at different times in different place (and in some places not at all) will make them seem like a minor league promotion.

But if they could get a network, like maybe Versus, to give them the type of support and promotion that Spike gives TNA, they would become number two for sure.

Also, I don't think they would overspend on talent like TNA has. If they've proven anything as a company over the yaers, it's that they know how to work with what they have and what they can afford in order to survive. And if the new owners tried to push it in that direction, they can be shown TNA as an example of why it won't work.

[Mayonnaise]

Nope, ROH, while the superior product, doesn't have near enough penetration to challenge TNA.

[Crusty Ruffles]

Aug 22, 2011 22:24:54 GMT -5 Mayonnaise said:

Nope, ROH, while the superior product, doesn't have near enough penetration to challenge TNA.

That's what she....nevermind.

Completely agree, though. ROH won't and nor should they. They have made this shoestring budget work for the longest time with a slow and steady growth projection. Why would you change what's working?

[zeez]

Only if TNA loses their TV deal.

[Celgress]

Aug 22, 2011 22:24:54 GMT -5 Mayonnaise said:

Nope, ROH, while the superior product, doesn't have near enough penetration to challenge TNA.

This, I'm not a huge fan of Dave Metlzer but a few weeks ago on the LAW he did a great breakdown of the reasons why ROH will take a long time (if it ever does) to become the number two promotion .

[Deleted]

What channel is it even on? Not likely to watch it regularly anyway - never been a Ring of Honor fan - but am curious to know at least to give it a proper look.

[Andrew is Good]

ROH is run by competent people. If ROH were to hire names for TV, knowing their history, usually they would be incredibly talented names. Haas and Benjiman are big names in wrestling, but they certainly just weren't hired for name value.

Another example is Rhino, who I do believe is a bodyguard for Prince Nana, and has talent as well.

But generally, ROH has a strong talent roster and is run by competent people. And TNA has a strong talent roster, but is run by incompetent people.

[ICBM]

This is hard to say but no I don't think so. They will find better success than they have enjoyed but they are so far behind it isn't even a race. Ratings tell one story and if they get 600K viewers after a year I'll be impressed but those 600K won't all be buying ppv, or t-shirts or web service library subscriptions. WWE is the template. IW follows this smartly but stupidly at the same time. IW developed their very loyal base by being according to Dixie carter, Russo and JJ "an alternative to WWE". Nothing they have done in the way of adding ex-wwe talent since 2009, has made any difference and it wouldn't in ROH.

For ROH to become competitive to IW it will take one factor more than any other. The same thing IW needs but dosn't yet have; Time on the field. WWE literally has three generations+ of fans. Unless you cull those new fans, those 3million+ RAW viewers per week, than IW won't compete w/WWE. Given 15 years some fans will have departed but the legend will have grown. Same with ROH...unless they out market IW and that takes money they don't have and won't make for some time

[Threadkiller [Classic]]

I doubt it. At this point, it's reminiscent of the Monday Night War era trifecta of WWE, WCW, and ECW:

WWE: The Industry Standard (even if their product is hardly the best in the industry)
TNA: The WCW avatar, pushing former WWE stars and indomitable heel factions while ignoring their core strengths, such as the X-division (cruiserweights).
ROH: The ECW analogue, the indy with a diehard, passionate fanbase who struggles to find their show on television in their area, but still buys tapes/DVDs and tickets to their shows, which are in small, intimate settings with a more lively atmosphere.

All three certainly have their place and their existence can only be good for the industry. But I don't see the hierarchy changing any time soon. On a national level, it's still WWE, then TNA, and then ROH, in my opinion.

[joebob27]

No, their TV deal is pretty brutal and scattershot and not even on in some markets. TNA's tv deal is consistant and total.

[alabastergrim]

Not a chance. They're not even on TV in a lot of markets (mine included). As for the idea that if they got a deal on Versus they would be number two "for sure", no they wouldn't. Versus is a tough channel to even find and unlike Spike, a lot of people just don't have it either. Now if ROH could get on a more competitive network, that might be a different story.

[joebob27]

VS isn't that tough to find, but it's moot anyway because it's now under the NBC umbrella, so if VS gets a wrestling show, it ain't gonna be ROH.

[A Platypus Rave]

RoH isn't on tv in some of the major wrestling markets, NYC being the first one that I think of for obvious reasons

So no, I don't think RoH will become the official number 2 for a good while.

[Protest the Chris Hero]

I honestly can see ROH being the number 2 within a couple years while Impact with be the 2-A or 3 with the way things are going in that zoo. ROH has smart management, great product awareness, NO OLD WASHED UP STARS...could be interesting...I'd be keeping my eyes on them if I was the Carter Bunch.

[Deleted]

I think if ROH had TNA's channel & time slot, they'd do just as well as TNA has, maybe slightly better...maybe.

But if wishes were horses we'd all be eating steak for dinner.

[Quote the Tozz, Nevermore.]

Oh, quite possibly. I reckon that ROH taking the number two spot has to happen eventually, through a possible TNA fall into obscurity, or just ROH outdoing TNA, and garnering a greater fanbase.

Right now, ROH hasn't got nearly enough exposure. Once they venture into marketing their product abroad, I can really see things kicking off for them.

[clashofchampains]

Bear in mind i've watched maybe 10 ROH shows in existance only so i'm not knowledgeable with this company but they seem like very smart people. And they use stars and legends like I always wished TNA would have done: in small doses. Now I don't know how much money their owners have, but once they get better penetration they have enough $$$ to get at the AJ Styles and Robert Roode of this World, i'm thinking more than a few fans will jump ship and allegiances pretty quickly. Especially those of us who are tired of seeing our favorites getting jobbed and disrespected like crazy.

[wrestlinggod13]

I wish the best for ROH, but its future success really depends on the degree to which SBC is willing to invest in and promote the product. If the SBC execs stick with it for the next five years, then I could see ROH nipping at the heels of TNA/IW (provided that Dixie's company is still around).