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Post by The Dark Order Inferno on Jul 30, 2014 8:21:06 GMT -5
The move to Monday night. More recently the rehiring of Vince Russo. TNA could have hired anyone shithead that ever walked and they hire the guy the TV channel that carries their show doesn't like. And it may have cost them their television deal. That rumor makes zero sense. Spike TV didn't have any issues with Russo working there for all those years but now his presence is a big issue for them? TNA have bent over backward to please Spike, hiring guys they don't need and crosspromoting Bellator, yet suddenly they're prepared to go all 2000's Heyman on them and hire a guy they hate as one big up yours to them? I'm not buying it. To top it off, they supposedly tried to hide his signing from Spike, despite their execs being present backstage at their last tapings... What did they do? Have Russo walk around with with a blanket over his head? Put him in a luchador mask as the legendary El Swervo Jr?
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Post by creepytennis on Jul 30, 2014 8:44:49 GMT -5
3. Leaving the Impact Zone. Whatever else it may have been, the deal TNA had with Universal for the Impact Zone was a damn good one for a promotion of limited resources. Having a fixed location to film out of seriously cheapened they're production costs and saved them a lot of hassle. Granted, the long term goal should always have been to eventually start going on the road so they could make the most profit possible via ticket sales. But upending the deal with the Impact Zone when they did and how they did was easily one of the single biggest mistakes they could have made. I don't really get your point here. How did leaving the Impact Zone lead to Spike cancelling them?
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Post by creepytennis on Jul 30, 2014 8:47:28 GMT -5
The move to Monday night. More recently the rehiring of Vince Russo. TNA could have hired anyone shithead that ever walked and they hire the guy the TV channel that carries their show doesn't like. And it may have cost them their television deal. That rumor makes zero sense. Spike TV didn't have any issues with Russo working there for all those years but now his presence is a big issue for them? TNA have bent over backward to please Spike, hiring guys they don't need and crosspromoting Bellator, yet suddenly they're prepared to go all 2000's Heyman on them and hire a guy they hate as one big up yours to them? I'm not buying it. To top it off, they supposedly tried to hide his signing from Spike, despite their execs being present backstage at their last tapings... What did they do? Have Russo walk around with with a blanket over his head? Put him in a luchador mask as the legendary El Swervo Jr? THANK YOU! I can't believe how many people still believe this nonsense Russo stuff. Do cable networks cancel one of their highest rated shows because the show employs a single writer they don't like? In the real world? No, they don't.
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Post by The Dark Order Inferno on Jul 30, 2014 8:59:42 GMT -5
THANK YOU! I can't believe how many people still believe this nonsense Russo stuff. Do cable networks cancel one of their highest rated shows because the show employs a single writer they don't like? In the real world? No, they don't. Given everything we know about the Spike TV/TNA relationship, if Spike had any misgivings about his presence Russo would be gone already. People just want to find a way to shift some of the blame onto Russo should TNA be cancelled the way some would have you believe he was the one that killed WCW.
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Sephiroth
Wade Wilson
Surviving
Posts: 28,917
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Post by Sephiroth on Jul 30, 2014 9:03:14 GMT -5
3. Leaving the Impact Zone. Whatever else it may have been, the deal TNA had with Universal for the Impact Zone was a damn good one for a promotion of limited resources. Having a fixed location to film out of seriously cheapened they're production costs and saved them a lot of hassle. Granted, the long term goal should always have been to eventually start going on the road so they could make the most profit possible via ticket sales. But upending the deal with the Impact Zone when they did and how they did was easily one of the single biggest mistakes they could have made. I don't really get your point here. How did leaving the Impact Zone lead to Spike cancelling them? It didn't, at least not directly. But it was still a mistake because they could not and still can't afford the expense of filming on the road full time. The Impact Zone was not perfect, but it was a great deal for a promotion to grow its audience and hence, its revenue, to the point that they could do more and more taping on the road until they were eventually secure enough to go full time.
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Sephiroth
Wade Wilson
Surviving
Posts: 28,917
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Post by Sephiroth on Jul 30, 2014 9:04:17 GMT -5
THANK YOU! I can't believe how many people still believe this nonsense Russo stuff. Do cable networks cancel one of their highest rated shows because the show employs a single writer they don't like? In the real world? No, they don't. Given everything we know about the Spike TV/TNA relationship, if Spike had any misgivings about his presence Russo would be gone already. People just want to find a way to shift some of the blame onto Russo should TNA be cancelled the way some would have you believe he was the one that killed WCW. It by no means fair to put the blame on Russo. That said, the impression I get is that Spike was feeling less and less inclined to renew Impact and finding out about Russo just gave them one more reason to decide not to.
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mrjl
Fry's dog Seymour
Posts: 20,319
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Post by mrjl on Jul 30, 2014 9:06:47 GMT -5
Their biggest mistake was going with wwe outcasts and old timers. Look at the talent pool wwe have on their roster, and nxt. Take all of those Indy heroes and stick them in TNA. Take Bryan, Punk, Cesaro, Rollins, Ambrose, Zayn, Kenta... The Indy scene was there for the milking, and TNA didn't bother until wwe had caught on to the idea. a lot of those guys RoH guys and RoH and TNA had a falling out, didn't they? If those guys fail with WWE RoH is still there for them. Failing at TNA leaves them with no obvious home
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Post by ________ has left the building on Jul 30, 2014 9:10:32 GMT -5
That rumor makes zero sense. Spike TV didn't have any issues with Russo working there for all those years but now his presence is a big issue for them? TNA have bent over backward to please Spike, hiring guys they don't need and crosspromoting Bellator, yet suddenly they're prepared to go all 2000's Heyman on them and hire a guy they hate as one big up yours to them? I'm not buying it. To top it off, they supposedly tried to hide his signing from Spike, despite their execs being present backstage at their last tapings... What did they do? Have Russo walk around with with a blanket over his head? Put him in a luchador mask as the legendary El Swervo Jr? THANK YOU! I can't believe how many people still believe this nonsense Russo stuff. Do cable networks cancel one of their highest rated shows because the show employs a single writer they don't like? In the real world? No, they don't. You're underestimating the vindictiveness and pettiness of the tv industry. Networks have cancelled shows with strong to decent ratings for the tiniest reasons. Even if Impact is a top rated show on Spike, there's nothing stopping them from cancelling it determine to do so. Ratings be damned. The Russo thing is just a tip of the iceberg of problems they might have with TNA. Folks forget that WCW Monday Nitro and Thunder were still top rated shows on TNT and TBS weekly yet those shows got shitcanned. Or Smackdown was the top rated show on the CW by a country mile but still got cancelled. All it takes is an agenda and a pissed off executive head to send a show to the gallows.
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Post by Gerard Gerard on Jul 30, 2014 9:26:45 GMT -5
Another thing I want to point out is horrible branding. Is it TNA or is it Impact Wrestling? Half the shows and merchandise say TNA, the other half say Impact. Hell, when I was trying to buy a ticket on Ticketmaster I had to search under TNA, Impact Wrestling, and TNA Impact, and all three had different tickets for different shows. One of the few successes of Hogan's run was the attempted rebranding, but they just weren't willing to go with it fully it seems. A minor one, but how they wrote Christian off. Instead of just decking and laying him out, claiming him unworthy of being an MEM slave, it became wrapped in this weird 'you're going back to WWE' business that just made the whole show just feel small and pointless.
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Post by berlynwright on Jul 30, 2014 9:33:30 GMT -5
Hogan stuff on taimapedia is pretty depressing.
He buried 2 of their best home grown guys on radio (Bobby Roode for not being ready and AJ Styles for not being a draw and for missing out on fan show when he had official leave to be with his ailing father)
and then NOT putting ANY TNA guys over in his entire run, even his last show, he had Dixie begging him to stay.
i love Hulk the performer, not Hogan - the master politician
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Post by OVO 40 hunched over like he 80 on Jul 30, 2014 9:34:04 GMT -5
AJ explained it on his awesome Highspots shoot, when fox sports signed them, they wanted Jeff Jarrett as their champion because they remembered him from the wwe, the same with all the wwe rejects, they bring new viewers I'll give them that, but not at the expense of their roster, giving the perception of if you're not from the wwe you're nothing. In ECW, Paul had any new wrestler do the job on his first match, Raven lost to Taz, Scott Hall lost to f***ing Sal E Graziano, tna did the opposite Christopher Daniels lost to Sean "WWE owns the Val Venis name" Morley.
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Post by El Cokehead del Knife Fight on Jul 30, 2014 9:36:58 GMT -5
The move to Monday night. More recently the rehiring of Vince Russo. TNA could have hired anyone shithead that ever walked and they hire the guy the TV channel that carries their show doesn't like. And it may have cost them their television deal. That rumor makes zero sense. Spike TV didn't have any issues with Russo working there for all those years but now his presence is a big issue for them? TNA have bent over backward to please Spike, hiring guys they don't need and crosspromoting Bellator, yet suddenly they're prepared to go all 2000's Heyman on them and hire a guy they hate as one big up yours to them? I'm not buying it. To top it off, they supposedly tried to hide his signing from Spike, despite their execs being present backstage at their last tapings... What did they do? Have Russo walk around with with a blanket over his head? Put him in a luchador mask as the legendary El Swervo Jr? 1) Spike are planning on rebranding the network to bring in a wider audience. Known misogynist & racist Vince Russo is kind of a public relations nightmare. So TNA dug the hole for themselves by being told not to hire him then hiring him and lying about it. 2) Russo apparently works from home.
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StuntGranny®
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
Not Actually a Granny
Posts: 16,099
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Post by StuntGranny® on Jul 30, 2014 9:43:23 GMT -5
While it has already been mentioned more than once, Victory Road 2011 will always stand out as an enormous mistake in my eyes. You would think a complete moron would be able to realize Jeff Hardy was in no condition to be out there, but lo and behold, they let him stumble on down to the ring. It was a slap in the face to the fans who paid to see it, the wrestling business itself, and Sting. Speaking of Sting, the man deserves all the respect in the world for the way he handled that whole fiasco.
Jeff Hardy should've been fired and blackballed from TNA for that, but as expected, they welcome him back with open arms.
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Post by The Dark Order Inferno on Jul 30, 2014 9:55:53 GMT -5
1) Spike are planning on rebranding the network to bring in a wider audience. Known misogynist & racist Vince Russo is kind of a public relations nightmare. So TNA dug the hole for themselves by being told not to hire him then hiring him and lying about it. 2) Russo apparently works from home. The rebranding started in 2011 before TNA last re-signed with them. Spike set ground rules for TNA long before then, which Vince Russo complied with, and not in the snarky WWE/Paul Heyman way so again, I'm not seeing why he would be an issue for them now. Spike TV may like to think it's moved past the Manswers era, but they still show things like the Guys' Choice Awards and have Playmate Show & Tell on their website, so unless things like 'Holy grail of Hot' awards have become a family thing in America, they've got a long way to go before they're so family friendly that TNA having Vince Russo on the payroll is an issue.
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Post by creepytennis on Jul 30, 2014 10:03:10 GMT -5
TNA's biggest mistakes, if you work logically backwards from the Spike cancellation:
1) Failing to get to 2m regular viewers, which was Spike's stated ambition for the show.
I'm not sure 2m viewers was ever a realistic target. Also, I think Spike were unlikely to renew the show the second Hogan & Sting left. Therefore, the withdrawal of Bob Carter's pocket book is really what killed TNA.
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Post by benstudd on Jul 30, 2014 10:55:19 GMT -5
About Desmond Wolfe. God. I rarely mark for new talent with a few exceptions like when I saw Styles wrestle in the first X Division title match. Or Lowki. Same with Dean Ambrose. And when Wolfe appeared on Impact and attacked Kurt Angle(both times), he pretty much blew my mind. Then he started to wrestle. And he was even BETTER. (I had never seen him before cause I didn't have ROH given that it wasn't on TV and I'm a wrestling fan that need to see it on TV and they never came to my town anyway)
That TNA managed to screw him up was soul crushing. Amongst the many TNA hearbreaks. And given that Hogan had carte blanche, nobody could step up and say to Dixie, hey wait a minute what are you doing this potentially great new talent here? I wonder though has anybody ever talked about this behind the scene, any agents? Anybody confronted Hogan and his lackeys about it? I doubt it but still, maybe a Tenay for example could have done and said something.
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Post by kingoftheindies on Jul 30, 2014 11:59:37 GMT -5
1.Punishing Desmond Wolfe because the fans voted him number one contender. Health issues afterwards notwithstanding, this is a guy who had all the top wrestlers behind him as well as the fans, but because Hogan and Bischoff wanted the fans to vote for Abyss (I think) they not only make Wolfe look like a joke, but they have Flair bury him on the mic when forming Fourtune, and don't even put him in (instead going with Kaz who had no interaction with the group, and then Douglas Williams)
2.Pushing WWE midcarders. Now you can bring underused guys in and make them stars, no problem with that, but there was a period when TNA would bring guys like Rikishi (Junior Fatu), The Bashams (Damaja and Basham), Test (The Punisher Andrew Martin), Orlando Jordan, and Val Venis in and push them fairly hard and have them beat established TNA talent before they'd hold TNA up for more money and leave (I'm amazed Christopher Daniels came back after the Venis feud)
3.TNA just doesn't advertise. You have AJ Pryzinski, the starting catcher and (arguably) most well known position player of a team coming off of a World Series victory appearing on one of ESPN's top rated programs WITH AN X DIVISION BELT REPLICA and you don't promote it or show any footage. Also when you're getting people like Ronnie, JWoww, Bart Scott, and Brandon Jacobs coming onto your show at the height of their popularity you should hype the hell out of it, not treat it like (meh whatever). Hell even PacMan Jones, for as much of a fiasco as it was, got Jeff Jarrett interviews on ESPN. TNA never showed footage. That's not even getting into their lack of advertising live events or mentioning that one of their stars (and a recent TNA champ) has a nationally televised show of his own.
Hogan and Bischoff- The first half year was nothing but signing Hogans friends and guys who competed on the Hulkamania tour in Australia. Then pushing those guys.
GutCheck- An idea that got bastardized because it was a Jarrett idea. Instead of doing what Jarrett wanted to do and give indy guys a chance on national tv to earn roster spots, it became "let's take Danny Davis and Team 3D students and put them on tv".
Leaving the Impact Zone-The issue was how they left (and treated the fans before they left). Hogan convinced Dixie and her people to leave cold turkey and start booking on the road. Instead of booking smaller arenas in towns that don't get WWE much, they tried booking larger arenas in venues they didn't run too often if at all... Plus, they never promoted.
Treating "TNA guys" like crap- We know about Styles, Daniels, and Joe, but what about a guy like Alex Shelley? Bent over backwards for the company, but didn't get a push until he started teaming with his best friend. But then what? They made it clear to him they viewed him as one half of the MCMG and not as a guy they could market on his own. What about all the stupid crap they had EY do for all those years? How about cutting the legs from underneath Jay Lethal when it looked like he was finally ready to get out of the X Division and move up the card? How about screwing Homicide over?
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Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-]
FANatic
Writer, Lover of all things Wrestling. Analytical, Critical, Lovable (hopefully). Lets all have fun!
Posts: 235,458
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Post by Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-] on Jul 30, 2014 12:01:43 GMT -5
Somehow, we all knew it would start with Hogan and end with Snitsky...
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Post by Pillman's Pencil on Jul 30, 2014 12:29:43 GMT -5
Add TNA only suggesting a break to Vince Russo instead of firing him before he 'decided' to quit. Not reassuring for Spike TV.
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Post by kingoftheindies on Jul 30, 2014 12:37:59 GMT -5
Their biggest mistake was going with wwe outcasts and old timers. Look at the talent pool wwe have on their roster, and nxt. Take all of those Indy heroes and stick them in TNA. Take Bryan, Punk, Cesaro, Rollins, Ambrose, Zayn, Kenta... The Indy scene was there for the milking, and TNA didn't bother until wwe had caught on to the idea. a lot of those guys RoH guys and RoH and TNA had a falling out, didn't they? If those guys fail with WWE RoH is still there for them. Failing at TNA leaves them with no obvious home Kind of sort of. After the RF issue, TNA eventually let talent work for both, but on the eve of a PPV (right after TNA got the Spike deal) there was an ROH show and a blizzard in the area. TNA asked those booked for both shows not to do the ROH show. Austin Aries and Rod Strong (who were set to be pushed for the tag titles) didn't listen, it resulted in Roddy getting fired and Aries suspended. There were other issues with how Kenny King left ROH for TNA (though that mostly goes on King), and there were issues with TNA offering ROH guys contracts for the NYC tapings.
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