RedJed

Chad Patton v. Chris Jericho, folks - well at least its not the main event?

Man they are wasting alot of time tonite doing shit that adds nothing to a lead-in to SummerSlam at all. This is pointless

I kind of am liking this segment, well up until Bischoff calls an official? Fuckin lame

And uninteresting to boot. Foley-McMahon it is not...

Somewhat late comment about it, but I thought Edge did a much better job on his promo tonight versus Hardy's mess last week. Not sure if that is in terms of talent overall from each (I've NEVER seen a promo cut like that from Edge before and inversily Hardy has done way better promos than last week) or if both last week and this week's Hardy/Edge promos were scripted or not. Could be WWE's way how they want this going and are trying to turn Hardy?! Just watch, he'll be gone already out of WWE by November. Lita looked pretty uncomfy being there.

Also the WON reported in the issue I got today that WWE is making them dub over the DVD Wal Mart releases of Kip James and Matt Bentley's "former names". They must be taking notice.

Regarding the Wal-Mart DVDs, they are going to be priced at $30 for all 3 - a HELL of a deal. I saw that on TNA's website the other day. So any nitpicking about what ppvs they should have done in the 3 pak, IMO, is needless bitching when you consider how affortable these are.

Traditionally, I think it may be one of a handful of top wrestling cities, but that probably doesnt hold up anymore these days. We are talking more 30-40 years ago. I have no idea what you are even talking about with the attendance record from Mania III broken, no WWE show ever has cracked that mark, be it 73,000 or 93,000.

I disagree, while he has been "lost in the shuffle" he still has that "uh oh" factor that HHH gave him when he put over Benoit as someone to be scared of. I find it great for instance when the mystery partner is revealed to be Benoit and the wrestler and/or SD commentators go "uh oh" like Cole or Tazz did a couple of weeks ago when Benoit was revealed to be Guerrero's opponent. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> You obviously have missed the US title match v. Jordan at the last ppv. That hurt his value immensily overall to the brand. He's now just another midcard talent that they try to say is a viable headliner, but they dont treat him as such.

IMO cities like Charlotte, St Louis, Atlanta, etc - no offense but they arent "stand out" to deserve a Mania. If Mania is going to be at a "regular" arena it has to hold some past nostalgic value, like a MSG or the arena in Chi-town, otherwise having it in only major markets or, at best, a pretty substantial stadium or something (EX: Safeco Field for Mania XIX) just makes more sense. I'd LOVE it if they had a Mania, or even SummerSlam, at the Metrodome here in Minneapolis for what its worth.

I certainly would too. Good to hear the dome is still around too.

Yes. Hence that's why it would be hosted at Ford Field. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> For nostalgia sake, it would have been fun to see it at the Silverdome, but I think if they even paper a huge chunk of the dome and make an entrance take up alot of extra room to not have to fill, there is no way they would have even come close to selling out that place anyway.

Sounds like a good idea, plus isnt the Silverdome gone anyway? I thought I saw something that they tore it down earlier this year.

They didnt promote it at all on Impact this week (yet another solid week of such, BTW) so there isnt going to be much time to promote it viably but I totally dig the idea of the voting online thing, I'd have at least 5 guys and on there, and yeah, I'd say have the other 4 be in 4 way elimination match on the ppv or at the very least, the pre-show. My picks - and they should, as a rule, have all of the guys not be a TNA regular and/or especially a person that was already eliminated in the X Cup tourney. LA Park - lucha representative NJPW representative, Tiger Mask would be ideal Nigel McGuiness - british wrestling rep Jack Evans or Teddy Hart maybe - canadian representatives American Dragon

Bret is on the WON live radio show tonight in about an hour just as an FYI

Todd Martin looks at what TNA must do when it gets on Spike Points of Impact By Todd Martin For over three years, TNA has been attempting to break into the radar of the average wrestling fan. With a time slot on Spike TV in the fall, the stakes are extremely high. If the promotion can draw strong ratings and boost PPV buy rates, TNA could finally approach its long term goals. However, if the new show is a failure, Panda is likely to pull the plug on the whole venture. It is imperative for the good of the wrestling business that this show succeeds. Here are some simple keys for the show. 1. Now is the Time TNA cannot approach this show as just another opportunity. This is the best chance TNA is going to get, and it has to take advantage. While the promotion shouldn’t sacrifice the importance of PPVs, the shows on Spike have to be a big deal. TNA has produced a high quality product for much of the year, and now it needs to get people’s attention. They need to draw high enough ratings from the beginning that Spike is forced to open its eyes. TNA can then parlay that success and Spike hostility towards WWE to net the time slot and financial deal that will finally give TNA legitimate stability. In order to do that, TNA should be planning out the first month of shows minute by minute, right now. 2. Tune in Next Week Every week TNA needs to have a strong reason to get viewers to tune in the next week. TNA tried to do this early in its weekly PPV format by using surprises. That can help, and TNA should use surprises frequently early on to build interest. However, the promotion also needs to promote compelling future matchups every week. It should be like the early days of Raw, where the end of the show features a package about the next week’s main event. WWE has turned its back on long term booking, and TNA can capitalize on all the benefits that long term booking offers. 3. We’re All in This Together At this point in time, it is very important that TNA performers view themselves as part of a team. Selfish individuals more concerned with getting themselves over for a future WWE gig need to be pushed to the side. The wrestlers need to sacrifice and work as hard as possible to ensure the team does well. If collectively the promotion can put itself in a better position, then all the individual wrestlers can be better taken care of. This is not a time for egos. 4. Credibility is King There are a lot of wrestling fans disillusioned with the product WWE has put forth in recent years. One of the biggest problems is that WWE doesn’t show respect for its audience. TNA needs to go to great measures to at no point and in no way insult its audience. This was a problem for TNA in its early days, but it has been largely corrected. That has to continue. Storylines need to make complete sense, wrestlers’ motivation needs to be clear, and match results have to matter. Sizzle can be offered without compromising the steak. 5. Fanaticism is a Good Thing In the recent wrestling business, few promotions have succeeded without developing a strongly devoted legion of fans. This was true for UWF, NJPW, AJPW, WWF, ECW and WCW (although some of those fans identified themselves with NWO rather than WCW). TNA hasn’t been able to get that type of a following, outside of a small collection of fans in the southeast. TNA needs to develop that base, and use that passion to spread amongst the larger audience. TNA presently doesn’t have the negative connotation it did at one time. The next step is to create an audience not of wrestling fans that like TNA, but of TNA fans. TNA needs an affirmative identity, not a responsive one. 6. The Promotion of the Transcendent Star Any wrestling promotion needs a bankable main eventer or main eventers in order to succeed. TNA isn’t going to sign away WWE’s top stars, so it is crucial that it create its own. The fans need to perceive those stars as being the best in the world. While there is a temptation to try to give time and emphasis to everyone on the card, it makes better business sense to focus on a few. It’s also best these wrestlers not have the taint of being an undercard wrestler in WWE. Christopher Daniels, Monty Brown, A.J. Styles, and Samoa Joe fit this bill. Regardless of who TNA chooses, they should be emphasizing the wrestler or wrestlers from the beginning of the show to the end. In the middle of the first match, Mike Tenay should be telling the fans that they need to stick around in order to see A.J. Styles, because there is no one else like him in the world. More of an ensemble cast might work down the road, but right now there should be a chosen few. 7. The In-Ring Product An easy way to add extra excitement to the show is to let loose in the ring. WWE style is so static that it is easy for a more free wielding style to impress. The in-ring matches have made TNA 3 hour PPVs a big success. Now TNA needs to add the same emphasis to these one hour shows. The Spike show needs to be very strong as a stand-alone, featuring at least one “can’t miss” match a week. The wrestlers should have the green light to do pretty much whatever they can conceive of and execute. 8. Build Buzz There is no guarantee Spike is going to promote TNA with any enthusiasm whatsoever. As such, TNA needs to do everything it can to try to build buzz on its own. They should lobby Spike for advertisements on Raw in the weeks prior to Impact’s Spike debut. The right type of national promo played two times on Raw for four weeks could make a sizeable difference. From there, TNA should be aggressive in trying to get any mainstream publicity they can. It might be best to market it TNA as if it is essentially a new promotion that is going to take WWE’s place on Spike and take the sport to a different level. The perception of the promotion is often times more important than the reality. TNA should use every angle it has to get mainstream coverage. 9. You Can’t Build Around Jarrett If Jeff Jarrett is featured in the main event slot of the first few Impact shows, the show is doomed for failure. Jarrett is viewed as a midcard performer by the vast majority of the wrestling public, and he doesn’t have the charisma to convince the audience otherwise. It’s fine to have Jarrett around, because he is overall a good performer. But fans will not take seriously a wrestling alternative built around Jeff Jarrett. The Jarretts should understand this, and realize that long term they will profit more from being a valuable performer in a successful promotion than the main eventer in an independent show in Tennessee. 10. Attack, Attack, Attack The single most important thing for TNA to do early on is to attack. It needs to convey that it believes in itself as better than any other wrestling available on American television today. As such, it needs to go after the many faults of WWE. Even the fans of WWE likely realize these faults. If TNA boisterously criticizes WWE in a way that feels legitimate and not petty, fans will rally behind TNA. TNA should draw up a list of ten things that it will unquestionably do better than WWE, and beat those points home on the television show. The ideal opening segment for the first TV show would be to have the Dudleyz cut a vicious anti-WWE promo reminiscent of their heated promos at the end of ECW. They have the credibility to get casual fans to listen. If they won’t agree, I would try to get someone else to do it, making all the points about what’s wrong with WWE that fans know. Christopher Daniels could do an excellent job as well, and tie it to his own career. Hopefully advertisements on Raw will draw in casual fans to watch TNA after UFC. The beginning of the Impact show should completely blow them away, and provide a strong opening shot against WWE’s vision of pro wrestling in 2005. TNA then needs to establish an affirmative identity of its own, that stands in strong contrast to the flawed alternative. We have wrestling matches with more than five moves. The results of our matches matter. We settle things in the ring, not behind the scenes. We have Traci Brooks, while they have an endless parade of talentless bimbos. We have Chris Sabin and Petey Williams, while they have Viscera and Gene Snitsky. We have AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels, while they have JBL and HHH. They think you’re the biggest idiots on the face of the Earth, while we treat you with respect. If TNA is successful in getting across these points, it can get WWE to work for TNA. When those same fans go back to watching Raw and Smackdown and are confronted with the same problems that already bug them, they will think of TNA and look forward to a better product on Saturday. These points also need to be emphasized in the commentary. Mike Tenay has credibility, and can get away with strongly backing TNA and criticizing WWE. If he is uncomfortable with the role, they might want to consider bringing a third person into the booth to do it, with Don Callis coming to mind if available. Channeling hostility can be a powerful tool in rallying people to your cause. There is no one right way to promote Impact on Spike TV. There are a number of possibilities that could work, and the key may be finding the one creative angle that really grabs people’s attention. But regardless of the specific path TNA takes, it needs to develop a compelling marketing strategy for Impact. The moment is coming when TNA will sink or swim. It’s time to go all out. Feedback: [email protected] ------This guy makes a TON of good points. Can't really argue with much.

I'm not going to see it because it looks like yet another Hollywood brain fart. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Well, that too....

Of course I'm not seeing Four Brothers just because this is a HUGE shill for it tonite

Really good match, I cant believe I am saying this but I have to give Hoger a ton of credit, that was a close fight

...and as soon as I said that, Hoger takes him down and what a fight against that kimura. GREAT FIGHT

This is actually a pretty fantastic fight here, I didnt expect Hoger to go this long but its just a matter of time, Bonnar has this

Motherfucker, I thought Hoger was going to win there

The way they are slow pacing this show, I doubt they will air the dark matches. These are the matches that are/were dark Josh Neer vs. Drew Fickett Alex Karalexis vs. Kenny Florian - this is really the only match that might air, hopefully so Keith Rockel vs. Mike Swick

Jesus, Sam Hoger is the ultimate smarmy heel - I want to see that match with Southworth, they didnt show that on Unleashed yet have they? Anyway I hope Sam takes a whoopin....

Agreed