Slickster

Punks had it coming.

Tell you what....I'll find a way for TSMers to be able to watch Int'l Heat this week.

He won the title on 9/14 on SmackDown in Las Vegas, NV; he vacated it on the 9/20/99 RAW in Houston, TX. The belt was vacant for six days until HHH won the Six-Pack Challenge at Unforgiven on 9/26/99 in Charlotte, NC.

I would say it was Desmond Thompson (aka Maurice in OVW), but he got dropped from his developmental deal a month ago. Hmmm.

You know, I look around those TNAmark boards and people keep mentioning 'what if ROH got a TV deal?' Well, to their credit ROH is not doing what TNA is doing: namely, expanding too much too soon. ROH runs small shows in the Northeast and makes $ from DVD sales. Their fanbase spreads through word of mouth, just like in ECW. And like ECW (who pioneered the hardcore wrestling style here in the US), ROH is selling itself on one thing: namely, its emphasis on pure wrestling. That's their selling point and that is what motivates people to see their shows. Aside from their Midwest shows (which I'm told didn't draw as well as expected), ROH has stayed in a relatively small area and hasn't branched out into action figures/video games/etc. because they're deliberately trying to stay underground. Bottom line, ROH is ECW circa 1995-96: just under the radar of the mainstream, but attracting an ever-growing hardcore following. TNA, on the other hand, reminds me of WCW circa 1993: that is, trying to break into the mainstream but not quite making it. Unlike a lot of other promotions, TNA was made for TV; it's not like TNA runs house show circuits or anything like that. I feel that is the crux of TNA's problem. In my opinion, the PPV-per-week approach, while novel, was destined to fail. Think about it: to draw fans in to pay $10 to watch a 2-hr show, you need big-name stars. By paying for higher contracts/production values, you're making your success more dependent on PPV buyrates. Plus, you've got to remember that a lot of people do not have PPV capability or their provider didn't carry TNA for whatever reason. That further limits your potential fanbase. As we all know, the PPV-per-week approach didn't work, so they're turning to FSN and paying EVEN MORE money for TV time in not-so-prime time. Again, not everybody can get FSN in the US. Now, they're trying to break into the mainstream by selling toys and video games, but what kid is going to buy a 'Monty Brown' figure if he has no idea who the heck he is? Bottom line, the best way to success IMO is to start out by doing live events and building a fanbase. Then, sell merchandise and spread the word online. Then, if you NEED TV exposure, try and get a syndicated show instead of being on a third-tier network on a Friday afternoon. Of course, all this is irrelevant now due to WWE's upcoming lawsuit (and subsequent buyout of TNA), so this article is only a warning to future promotions.

I've never played it: -What bowls are available in this game? -Does *every* team have a unique stadium? -Are there all-star games (Blue-Gray, East-West Shrine)?

Guys, don't step to Ron.

Regal came back into WCW in late 1999, working mostly on WCWSN and Thunder. He left after saying "if I don't win I'll leave," then losing to Jim Duggan in a TV Title match on the 2/26/00 edition of WCWSN. (The match was taped on 2/16/00 in Bethlehem, PA.)

TNA doesn't own the NWA titles; the NWA Board of Directors does. I'd assume they would have Jarrett drop the title at an NWA Florida show or something like that, then book it their own way like they always did. OK...that's true about the NWA World Titles. But what about the X-Division title? There are a bunch of other X-Titles out there. For the record there's the following other "X-Titles" out there in NWA: - NWA Florida X Championship - NWA Mid-American X Championship - NWA Mid-West X Championship - NWA New England X Championship - NWA Oklahoma X Championship - NWA Tri-State X Championship SOURCE: http://nwawrestling.com/superstars/rollcall/ Those X-Titles listed are owned/operated by the individual promotions, not by the NWA. The BoD has no booking control over those titles; they only control World-level titles. However, it's been made clear in storylines and in real life that the TNA X-Title is the most prestigious of the X-Titles. Like all the World-level titles, the X Title cannot change hands outside of TNA. Therefore, I think the BoD would control the TNA X-Title as well. Could they then unify it with some of the other X-Titles you described? I don't know, but it would make sense.

TNA doesn't own the NWA titles; the NWA Board of Directors does. I'd assume they would have Jarrett drop the title at an NWA Florida show or something like that, then book it their own way like they always did.

Charlotte Coliseum, motherfuckers.

This will legitimize TNA while killing it at the same time.

PWFEnt.com You gotta give this guy credit, he knows his stuff. Animated GIFs and still JPEGs, entrances and backstage segments....this guy can do a pretty good job in my opinion. Plus, Big John Studd, Hogan, and DiBiase are all in this too. What more could anyone ask for?

I found the article, quoted in the Google cache of a forum from 2002. The article was originally written by Steve Harper for WrestleLine in December 2000.

Post. Of. The. Year.

*pictures Regal selling Eugene pissing himself* Of course, that movie already refers to wrestling ("He was supposed to signal to me when he couldn't breathe!"), so you could tie that in too.

But really, I don't think that those people will make an impact. If something HUGE goes down and word spreads quickly on the net, I think that could affect the buyrate.

Bill Demott just did an excellent job putting over Chavo's motivation to win here. Fantastic stuff from the best commentary team in WWE.

There was one during his 2000 Benoit feud where he literally covered the ring; it was almost Mass Transit-level bleeding.

We just saw the Match of the Week between London and Akio. Who says you can't have a great match with the WWE Style?

I think that Japan should get a minor PPV first just so WWE can see if spoilers/time difference makes an impact.

This is brilliant...perhaps an extended tie-in to WM21, where 'WrestleMania goes Hollywood?'

Well, that flies in the face of logic.

Well, DC was scheduled to get No Mercy, but verrrry slow advance sales at the MCI Center led to the decision to move the show to East Rutherford, NJ (where they were more likely to draw a crowd).

Hey, the GAB was a tour before this whole 'PPV' thing, let's not forget that. They've held GAB shows in OKC, ATL, and other sites in 86 and 87. Plus, methinks that keeping a PPV in one place annually led to WCW's downfall (limited # of places that could host PPVs, which limited fan support). Dayton got Souled Out 1998, but yeah, other than that they've gotten nothing. Cincy only hosted Souled Out 2000 and I agree they should host another event. I wonder why they keep getting passed over. Hopefully they'll get Unforgiven/No Mercy (one of which is always hosted by a city that has never gotten a PPV, the other by a city that gets them rarely).