TNA on WGN?

[zyn081 0]

I am one of the few to think that going up against RAW on Mondays is suicidal? IMHO I think that TNA should streamline their product by

 

(1) dumping talent that they have no prolonged use for.

 

(2) bringing in the talent that are free agents which are marketable.

 

(3) switching from 12 monthly PPVs to 6 bi-monthly PPVs

 

(4) Make iMPACT a 2 hour show

 

(5) Avoid prime time nights (where I live these are Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and possibly Wednesdays).

 

(6) Dont go up against RAW. If anything go up against SD! I skip through SD! but I watch nearly all of RAW for the simple reason that it is RAW.

 

(7) Postpone introducing a 4th title until iMPACT is a 2 hour show.

 

(8) Make each match longer.

 

(9) Bring in reputable NWA legends for the Championship Commitee (Ole Anderson, Greg Valentine, Harely Race, Jack Brisco, Terry Funk, . . .). Whoever, but not more than 5.

 

Im saying this as an outsider cause I dont live in the US.

[Garth 0]

I think it's definatly a bad move to try and go up against Raw, at the moment the only reason this could be good is that Mondays are considered by some a traditional wrestling night. The product needs to be stronger before they try to go head to head. I can however, see it working out if TNA gets broadcast pre or post Raw.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

I think going up against RAW could work in that it could create a strong buzz and some viewers might be interested enough to switch over at least during commercial breaks to see what "those NWA guys are doing on WGN." That said, I wonder if TNA's product is strong enough right now to get those viewers to say. I doubt a lot of marks would see Jeff Jarrett as their World Champion and think he's really credible, or that he's someone they want to watch.

[natey2k4 0]

A lot of marks probably don't remember Jeff Jarrett, so they really wouldn't care. I think marks would less see AJ Styles as the champ.. until they saw him in the ring.

[tpww7 0]

I dont get WGN here in Connecticut..and I get close to everything.

[Guest Neon]

The decision to go up against Raw has a lot to do with the delusions and egos of people running TNA. They think they can have the same effect as WCW. WCW was around for many years before going on Monday nights and they had weekend shows drawing low 1.0's into the the 2.0's(maybe even the 3.0 range sometimes). TNA doesn't have a track record of this. Plus, WCW had people like Hogan, Savage, Sting, Flair, etc. and also, the benefit of Luger jumping ship in a unique situation. TNA doesn't have the star power of WCW at that time. TNA is also horrible with their devlopment of characters and storylines. A lot of this has to do with the people running TNA being obsessed with WWE. They spend more obsessing over WWE than they do with character and storyline devlopmental. Besides being a vehicle for Jeff Jarrett to be a top star, TNA is also something for the people there to further their grudges against WWE rather than give people another place of employment.

[zyn081 0]

Plus, WCW had people like Hogan, Savage, Sting, Flair, etc. and also, the benefit of Luger jumping ship in a unique situation.

I agree with what you say which is a great shame cause they have shown that they can be different.

 

Whats this about Luger please? :S

[Guest Neon]

Luger showed up on the first ever Nitro just one day after working a WWF/WWE house show.

[zyn081 0]

Luger showed up on the first ever Nitro just one day after working a WWF/WWE house show.

Ooooh, I see. Thanks alot. But wasnt that done by other wrestlers too please?

[Guest wolverine1007]

It would be nice to have TNA on a channel that I actually recieve, at least to have an alternative available to me again. Reading TNA reviews for the last 6 months make me think that it's either been a train-wreck or decently emtertaining, and that there aren't going to be many people who sit in the middle.

[Guest Neon]

There were ofcourse jumps between the two companies. There was a time where since Raw would be taped Rick Rude was on both Raw and Nitro. The thing with the Luger jump was that it was a big surprise jump for the first Nitro. It was a huge shot for them to take at WWE.

[TNABaddboi 0]

According to the Observer this week, the WGN deal involves going on at 9 pm on Monday nights, and TNA is leaning very strongly towards taking it. This could start as soon as June.

 

If they are gonna do Mondays, I think the 8-10 slot would be much better off for them, because if the theory is to capitalize on Mondays being wrestling night, wrestling fans will probably want to get started early. That way they have a chance to hook them. Run a strong angle in the beginning and start a hot match near the top of the hour. During the original Monday Night Wars, I'd tune into Nitro at 8 to see what was going on, and I was never a WCW fan in any way, shape or form, even at the peak. If they ran a hot angle or something caught my eye, I'd come back during the commercial breaks of Raw.

[MillenniumMan831 0]

I don't really know what other thread to put this in but if TNA wants to hit the big time they have to make their ring bigger. The 6 sides is pretty easy to get used to but it looks filled to capacity when 6-8 people are in there at once. Plus, a bigger ring would build better drama for tag matches as the face would have a longer crawl to his corner rather than being one lunge away regardless of where he is in the ring.

[Carnival 0]

I agree, they were building up that the 6 sided ring was gonna allow the wrestlers more room than a 4 sided ring.

 

But the 6 sided rings they have are tiny as fuck.

[Fro 0]

Latest is 8-10 PM Mondays on WGN according to the Observer... official deal could be made this week. They would be live every other week.

 

This could start really soon as TNA's deal with FSN is up May 29th.

 

The new booking team also wants to bring in American Dragon, Samoa Joe, and CM Punk. They're looking at bringing in Ultimo Dragon to fight Chris Daniels for the 3-year anniversary PPV.

 

[Carnival 0]

*poops pants* *again*

 

They better get rid of the 6 sided ring if they want to be taken seriously.

[TNABaddboi 0]

Latest is 8-10 PM Mondays on WGN according to the Observer... official deal could be made this week. They would be live every other week.

 

Wow...that's a bout as good a deal as TNA can hope for at this time. I hope they get the slot and make the most of it. I'm surprised they're going live, but i think it's a good move. If they have strong live show and then follow up with a taped show that features a match that people are talking about, it could work. They could have a formula of running lots of buzzworthy angles on the live edition to set up buzzworthy matches on the taped one.

 

They better get rid of the 6 sided ring if they want to be taken seriously.

 

I think they should keep the ring. It's been identified with them and they'll need some brand identity if they try to expand any.

[zyn081 0]

Latest is 8-10 PM Mondays on WGN according to the Observer... official deal could be made this week.  They would be live every other week.

 

This could start really soon as TNA's deal with FSN is up May 29th.

 

The new booking team also wants to bring in American Dragon, Samoa Joe, and CM Punk.  They're looking at bringing in Ultimo Dragon to fight Chris Daniels for the 3-year anniversary PPV.

 

Am I the only the only who thinks that Mondays is the worst possible day for them.

 

Would they have 1 show every other week or be live 1 week and televised the next? If its the former, its a shit deal, especially given monthly PPVs.

 

It would be cool to get Joe, Punk and Dragon, but I cant see it happening and who would they fight against? I can see live TV being a lure for Dragon and possibly Joe, but not Punk.

 

Would be cool to see Ultimo, but what a way to shit on your X Div by bringing in your last 2 number 1 contenders.

[Fro 0]

It's a weekly show that will be live every other week.

[Twisted Intestine 0]

If TNA was on during RAW, I'd definatly be flipping back and fourth, probably spending the majority of the hour watching TNA. I think most wrestling fans would be doing the same if they were aware that there was a wrestling event airing on both stations.

 

It should definatly give them alot more exposure.

[RedJed 0]

Thought I would pass along some info from the Observer this week relating to this along with some thoughts/opinions.

 

Impact's last show on FSN could possibly be this next Friday. This weekend is when their contract is done with FSN and if they want it to keep going, they have to renew for 6 months minimum at the same rate they are paying.

 

TNA really doesnt want to do it obviously due to the fact that if they are contracted for 6 months and have to pay for it, it's just killing their overhead costs. They are trying to get an answer from Spike TV ASAP but if time runs out, it seems like they are a virtual lock for a WGN Monday night slot competiting head to head with Raw. In fact if everything goes the way its seeming to be (no renewal with FSN, no answer from Spike and a deal with WGN) there is talk that TNA might be head to head with Raw as soon as next Monday. If they go with Spike, they wouldnt start there til October at the earliest and then in that case, I would bet they might still go with WGN too. They seem very sour on FSN and I dont blame them since they are paying something like $30,000 per week to be on that station.

 

I would assume there has to be some decisions made within the next day or two by TNA on all of this, as to be honest waiting this long to figure this stuff out is pretty bad business but understandable in a sense too since they can't force a desision by Spike TV, who they seem hovering on an answer from to base everything off of.

 

My feelings is that they should just go with the WGN deal if its costing them less per week. WGN can't be any worse than FSN long term in my opinion although I think anyone thinking this is a huge step up for TNA is naive. It would make Mondays back like they used to be and maybe in due time, force a competitive spirit in each company. I would bet it would really force TNA's hand to turn it up a million notches creatively though right away, which is definately a plus and something they need to do anyway. They can continue to wait on Spike in the interim and always take a deal with them in due time if they express interest. If they would be on both Spike and WGN, that certainly would be ok.

 

The only real strong negative about all of this is that ideally, when you would make a switch to another channel, the hope is that 1) the station would advertise such ahead of time and promote you pretty strong leading into it and 2) TNA itself would be given time to promote a move to a new channel as well. The way it is right now its going to be weird if Impact is done on FSN this week, as unless they promote it in this next show, nobody for casual fans are going to know of the major switch. So in that aspect, its almost like the FSN situation has them by the balls.

[Placebo Effect 0]

I really, really hope they get on Spike TV because they won't ever be taken seriously if they're not seen all around the country.

 

Great to see there's upward mobility, though.

 

And by the way, I thought TNA was supposed to be dead 2 years ago, 18 months ago, 14 months ago, 12 months ago, 9 months ago, 6 months ago, 3 months ago, a month ago, last week, and yesterday?

[Astro101 0]

Yea, they were supposed to be dead a lot of times. Every time I read someone saying they're gonna die soon, I just chuckle and don't even give it a second thought any more.

 

Anyway, I'm also rooting for Spike TV obviously. I mean, WGN is fine for me since I get it, but TNA needs a nationwide audience that actually watches the network.

[RedJed 0]

For the interim, I definately want them on WGN though instead of FSN. Even though Impact has been ok lately, the formula of the show (especially the one hour format) sucks and needs to be changed up to add interest to the product. Two hours on Monday nights is perfect. Like I said having the Monday Night Wars back again (although admittedly this is not the same type of "war" than WCW v. WWF was, as TNA has a long ways to go before they will actually be able to compete with WWE being on WGN, if ever) will be great as it forces TNA's hand a little bit more to actually bust their ass creatively to TRY to compete. And then if they do get a deal with Spike TV, they could either have the show on both channels at the same time or else do a completely different show at a different time on Spike.

 

So basically Spike is the long term goal post-October, but they need to do something now and this is the best short term idea idea til then with WGN since there is no way Spike would have them on immediately right now anyway.

[Carnival 0]

I would be a dick move, and they probably legally can't do it, but it would be hilarious if Spike(knowing that WWE is gone soon) put on impact after RAW for the summer until WWE left, then move TNA into the RAW timeslot. Raw as the lead-in for TNA would be great!

[TNABaddboi 0]

Impact's last show on FSN could possibly be this next Friday. This weekend is when their contract is done with FSN and if they want it to keep going, they have to renew for 6 months minimum at the same rate they are paying.

 

TNA really doesnt want to do it obviously due to the fact that if they are contracted for 6 months and have to pay for it, it's just killing their overhead costs. They are trying to get an answer from Spike TV ASAP but if time runs out, it seems like they are a virtual lock for a WGN Monday night slot competiting head to head with Raw. In fact if everything goes the way its seeming to be (no renewal with FSN, no answer from Spike and a deal with WGN) there is talk that TNA might be head to head with Raw as soon as next Monday.

 

Red, is this from this week's edition? I'm trying to make sure I understand that he's saying that this next Impact could be the last edition and they could debut on WGN the following week? I don't see how they can debut next Monday unless they do it live because the taping is scheduled for Tuesday and they only taped 2 episodes last week. Is that addressed anywhere else in the report?

[RedJed 0]

Yeah, its from this weeks issue. He said that there is a chance the Tuesday taping would get cancelled, which then I would assume means moved to next Monday instead - for sure the first show will be live if they do this.

[TNABaddboi 0]

He said that there is a chance the Tuesday taping would get cancelled, which then I would assume means moved to next Monday instead - for sure the first show will be live if they do this.

 

Wow...so they'd be live from Universal on Monday. I kinda assumed they do like the old Raw schedule and tape the show the day after the live show, which would work in this instance. But if they don't make this official soon, they'll have trouble drawing a crowd for the first show, which would be terrible. Remember how empty the place looked for the Best Damned Wrestling Show when no one knew they were taping on a Wednesday? I'd hate to see that happen here. Thanks for posting the info though.

[RedJed 0]

He said that there is a chance the Tuesday taping would get cancelled, which then I would assume means moved to next Monday instead - for sure the first show will be live if they do this.

 

Wow...so they'd be live from Universal on Monday. I kinda assumed they do like the old Raw schedule and tape the show the day after the live show, which would work in this instance. But if they don't make this official soon, they'll have trouble drawing a crowd for the first show, which would be terrible. Remember how empty the place looked for the Best Damned Wrestling Show when no one knew they were taping on a Wednesday? I'd hate to see that happen here. Thanks for posting the info though.

Yea that is the exact plan. One week live and then the next day is taped for the next week, just like Raw was. They would do all shows from Universal, which in hindsight is ok for the time being but will get monotonous in due time, just as it has gotten for Impact.

 

I hear ya about things maybe being weak for a crowd if they do their first show live next Monday, although I would bet the regulars would know. And I would hope TNA has done some mass marketing to their Orlando crowds so they have them on some mailing list or something.

 

Something crazy but if Universal would agree to an outdoor show around the park IF WGN picks them up and this happens next Monday already, that would be cool. Thus people just walking around would check it out, etc.

[TNABaddboi 0]

Something crazy but if Universal would agree to an outdoor show around the park IF WGN picks them up and this happens next Monday already, that would be cool. Thus people just walking around would check it out, etc.

 

An outdoor show would be so cool, and it would be a great way for them to present a different look while still remaining at Universal. I doubt they'd be able to pull it off though.