When TNA closes...

[Slickster 0]

Since TNA is circling the drain right now, I think it's time for us to face facts. TNA will, in all likelihood, close by the end of this calendar year. The bad booking and poor business decisions may have done damage, but it will be the economic downturn that finishes them off. This can happen at literally any moment, since Panda Energy controls the company's purse strings and I don't expect them to keep throwing money into the TNA hole when they could put it to better use producing energy.

 

Once the company formally closes and lays off all its staff, I'd expect WWE to purchase the company's assets and video library direct from Panda Energy for $2 million.

 

Here's what I think will happen to the TNA roster:

 

Abyss = becomes monster heel in AAA and Puerto Rico

A.J. Styles = picked up by WWE

Alex Shelley = returns to ROH

Booker T = retires and resumes running his wrestling school

Brother Devon = indies, ultimately retires and becomes popular shoot interview subject a la Raven

Brother Ray = indies, ultimately retires and becomes popular shoot interview subject a la Raven

Brutus Magnus = back to Gladiators

Chris Sabin = returns to ROH

Consequences Creed = picked up by WWE

Cute Kip = indies

Eric Young = sent to FCW

Frankie Kazarian = sent to FCW

Hernandez = returns to ROH

Homicide = returns to ROH

James Storm = picked up by WWE

Jay Lethal = sent to FCW

Kevin Nash = retires

Kiyoshi = back to Japan

Kurt Angle = picked up by WWE

Matt Morgan = picked up by WWE

Rhino = indies before retiring and opening a school

Robert Roode = picked up by WWE

Samoa Joe = returns to ROH

Scott Steiner = indies, becomes the new Iron Sheik

Shark Boy = joins HUSTLE and becomes cult figure in Japan

Sheik Abdul Bashir = joins AAA

Sonjay Dutt = indies

Sting = retires, appears on WWE television to promote WWE's "The Man Called Sting" DVD boxset

 

Angelina Love = signed to WWE

Awesome Kong = becomes monster heel in Mexico

Christy Hemme = retires from wrestling

ODB = signed to FCW, then cut

Madison Rayne = signed to FCW

Raisha Saeed = succeeds in Mexico

Rhaka Khan = succeeds in Mexico

Roxxi = signed to WWE

Sojourner Bolt = signed to FCW

Taylor Wilde = signed to WWE

Velvet Sky = signed to WWE

Daffney = signed to FCW

Sharmell = retires

SoCal Val = indies

Traci Brooks = indies

 

Mick Foley = writes another book, becomes a popular shoot interview guest

David Penzer = indies and guest appearances

Don West = back to HSN

Jeff Jarrett = writes a book about TNA and becomes a popular shoot interview guest

Jacqueline = retires

Jeremy Borash = finds another upstart promotion like NWE in Italy

Jim Cornette = back to indies

Mike Tenay = retires, only for his legacy to be sullied when WWE mocks his commentary for years to come

 

Also, expect WWE to release a mocking retrospective DVD entitled "Final Impact: The TNA Wrestling Story" featuring clips of Cheex, midgets in trash cans, the first Ultimate X match when the belt fell down, and the Turkey Bowl.

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

I don't expect TNA to die anytime soon as long as Panda and Spike keep financing them, but at their current rate someone is going to have to notice they're not a profitable commodity at the moment.

[King Cucaracha 0]

People have been predicting their death for years now, pretty much ever since their first show. If I had a pound for every time somebody's posted "I gave it six months before they fold" on this board...

 

Not to say it won't happen, but many people have been wrong on many ocassions. I guess the mantra is "one of us has got to be right at some point!" TNA = the Jake Roberts of wrestling companies?

[Celtic Guardian 0]

People have been predicting their death for years now, pretty much ever since their first show. If I had a pound for every time somebody's posted "I gave it six months before they fold" on this board...

 

Not to say it won't happen, but many people have been wrong on many ocassions. I guess the mantra is "one of us has got to be right at some point!" TNA = the Jake Roberts of wrestling companies?

 

Since none of us can mind read Dixie Carter's father, there's no way to know whether TNA will survive '09 or not. Assuming the PPV buyrate plunge takes TNA back out of profitability though, Panda Energy execs will no doubt want to reevaluate its status.

[King Cucaracha 0]

I'm not saying it's not possible, or even probable. It's just that previous experience has told me it's not something to hang your hat on.

[dubq 0]

Mike Tenay = retires, only for his legacy to be sullied when WWE mocks his commentary for years to come

 

Tenay has a legacy of what exactly? Horrible commentary that deserves to be mocked?

[Maztinho 0]

Mike Tenay = retires, only for his legacy to be sullied when WWE mocks his commentary for years to come

 

Tenay has a legacy of what exactly? Horrible commentary that deserves to be mocked?

 

Yeah, Tenay doesn't even have the cult following Joey Styles had. At best Mike was a good third guy in the booth to spout off some random fact about someone or something, but he's a tolerable play-by-play guy at best. (Being paired with West makes him seem worse than he is, with a heel color guy Tenay would be okay)

 

[dubq 0]

If there were any year for this company to lose it's funding and fold.. it'd be 2009 that's for sure, given the state of the markets, I mean.

[Slickster 0]

Well, I was referring to Tenay's encyclopedic knowledge of (and contributions to) the business over the past 20 years, which will no doubt be utterly forgotten in favor of TO THE BACK WITH JB!

[bob_barron 0]

Since TNA is circling the drain right now, I think it's time for us to face facts.

 

You need to face facts. TNA is NOT circling the drain, and they just came off a year where they turned a profit, or at least were very close to it.

 

TNA will, in all likelihood, close by the end of this calendar year.

 

No. TNA has been in much worse financial shape then this, there were times when they didn't even have TV or were still doing the weekly unprofitable PPVs and Panda kept bankrolling them. Now they have Panda and Spike.

 

This can happen at literally any moment, since Panda Energy controls the company's purse strings and I don't expect them to keep throwing money into the TNA hole when they could put it to better use producing energy.

 

They just completed a successful tour of Europe, and do decent ratings on Spike. The PPV buys aren't there, but they're in much better shape then they were when they started the monthly PPVs.

[Steviekick 0]

And besides, it really looks like TNA is just a tax shelter for Panda anyway.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

Maybe TNA can just get smart and scale back their PPVs. I don't think they have enough presence to justify doing 12 shows a year. Hell, for a long time, WWF only did four per year.

[The Buzz 0]

I've even thought WWE should scale back to 8, but I've read the stats where they'd lose money from doing so. TNA would be fine with 4-6 ppvs.

[Slickster 0]

I guess I see TNA drawing 1500 people for house shows, 14,000 buys for PPV, and 1.0 ratings for TV and think that's probably not enough income to pay for the TV costs and the high-dollar contracts they currently have.

[bob_barron 0]

I guess I see TNA drawing 1500 people for house shows, 14,000 buys for PPV, and 1.0 ratings for TV and think that's probably not enough income to pay for the TV costs and the high-dollar contracts they currently have.

 

Spike is happy with the TV ratings (which have held steady) and helps foot the bill for a lot of contracts. Panda Energy uses TNA as a tax write-off, and Dixie Carter seems very happy plunging money into them, especially with their recent signs of profitability.

 

TNA is fine.

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

Let's see how Joe Public currently feels in the latest F4WOnline.net poll:

 

Where do you see TNA's state of being right now?

Beginning a steep WCW like fall for all the same reasons

207 45.8%

 

Done, and the key talent knows and is just along for the ride

104 23%

 

Starting to fall a little, but long-term not alarming

63 13.9%

 

Done, just they don't know it yet

45 10%

 

Overall healthy, although they've stumbled recently

24 5.3%

 

Healthy, no problems at all

9 2%

[Obi Chris Kenobi 0]

I don't think they'll be closed by the end of the year, but I do think they'll have an epiphany and realize if people want to watch their current programming, they'll watch WWE. They (WWE) have been doing it longer, and do it better. TNA will change their focus and hopefully stop CONSTANTLY referring to WWE moments and achievments to put over their current talent in TNA.

 

They need to distance themselves from WWE and stop trying to ride their coat tails as its only going to confuse new fans.

[cabbageboy 0]

TNA has problems in terms of pushing too many old guys and not building their own stars up, but is this really something that will bankrupt them? Perhaps in a few years, maybe 2011 or so. And really who is to say that some other rich guy or company won't put money into TNA if Panda drops them. Losing Spike TV would be a much bigger problem. That's what TNA needs to do, keep Spike happy.

[Thanks for the Fish 0]

I don't want TNA to fail, it would be terrible for the business. Jeff Jarrett is the problem, but he's also part owner and Dixie knows nothing about wrestling so Jarrett basically calls all of the shots. Somebody needs to get in Dixie's ear and get her to buy out Jarrett and fire creative and make Paul Heyman an offer he can't refuse.

 

Heyman is the only acquisition that I think would pretty much guatenteed to double the ratings in six months time.

[The Truthiness 0]

I don't want TNA to fail, it would be terrible for the business. Jeff Jarrett is the problem, but he's also part owner and Dixie knows nothing about wrestling so Jarrett basically calls all of the shots. Somebody needs to get in Dixie's ear and get her to buy out Jarrett and fire creative and make Paul Heyman an offer he can't refuse.

 

Heyman is the only acquisition that I think would pretty much guatenteed to double the ratings in six months time.

 

 

No, he won't.

[Thanks for the Fish 0]

I don't want TNA to fail, it would be terrible for the business. Jeff Jarrett is the problem, but he's also part owner and Dixie knows nothing about wrestling so Jarrett basically calls all of the shots. Somebody needs to get in Dixie's ear and get her to buy out Jarrett and fire creative and make Paul Heyman an offer he can't refuse.

 

Heyman is the only acquisition that I think would pretty much guatenteed to double the ratings in six months time.

 

 

No, he won't.

 

Yes, he would.

 

[PILLS! PILLS! PILLS! 0]

I think that he would mold the product into something better, but double the ratings is one hell of a stretch.

[Boner Kawanger 0]

TNA signing Paul Heyman to a giant contract would have about the same effect as when WCW did it with Russo: zero. They've dug out their foxhole. It won't get any bigger, and signing a writer to a wrestling company to double the ratings is a pretty asinine thought.

[The Truthiness 0]

I don't want TNA to fail, it would be terrible for the business. Jeff Jarrett is the problem, but he's also part owner and Dixie knows nothing about wrestling so Jarrett basically calls all of the shots. Somebody needs to get in Dixie's ear and get her to buy out Jarrett and fire creative and make Paul Heyman an offer he can't refuse.

 

Heyman is the only acquisition that I think would pretty much guatenteed to double the ratings in six months time.

 

 

No, he won't.

 

Yes, he would.

 

 

No, he won't. The guy is not a savior of wrestling or anything of the like. He would be just as lost as everybody else and eventually start causing trouble like he always has, which will lead to him being fired. Heyman is not the man to save TNA, Jeff Jarrett is the only man that can do that, but he doesn't really want to, because it's a glorified Vanity company that was built to make him a star.

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

Paul Heyman would not take TNA to 2.2 ratings in 6 months. Not a chance. That will never happen while WWE only draws 3.X.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

It's been ten plus years since Paul Heyman booked a successful wrestling product. Why would anyone think that he could be a savior in 2009? Would he be an improvement? Probably, but I fail to see how that would translate into any sort of short- or long-term success.

[PILLS! PILLS! PILLS! 0]

It's been ten plus years since Paul Heyman booked a successful wrestling product. Why would anyone think that he could be a savior in 2009? Would he be an improvement? Probably, but I fail to see how that would translate into any sort of short- or long-term success.

 

That last time he had full creative control was in OVW three years ago, and it was really entertaining stuff. I would probably watch iMPACT with regularity again. Not sure if others would, though.

 

Out of curiosity, did TNA not turn a profit last year like they did in 2007?

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

No one knows what TNA does financially. Dixie said they turned a bigger profit last year than the year before...but no one really knows what's going on. Although...with all of their international deals and liscencing deals 2008 should have been a better year than 2007... You have to remember...what this company lacks in basic wrestling knowledge...they're somehow really good at the business part.

[Thanks for the Fish 0]

TNA signing Paul Heyman to a giant contract would have about the same effect as when WCW did it with Russo: zero. They've dug out their foxhole. It won't get any bigger, and signing a writer to a wrestling company to double the ratings is a pretty asinine thought.

No it's not. Wrestling is storytelling. Nobody will question the in-ring talent available to TNA, but it's the creative team that sucks - you know the people who script out the shows, the writers.

 

That last time he had full creative control was in OVW three years ago, and it was really entertaining stuff. I would probably watch iMPACT with regularity again. Not sure if others would, though.

Exactly. He made compelling characters of guys who've since flamed out of the wwe. And his critiques of the wwe and TNA for the UK Sun are usually spot on - he still gets it.

[cd213 0]

No one knows what TNA does financially. Dixie said they turned a bigger profit last year than the year before...but no one really knows what's going on. Although...with all of their international deals and liscencing deals 2008 should have been a better year than 2007... You have to remember...what this company lacks in basic wrestling knowledge...they're somehow really good at the business part.

 

That is the key to why Paul Heyman might just be a good fit for TNA. He had a good to great mind for wrestling, specifically for what his audience wanted, but he had a terrible mind for business. If he doesn't have to worry about money, then I think he can do a good job, see above statement about him in OVW.