I heard a TNA ad using Real American as the background music. How can they do that?

[Damndirty]

Nothing major, maybe, but isn't that song WWE property? I remember a time when I heard Marc Mero in WWF and the Renegade in WCW using the same theme, and I think heard WCW was using Mr. Perfect's theme with Shawn Stasiak also. Is this a sign that WWE may be nurturing TNA just a little, or are there some aspects the companies just shrug on because it's not worth fighting over?

[BizarroKing]

...Do we have proof?

[Lock Jaw]

Are you sure it wasn't "American Made"?

[Keith]

Are you sure it wasn't "American Males"?

[Ultra Mantis]

TNA will have paid for the license to use it in advertising, so WWE will actually be making money off it while retaining ownership of the song.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Can we have a video?

[#BROKEN Hasney]

From Googling around, it looks like Rick Derringer still owns the rights to the song.

I'm assuming there's some deal where only WWE can use it at a wrestling event though, otherwise WCW and TNA probably would have licensed it.

[Keith]

President Barack Obama used it at last year's White House Correspondents' Dinner

[Xero]

It was likely American Made, otherwise TNA would have used Real American for Hogan's theme.

[CSL]

yah, the song was made specifically for the WWF in the same vein as Saliva doing Batista's, Disturbed for Austin etc so it surely would have been American Made

[BollywoodSingh]

But even if it was "American Made", doesn't WWE still own the rights to that as well since it's a WCW theme?

[CSL]

pretty sure Hogan himself or maybe Jimmy Hart "own" American Made, it was on Hogan's Boot Band album schtick/wasn't released through WCW

[FourFifty]

Pretty sure WWE doesn't own the rights to Real American. A few weeks ago Hogan was a guest voice on American Dad, and near the end they were playing Real American. Why would a show on Fox use a TNA wrestler & be able to use a WWE theme? Pretty sure it's because WWE doesn't own exclusive rights to it.

[CSL]

American Dad, that classic pro wrestling show that WWE would see as some variety of competition

[#BROKEN Hasney]

Also comedy usually gets an easy ride with that stuff.

[Cool King]

I remember a time when I heard Marc Mero in WWF and the Renegade in WCW using the same theme, and I think heard WCW was using Mr. Perfect's theme with Shawn Stasiak also.

You're right about those.

The theme that was used for Marc Mero and The Renegade was a production theme called "Rough Rock". Production themes were used quite a lot by the WWF and WCW. The WWE still do use them to this day.

As for Stasiak and Mr. Perfect, the theme used for Stasiak was Jimmy Hart's remake of Mr. Perfect's theme.

[Kalyx triaD]

Still no media proof? Whatever.

[FourFifty]

American Dad, that classic pro wrestling show that WWE would see as some variety of competition

Using Hulk Hogan's WWE theme in a scene dedicated to someone on the TNA roster... pretty sure the point of the whole thing is music rights, not what counts as competition.

[CSL]

you think American Dad and the majority of it's audience gives a fuck what Hogan's current theme is? or do you think they'd like to use his "most recognizable" theme/the theme most casual fans remember him using?

[Damndirty]

Still no media proof? Whatever.

Here you go! Listen to the background. It is Real American.
http://www.diva-dirt.com/2012/05/25/in-video-brooke-hogan-channels-father-in-promo-for-tna-debut/

[CSL]

well colour me stumped, no idea what the situation is then

[Damndirty]

Yeah, fucked me up when I heard it. I don't know what's going on with it, but it's most likely what Hasney said, and Derringer uses it whenever and wherever he chooses.

[Emperor Smeat]

Doesn't Hogan own the entire trademark and stuff associated with his Hulkamaina character which should include the song itself from Jimmy Hart's partial ownership?

I know he later sold a share of the rights to Bischoff which is probably how TNA got legal access to the song.

[Kalyx triaD]

Oh wow.

Perhaps it was produced before Hogan?

[Seth82]

Oh wow.

Perhaps it was produced before Hogan?

The US Express used it prior to Hulk

Barry Windham and Mike Rotundo

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[Damndirty]

I have the first WWE music album, and it was for US Express. Hulk had a completely different theme.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

This must stem from the lawsuit maybe?

[Damndirty]

Very likely.

[CSL]

this is probably what TNA got in return for allowing Flair to do the HOF http://www.tpww.net/forums/images/icons/icon10.gif

[CSL]

sad part is I'm like 70% serious

[Damndirty]

I think there is some form of nurturing going on, considering how often TNA refers to WWE-signed talent on air, and WWE doesn't seem to have a problem with it.

[Ultra Mantis]

They don't have a problem with it because it doesn't make any difference to them what TNA are doing / it's free promotion / reacting to it would give TNA desperately needed exposure. No "nurturing" there.

[Damndirty]

I disagree, I think that keeping life in TNA is in WWE's interest for reason that to one day have another real rivalry of federations. Figures show this generated more fans for the whole of the wrestling genre than one solo company. If WWE didn't want competition, they could've easily nipped TNA's bud before it grew.

[Xero]

TNA will never be true competition.

[Keith]

^^^^
Ditto. Never in life.

[Damndirty]

Maybe not, but one way or another, they are relying too much on WWE, such as WWE's ex-talent, parodies of WWE storylines and characters, and reference to WWE. Kiss the ass of the other company as if already surrendering and what the fuck did they expect to happen? They should've been doing things their way instead of doing what all the old (and dead in most cases) companies. Hiring Russo, like both WCW and WWE did, and knowing he's a federation-killer, was the most ignorant thing they've ever done among others close to it.

[Xero]

Hogan and Bischoff coming in are bigger problems than Russo ever was. Russo may have booked shit, but Bischoff is who put WCW in the red.

[Damndirty]

I agree with that, hiring Bischoff wasn't exactly a wise move either. Hogan's kinda under question right now, so I can't really say too much about him other than trying to go all NWO with the Immortal shit was kinda lame.

[Ultra Mantis]

I disagree, I think that keeping life in TNA is in WWE's interest for reason that to one day have another real rivalry of federations. Figures show this generated more fans for the whole of the wrestling genre than one solo company. If WWE didn't want competition, they could've easily nipped TNA's bud before it grew.

WWE doesn't have competition. TNA have never looked like a threat to their fanbase so why would they care if TNA are obsessed with reminding their viewers that bigger stars work for the other company every chance they get? What is their to nip in the bud exactly? They're not helping TNA, they're not trying to destroy TNA, they could not care less about TNA.

[Damndirty]

TNA is growing, and people will go on about how it will never succeed, but alot of companies have sprouted from nothing-status, including WWE. All TNA has to do is get rid of the crappy management, use motivated writers with creative optimism, start editing and rehearsing more often, and do this while WWE is exposing its achilles heel in the bad writing and repetitiveness, and if they care less about TNA, then you may as well add that too.

[Xero]

So basically, you need them to not be TNA to succeed.

[Damndirty]

They haven't topped WWE's viewership numbers, and until they do, all their shows are considered failures, so yes. Their goal must be to be the #1 wrestling company in the world, not just a place for the exiles to have a job. They have a real opportunity with Robert Roode, and if they ignore the attention he's getting, then they deserve to be buried and prove that they really are just an island of castaways.

[Xero]

Their goal should NOT be to be the #1 wrestling company in the world, because if that's what they set out to do, they're going to come off like a second-rate WWE, with or without the "cast-offs".

What they SHOULD do is carve out their niche and go from there. Honestly, they're really already doing this with the Ring Ka King stuff, and I've heard rumors that there are plans to expand beyond that and sort of have local promotions in different countries. It's kind of flying under the radar, but if they can legitimately branch out world wide over the next five to ten years, they could be a VERY successful company and MAYBE have a chance to be a legit contender to WWE. But attacking WWE head on and trying to be better than them isn't the way to go at this point, because that has been their plan for the past seven-plus years (from about when Angle came in) and it's not expanding their fanbase.

[Damndirty]

Well, of course being #1 isn't gonna happen over night. I think it should be their goal, but not be impatient doing it, and not do it the way WWE has done. WWE used to, and still does in many ways, use the ideas used by other promotions, but do them better. They shouldn't hold themselves in the highest regard without anything to back it up, and right now, they haven't really much to do so. I want to see them succeed, truthfully. Maybe experimenting with going live will be pivotal to the right direction, or maybe not. They may actually prefer to stay as a place of castaways, but it wouldn't be wise to limit themselves like that.