The Sinking Ship That Is TNA Wrestling- Official Farewell Thread

[KyleEmmott]

The purpose of this thread is to serve as a place where we talk about the numerous mistakes TNA has made over the years and a farewell thread to the next WCW. My goal is to have this thread make it until the end of Impact Wrestling's existence (which in my opinion won't make it through 2014), and here we will hold the funeral for the little company that couldn't.



Let the conversation begin!

[Frank Drebin]

I only watched TNA for a bit, and not during its best times, so I don't know what its best had to offer, but when I enjoy NXT - a supposed minor league - more than TNA, something is very wrong about operations there.

I'm not in the know about everything so correct me if you feel otherwise, but TNA reminds me of WCW at the end. A few people at the top doing whatever they can to line their pockets while they can because the person at the top is clueless. What does Dixie Carter's resume look like? Is she qualified to do what she's doing? Seems totally aloof spending her parents money.

[Lock Jaw]

Oh look, another "we hate TNA" thread.

[taker707]

TNA isn't dying anytime soon. As long as they have Panda Energy paying the bills they will be fine.

[Vastardikai]

TNA isn't dying anytime soon. As long as they have Panda Energy paying the bills, but not the wrestlers, they will be fine.

[Theo Dious]

TNA has proven that they can have a wrestling show with no wrestling.

[KyleEmmott]

I only watched TNA for a bit, and not during its best times, so I don't know what its best had to offer, but when I enjoy NXT - a supposed minor league - more than TNA, something is very wrong about operations there.

I'm not in the know about everything so correct me if you feel otherwise, but TNA reminds me of WCW at the end. A few people at the top doing whatever they can to line their pockets while they can because the person at the top is clueless. What does Dixie Carter's resume look like? Is she qualified to do what she's doing? Seems totally aloof spending her parents money.

She literally has no experience, her parents comapny bought 71% of it. HER PARENTS.

[Heisenberg]

I'd rather have TNA around for longer, too much talent there for me to focus on the poo. WWE doesn't make mistakes I take it?

[Vastardikai]

All the time, Heisenberg. All the time.

Difference being, WWE's mistakes don't make them look bush league overall (such as, say, letting 1/2 of their main event get to the ring completely loaded). And in the grand scheme of things, some of their mistakes only seem like mistakes through the eyes of people who give themselves too much credit as far as their knowledge of the business.

[Heisenberg]

I can't blame the outrage from the reveal of last episode, I just feel for some of the guys there that work their asses off. Plus having another wrestling company around is always good for business

[Vastardikai]

No, having another wrestling company that's competitive with WWE is always good for business. TNA isn't a threat to WWE, and it never really was. Much of that is due to WWE's stranglehold on the business. Much more of it is due to TNA's constantly shooting itself in the foot with horrible decisions at horrible times. As fucked up as Ryback's push was, it's nothing compared to what happened to Samoa Joe. Difference being that TNA needed someone as over as Joe to carry the company at that point, and they pissed it away for what?

[Tom Guycott]

No, having another wrestling company that's competitive with WWE is always good for business. TNA isn't a threat to WWE, and it never really was. Much of that is due to WWE's stranglehold on the business. Much more of it is due to TNA's constantly shooting itself in the foot with horrible decisions at horrible times. As fucked up as Ryback's push was, it's nothing compared to what happened to Samoa Joe. Difference being that TNA needed someone as over as Joe to carry the company at that point, and they pissed it away for what?

Multiply this by however many other names you can fit into where you mentioned Samoa Joe... like when MCMG were the most over tag team in the company and were rewarded by being put on tv 3 times in 2 months (only 1 was a match). Or when Elij... Pope was getting face pops in spite of being a heel, you'd think with their track record of turning people for no reason, they'd just transition him into a face and ride a merch train into Profitville with studded sunglasses and t-shirts... but no, instead, let's keep him off tv, except to lose, involve him a feud with D-Von that goes nowhere, and then have him completely fuck off. Knockouts Division doing spectacular? Let's dismantle the division completely... how dare women get over! And let's not forget about the curse of anyone who has been called "The Future of Our Company". Where are all those guys now?

[Vastardikai]

Stuff like that makes you wonder if TNA is actually trying to make money and isn't just being used as a glorified tax write off for Panda Energy.

I will say this: The best thing TNA ever did was actually go with my joke and give us Real Estate Steve.

[Nark Order]

Why does this forum have such a fetish for shitting on TNA? Its getting kind of odd at this point. Feel like some of you are probably jacking off whilst criticizing it.

[Shisen Kopf]

I think the time has come for OCW to take over and become the number 2 promotion in all of rassledom. Number 2.

[whiteyford]

They aren't going anywhere, aside from the Panda Energy funding they do actually draw steady ratings week in week out that are decent enough for Spike.

[Juan]

I think the time has come for OCW to take over and become the number 2 promotion in all of rassledom. Number 2.

How do you not have your own Comedy Central TV show yet?

[Anybody Thrilla]

This is a clown thread, bro.

I also like how so many anti-TNA people start off their rants by saying that they haven't watched TNA in a while.

[Anybody Thrilla]

I dunno if anyone saw AJ Styles and Austin Aries from the previous Impact, but that was a damn fine match.

[whiteyford]

I've never really seen a terrible match but it's everything else that puts me off watching on a regular basis.

[Supreme Olajuwon]

All the time, Heisenberg. All the time.

Difference being, WWE's mistakes don't make them look bush league overall (such as, say, letting 1/2 of their main event get to the ring completely loaded).

Summerslam 92, yo.

[Chavo Classic]

This thread is a little premature. Some of the matches in TNA are still damn good, and there's a very loyal, albeit small, fanbase that will ensure it keeps going for a while.

[Frank Drebin]

This is a clown thread, bro.

I also like how so many anti-TNA people start off their rants by saying that they haven't watched TNA in a while.

Just stating my current viewing habits so that if anyone wants to chime in with their opinions my perspective is seen in its proper context. I don't say much in these TNA threads but felt compelled to in the hopes that the discussion might focus on their business model and operations rather than the actual wrestling matches we see on tv. That's where the issues are.

Not anti TNA. I want to see them succeed.

[whiteyford]

and there's a very loyal, albeit small, fanbase that will ensure it keeps going for a while.

Exactly, the ratings rarely drop below 1.3 or something regardless of when it's shown.

[Razzamajazz]

is it 2010 again?

[whiteyford]

It never left it.

[whiteyford]

Gonna get a Montreal thread soon.

[James Steele]

Everyone says give TNA the benefit of the doubt, but why should we when the past 11 years have been consistently underwhelming. TNA has always had great matches, but that alone doesn't make a great 'rasslin show. Hell, WWE probably has never had more consistently good matches from top to bottom on each show and they aren't drawing insane numbers. There are very few characters in TNA I actually care about enough to go out of my way to watch each week. I'm interested in AJ Styles direction, but I've seen for 10 years how they yo-yo him and fuck him around in the company. Same thing with whenever TNA hypes up something and we all assume it will be a LOLTNA moment because for basically the entire history of the company they have yet to actually deliver on a hyped up moment. TNA is probably as good as it has ever been, but they are going to have to bust their ass and maintain it in order to gain back all the fans they've made roll their eyes in the past 10 years. FFS, it is ok to bitch about Triple H beating Booker T at WrestleMania XIX but we can't hold TNA's numerous fuckups against them?

[Hanso Amore]

Why does this forum have such a fetish for shitting on TNA? Its getting kind of odd at this point. Feel like some of you are probably jacking off whilst criticizing it.

I don't think it's a fetish to call a horrible promotion horrible.

I watch all the time and think its horrible. That's not amfetish to knock it. When the only alternative national source is hot trash that is booked like garbage and overshawdowed by wwe developmental, these threads are fair.

[Hanso Amore]

I dunno if anyone saw AJ Styles and Austin Aries from the previous Impact, but that was a damn fine match.

Their problem has never been match quality. It's literally everything else. Music, announcing, promos, booking, characters, etc.

[James Steele]

TNA isn't dying anytime soon. As long as they have Panda Energy paying the bills they will be fine.

Just like WCW was fine until Ted Turner & Co. quit paying the bills? Panda Energy is no AOL Time Warner.

[Innovator]

Unless Spike drastically changes their philosophy, TNA will be around through 2014, or whenever their TV contract expires.

[Innovator]

What baffles me is that Dixie used to run a PR firm. Did she not expect backlash when they didn't renew the contract of a pregnant knockout, fired a guy who broke his neck for their company in a match with a reckless fuck, and then not helping out with said reckless fuck's hospital bills?

[James Steele]

They should just loop your avatar for the 2 hours of IMPACT WRESTLING and it'd get roughly the same ratings if not more.

[James Steele]

TNA made Mick Foley their World Heavyweight Champion in 2009.

[James Steele]

Side note: The only memoir written by Mick Foley to NOT be #1 on the NY Times Best Seller List was "Countdown to Lockdown" that was written while he was in TNA.

[Hanso Amore]

TNA made Mick Foley their World Heavyweight Champion in 2009.

This.

They have several good segments a show, maybe. Just like wcw still had good things with the cruisers and Jericho. But they hot shot the title, there is not true long term booking, they bring in every ex wwe guy and trump them up. They brought in the fucking NASTY boys.

Nuff said

[Nark Order]

I don't think it's a fetish to call a horrible promotion horrible.

I watch all the time and think its horrible. That's not amfetish to knock it. When the only alternative national source is hot trash that is booked like garbage and overshawdowed by wwe developmental, these threads are fair.

To be fair, you are a pretty miserable guy that doesn't seem to like much of anything lately.

[James Steele]

Well, you sure aren't helping breed any positivity.

[CWK]

Obviously the company bringing in a lot of old wrestlers between 2008 and 2010 really hurt the company. That goes without saying really.

I think one HUGE mistake the company made was not capitalizing on Samoa Joe in 2006. This would have been before Angle came to the company. Joe was becoming very popular, he was having awesome matches, he was good on the mic, the crowd was chanting "Joe's gonna kill you" every week and he was the champion. Once the brought Kurt Angle in, they put the focus almost entirely on him in every way and Joe's popularity began to fade. Joe was young enough where he had a long career ahead of him and I think TNA dropped the ball huge on not making him into a bona-fide main event mega star. That's really been the failure of the company this entire time is that they haven't really ever had that mega star leading the pack, like The Rock or Stone Cold or John Cena have in WWE where you looked at their roster and you see guys like Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, etc who are big stars on the roster but when you see someone like John Cena you automatically put him in a higher classification of talent much like you would have done with Hogan in WWE in the 80's. yeah they had Jake the Snake, Roddy Piper and all of that but Hogan was clearly the biggest star.

TNA could have had that with Samoa Joe.

[Kane Knight]

Oh look, another "TNA is dying" thread.

[James Steele]

Oh look, another insanely witty and humorous post from Kane Knight.

[James Steele]

TNA will never have that "bona-fide main event mega star". The Rock could show up tomorrow and they still wouldn't come close to SmackDown!'s numbers.

[Innovator]

The only guy who has come into TNA and actually brought a boom in business was Angle. Then they did this:

http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/9HZwpG1igRQ/hqdefault.jpg

[James Steele]

Is that Don West's alcoholic truck driver brother on the bottom right corner?

[Hanso Amore]

To be fair, you are a pretty miserable guy that doesn't seem to like much of anything lately.

Apparently you've missed my posts about the actual good stuff. I think Daniel Bryan and the wwe has been amazing lately. Antonio cesaro is the best in ring performer alive today. Your podcast and tna suck.


These are all facts.

[Curd]

She literally has no experience, her parents comapny bought 71% of it. HER PARENTS.

Yeah, that's a very good point. WCW went under despite Time Warner Cable's funding, and being underprioritized by AOL-TWC after their 1998 merger sealed WCW's fate.

So while Panda Energy might see TNA as a business priority, Spike's prioritization of MMA and pretty much everything else over TNA creates a similar scenario.

[loopydate]

I've been watching every week so I can keep up with TLP, so I guess that qualifies me to speak (based on the rules established earlier in this thread)

TNA's matches are generally quite good (unless they involve Hernandez, Jay Bradley, or a couple others I can't think of right now), but the storytelling is all over the place. Can't figure out how to move the title off your mega-heel champion? Bring back your five-year-old stable that was itself a knockoff of a ten-year-old stable. Hey, while were at it, why not have that SAME stable whose original purpose was to maintain the status quo by keeping old main eventers in the main event help out the new guy who-- wait, what?

There is a masked wrestler who cuts promos without his mask. We learned his real name, so he changed his gimmick name the next week. Don't worry, though. He's still in the EXACT SAME GET-UP he was before we learned who he was.

Chris Sabin is the biggest feel-good story in wrestling right now. So naturally they grind his momentum to a halt for... a Hogan/Aries feud? Nope. Aries is still a face. The Suicide reveal? Nope, he's got his mask back on. And... um... oh, wait he won the title! He's the focus of the--MEM/A&8 feud... that... um...

DOC breaking out from A&8 is going to be the story that-- he got released.

All that said, I enjoy the Knockouts (although Gail feuding with another referee doesn't thrill me), the Joseph Park/Eric Young "I'm basically a scientist" stuff has a lot of potential, and the main event matches all tend to be very good.

There's a lot to enjoy, but TNA is horribly run, and every time they start to improve, they just find a new way to shoot themselves in the foot.

[Vastardikai]

Summerslam 92, yo.

Oh yeah. That said, did you KNOW Bulldog was loaded going in?

[Supreme Olajuwon]

I KNOW ALL

[Wake Up Call]

TNA is sinking? Weird, seeing as how they just signed a new TV deal with another country. I said it in the other "TNA is Dying" thread, the hate you people have for this company is retarded. Without it, many wrestlers are out of work.

Give your head a shake

[Hanso Amore]

TNA is sinking? Weird, seeing as how they just signed a new TV deal with another country. I said it in the other "TNA is Dying" thread, the hate you people have for this company is retarded. Without it, many wrestlers are out of work.

Give your head a shake

Omg, will someone please think of the wrestlers jobs?

You obviously missed the point of this thread, or are a complete fucking retard.

[Curd]

TNA is sinking? Weird, seeing as how they just signed a new TV deal with another country. I said it in the other "TNA is Dying" thread, the hate you people have for this company is retarded. Without it, many wrestlers are out of work.

Give your head a shake

I did but felt a little dizzy, so then I gave my D*CK a bunch of shakes and felt very good! :)

[Wake Up Call]

Omg, will someone please think of the wrestlers jobs?

You obviously missed the point of this thread, or are a complete fucking retard.

You mad?

[Nark Order]

Apparently you've missed my posts about the actual good stuff. I think Daniel Bryan and the wwe has been amazing lately. Antonio cesaro is the best in ring performer alive today. Your podcast and tna suck.


These are all facts.

Yes. Matt hardy was a black hole of charisma and Antonio Cesaro is the second coming of Jake the Snake. Good eye.

[Hanso Amore]

Yes. Matt hardy was a black hole of charisma and Antonio Cesaro is the second coming of Jake the Snake. Good eye.

Now who is going to the extremes?

I've never said that. Hardy is a solid mid carder. Just because you want to retcon him into Steve Austin 2.0 and I see him for what he was doesn't mean I ink he's horrible.

In fact I think his best work was with MVP.

[Razzamajazz]

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[Lux]

is there actual proof to this sinking ship or are you creating a stupid farce.

[Hanso Amore]

is there actual proof to this sinking ship or are you creating a stupid farce.

Since they arent public, you have to take things at face value.

Dropping ratings and buy rates, less Live PPVs, roster cuts and guys not getting paid. Pretty bad looks IMHO. Sure they have a major investor, but no one can run on bad times forever.

[Nervous Ferret]

TNA is sinking? Weird, seeing as how they just signed a new TV deal with another country. I said it in the other "TNA is Dying" thread, the hate you people have for this company is retarded. Without it, many wrestlers are out of work.

Give your head a shake

You mad?
Yes my first ever wake up call posts

7AM tomorrow pls dude

[KyleEmmott]

Since they arent public, you have to take things at face value.

Dropping ratings and buy rates, less Live PPVs, roster cuts and guys not getting paid. Pretty bad looks IMHO. Sure they have a major investor, but no one can run on bad times forever.

[KyleEmmott]

I just think it says something about the state of your company when Spike is encouraging you to promote another show! They are seriously trying capitalize on other fighting company's fighters... King Mo, Rampage Jackson & Tito Ortiz, I find it pathetic and I'm sure a true hardcore TNA fan would feel offended by the fact they are bringing in these guys.

[Lux]

Since they arent public, you have to take things at face value.

Dropping ratings and buy rates, less Live PPVs, roster cuts and guys not getting paid. Pretty bad looks IMHO. Sure they have a major investor, but no one can run on bad times forever.

I refuse to take such a deliberately horrible program at that face value than.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I'm not going to jump on the "TNA is dying" bandwagon. It's been dying in people's eyes for 11 years. I'll believe it is dead when it is dead. I don't really want to watch them though. I enjoy a lot of the matches, and that's mainly what I watch wrestling before, but it seems to lack something. I get what they are trying to do with the booking, believe me I do, but it just doesn't draw me in. I'd rather a reset on all the storylines and just do Joe vs. Styles vs. Daniels at the next PPV to crown a new champion.