If TNA wants to beat WWE..

VIBE
VIBE Members Posts: 54,384 ✭✭✭✭✭
What needs to be done?

After watching the Network and Attitude Era RAW, Monday Nitro and The Monday Night Wars, I started thinking about TNA vs WWE..


RAW isn't getting the ratings it once did. Riding high w 2.5 - 4.0 after it finally beat WCW, it's now going between 1.2 - 1.5 from July to Aug and now September is carrying the same numbers so far.

They're still good numbers and they top the charts weekly but they're definitely not as strong as they once were.

TNA is obviously a lot smaller and doesn't have the production WWE does and they're under 1.0 as of late.

But, they're still basically right behind the WWE.

So what changes could be done for TNA to catch up?

Do you think, if pushed in the right direction, they could beat the WWE in ratings and eventually become the new face of wrestling?

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Comments

  • VIBE
    VIBE Members Posts: 54,384 ✭✭✭✭✭
    The wrestling on TNA >> WWE.

    WWE gets lucky w guys like Rollins, Ambrose, Orton etc who usually put on good matches, but the rest of the show ends up falling short.

    The recent releases

    JTG
    Drew McIntyre
    Jinder Mahal
    Aksana
    Curt Hawkins
    Camacho
    Brodus Clay
    Evan Bourne
    Yoshi Tatsu

    Punk left and ADR was fired..

    The Monday Night wars couldn't have been ignited without guys jumping ship. If these guy (not all of them, of course) were to sign with TNA, could that be a spark to the beginning of their success?

    I doubt Punk will ever return to wrestling, but if he were to join TNA, how big would that be?

    Bringing in Tatsu and Bourne for their X-Division would be a nice move.

    Aksana as a Knockout would be nice.

    ADR as a main event guy.

    The rest, eh..


    Other than "stealing talent" from the WWE, does more adult storylines bring in more fans? More blood/? matches?

    Instead of ripping off WWE storylines, such as DB/EY, Evolution/MVP, Lashley, KK..

    (although, wwe did seem to attempt w a response w Kofi, Woods and Big E)

    They gotta come up with their own ideas and storylines to successfully be taken as a separate and competing wrestling company rather than the company who copies the WWE..

    They also have to get rid of the old talent.

    We seen how that affected the WCW, although nWo was big, they had old heads who led the company..

    TNA needs new faces..

    Angle is pretty much done..

    Sting
    Hogan
    Daniels
    Kaz

    are gone

    Bully is going to be gone

    Jeff and Matt are hanging around and aren't what they used to be..

  • silverfoxx
    silverfoxx Guests, Members, Writer, Content Producer Posts: 11,704 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I think TNA should embrace the current generation demographics as possible. WIth that being first doing a partnership with top popular outlets. I know this may sound crazy, but if im TNA front office, im calling Q from Worldstar right now for exposure and storylines to build through a main alley on internet trafficing. Also i would heavily break the "wrasslin" apporach and come off way more "real" by adopting the UFC model for more of a "in times" feel meaning more physical brawl type, and not only winning with finishers, but other moves similar to how it was in ECW.

    I think the main thing i would gamble on is a more "Sports" reality to make it seem more real also. Meaning having Big PPV, Playoffs like Tournement for the championship, and also less PPVs and more internet/ popluar TV formats exposure to enrich and deepened rivalries and realism. The MAIN thing will be a wait for it.........OFFseason. This way when wrestlers get stale or beat up to much, after the big PPV, they can recharge there characters, body, and the writing for the show can be more planned and carefully crafted. And with the offseason, fans will build antcipation for "kickoff" big venue show where ratings and sells will go through the roof based on off season updates, promos of wrestlers getting stronger, and of course off season rivary builds through internet or popular media outlets.


    This way TNA will do what WCW basically did, make wrasslin feel real and mature for the current times, while WWE PG tone and kiddie vibe of attacking bunnies and Hustle, Loaylity,and Respect will seem "passé". Have TNA announcers more ESPN or UFC vibed, no over the top phony ? .


    IDK its a thought lol
  • VIBE
    VIBE Members Posts: 54,384 ✭✭✭✭✭
    idk about an 'off season' that might not be a good look, WWE would capitalize on that..
  • VIBE
    VIBE Members Posts: 54,384 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I like the idea of breaking free from traditional wrestling and taking a more real approach comparable to UFC/ESPN.

    I think the formula is old and broken and does need a face lift.
  • jono
    jono Members Posts: 30,280 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Wrestling isn't as popular as it used to be it's that simple. TNA has done for a long time what most people wanted them to do: catered to the wrestling fan and it doesn't work. That audience is much smaller than it used to be.

    If TNA wants to compete all they got to do is be the opposite of what WWE is. TNA can be realistic but it must be understood that everyone knows wrestling isnt real so it's difficult to make it look like a legitimate "sport". You can, as Steve Austin put it "take the product more seriously" which would help tremendously, but ultimately it doesn't carry the same weight as it use to.

    Wrestling in general, when it was mainstream, followed the social trends of that era. The 90s and early 00s had a lot of stuff on TV that was crazy as ? and was so over the top you had to see it even if you didn't want to. ? like Jerry Springer, Howard Stern etc and WWE copied that formula and in doing so it did a lot of damage to the brand and the business.

    Unfortunately TNA is in the same business, no matter what they change it's still a wrestling company and unless it attracts a higher number of casual fans (which would disgust ? fans because we typically hate what casuals like in wrestling...) they should just change their creative process and do what WWE doesn't.
  • Peezy_Jenkins
    Peezy_Jenkins Guests, Members, Writer, Content Producer Posts: 33,205 ✭✭✭✭✭
    tna ? themselves tryna be wwe lite, if they put more or just as much emphasis on homegrowns and the xdivision as they did former wwe talent, i really think they'd be in a better position
  • DOPEdweebz
    DOPEdweebz Members, Moderators, Writer Posts: 29,364 Regulator
    tna ? themselves tryna be wwe lite, if they put more or just as much emphasis on homegrowns and the xdivision as they did former wwe talent, i really think they'd be in a better position

    Nah its all ? . ? just dickeating WWE plain and simple. Some shows its WCW lite, and ECW lite, and all of the above it don't matter. Half or a majority of WWE fans arent wrestling fans, they're WWE fabs. WwE Network, WWE 2k15 games, and etc.

    Its like a female who wants the designer name cuz of the name, or the guy who wants the Maybach, but forgets how garbage the gas mileage is.
  • DOPEdweebz
    DOPEdweebz Members, Moderators, Writer Posts: 29,364 Regulator
    Btw nothing can be done. Just hope the new gen loves wrestling again, and some new young innovative minds come to power from all different backgrounds. Wish I had a personal connect.
  • Broddie
    Broddie Members Posts: 11,750 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited September 2014
    When will people learn that this is a battle that will never pop off?

    TNA shouldn't be concerned with trying to beat WWE. Ever. Not at this point in their lifetime anyway. When they have tried they have been at their worse and in periods where they just do them and don't try to pay any mind to WWE like in their early days and in the past 2 months they are at their best. The lesson is that TNA should just do them and be the best TNA that they could be. That's what's gonna raise brand awareness and lead to good word of mouth. Not trying to be something that they're not (competition for WWE).
  • RawAce
    RawAce Members Posts: 4,800 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I honestly think wwe has people gassed about what wrestling really is in this country . See, wrestling isn't mainstream in this country . WWE has been. Hulk hogan , the rock , John Cena . That's what the average American thinks when they think wrestling . They think Vince McMahon's WWF/E.

    Wwe is not a wrestling fed. It's an entertainment company . When folks understand that, then they will understand that TNA has never and never will be competition to Vince McMahon's Titan sports product of wwe. TNA is a wrestling fed. They make wrestling for those who like rasslin and their downfall has been trying to copy the entertainment style that wwe patented
  • DOPEdweebz
    DOPEdweebz Members, Moderators, Writer Posts: 29,364 Regulator
    RawAce wrote: »
    I honestly think wwe has people gassed about what wrestling really is in this country . See, wrestling isn't mainstream in this country . WWE has been. Hulk hogan , the rock , John Cena . That's what the average American thinks when they think wrestling . They think Vince McMahon's WWF/E.

    Wwe is not a wrestling fed. It's an entertainment company . When folks understand that, then they will understand that TNA has never and never will be competition to Vince McMahon's Titan sports product of wwe. TNA is a wrestling fed. They make wrestling for those who like rasslin and their downfall has been trying to copy the entertainment style that wwe patented

    Agree with everything but the patent entertainment style. ? been like that since nwa, wwf, awa and etc in the 70s b4 Hogan got mainstream. ? just evolved into what it us today, but the style is basically just added on from previous generation.

    Wrestlemania and Starrcade were born within a year of each other.
  • 5th Letter
    5th Letter Members, Moderators, Writer Posts: 37,068 Regulator
    When they can tour instead of doing shows in the impact zone. Then we can revisit this thread....
  • dalyricalbandit
    dalyricalbandit Members, Moderators Posts: 67,918 Regulator
    TNA will never be able to beat WWE
  • VIBE
    VIBE Members Posts: 54,384 ✭✭✭✭✭
    TNA will never be able to beat WWE

    "WCW will never beat WWF"

    it happened...

    TNA could do it..

    Just simply do what wwe isn't doing.. it will slowly catch on..

    it will b hard tho bc all we've known is wwe for the past 13 years...
  • Peezy_Jenkins
    Peezy_Jenkins Guests, Members, Writer, Content Producer Posts: 33,205 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited September 2014
    5th Letter wrote: »
    When they can tour instead of doing shows in the impact zone. Then we can revisit this thread....

    they did, they just prepared it horribly and now things are worse, ? started off lookin good tho, at least imo
  • dalyricalbandit
    dalyricalbandit Members, Moderators Posts: 67,918 Regulator
    VIBE wrote: »
    TNA will never be able to beat WWE

    "WCW will never beat WWF"

    it happened...

    TNA could do it..

    Just simply do what wwe isn't doing.. it will slowly catch on..

    it will b hard tho bc all we've known is wwe for the past 13 years...

    Knew someone would say that

    u mustve forgot Ted Turner bank >>>>>>>Vince's


    Ted had the funds to pick up all of WWF's top dogs (older heads)

    and had the Eastern south locked.

    Tna aint got long money and doesnt have a region locked up.

    most of the biggest names in TNA are older B list WWE guys.
  • VIBE
    VIBE Members Posts: 54,384 ✭✭✭✭✭
    damn I wasn't factoring in money damn..
  • TonyDubbz
    TonyDubbz Guests, Members, Writer, Content Producer Posts: 19,261 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Not gone happen

  • GorillaWitAttitude
    GorillaWitAttitude Members Posts: 3,566
    TNA needs to focus on TNA. Wrestling isn't hot enough for a war to pop off like that now. So, that will never happen @VIBE‌.
  • Idiopathic Joker
    Idiopathic Joker Members, Moderators Posts: 45,691 Regulator
    TNA has the right motor in their car, but no one knows how to drive it
  • Antlerz
    Antlerz Members Posts: 3,143 ✭✭✭✭✭
    TNA's only focus should be on next year's TV contract because Spike is done with them after this year
  • GorillaWitAttitude
    GorillaWitAttitude Members Posts: 3,566
    TNA needs to realize they will never out WWE the WWE. Just be a wrestling company and that's it. Have MMA guys every now and then, but focus on in ring talent and sensible storylines.
  • 5th Letter
    5th Letter Members, Moderators, Writer Posts: 37,068 Regulator
    5th Letter wrote: »
    When they can tour instead of doing shows in the impact zone. Then we can revisit this thread....

    they did, they just prepared it horribly and now things are worse, ? started off lookin good tho, at least imo

    But weren't they still doing shows in the impact zone?
  • Peezy_Jenkins
    Peezy_Jenkins Guests, Members, Writer, Content Producer Posts: 33,205 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Nah. I think they tried to go back at some point tho
  • DOPEdweebz
    DOPEdweebz Members, Moderators, Writer Posts: 29,364 Regulator
    5th Letter wrote: »
    5th Letter wrote: »
    When they can tour instead of doing shows in the impact zone. Then we can revisit this thread....

    they did, they just prepared it horribly and now things are worse, ? started off lookin good tho, at least imo

    But weren't they still doing shows in the impact zone?

    Do you even watch Impact bro?