Lets buy TNA!

[Jimmy Redman]

TNA is for sale people, this we know. Well, Nicole Kidman wiggled her nose and now YOU are Billy Corgan/Eric Bischoff/Ted Turner/Wealthy American Businessman Jeff Jarrett/Vince McMahon/holding the hat that was passed around the pub, and you have bought the renowned pro wrestling company TNA for yourself.

 

What do you do?

 

What changes would you make? Who would you hire and fire? How would you structure TV/PPV/house shows? What are your goals and ideas for the company? Are you just trying to keep it afloat, or do you think it still has a chance to compete with Vince, or become a stable #2 for years to come, with some new management? Or alternatively, did you just buy it for the lulz to try and come up with the most hilarious and/or spectacular way to kill it off?

 

Hit me with it.

[Omega]

Great thread!

 

So, I'll take it from the point of view that I'm simply a very rich investor type who's met the Carter's valuation and bought it lock stock but don't have another wrestling company or wrestling background to rely on.

 

First thing I do is find out what it's going to cost me to get rid of Hogan, Bischoff, Chavo, Garrett B, Taz and Jeff Hardy based on cutting my loses about those who are on heavy, guaranteed contracts. By choice I keep Angle and Bully Ray but as soon as I can negotiate a more realistic contract with either of them I would do that.

 

I'd bring back Jeff Jarrett, then I'd run an angle where Jarrett resumes "control" of Impact and we rebrand as TNA given that no one calls it Impact Wrestling and regardless of the negatives associated with the name it still has recognition. Jarrett at this point is simply playing an authority figure during the rebrand rather than being an in ring competitor. If Sting is able to be put on a reasonable contract I'd consider at some point swapping Jarrett for Sting and have Sting as the good guy "Jack Tunney" role.

 

With the roster thinned of the 1% I'd bring in any indy talent that the internet is buzzing about, Briscoes, Steen, Colt etc etc (my indy knowledge is lacking so those are just examples). With the new influx of talent I'd be looking to create, on screen, some tension between the remaining guys and the new guys. Again I'd be watching the internets reaction and trying if possible to feel out who is creating waves and who isn't. I'd also allow talent to work other promotions because a) they get paid and b) they create their own buzz without costing my company anything. Same with hirining in big names from foreign promotions without putting them on my books. Bring back the days of seeing Jushin Liger or Muta on WCW.

 

I'd also be taking TNA back to a single location for tapings and try and concentrate on building a decent PPV business. I'd also be trying to see if I could finally work out a way of getting paid revenue from the website in terms of a streaming web-cast, certainly a decent free recap show alongside anything else.

 

My fairly basic outlook for taking TNA forward would be to turn it into the biggest independent promotion out there, the place where indy wrestlers arrive at to show they've reached the peak. I wouldn't be trying to become a huge promotion like the WWE but I'd work on the basis of being the place people recognise as being the where you've got to reach BEFORE getting the WWE nod.I'd be honing my booking team to be aware of the general reaction of the IWC to an angle and not necessarily tailoring it just to that but not allowing a situation to drag on when it was clearly a turn off. I'd certainly allow the product to be slightly edgier than WWE currently is but not really tons more, I'd allow a certain amount of blading and slightly tasty language and T and A but not so much that it would turn off most parents because I generally believe most parents who let their kids watch wrestling are actually prepared for a certain amount of "adult" content.

 

There's probably a bit more to think about but that's the direction I;d be going in.

Edited November 3, 2013 by Omega

[Ciaran The King]

First thing I would do would be to move all Impact taping back to Universal or somewhere suitable and agree a deal where admission would be charged, therefore minus the running cost's a tidy profit would be created. I would also reintroduce the six sided ring.

 

I would then trawl through the TNA roster and dismiss Hogan, Sting, Jeff Hardy, Taz, Mr. Anderson and possibly Bully Ray. Kurt Angle would be kept along with Styles, Roode, Storm, Kazarian, Daniels, Aries and many other mid card talent. Negotiation and deals would be set up with ROH, PWG, AJPW and SHIMMER. Make the product rated 14+ and introduce more adult/serious story lines but nothing to heavy.

 

I'd also bring back Jeff Jarrett in a part owner/COO role and have him instigate feuds with up and comers over a three month period culminating at a PPV to establish them as future/potential headliners. Jeremy Borash would be used more as the VOICE of TNA, I think used more effectively Borash can really establish a feud and explain through serious interviews and backstage scenarios. Bring in JR on commentary with William Regal.

 

I'd also change the PPV format to 6 yearly, I'd have BFG in November and then in December allow things to settle down before the PPV season kicks off in January. I'd use December and January to introduce new/young acts and have them interact with already established stars. I'd use the September PPV as the BFG series and have a 16 man one night tournament to determine the No1 contender before the November PPV.

 

I would try to establish TNA into the top indie/professional company in America at first and then start inter-promotional wars with PWG, ROH and AJPW, NOAH, NJPW.

[Jayfunk]

I would try to establish TNA into the top indie/professional company in America at first

 

TNA are already bigger than an indie company why would you want to step backwards, or also get rid of Bully Ray? He is one best bits. to be honest there is nothing that wrong with the roster even the big names, heck WCW boom occurred because of big name people who left WWF, its not who you have its how you use them.

[terrythunk]

I'm offering £50 if anybody wants to try and beat that offer...

[Ciaran The King]

£50.05

[dsrchris]

I'm only willing to go up to tree fiddy.

[The B-Man]

Ohhhh I will get to this thread, actually looking forward to the write up.

 

I think essentially you are doomed because WWE have the market cornered though.

[HH-Evolution]

Bring in JR on commentary with William Regal.

 

I don't think you'd ever get JR on board...he blogs WWE even POST retirement, he's essentially a WWE lifer in spirit!

[Ciaran The King]

Give him something to get excited about

[Jayfunk]

I would take a look at WWE (like it or not they are the only big player) to see what they do and what they don't do. So WWE is a PG company who focus is on the Sport Entertainment side of things rather than the wrestling (yes they do have good matches but its not there focus i think that is clear).

 

So i would build TNA around the things they don't do, SO I would make them non PG with a greater focus than wrestling. Ditch the over the top story lines back to basics, the roster is fine, the PPV's should be monthly IMHO, take a more old school approach to the product. I would also not try so hard to have the flashy sets that WWE has, do a ECW if you cant do something really well, don't do it and focus on what you can do well.

 

So my TNA would a place where you can take a look at WWE and say we are different and alternitive and rather than a WWE Lite

[Jimmy Redman]

So WWE is a PG company who focus is on the Sport Entertainment side of things rather than the wrestling (yes they do have good matches but its not there focus i think that is clear).

 

I could accept you saying this about WWE, if it was any other year but 2013.

 

I'd argue that WWE have never focused on ring work more than they do now. This is the year of weekly Shield **** matches, Daniel Bryan getting 30 minutes to work the main event of Raw, and very crucial stories being actually told in the ring (Alberto/Dolph double-turn, Bryan's rise to main event level, etc.)

[Jayfunk]

Maybe you have a point, its still not a style that i enjoy so you could at least have a different style , but my main point would be to look at what WWE does at the time and what it doesn't offer and do what it doesn't offer, only then can you be an alternative product, That is the direction they should go IMHO focus on what they can do well and do that well

[Jimmy Redman]

Yeah absolutely, I agree with everything else you said. I just think the tired "WWE isn't the wrestling company" line is a really strange thing to be said in 2013.

[Jayfunk]

Maybe i will apply for head of TNA creative as the job is going lol

[Maxximus]

Maybe you have a point, its still not a style that i enjoy so you could at least have a different style , but my main point would be to look at what WWE does at the time and what it doesn't offer and do what it doesn't offer, only then can you be an alternative product, That is the direction they should go IMHO focus on what they can do well and do that well

 

What wwe does is try to make money and as much of it as possible and that's what they will continue to do until the sun goes supernova. I'm with Jimmy %100. 2013 has been the best year for "workrate" in the wwe in years and years. I, like you and the rest of us, hope this trend continues exponentially.

[Jayfunk]

What wwe does is try to make money and as much of it as possible and that's what they will continue to do until the sun goes supernova. I'm with Jimmy %100. 2013 has been the best year for "workrate" in the wwe in years and years. I, like you and the rest of us, hope this trend continues exponentially.

 

There are different ways of making money, what i meant was the show, WWE does things and it doesn't do other things and there is also a market in the a more adult wrestling product with a more simple story line basis and more focus on the wrestlers as wrestlers. which WWE doesn't do IMHO with demo of 16-35 rather than 5+, if you want to compete you need to have product which is different enough to make people turn away from the other,

[Dead Crow]

Jayfunk is right, though; TNA should absolutely be doing what WWE isn't doing, and it's not like WWE are putting on lots of great wrestling right now (give or take a few matches per week - which sounds a lot but TNA used to have shows full from top to bottom of great matches). Plus, WWE storylines suck a giant penis right now and they haven't built a legit star in forever. TNA needs to take everything that is anti-WWE and run with it.

[Ciaran The King]

TNA needs to take everything that is anti-WWE and run with it.

 

Wasn't that what they originally did?

[Jayfunk]

Yes they did and that is why it turned a small company into a mid size company, then they tried to be WWE and become more and more like WWE Lite and hence people didn't buy it as TNA couldn't do what WWE did well enough and they lost focus on what they could do well.

 

let get this straight TNA hasn't been a failure, they have lasted longer than WCW and ECW and have a decent rating on a decent channel, they have a very good roster, who can have very good matches and angles. BUT its there inability to push on is the issue and that because they want to have same product as WWE and that doesn't work.

[Ciaran The King]

The 04/06 period was brilliant for TNA

[Maxximus]

In what regard? I mean what did you like so much from that period?

[Shaun2J]

He'll explain later.

[Maxximus]

Off to wiki? :lol

[King]

While driving to the shops today and listening to Tonight Tonight by The Smashing Pumpkins little did I know that the DJ would be saying that Billy Corgan is on the cusp of buying TNA Wrestling.