|
SLAM! Speaks: Readers respond to TNA PPV plans
|
  
|
It's the readers' turn to get on their soapbox and sound off on the latest
SLAM! Speaks debate.
Last week, the SLAM! staff offered their views on the viability of NWA-TNA's
new PPV plan, moving from once-a-week events to a monthly format. Let's take
a look now at what you had to say.
Brad Hudson
I am not a WWE fan or a TNA fan or an APW fan; I am a wrestling fan.
From that perspective TNA had a lot to offer, but came up short every time.
I have seen many of the TNA PPV events and the one thing that always brought
them down was the between-match antics. Wrestling needs storylines and interviews,
it's just part of the business, but when I pay even $10 for a wrestling PPV
I do not want to watch Russo or Rhodes, and I want more than 45 minutes of wrestling
in the show.
Dusty, legend though he may be, is now a has-been and I do not know anyone
who wants to hear his punch-drunk southern drawl any longer. Russo should just
stay
off the screen altogether; it's bad enough that he works behind the scenes.
If I have to hear the battle of half-witted-speech-impediments again I think
I will plotz. "Duthty! Duthty! What thud I do to twy and make it up to
you!". "Wail Rusho you cain staht bah givin thish heah and shome crawdaddy gumbo!" ... It's called diction, look it
up. But I digress.
The talent in TNA is, for the most part, amazing. What TNA needs to learn is
how to pace their shows. The interviews are intended to fill time between matches
so the crew can set up for the next match, as well as to further storylines.
Why is it necessary to have 20 minute conversations? They need to tighten up
the whole show, perhaps try to revolve the show around the matches rather than
interrupting the talking for them. I used to love watching the NWA television
shows in the 70s, it felt like watching boxing only more colourful. Perhaps
TNA should try doing something different than WWE - treat wrestling as a sport
again.
Will moving to monthly PPV help the pacing and cut the useless chatter? Probably
not. Without a good solid weekly show (with exposure) to build heat the PPVs
will flop. I will not pay $10 for 45 minutes of wrestling (out of 2 hours) weekly,
and I will not do it monthly. In my humble opinion they should keep the PPV
weekly and drop the price to $5, or better find a network that will expand their
market without charging the viewer extra. After all, don't they want viewers?
Blair Burch
I have watched 26 of the 27 months of NWA/TNA ppvs. The first eight or so only
one a week because that's all the broadcast on Bell Expressview.
I had no trouble with the 10 bucks a week for a PPV. I stopped buying WWE PPV's
at the same time I started getting all four of these a month. I mean who could
beat 8 hours of quality wrestling for the same price as 2 1/2 hours of Vince's
talk-show?.
Now, the sad reality is the end of TNA in Canada. Who is going to pay 40 bucks
for a PPV with no backstory? I mean, sure we can read the Impact report here,
but that's not the same. Really is Impact even a serious show? How is a one
hour show in an unwatchable timeslot the anchor for this? For us in Canada,
there isn't even the one hour show in a bad timeslot, there's a two hour show
recapping the first year of TNA.
I honestly think this will kill them. It will kill them because it's now pretty
much impossible for their fans to see them. No fans able to watch, no fans will
be willing to spend the big bucks on a lesser production version of Vinnie's
show. For me, it's 25 years of watching wrestling coming to an end because there
is nothing left to watch. WWE/F hasn't been worth watching in years, and WCW,
ECW and TNA are gone. No network shows the Canadian indies anymore even, a couple
years ago I had IWA and Stampede to watch. Wrestling is now officially my video
tape collection and as big as that is, it's a sad, sad day.
Wade Tomlin
The NWA-TNA has made a horrible decision in going to a monthly pay-per-view
format. The weekly pay-per-view kept peoples expectations low (how good can
a card be with only a week to grow), but it also created a unique niche for
the federation.
When are wrestling organizations going to learn that what sells most in pro-wrestling
is freshness; after all would anybody be talking about NWA-TNA if it wasn't
such a unique structure? Probably not.
In a very short period of time this federation will be done.
-- compiled by Jon Waldman
