Does WWE View TNA As Competition?

[jmillhimes]

-- One source within WWE feels that the company does respectfully consider TNA as competition, although doesn‘t really entertain the idea that they will ever be a serious threat. One member of upper <NOBR>management</NOBR> tells people that even if TNA did increase in popularity, Vince would never take them as serious as he did WCW during the 90’s unless they did something to deliberately hurt his business.

-- In a somewhat related note: On this day in 1998, WWF RAW drew a 4.3 rating with WCW Nitro following closely behind at a 4.0 rating, for a total of over 9,160,000 people watching professional wrestling between the two. RAW was headlined by Austin & Undertaker vs. Mankind & Kane in a Hell In The Cell match, while Nitro was headlined by Randy Savage vs. Diamond Dallas Page in a steel cage.

Well, I dont think TNA has the proper management in place to really make an impact. As for this day in 1998....I remember that match..LOL. Where Taker came out from under the ring and Destroyed Paul Bearer while Kane and Mankind where locked outside

[BunnyHardaway]

Re: Does WWE View TNA As Competition?

I'd say no. TNA is doing the same thing that WCW did to ruin themselves, i.e. not pushing new talent and recycling old, old talent (Angle, Booker T, Sting, Nash, etc.). They're not going to get anywhere doing that.

[Man O'War]

Re: Does WWE View TNA As Competition?

^True, but I enjoy TNA more than the WWE though.

[goh]

Re: Does WWE View TNA As Competition?

No. I believe I read the ages in TNA's last PPV main event added up to 297. 137 for tonights 4 way. TNA is WCW at the moment,2000 WCW,not the good one. WCW didn't start to turn it around untill near the end,TNA started well then fell into the same thing,they need to change again before they're competition.

[raidersbball20]

Re: Does WWE View TNA As Competition?

mcmahon will never let their be competition so no

[goh]

Re: Does WWE View TNA As Competition?

well since you said that my friend then where are all of the titles/championships at?

Great way to look at it...

TNA World: Mick Foley,44 (though you'd think he's 64 after all the injuries and inccured damage)
WWE: Randy Orton,29
WWE World: CM Punk,30

TNA X: On a videogame character
US: Kofi Kingston,28
IC: Jericho,38

TNA Tag: 3D,73 combined
WWE: Carlito & Primo,56 combined

TNA Womens: Angelina,27
Diva: Maryse,26
Womens: Melina? 30

The Legends title doesn't count for anything.

[goh]

Re: Does WWE View TNA As Competition?

As long as TNA keeps shooting themselves in the foot like they massively did tonight the age thing/we've seen this before isn't even going to matter. There used to be this joke that Vinny Mac sent Russo to WCW to make sure they'd fail. He's still on the payroll.

[Whitesox]

Re: Does WWE View TNA As Competition?

If (and that is a big if) the WWE does view them as competition, it is only because TNA has taken some WWE talent.

[PantherBeast_OS]

Re: Does WWE View TNA As Competition?

For now no. Because as you can see TNA crowds in the arena is as big as the crowds WCW had back in the 80's I loved WCW very much. But TNA is never going to be big WCW every was. TNA is running off of WCW left overs from8 years ago. Like sting Nash Scott stenier. And also working with some of WWE rejects like Kurt angle, Dudly boys and so on. TNA is a decent Wrestling show with a small market TV audience. But I am telling you Vince needs to get his writers going again and make WWe fun again to watch. The shows that are now on mondays and fridays are getting old and recycled storylines. But far as TNA out doing WWE. No it will not happen no time soon are never.

[CWood2]

Re: Does WWE View TNA As Competition?

Sadly, not a chance.

Inept booking, bad front office, Don West, and great wrestlers working far, far from their strengthes. They've got a roster filled with fantastic workers, and can't boast of a single superstar that they've put on the map beyond AJ from their early years. Compare that to the young stars that the WWE have pushed in the last 12 months (Orton, Kofi, Rhodes, DiBiase, Kidd, Smith, Miz, Morrison, Swagger, Bourne, Punk ...) and the failure in creative direction is even more glaring. Why would people want to watch Shark Boy bite Eric Young in the *** if they could watch Alex Shelley chain wrestle Doug Williams?? Or why would they want to watch ODB drink beer and get fatter if they could see Orton develop into maybe the greatest heel of this generation with compelling storylines??

The only thing that has interested me in TNA in the last few years were the Tanahashi / AJ matches and how they've pushed the Guns as a young, exciting team. Most everything else, highlighted by the railroading of Samoa Joe, is a massive and complete failure in this wrestling fan's eyes. Just my opinion ... and I've been tuned out for a while, so let me know if it's gotten better.

[goh]

Re: Does WWE View TNA As Competition?

No it got worse.

X Division
They put on a fantastic match...only to have the title stay on a videogame character.

Tag division.
They killed the British teams momentum then had them screw 3D out of the titles because...no reason given and it makes no sense because the Brits already lost to Beer Money and apprently weren't intent on cashing in their cases for some reason.

Main event stuff.
They had Joe try to kill the MEM for weeks and weeks untill the PPV where he screwed over AJ during KOTM and handed the belt to Angle (who he earlier attacked just before the match getting himself DQed in a match with no DQ so Angle would be able to hang the belt) because...well they didn't give a reason here either and I can't even think of anything that would even possibly make sense here. AJ still has that oh-so-valuable "Legends" title though. They also had Sting vs. Matt Morgan for some reason.

The only thing worth a damn is Raven & Stevie/Abyss feud.

[Scorpion117]

Re: Does WWE View TNA As Competition?

Not every Former WWE star is a "reject" or whatever else people want to call them. Kurt Angle and Victoria can still go with the best of them. And those are two cases where they asked to be released or simply didn't resign.

They do have a habit of just signing anyone with name value which hasn't done much of anything for them. Or they have guys appear for one time appearances like Lashley, Luger, Savage and whoever else. The problem is they haven't bothered building any new stars in a long while.

I read a discussion a few weeks ago that people feel that the reason guys like Foley, Sting, Angle keep getting the World Title is for TNA to one day say things like "The great so and so held this title". Which makes perfect sense in the long run of it all. But today it just looks bad.

As far as this thread goes. No WWE should not consider TNA Competition. I'm sure their staff pays attention or checks things out on occasion but they shouldn't be viewed as a threat. The company has grown but it's not really doing anything that special that has caught the fans' attention to make them a threat.

Thats not to say that they one day can't become a threat. WCW managed to flip the script and no one saw them reaching the level of success they were able to achieve. Nearly taking the WWF out of business. Now I realize its a completely different case but I'm just proving the point that TNA could change things up. How? Well I have no idea.