That's because in 2003 they were in dire financial straits. They would have been gone if not for the Carters money and that's been the case throughout their existence. It's a company that has never really drawn any money and for me, has always lacked an identity.

yet in 2003 it was obvious fans still wanted an alternative big company. tna could attract investers, smarks just WANTED it to fail.

Ratings for this week:

ROH
20:00 - 172,000 (161,000)
23:00 - 100,000 (138,000)
Total - 272,000 (299,000)

TNA:
21:00 - 347,000 (330,000)
00:00 - 102,000 (74,000)
Total - 449,000 (404,000)

What is this assertion based on?

And they didn't so much attract investors as much as they lucked into Dixie asking mummy and daddy to make her into a wrestling star.

Everybody involved has realised that a sufficient US market for non-WWE wrestling, of the size TNA once aspired to be, simply doesn't exist.

So TNA was an exercise in futility rather than a story of successive failures. I really find it disheartening that the final defence of TNA is basically that they had no agency in the first place.

I really don't buy this. And if it is true, that is partly down to TNA.

They just had to try a bit harder. They had to carve their own identity and they didn't. In fact, they BLEEPED all over their identity and unique-ness to turn TNA into a watered down WWE.

They spent years mocking WWE for the divas and how WWE presented womens wrestling they went on about how they are not divas but wrestlers and all WWE was about was flashing their boobs.

And they did have a much better womens division in fact a lot of weeks it was the highest rated bit.

Then one day they started doing exactly the same thing.

They were dead in the waters after 3 months with the weekly ppv experiment, then Dixie Carter and Panda stepped in.

Let's face it, the brand is dead.
You can do an indy show with Jeff Hardy and you'd draw more than 1000 people.
You announce TNA is coming and you're lucky to do 300 fans (not in the UK, but you get my drift).
The brand TNA is so toxic for wrestling fans that they could probably even get John Cena and it would still fail. They'd need to totally rebrand the company and start from scratch, get rid of Dixie Carter and all the people who brought them into this mess in the first place and start over to MAYBE have a shot.

Isn't this a touch contradictory? Fans wanted a big alternative company but they also wanted it to fail? And if it was obvious fans wanted an alternative why did they not embrace TNA?


I disagree with this. I think certainly in its current form TNA is never going to be that company but I don't think that's the same as there being no space for that company.


The brand is toxic right now but a breakout angle or breakthrough star and that changes. I would suggest that the problem is that TNA no longer really seems to be chasing that particular dragon. Wrestling fans are surprisingly forgiving when you serve up something that works they'll forgive a multitude of sins past and present.

I don't think TNA's failure is because of lack of effort, it's down to lack of intelligence.

I think they kept trying the wrong thing to be honest. I don't doubt the have tried, they've just for a long time IMO focused on the exact opposite of what they should have been doing.

I honestly think that the brand is beyond saving. They have over ten years of majority poor programming, a lack of identity and historical moments and the vast majority of their biggest stars are remembered much better for their work elsewhere. Fans have been forgiving of WWE (to an extent but with qualifications) because they have had a long term memory of identifying with the company and being part of 'glory days' that they hope will return. I don't think that exists for TNA. I think their brand value is essentially negative. And they've promised this massive growth for so long were reaching for the supposed next game changer only to have gotten nowhere. What's left on the horizon for them to grab for?

Yeah. The tactic has always been to reach for the supposed next magic bullet on the horizon that would suddenly send them neck and neck with WWE. First it was TV, then Angle, then live, then Hogan, then Monday nights, then tapings on the road etc. The obsession has always been with hot-shots rather than intelligently building their identity.

A better, more creative show so that at least if they are going out, they can do so knowing they gave it one last push?

I'd be interested to know if TNA has ever made money for Panda Energy or if it purely has been a vanity project to keep Dixie away from the big money?

There's no way that TNA has made money for Panda.

I think they have done in the past what WCW (well Bisch) did way too much, they focused on WWE far too much. Too many of its stars have been WWE stars (mainly in the upper to midcard so it gives the impression of "watch TNA, the home of the guys WWE didn't want to an extent) and in 2015, their world champion is literally an ex-WWE guy WWE had no interest in bringing back.

Too many opportunities squandered. And I know Seibu will get upset at this, a complete lack of responsibility over their own disappointing history, seemingly both from fans and management. Dixie deluding herself that WWE consider TNA competition. TNA, or its president, seems completely delusional in so many aspects IMO.

Man up, take some responsibility, you might even get somewhere if you're not constantly looking for the next person to blame your shortcomings on.

TNA should have focused on putting on the best show possible with the resources at their disposal rather than trying to compete with WWE.

It appears TNA once again outdraw ROH.

It must have done at some point surely? A decade is a long time funnelling good money into a failing (financially) company.

A question ive wondered, has there even been a point when TNA has looked like it was on the edge of breaking through that barrier? I can't think of a moment where ive thought "this could be turning point". Genuine question btw, not a dig

Let's just put this into perspective. They've been on national television for a decade, they've had some of this industry's biggest stars walk through their doors, and it has to air TWICE in one night to outdraw ROH by 177,000 viewers. They have to air twice to get less half the viewers they were getting on Spike.

They should be trouncing Ring Of Honor and they aren't.

The ROH show isn't even a first run show. It's the third time it's been shown on USTV.

And once again the issue is not viewership. ROH is produced entirely by Sinclair, it's almost free for Destination America. Impact is heavily funded by Destination America, so ROH is a much better proposition for DA even with half of the audience.

And lots of people will have already watched the ROH show on the Sinclair channels before it aired on DA so it probably has more viewers than TNA overall.