Just a little warning to those that do not want spoilers for next week's Impact, avoid the US paced thread, some utter muppet posted a spoiler for it despite the fact it hasn't even aired in the US yet, said spoiler is without spoiler tags.

I feel like people might be putting way too much weight of expectation on this weeks TNA output.


Yeah thank God they went with Vince Russo and Eric Bischoff instead two men with nothing but resounding success on their CVs...


The second point is certainly true assuming Heyman wouldn't have wanted to move on and do other things. How well ECW does without Heyman driving it is an open debate I suppose.

The first point is probably true but I'm curious as to whether Carter may have operated differently if she didn't have the guarantee of deep pockets to bail her out. I wonder if that same basic thought might also be true of Bischoff in WCW. Its very easy to spend and spend when you know the money is there regardless of whether you're making it or not. If the money isn't there I wonder if they might have approached things differently. I mean we presumably wouldn't have seen Bischoff and Hogan in TNA without the Carter money.


I'd agree that an invasion angle sounds fun on paper but I have doubts about the reality of it. Mainly these doubts are driven by how remarkably dull and unexciting the GFW roster and company in general is at this point. It feels to me as if it would become Jeff Jarrett returns to take back TNA and I really have no interest in that. The RoH vs. TNA feud that was kicked around by some when RoH joined Destination America held more interest to me although I'm not entirely sure how that would work or what would be the driving narrative of it.


This really just speaks volumes about how damaged the WCW brand was by this point. None of the existing WWE broadcast partners were willing to have the WWE show rebranded as a WCW show and try as they might WCW couldn't get a new WCW deal with anyone either. Its staggering how quickly WCW fell apart really. The inability to really do anything with WCW as a brand really tied WWE's hands in an unfortunate way with the Invasion. Not that you could say they made the best of a bad hand though.


I really wouldn't have.


In fairness they're fairly logical reports.

TNA wrestlers had booked independent dates for July (that's easy to verify) and will have had to cancel some of those events to make the TV tapings (also very easy to verify). Whether they'd be pissed about that is difficult to say I suppose although it doesn't seem like a huge leap to believe they would be given the recent history of delayed TNA payments.


In defence of TNA here I'm not convinced by the reports that anyone was working a second job because they needed the money. I think what's more likely to be true is that she was working a second job because the second job provided her with benefits (healthcare etc) that she wasn't getting from TNA and was probably too expensive to do privately. This by the way is nothing new in pro-wrestling. It wasn't uncommon (and still isn't) that the partners of WWE wrestlers, particularly those lower down the card, would be working jobs not because they needed the money but because those jobs provided benefits that the WWE didn't.

Was Hogan there on Carter's money or Spike's? I always thought that later covered his TNA salary.

On spike's apparently but i imagine it still stuck in the throats of TNA originals

Even if that was the case what about the wrestlers who could claim welfair and foodstamps because their pay was so low.

In the US it's not easy to get stuff like that so for the US Goverment yo say they were entitled they must of been getting paid less than peanuts.

$35,000 a shot was it not?

Not a bad TV partner to have.

Not really. As they weren't getting regular work there will have been weeks when they've gotten no pay at all and hence qualified for welfare on the basis of their overall salary that month. It is no different here - I've got friends who are pharmacists, working on a substitute basis, who are still entitled to a welfare cheque at the end of the month as despite being paid high daily rates they simply haven't had enough work.

Just bear in mind, if the figures are correct, Hulk Hogan was getting paid more than Spike were paying for an hour of IMPACT by $5,000. Just think what $35,000 could have done for other roster members or even the production of the show each week.

Wrestling Wednesday ratings:

ROH:
20:00 - 185,000
23:00 - 145,000
Total - 330,000 (+31,000)

TNA:
21:00 - 369,000
00:00 - 82,000
Total - 451,000 (+47,000)

To contradict Hollie I'm fairly sure I remember it being reported (by Meltzer) that TNA and not Spike were covering Hogan's deal. Even in a best case scenario its unlikely that Spike would have been paying the whole thing more likely is the Sting type deal were Spike agreed to cover some of the expense.

On this note I'd just add that if the implication from Heyman was that he was effectively being lined up by Spike to replace Hogan, Bischoff and Russo and TNA blocked it is correct then that would seemingly be a strong indicator that TNA and not Spike were covering those deals.


But what exactly is the point being raised here though?

Even if we go along with the fact that these guys are being paid little I'm not sure why that's a slur on TNA. WWE (and wrestling promoters in general) have been underpaying talent for decades. And presumably no one is arguing that the TNA talent is being ripped off. I mean presumably all of these wrestlers agreed on a salary before signing deals or agreeing to work for TNA. They knew what they were going to be paid and agreed to that amount. Talent are free to try and negotiate for more money if they believe they're being undervalued but that doesn't mean management is going to agree with them (Gail Kim would be a case in point here).

As fans we can certainly say that we think TNA should be paying talent more but the talent is all agreeing to work for that price. If they can't live off that salary I'm not sure its the fault of TNA.

On the whole earnings thing, whilst the salaries of some TNA talents do appear to be a bit shit, my view is the same as my view on WWE contracts. You sign it, it's your problem. If you read your contract, look at the amount you will make per show/month and you accept that deal, don't complain after the fact.

My issue would be people not getting paid on time. The rest is their problem to deal with.

I only said it was Spike's money because it's been used on here as a defence to TNA paying Hogan a shit load of money whilst dropping originals. I just went with what I've been told here.

I had kind of a rough day, and this gave me a good laugh, so cheers for that.

The real TNA spoiler is thus- if people believe the company is only paying them for the last taping at the point they need them to work another taping, and they also believe the end of July ones are the last ones ever, why would anyone turn up to work in any capacity at that taping? It's likely no one is going to get paid at that point.

So what will it be

Just another championship?

A cross-promotional championship with GWF (and whoever else GWF teams up with)

Will Jarrett take it and make it a GWF Championship (KOTM was his idea so he may have bought the rights back)

If it's some kind of cross-promotional championship that could be the most interesting thing to come out of TNA in years

Its great Slammiversary is LIVE and all but why didnt they just schedule the tapings till after the PPV?

TNA should be getting their talent on the PPV and the fact its a PPV in such a long time just seems crazy why they didnt have a World Title match on the show. Regardless of what happened at the tapings they are just making it seem tapings are more important than a PPV.

I wonder if the KOTM Championship matches will all have to be defended in KOTM matches as one a month or so will soon get boring.

Unless it is cross-promotional championship and one month it's defened in TNA the next in GWF then NJPW ect suppose that way it could be done.

So don't like the fact your not getting paid just tell the two guys who look like The Kray Brothers "insurance" collectors


"Ow my nose I think it's broken "

"Sorry I slipped I'm so clumsy anyone else have a problem with working free no thought not"

Four words, King of the ring. At least thats the way I see it going, but who knows maybe they will surprise me.

If they are not even going to use the title then it's a waste of money making it.

Must feel good to the wrestlers "Sorry we can't affored to pay you but here's a new title we spent money on a title what will never be defened"

Why was Jeff Jarrett brought back anyway? Or is it the case of TNA is closing in September so we want him as the final TNA Champion?

He won't be the TNA Champion though if he wins he will be the first KOTM Champion.

I think in real life it was a takeover or merger what fell through but this story may have lead to a kayfabe reason Jarrett took over.

To follow on from the James Storm rumours which was just marking his 13th year with TNA new rumours are now going about that he has asked TNA for his release.

Wonder if he got talking to Jarrett and he's getting a main event spot in GFW or maybe The Harris Twins telling him he wasn't getting paid was the last straw?

Speculation abounds; there's talk of it leading to an eventual merger, or an invasion angle or just a way of letting wrestlers from TNA appear on his shows.

It be interesting if Jarrett did take all TNA talent for his show. Dunno why he quit TNA in the first place and sold out.

Sold out? He was politically manoeuvred out of power.