It depends on how the angle goes, though it'll obviously require some suspension of disbelief. They could play it as Jarrett worming his way back into power in TNA to make the change. It would be yet another storyline where we're being told that Dixie Carter is such an idiot that she's been manipulated out of power by someone she trusted, which is amusing in numerous respects.

You're telling me it's completely logical that every single one of TNA's television channels would just relabel the show GFW Impact? You think TNA executives would allow GFW to walk in and put their ring apron on? No it wouldn't happen.

That's why I think Jarrett may be wanting to buy it as if he does the internasional TV deal's may come with it and it could be classed as a rebranding.

The build to GFW actually taking over would have to be gradual though. If by the end of the next tapings GFW have manoeuvred Dixie out and are running their shows, it's a pointless storyline IMO.

What if that is the plan in real life pull a Pillman if you wish.

Jarrett gets Dixie to release all her top talent to go to GFW to make this invasion look real then when he has signed them it's (enter appoprate word here) you Dixie.

How realistic is it that WWE used to change GMs all the time etc. without the board of directors and investors reacting? Sometimes suspension of disbelief is required. I mean, WCW ran an NWO Nitro and an NWO PPV.


It's kinda funny that the angle may be mirroring real life. Jarrett is going to be booked as someone who is trying to take over the company to merge it with GFW and take the TV deals while he's likely at least considering that behind the scenes. Like how Hogan and Bischoff wormed their way into control behind the scenes before doing the exact same thing on a TV angle.

I'm all for suspending reality for wrestling shows, all I'm saying is it shouldn't just happen that easily. The invasion needs to be dripped through TNA, not dropped on it like a bomb.

For example, GFW needs to invade TNA shows, not hold GFW shows. If all TNA shows become promoted under the GFW banner, there is no invasion really. They've just walked in, taken over and TNA seemingly made no attempts to stop it.

You need weeks of interference in matches, attacking referees, crew etc. You need a woman to come in and physically remove Dixie so that Jarrett, as minority owner, is the next person down the ladder. Then GFW can begin to use logos and sets and change the name, not when the majority owner is walking around.

That's all I'm saying, there's no point having a war between two promotions that is over before it began.[/quote]

I don't find a GFW invasion as hard to believe as a lot of wrestling angles.

Week 1: GFW run in and disrupt every single match on an episode of Impact (Aces & Eights did this once actually). The commentators apologise.

Week 2: GFW do it again, and actually succeed in tearing down part of the set. They beat up the commentary team at the end and announce directly to camera their terms - a match for ownership of the company next week, Angle vs Jeff, or they'll basically just stop Impact being filmed.

Week 3: Jeff defeats Angle in an epic match with insane levels of interference. Show ends with Impact set being torn apart by GFW roster.

Week 4: GFW Impact debuts.

It's not that hard. Maybe not every international outlet would play along in relabelling the show in the EPG, but I bet a few would.

EDIT: Ah, Hollie, I can see we have similar-ish ideas on this! I imagined it taking 4 weeks minimum, yeah. Sorry I didn't make that clear.

I just said something like that above at the moment he's getting her to send him all her top talent he's singing them to legal contracts so he could turn around and not allow them to work on TNA TV or only work if they win.

I could see this with him legit screwing Dixie over and taking everything.

Perhaps the issue here is TNA feel they're going to work with Storm again but not Magnus?


But the WCW invasion angle wasn't a hostile takeover of the type that's being described here. Part of the storyline became that the then WWE CEO gave the WCW guys permission to be there. It then just effectively became an internal faction war/power struggle.


The nWo of course included the man running WCW so that they'd run their own shows wasn't that big a stretch because in kayfabe Bischoff would have been in a position to make that happen.


I think it would need to take infinitely more than 4 weeks (which could be problematic for TNA). In general I think the way for TNA to approach this angle is to have Jarrett back on television properly for weeks if not months before there's even a hint at a GFW invasion. Then when you finally pull the trigger on it you can play with the idea that he's been back in TNA for weeks/months laying the ground work. Winning back his old friends backstage in the offices and on the roster.

I think you need to be looking at 4 weeks for the basics alone and then begin to ramp it up over the next 4 before ultimately GFW takes over. A month isn't really that long a span for TNA to become GFW.

On re-labelling the show, in talking in storyline terms. I don't believe in storyline that would happen.

TNA has a set of tapings in July and then may be off TV come September. They really don't have time for a slow build.

I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt that Dixie is just piss poor at PR and has decided to just not reference the cancellation rumours.

I don't think 4 weeks is anywhere near long enough to launch an invasion angle and I'd prefer them to just say Jarrett purchased it if they are going to cram an invasion angle into 4 weeks

is this gfw invasion storyline even confirmed btw? or just fan speculation?

Speculation for now.

ffs come on tna, you aint got much time if rumours are to be beleived.

In a business that is all about suspending disbelief, you find this a hard pill to swallow?

wCw produced an entire PPV around an nWo brand that, at the time, was still being marketed as an invasion of forces outside of wCw control.

WWF ran a match on RAW entirely under wCw branding - with the associated logos, ring aprons and even commentators.

A temporary rebranding of TNA to further an angle is not unthinkable.

TBF they both had people in (real life) power behind the scenes to make that beliveable.

Slow builds are nice but they can be too slow. For example, I thought Aces & Eights was good but a little too slow. And of course, it should have ended when bully won the title. That was 'mission accomplished' for them and the faction lost direction after that.

I was cramming it into four weeks because TNA only have about eight weeks to live. And after the GFW takeover, you can begin the *actual* inter-promo war where an ousted TNA roster & Dixie try to re-invade and win the company back. Maybe the initial invasion could run longer than 4 weeks, but personally I don't think it has to be too slow.

I wouldn't have the patience personally for Jarrett to spend loads of time covertly building alliances and worming his way into power. Since the end-game is obvious I think that would risk being boring. YMMV though, obviously.

Why not just debut it a week later at atlanta.

It would have been interesting to see what would have happened if they could have persuaded Eric Bischoff to be a part of the Invasion. If they insisted on having Shane and Stephanie involved in the story, he could have played a valuable role in making it work with them.

Shane could have said that he is so determined to destroy Vince that he is bringing in the person who came the closest to doing so in the past. If they had Bischoff as well as Heyman involved in the angle, it would have been so much better.

They could have explained Stephanie's role in the story by saying that she provided the money to bring ECW back and that Heyman would be their leader.

TNA taping some more stuff yesterday for after September which is odd.

Both ROH and TNA took drops this week:

ROH:
20:00 - 157,000
23:00 - 81,000
Total: 238,000 (-92,000)

TNA:
21:00 - 267,000
00:00 - 51,000
Total - 318,000 (-133,000)

Is that US or UK?