In the UK I believe they have been steady. In the US, they failed to rank in the Top 100 cable shows (18-34 demo) last week

I am not comparing it in size, or in terms of the overall impact, but in a way, having this AJ v Magnus match on iMpact, reminds me of having the Goldberg v Hollywood Hogan match on Nitro, rather than on a PPV.

Surely it would have been better to save this AJ v Magnus match for their next PPV??

What beneift is there to having it on iMpact?

It doens't make sense in my mind.


Plus having this two world championship belts = one champion match so soon, after WWE had a very similar match, does take some of the gloss away from it.
Shame really, as it could be one of a very select few bright moments in TNA at the moment.

Most likely explanation is that they had no other choice - his contract extension was up, a new one wasn't forthcoming so they had him drop the belt on the next available show.

Exactly, If they promoted the styles magnus match as a ppv match, AJ would have been in total control as his contract would be up. They needed the belt off him asap while they held some power.

For some time now, wrestlers have been coming out to the ring with their Twitter name alongside their wrestler name. This is because for some time now, they have incorporated social networking and the internet into the storylines of the show. This means that only a fool would regard stuff said on line or in interviews as genuine "behind the scenes" information. I recall a couple of years back people were believing the rumours that Hogan was quitting. That was a work, but the silly anoraks never learn and are still falling for it. For the most part, contract negotiations will be confidential. AJ is very good, but if he goes he goes and if he stays he stays. The success of the show does not depend solely on him.

Not sure about the wisdom of turning Magnus heel, especially just before the UK tour.

Not sure about what they seem to be doing with Samuel Shaw either.

If Madison is turning face, doesn't she need to lose the shrieky voice?

.. he's gone ..

Ouch!

And good point about Magnus too. Seems very odd to have the first UK champion side with Team Dixie. It would surely work so much better if he was a face for the UK tour, but that's going to be hard if he beats AJ, or rather when he beats AJ...

1.1 million this week in the US. Pretty solid.

Not in the 18-34 demo though, which is the key demo

they hae been 0.9-1.1 for about 5 years

if they had kept russo as head writer they would be above wwe now no doubt

boring boring wrasslin right now, bring back crash tv

as for aj, thanks for the spoiler jack!

like i said i dont read dirtsheets anymore so my opinions are based on what tidbits i hear.

if hes gone, hes gone, but its nothing to do with me being a typical wrestling fan.

HE HAS GONE !!

No "IF" about it ..

And your comment about Russo is just absurd in the extreme ..

Russo aint this god that can make any company win a rating war. Saying he would get tna doing over 2.8m each week is 100% the biggest load of tripe written.

Tna wont get anywere near wwe unless they have billions and a top tv company behind them 100%.

http://www.wrestlezone.com/news/4424...stling-unclear


TNA might as well stay in the UK.

They're already in trouble as it is, now they have to go back on the road after making a big fuss about Orlando being the new permanent home just 2 months ago. They went back to Orlando because they were bleeding money, now they have to go back on the road with 600.000$ to spend per taping, furthering their economic issues.

All of this is bad enough, but if Spike gets SmackDown (and there have been rumors for months now of Viacom wanting WWE programming because it would be a way better lead-in for Bellator instead of Impact) it's highly likely that TNA is gonna be dead. Hopefully they can find a solution (monopoly is never good for business, especially in wrestling), but situation looks pretty grim right now.

wouldn't hurt - stay here for another two or three weeks, tape some more impacts and run a few house shows. being the UK, they'd no doubt sell out each time so it could be some much needed money in the bank for them and they'd at least have some content to put on TV in the meantime.

I hope that something is worked out, it would be a shame for the company to close down, or not produce shows for a while.

i wouldn't expect people who religiously read dirt sheets to agree with russo point.

i know i am 100% right,thats all that matters.

wwe without russo - match...run in...........6 man tag later!!!!!!

wwe with russo-attitude era

wooooh

I remember when Vince bought WCW in 2001. There was an assumption that the audience would begin watching WWE, but that didn't happen. The former WCW audience just vanished. The total wrestling audience permanently declined, and never recovered.

Much as WWE are geniuses of opinion forming and branding (and very effectively brief dirtsheets and astroturf forums), pro wrestling is in decline. If TNA ceases to broadcast, there's no positive to that. It's just another nail in the coffin of the art. Those fans who don't already watch both promotions wont switch to WWE. WCW proved that.

To me, Impact continues to be more or less as entertaining as RAW (i.e. sometimes not very good at all, sometimes quite good). I particularly like EC3 and Samuel Shaw's new persona. The wrestling is as good as ever - Aries is still amazing.

I read so much internet comment where people say TNA "deserve" to go out of business, or "what do you expect with TNA?", or "I didn't watch Impact but it sounded like it sucked", or "This company is dead" etc. All I can say is that if it does go, I'll miss it.

I absolutely do not "religiously read dirt sheets". I look at one website semi-regularly - that's it.


You really, really aren't ..

i have my own views,i am not asking people to agree with me. each to their own.

thats just it though i guess, they are my views, not the views of wade keller or dave meltzer.

60 min headlock match=***** match of the year!...............i think not.

I think a number of the WCW fans left when Vince bought it, as he was the enemy to them. I'm sure a number did try to give the WWE owned WCW a chance, but it didn't have the big WCW stars.

WWE did try to get a timeslot for WCW, so they could run it separately from WWE, but they couldn't get another network that wouldn't contradict their exclusive tv deal at the time. That's why they were going to have a WCW show in the Raw slot and a WWE show in the Smackdown slot. Knowing how Vince does things, he would have messed around with it in the end, as he and others in WWE couldn't get over the fact that they owned everything, but still wanted to bury WCW to settle old scores.


A lot of the major newsletters have been saying the industry has been in decline for years, so I don't where you're reading otherwise.

In pro wrestling over the years, there will always be another guy wanting to try and start a wrestling company. If TNA goes, then no doubt someone else will come along and try to get it right. There's already talk that AAA USA is starting this year and rumours are abound that Jarrett and Toby Keith are starting a new promotion.


Impact is a show with no life. It's a show going through the motions. You can feel it. Although they're trying to create new stars, I think it's too late to turn that company around. TNA have major issues on the go right now, finance being one of them and having to go back on the road, as well as getting a new deal from Spike, which I think is up in September. They better hope Spike and Jarrett are very friendly.

Are you still trolling with Russo? It's 2014 man. Give it up.

And, while the industry is in decline, WWE is still making record profits. So they ain't going anywhere.

There is room for a 2nd promotion in the current market place, however you can only be the 2nd biggest promotion at best. Depending on how well you book and run your company, will determine how much market share you can get.

Bingo. But the key is to me how different you look. WWE isn't going anywhere, therefore doing the same stuff they do is stupid 'cause you'll never be as good as them. Since there's space for more than 1 company you have to differentiate.