Viewers?

[spera]

I was wondering how many people on this board actually watch NWATNA? I know that I watch it every week, but sometimes you here opinions from people and I'm just wondering how many people here watch it each week.

I think that they actually put on a decent show. I'm tired of the big guys that lumber around and are carbon copies of 20 other guys. I watched Smackdown for the first time in a month last night only to see Rey get praised for moves that I see all of the time NWATNA. Truth be known I'd rather watch TNA if only because it is not as predictable as the WWE. If I could only see one show a week of wrestling. It would be the TNA pay per view.

[Corkscrew Fisherman Buster]

I've watched on & off PPV's (for free I'd never buy it) and it never really held my interest. It's just comes off as bush league. Russo was portrayed as the most important character for so long and he's not even a wrestler. Jarrett also was never a big time player but he always seems to have the belt. Then they have name guys come in, and then drop off the show as if they never existed. It's just stupid.

There biggest problem is the guys underneath don't seem to have much depth or star quality. It was always funny watching an average size dude like Vince Russo tower over all the X division guys in the SEX group. It made Low Ki, Daniels & Skipper look like midgets. Styles also comes off as just too much of a half pint to be a star. I remember when Killings was a rapper/jobber in WWE, now he's their World Champ, give me a break.

I wish Raven would get a chance to be the center piece. If they gave him a run with the belt, I'd develop a little more of an interest. But the entire X division and Joe McFlippity type matches really need to go. I'd rather watch Chris Benoit & Eddie Guerrero anyday of the week than that highspot highspot highspot crap.

I just don't see them lasting too much longer, which is a shame because I wish something really good existed. Not as a replacement to WWE, but something extra like when we had WCW & ECW PPV's every single month to keep the vibe going.

[Jake]

I think ROH used the same talent better than NWA-TNA did and put on better shows. I had high hopes for another promotion but they just haven't lived up to my expectations.

They even brought in old ECW guys who are just way past their prime. Raven is cool but that's about it. I can't stand JJ and he's too much of the focus.

The crowd hardly reacts anymore to the X division. At first it was cool watching the fast pace & tons of moves. Now I've seen all the tricks and it's just like they go through the motions. Plus they have no personalities that stand out, so I have a hard time carrying about these guys emotionally. It's a big void.

The small wrestlers also get heckled a lot. Many of the fans are bigger than these kids and know they can kick their ass. So they make fun of the moves & chant at them when they blow their spots. It's just a big mess and it's hard to take them seriously.

[j]

I usualy buy once or twice a month. I think Christopher Daniels and Raven are as good as anyone around. AJ Styles just needs to learn to cut a promo and he'd join the elite class too. I think they need to cut the X-Cup or atleast stop pushing it so much every week. It would have been cool to do it once a year but every week having these guys fight has gotten old. I also think Abyss is better than any big man on the WWE's roster.

As far as K-Kwik / Ron "the Truth" Killings as champ? Since he's joined TNA he's gotten better and better. If you have a problem with him being the champ because he used to be a jobber then how do you feel about guys like Mick Foley (jobber to the British Bulldogs early on in his career), Triple H (former WCW mid-carder), Steve Austin (WCW midcarder), Shawn Michaels (World Class Championship Wrestling jobber) and the list goes on and on. Most guys who are on top start as losers.

[spera]

Thanks j,

It's nice to hear from some one that sounds like they like NWATNA. I'm in one of the markets were they are testing the monthly pricing and I have to say that I like it. $35 and I get the entire month. That's really cool in 5 Wednesday months. The funny thing is that I don't get Explosion in my area. Basically there is a two hour drive. On one end you get monthly pricing on the other you get Explosion, but neither end gets both.

On the wrestling side, I like the X-cup, but I do wish that they didn't push it so much. It would be better if it were every two or three months. I'm glad that they are getting a new show. Maybe they can develop more storylines then just the few they are working on.

[Eddie]

J man I seriously hope your not comparing the likes of Ron Killings to superstars like HHH,HBK, Austin & Foley. Those men have drawn major money since their lowly begings. Killings has NEVER drawn a single dime. He's bush league. Even Styles is a better choice than him. I'll even take Jarrett.

Abyss is also nothing special. Kane & Undertaker are far superior all around perfomrers compared to him. hey can work, draw money, do promos & they STILL hold back do to the style constraints. Abyss would be no more successful in WWE than Rhyno, and probably less.

Having said that, TNA occassionally puts out a gem of a match. The X Cup stuff is at least different. The guys really seem to try hard even. I mean there small & unpolished, but at least they're busting their ass to make an effort.

I could do without the old WCW Thunder rejects (Disco, Harris Boys) and washed up ECW crew (Sabu, Sandman). Get Dusty Rhodes & Erik Watts off the screen as well. I also hope Russo is gone for good.

But it's wrestling and I like it. It's not worth paying $10 a week for. But fans can check it out for free starting Fridays in June if you have FSN. The time is 3PM.

You can download their PPV shows every Thursday morning with bit torrent. Check them out and enjoy cause they won't be around forever:

www.suprnova.org/

[Joe]

In response to the original question, yes, I am a rather frequent viewer of NWA-TNA. My father and I have watched the weekly PPVs pretty often since the show's inception two years ago.

As I have stated in other threads, I am a huge fan of AJ Styles, and I also like Christopher Daniels and Kid Kash. All three put on excellent matches, and in the case of Daniels and Kash, are pretty good all-around entertainers. Contrary to how outraged a couple of posts sounded, Ron Killings is a rather decent wrestler, and he rolls with the only Armstrong that ever had a personality, so he figures to be a big player in such a small arena. While he may not be a Triple H or Steve Austin, as was correctly pointed out, anyone who thinks Raven is far superior to him is on crack. (I like Raven, by the way.)

That being said, most of the shows are corny as hell. I am sick of seeing Vince Russo in any rendition, Jeff Jarrett is past his prime, and the show is pretty damned predictable, if for no other reason than that it can almost be assured if two guys or teams are having a hell of a match there will be some kind of screwy finish, thus taking away from the overall quality of the bout.

As far as the statement that Rey Misterio is praised for doing moves that others on TNA did months prior, Rey was doing the 619 well before Amazing Red started using the 718 or what ever the hell the area code is that it is named after. In addition, Rey is an accomplished wrestler while many of the TNA high-flyers, Red included, are basically just stunt men who specialize in high spots but possess very little actual wrestling ability.

Finally, while I do get some enjoyment from the weekly PPVs, I find it hard to believe that a wrestling fan can find these shows to be more entertaining, week in and week out, than anything WWE is putting on the air.

[j]

Killings is also about 10 years younger than HBK, Austin and Foley. And when Hunter Hearst Helmsley first appeared in the WWF doing his little bow after every offensive move he made and acted like a total ass clown, who thought he would ever accomplish anything? Years later that same man is "The Game" because he's that darn good! I'm not saying Killings is as good as Triple H, Austin, HBK or Foley or even that he ever will be. But I won't hold against him the stupid gimmick the WWE gave him or the fact that it is possible that in 5 years down the road Killings could be a main stream headliner.

[Irish Sean McPicklejuice]

NWA-TNA is an example of how a promotion with a flawed business plan can live off of the ignorance of their money mark (Panda Energy). Yet sooner instead of later, the southern 'shuck & jive' the Jarrett's ran on the suits will be awash in an ocean of red ink.

The initial plan was that if Jarrett could somehow pull off over 25,000 buys a week from hardcore fans with PPV, he'd make money. They have never hit that number at any time in their history. The company does between 8-12k buys a week, and lose around $30k with each show. The highest drawing show was the Raven-Jarrett match, from there it's been downhill.

Jarrett lost his first string of sponsors, when miraculously he connived Panda into the dream of making WWE level profits. He conveniently left out the fact that the boom period of wrestling being a popular fad is over, and that the chances of ever making a dime as an upstart company as extremely nil.

In desperation for so sort of upward mobility, now NWA-TNA will buy a weekly slot on FSN for ANOTHER $30K in hopes that they can hit 25k buys or above and make money with ad revenue. More likely than not, they will fail, lose an astronomical amount of money on top of their current loses, and shut down for good.

So if your a fan of NWA-TNA, I'd suggest taping the shows while you can. Vince may or may not buy the library for the WWE 24-7 service, & you won't ever see things like the X Division ever featured in WWE.

[CaseyJonesatwork]

I don't order it every week. I'll probably get it tonight since they're having an ultimate x-match and Hector Garza is one of the few AAA guys that doesn't suck.

[Thad Killian]

Ummm...I'm a lil' slow...i just watched it for the first time the other day and I have to say that it's pretty cool...it reminds me of ECW a lil' with all the underground talent but it's still pretty cool. I also like the ring...what is it...6 sides? cool...

[GalactiKing]

TNA seems okay to me, without being exactly super exciting. There's a good mix of things, but Jarrett really needs to cut back on pushing himself. The major problem is it's trying to be #2, but it plays more like #3.

[LovePhantasy]

I watch TNA when ever I am home and not at shows of my own been to several live ones to becasue Tracy Brooks is a very good friend of mine

[Tongsoon of Cygnus]

I've caught a few of the NWA-TNA shows, and much like the old WCW, I found it a nice alternative to the drama-drenched WWE. Some of those old WCW wash-ups I remember fondly, like Piper and them. So to me, it's great to see them still bangin' heads.

I don't know what it is, but I actually like Abyss. Wrestlers like Kane, Undertaker, Abyss, etc., actually appeal to me; those "horror movie" character wrestlers. It's kind of neat some times to see how they pull it off.

I can't say I take to that 6-sided ring, though. I guess I'm still a little too old-school, and prefer the squared circle to the hex circle. Granted, it allows for some neat moves, but the whole thing looks a bit too gimmicky for a ring.

By the way, I found a promo for NWA-TNA action figures, due out this April. I found them at:
www.profigures.com

I support NWA-TNA, and any promotion trying to make a go of it. If it came down to just the WWE, the monopoly would kill the entire sports-entertainment genre. Whether they look like a garage show or not, I think it's great.

Actually, from what I heard, the reason Jarrett is champ so long is because he and his daddy own TNA. I don't know if that's true, but it was something I read somewhere (probably on the net). I agree though, Raven is awesome, and I'd love to see him get a bigger push there.

[pikemojo]

i agree with you very much AntiSocial-X
it would be horrible if WWE was the only game in town
without any sort of competition Vince cant put together a good show
i honestly think that Vince doesnt want to give away a good match. The only good matches coming out of WWE are on PPVs. This past Monday being the exception because they were in Japan.
And it is true that Jarrett and his dad are part owners in TNA and that is most likely the reason that he has the belt all the time but you cant say he doesnt make a good champ. Jarrett is a champ in like the champs of old. He has had the belt for some time and he is able to keep the heat on. I feel like TNA should work on building some of these other guys up to be realistic contenders for Jarretts title. I have grown tired of 1 month feuds. I have been watching it on WWE for the past few years. HHH beats Steiner at one ppv, Nash at the next, HBk at the next, and each one just accepts that they lost to HHH and moves on. It just doesnt make any sense. TNA is also falling into this trap. Lets say for example that Jarrett cheats at this next ppv and beats Nash, which is a very good possibility. well lets say at the next ppv Nash interrupts jarretts match and costs him the match and during that next month beatings go back and forth well then at the third ppv Nash and Jarrett have a big blow out match and it doesnt even need to be any sort of specialty match. They arent always necessary.
Any ways, i love TNA and I think they stand a very good chance of making it somewhat big as long as they are willing to be patient. It takes a long time to get as big as WWE but it is possible.
There are too many people who call themselves wrestling fans but what they really mean is that they are WWE fans. They are unwilling to accept that there may be other good promotions out there. I will not say that TNA is better than WWE because in many ways it is not. But i personally enjoy their ppvs much more than any of the recent WWE ppvs. The last WWE ppv that i saw and really enjoyed was Wrestlemania 20 and that was almost a year ago. not a good sign for WWE. Come on JBL as champ when you have Undertaker, Angle, Big Show, and Guerrero on that show, gimme a break.
WWE needs some stiff competition to make them liven things up. And that doesnt mean more sex or stupid story lines just more good matches. HHH is a great performer when he wants to be. Given the chance the majority of the WWE can put on great matches but why isnt it happening every single week and especially every single ppv when you are paying 35 bucks. I know there are alot of people who agree with me

[MikeMcKinney]

wrestling went down hill when WCW went down 2 the WWE. TNA puts on a great show, with great talent. everyone should give it a chance. Its just nice 2 have a choice instead of having vinces product jammed down your throat.

Long live TNA

[The Doctor]

I think they put on a pretty decent show, its just hard to catch with the time frames that it's on. I'm not a fan of the 6 sided ring, and it all just seems a little to closed in. But the X division is great stuff, and it is a nice alternative to WWE, something very much needed.