TNA?

Question
Hi,
1 - Whats going on with TNA? Although ratings are going high but the quality of matches sucks. I havent seen such a bore & dull matches of AJ Styles in past 4 years like i have seen last match with Samoa Joe & Jeff Hardy. TNA have lost their true identity i.e. speed, moves, techniques &holds which we can only seen in X-Division matches? Arent they concerned about this? Also, too many story lines are in row but except for one or two (Styles, Flair & Hogans) nothing is being highlighted. What kind of strategy they are following if they are not promoting feuds properly to create interest?

2 - Bret Hart had commented right after taking over TNA by Hogan that "he has nothing new to offer". Do you think he has some thing new & fresh which one could expect in future. Instead he is taking us back in time before 15 years like finishing 6 sided ring, higher entrance ramp, old horses (nWo, Nasty Boys & Jimmy,Ric Flair etc.) and long long talking sagas & promos? What do u think, is it only because that it is starting time and he do not have a clear strategy or this is the actual way how he is going to lead TNA?

3 - What would be the future story lines for Samoa Joe, Angle, Jarrett, RVD, Rhino, Daniels, Foley & Sting?

4 - Do u think that TNA is going to bring ECW Originals in some way to make a new angle. Rhino %26 Dudleys already there, RvD just join, Mick Foley & Tazz there, Sabu along with Paul Heymen & Tommy Dreamer are in rumors?

5 - Tna Knockouts were the highly appraised segment but after Hogan's involvement, its going down. Why they are ignoring it as it was the only segment which beat WWE women wrestling?

6 - What new incomings you expect in TNA this year?

7 - Some are saying that TNA ratings are going high and at some places its beating RAW & Smackdown, while some websites claim that its going down and TNA is facing severe financial crises due to Monday Nights and huge & expensive roster....whats the actual condition?

8 - Last, where are they now?
Finley, Jedus Masias, Roxxi, Snitsky, Monty Brown, Kevin Thorne, Hamada?

Answer
Hi Ahsen.  Thanks for the question.

1 & 2:  I think these two questions kind of go together.  Even though Hogan and Co. have been around since basically the first of the year, and TNA has moved to Monday night, I think TNA is still a work in progress.  With that, there are going to be positive changes, and mistakes made as well.

At this point, what Hart said about Hogan is basically true.  Hogan and Co. are pretty much doing the same thing they did in WCW, with some of the same talent.  Whether the fans will buy it this time around remains to be seen, but that's just part of TNA figuring out what works and what doesn't.

The one thing that I was really concerned about when TNA brought Hogan in is that he would bring in a bunch of his friends, and that some TNA regulars would get lost in the shuffle.  

I have no problem with TNA bringing in Jeff Hardy, RVD, Mr. Anderson, and to a lesser extent Ric Flair.  However, bringing in guys who haven't been relevant in years doesn't make sense to me.  The Nasty Boys, Scott Hall, Sean Waltman (although I think he can still add something if used right) and Jimmy Hart shouldn't be getting TV time in place of other TNA regulars.

3.  Samoa Joe:  Who knows?  They keep changing his gimmick, and he is definitely being underutilized.  I'm assuming the kidnapping angle is leading somewhere, but we'll just have to wait and see.

Angle:  I hope he continues his feud with Mr. Anderson.  I think that has the potential to be a great, and lengthy feud.

Jarrett:  Last week, Bischoff told Hogan he would lay off of Jarrett a little, but I don't see it happening.  I think Bischoff is still going to make Jarrett's life miserable.

RVD:  I think a tag team with Hardy would be fun, but RVD is still over enough that he could challenge for the title.  I would like to see him in a serious of matches against A.J . Styles.

Rhino:  I don't think TNA even knows at this point.  He gets pushed, and then we don't hear from him for weeks.

Daniels:  I think he's one of the guys that got lost in the shuffle.  He was in the main event at a PPV a few months ago, and now it looks like TNA isn't sure what to do with him.

Foley:  Bischoff fired Foley, but not Cactus Jack.  Enough said.

Sting:  It's like WCW all over again, except Hogan is the face and Sting is the heel.  Unless I missed something, I'm still waiting for Sting's explanation for attacking Hogan & Abyss.  I'm guessing we'll see Sting against Hogan or Abyss down the road.

5.  I think this has a lot to do with Hogan being old school, in a sense that female wrestlers weren't featured as prominently as they are now.  When Hogan was an active wrestler, females were mainly managers or valets, while only a handful would actually wrestle and get time on TV.

The reason for this?  Money, plain and simple.  The Knockouts might get good ratings on Impact, but do they sell PPVs? Probably not.  I enjoy watching the Knockouts as much as anybody, but I probably wouldn't buy a PPV because of them.

Shows like Impact and Raw are used to promote PPVs, and I think TNA is pushing the angles that they hope will get viewers to buy the PPVs.

6.  If you're asking if any new talent will be coming in, I guess I can't really think of anybody other then Tommy Dreamer.

7.  Honestly, I haven't been paying that much attention to the ratings on a week to week basis.  From what I've seen, TNA is usually right around 1.0, which is where they were at before Hogan and Co. came in.  I don't see how they would be beating WWE, even in quarter hour segments, since WWE's rating are usually in the low to mid 3's.

As far as TNA being in financial trouble, I don't buy it.  They wouldn't have gone live on Monday nights if that were the case, since it costs more to air a live show.  Also, they wouldn't bring in all the wrestlers they have either.

That's not to say at some point they might have difficulty.  If Impact doesn't work out on Monday nights, they stand to lose quite a bit of money.

8. Finlay:  I haven't heard anything about him lately. I know he's still with the company, but it's possible he's injured or just taking time off.  He could also be concentrating on his job as a road agent as well.

Judua Masias:  He was released by TNA and is wrestling for World Wrestling Council in Mexico.

Roxxi:  She was released by TNA and is working indy dates.

Snitsky:  He was released by WWE and is working indy dates.

Monty Brown:  He took a leave of absence from WWE to deal with family issues, but he never returned and was released.  I haven't heard anything about him wrestling anywhere.

Kevin Thorn:  He was released by WWE and is working indy dates.

Hamada:  Last I checked, she is still with TNA.  I just think she was caught in the middle of the whole Awesome Kong situation #she is no longer with TNA), and TNA didn't really have anything for her until it was resolved.

Thanks again for the question.  Let me know if you have anything else.

Have a great day!

Dave