Hogan & Bischoff sign for TNA

[Kevin Borg]

I stopped watching TNA when they started bringing over a bunch of WWE guys. I had enjoyed the product they were pumping out, but then I felt like they were trying to emulate the big company far too much and giving more air time to the former WWE wrestlers than the TNA alternatives.

I held off criticizing, commenting or speculating on what I felt Hogan and Bischoff would do once they signed. But now TNA has gotten rid of the six-sided ring; now TNA has had Christopher Daniels, an incredibly talented homegrown star who main evented Final Resolution with AJ Styles, job to Val Penis; now Abyss, TNA's monster who has kicked out of being stabbed by pins, barbed-wire and a shitton of other hardcore stuff, is unable to kick out of a punch with brass knuckles from Kennedy.

Now, I'm not saying Penis or Kennedy don't have the ability to be bigtime stars for the company. But I do think the TNA vets who have been carrying the show for however long deserve a little bit more respect than having to job to Hogan's buddies the first moment possible.

[EZD]

I agree.

I haven't been following wrestling for a while, but if these guys helped build the brand then they deserve more than jobbing to second or third tier guys from WWE.

However, was TNA a popular brand before infusing former ECW/WCW/WWE talent? I don't know. You guys tell me. I'm just coming back to this.

[Woo]

Fairly popular. Its been doing steady, if not spectacular ratings for years. Over in the UK it's almost as popular as the WWE, mainly due to the fact it's on Bravo rather than Sky Sports (you have to pay extra for the Sky Sport channels).

The thing is in my opinion the show would have be more popular if they were the same company in 2004. People were raving about TNA back then because it was so different whereas the biggest complaint now is the ex-WWE guys being there

It's true that the casual fans tune in for Hulk, but the loyalists are tuning out and if the company had continued in the same vision they once had then maybe AJ Styles, Joe and Daniels would be the "big names" they crave. But all of TNA's stars get pushed further back whenever they sign the likes of Team 3D, Christian, Sting, Steiner, Angle, Foley, Booker etc. I'm not attacking those guys, bar Booker, as they have been fantastic in TNA, but you've got to feel for Eric Young, Abyss and Sharkboy.

[Knoxville]

Jan 25, 2010 18:23:36 GMT -1 Woo said:

Fairly popular. Its been doing steady, if not spectacular ratings for years. Over in the UK it's almost as popular as the WWE, mainly due to the fact it's on Bravo rather than Sky Sports (you have to pay extra for the Sky Sport channels).

Really have you seen the viewing figures?

TNA gets 80,000. Where as WWE gets over 200,000 for Raw live alone. I think overall for all shows WWE averages 1.5million a week for viewers over all shows.