Dixie says TNA has made WWE better

[PHX]

TNA President Dixie Carter recently spoke with Tennessean.com. Here are some highlights:

How has TNA changed with the times?

We’re not just a wrestling company anymore. We do our own booking. We do our own promotion and public relations. We’re a licensing company. We have toys, Halloween costumes, trading cards. We make our own music. All of those things are sold and promoted around the world. But we still do more than 500 hours of television a year.

How has TNA been able to keep up with WWE?

I don’t care who you are, competition makes you better. There’s a reason there’s a Lowe’s across the street from every Home Depot and a CVS across the street from every Walgreens. I think we’ve made WWE better, just as they’ve improved us.

How does TNA find its talent?

We have a program called Ohio Valley in the Kentucky-Ohio area where we send some of our talent for training and where people come from all over the world to train. It’s like a farm league. We have people work on a skill — and sometimes we’ll bring in one of our developing wrestlers from there into a storyline. We’ve found a couple of our big stars from there.

What’s one of TNA’s ongoing challenges?

When a company first starts out, you have to do whatever you can to get into the business. Then, once you’re established, you spend a lot of time getting out of all the bad contracts that got you into the business. Deals with companies, bad partnerships or licensing deals. We’re still working through some of those now that we’ve found our footing.

Woman sadly is mistaken thinking her company is WCW in the mid 90's or something to think TNA has pushed WWE to be better.

 

[Dale]

Only thing I really agree with is that WWE has made TNA better. If WWE hadn't released half their talent, TNA wouldn't be nearly as good.

 

[PHX]

Agreed they have pretty much built their company around people TNA let go from Angle, Christian when he was there, Jeff Hardy, etc. If WWE was really worried about TNA like she thinks then they would at least push their divas division more than TNA does theirs since for a while there they drew the highest ratings for them.

 

[Warren Static]

So basically not only does TNA pick up the scraps from WWE's released roster, but they pick up the scraps from WWE's ex-farm league too?

 

[Chriss]

Only thing I really agree with is that WWE has made TNA better. If WWE hadn't released half their talent, TNA wouldn't be nearly as good.

If they didn´t release them TNA´d be better now. Some of them just burried it.

 

[Dale]

So basically not only does TNA pick up the scraps from WWE's released roster, but they pick up the scraps from WWE's ex-farm league too?

As much as I have a love/hate relationship with TNA, that just proves that whatever TNA does they will always be criticised. They bring in established workers and they get ragged on for not building their own stars, so they sign a partnership deal with OVW to build themselves stars and they're still in the wrong... They might aswell have just built they're own development system from scratch to save all the hassle...Oh wait, then they would be copying FCW.

If they didn´t release them TNA´d be better now. Some of them just burried it.

Key word there being some. Could probably name just as many, if not more people who have been good for the company.

 

[Dod Draper]

TNA can barely call itself competition to WWE.

 

[John McHenry]

^ I was about to say the same thing. I mean how are they even competition really one night I can watch TNA the next WWE if they're on at different times they aren't competition. WWE has the ability to keep anyone they want and everyone wants to work for them TNA is a stepping stone to WWE

 

[PHX]

As much as I have a love/hate relationship with TNA, that just proves that whatever TNA does they will always be criticised. They bring in established workers and they get ragged on for not building their own stars, so they sign a partnership deal with OVW to build themselves stars and they're still in the wrong... They might aswell have just built they're own development system from scratch to save all the hassle...Oh wait, then they would be copying FCW.

Key word there being some. Could probably name just as many, if not more people who have been good for the company.

Me personally I don't even have an issue with them signing known WWE names as long as their thought process isn't build our brand on WWE names and ignore the guys who have been with us originally. But sadly they have a habit of doing that. And as far as the names that aren't known don't see how that can be seen as a bad thing as it is a smart move to make names out of guys in developmental considering some of the biggest stars in wrestling today have come from there in Cena, Batista etc.

 

[Warren Static]

As much as I have a love/hate relationship with TNA, that just proves that whatever TNA does they will always be criticised. They bring in established workers and they get ragged on for not building their own stars, so they sign a partnership deal with OVW to build themselves stars and they're still in the wrong... They might aswell have just built they're own development system from scratch to save all the hassle...Oh wait, then they would be copying FCW.

I have no problem with TNA bringing in guys like Kennedy, Burke, Angle, and wrestlers who bring stuff to the table, that's admirable and needed because they are established and it helps build credibility. It's marketing 101. What I have a problem with is Dixie's arrogant ego in which they claim responsibility for WWE's recent streak of great shows. She either is ignorant of, or doesn't count CM Punk/Cena's feud, Rock's "return", and a solid mid card and main event scene occurring on RAW. There was a reason why WWE ditched OVW to the side, because it wasn't giving them stars like it did with Orton, Cena, and Batista, instead it was churning out guys like Domino and Mikey Mondo.

Had TNA not classified it's self as different and a better alternative to WWE, while simply doing a variety of similar stuff as them, then this move would be fine. But they claim to be different than WWE, yet with almost every major move they do, it's something WWE related. I think getting a development farm is a great idea, and much needed, however they most certainly could have picked a better independent federation. I would have preferred PWG, or even the long-shot of ROH, but I will admit it's a step in the right direction.

 

[Chriss]

I rember when I counted superstars that went from WWE/WCW to TNA. I found about 50 of them

 

[Dale]

I have no problem with TNA bringing in guys like Kennedy, Burke, Angle, and wrestlers who bring stuff to the table, that's admirable and needed because they are established and it helps build credibility. It's marketing 101. What I have a problem with is Dixie's arrogant ego in which they claim responsibility for WWE's recent streak of great shows. She either is ignorant of, or doesn't count CM Punk/Cena's feud, Rock's "return", and a solid mid card and main event scene occurring on RAW. There was a reason why WWE ditched OVW to the side, because it wasn't giving them stars like it did with Orton, Cena, and Batista, instead it was churning out guys like Domino and Mikey Mondo.

I don't disagree with what you're saying about Dixie taking responsibility for WWE's good shows, it was what you said in your previous post. Why WWE actually ditched OVW I don't know, I would have to look it up but all I know is that they produced far more megastars & stars than FCW likely ever will over the next god knows how many years.

 

[Deuce]

I think it is the other way around, so many WWE/WCW superstars have jumped to TNA which means the real talent TNA has began in the WWE.

 

[Kingslayer]

LOL, TNA. Maybe they'll "impact" WWE when they can afford to stop running their shows in an amusement park that 50 non paying tourists get into.

 

[Kiffy Lube]

I rember when I counted superstars that went from WWE/WCW to TNA. I found about 50 of them

You should have made a list.