The ratings can be explained as well: Prime-time airing, bigger promotion, more money pumped into the promotion by getting big house names like Hogan, Flair and Jeff Hardy. Comparing it with AEW 9 years later; TV ratings are a completely different beast. 800k now is more valuable than 1.5m back then, how weird it might sound. It's the truth. AEW is a healthier company right now than TNA was in their prime and every business measurement supports that.
Interesting how Russo can never get any credit without seventeen asterisks We're forgetting to mention here that TNA was going head to head with RAW for a period. It's a hard pill to swallow but late 2000s TNA was more culturally relevant than AEW today. Better roster, better TV, better matches, a video game, all on a shittier network with supposedly the worst booker ever. For me, I thought Russo era TNA was fun compared to Kevin Federline Raw and Khali SmackDown. People who quit watching wrestling in like 2012 (normal people) remember the Steiner math promo, Nash doctor segments, Perc Angle etc.
He's the opposite of Jim Cornette in that regard, but at least Cornette's ideas aren't cringey (for the most part).
Cornette wanted to stay in his childhood, keep wrestling how he remembered it. I know I'm supposed to pretend to love Stan Lane and 15 minute snorefest matches by guys in single color underwear because the fans really believed it but from my perspective it's boring as fuck. I don't want real athletes to put on a show for these fans. Cut a promo, bring out a milk truck do something FUCK. The goofy Russo shit is 10x more interesting than wrasslin' imo. Russo and Cornette agree on a lot too which nobody seems to notice lol.
