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WHY TNA RUNS SMALLER VENUES, WWE LIVE EVENTS BEING BROADCAST ON CABLE TODAY, TESSMACHER MIA AND MORE

By Mike Johnson on 2013-06-27 10:00:00
My memory is a little hazy, probably because TNA very rarely has memorable storylines, but wasn't Sting jumped by the other Main Event Mafia members and ousted from the group? I also don't recall the MEM providing big ratings or PPV buys for TNA. Why are they dredging up this dreck again?

I don't recall such an angle, although Sting and Kurt Angle obviously ended up feuding, including an empty Arena match, out of the group. As far as why they are putting it back together, it's quite simple - there was a an uptick in ratings for the first version of the group and TNA needs a stable to battle the Aces & Eights.

Originally WWF/WWE televised live matches from Madison Square Garden on USA Network. Why don't they do that now?

It was a different era. WWE doesn't televise their house shows regionally anymore. I won't be shocked to see certain live events become live programming on the WWE Network when it launches however.

On last weeks Impact the head of the Knockout division Brooke Hogan gathered everyone for a state of the Knockouts meeting. Everyone was there except one: Miss Tessmacher. Nowhere in sight. Where was Miss Tessmacher? What's the latest?

Tessmacher was just off to the right of the camera....well, not really. She wasn't brought in for the taping. TNA doesn't bring in every talent every week. They have become increasingly stingy with how much money they are spending these days, so only certain talents who are absolutely needed are brought in. There's no point in paying someone to be flown in just to stand around for a 30 second promo.

I have been wondering for a long time now what is Vince thinking? You have great stars like Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, James Storm, Abyss and so on wasting away in TNA. Why doesn't Vince open the wallet and offer these guys contracts? Or is it the guys don't want to come there and chance getting buried under Super Cena who can't let go of the belt?

WWE can't just magically take them if they are signed to a contract elsewhere - that would be contract tampering and that's a lawsuit WWE would have to face if they pulled such a thing. WWE did pass on Samoa Joe a few years back when they could have grabbed him, which was a mistake in my mind. The others haven't been at a crossroads where WWE could nab them. It's also possible that names that you mentioned might want to stay with TNA - it's the devil you know vs. the one that you don't, as they say.

I just found out, purely by chance, that TNA has a house show in my state this week, in the small town of Ottumwa, Iowa. They ran a card there last summer, too, but not bigger cities like Des Moines. Why do they run small towns like that and not bigger cities where they have more population to draw from, more potential media exposure, and therefore, more money to make?

TNA works in conjunction with Live Nation on a lot of their tours, so it may be that they are running smaller venues that LN has to fill on certain dates and TNA has been tapped to do that. It's also a matter of finances - TNA can't afford to run, say, The Nassau Coliseum, because running there would probably be a financial disaster. However, they can afford and will fill the NYCB Theater in Long Island. At the end of the day, business is about making money, not spending it and putting yourself into a situation where you are so far in the red, you can never get back out.

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