Thought of the Day: TNA Is Not Competition For WWE
This is one of those ideas that makes no sense when you actually think about it.The common statement you hear is TNA needs to stay around to be competition to WWE. TNA has been around for over eleven years and has never, not once, come close to competing with them. Someone that thinks they have been, please tell me how they’ve competed. Simply being in the same business and producing the same kind of material isn’t competing. By that logic a seven year old writing a story in school is competition for Stephen King. TNA’s highest rating ever for Impact is a long distance from Smackdown’s lowest number in years. About three times as many people watch Raw as watch Impact. The PPV buys are so lopsided it’s unreal.
TNA doesn’t compete with WWE. They don’t come close and they won’t for a very long time. If TNA goes out of business (and no I don’t think they are anytime soon), WWE isn’t going to be breathing a sigh of relief. TNA is a promotion which has done better than most companies, but to even think they’re a serious competitor to WWE at this point or any point in their history is laughable.
Personally I’ve never gotten the need to directly compete. If the Monday Night Wars taught us anything it’s how having alternatives is good for business. WWE almost went under when it held a complete monopoly on wrestling. Why the need for such a risk?
It’s unfortunate, as competition obviously fuels a better product. I remember back around ’07, Raw would get some pretty audible ‘TNA’ chants and it felt like the company was starting to really click creation wise. I thought they had a legit chance to make the leap within the next few years and atleast compete with Smackdown ratings wise. Now not so much…