Three Months On – A Look Back At Dixie’s TNA Q & A

[cero2k]

Source: http://talktnapodcast.com/uncategorized ... s-changed/

Back at the end of February this year, TNA president, Dixie Carter took part in a very lengthy question and answer session on the Impact Wrestling website. Unlike head of creative, John Gaburick’s similar Q&A, I thought she answered some pretty pressing questions in a candid manner which was very refreshing.

Now, three months later, let’s take a look at some of how more pertinent answers and see whether some of the changes she spoke about have actually happened:

Will TNA ever have an X-Division only show on Spike?

Dixie: We have had the Destination X special on Spike before.

I think what the person was trying to find out was whether there are any plans to have a regular X-Division only show on Spike TV. They are taping another TV special Destination X this June in New York City, but having a little 45 minute show on Spike or another network or even just online would be a good thing. Judging by Dixie’s answer, there doesn’t seem to be any plans for that.

Does it make you roll your eyes when wrestling scribes attribute TNA’s strong ratings recently to the COPS lead-in?

Dixie: I haven’t heard that. We have had numerous high viewership lead-ins in the past. Most prove that we have a turn over audience…meaning we bring in a new audience.

One of the things that TNA really need to focus on is how to bring in new viewers. They need to reach a new audience that either hasn’t watched wrestling before or never watched it at all. Bully Ray had a good idea how this could be achieved which you can read about here. The fact is that their recent ratings have been very low indeed which is very disappointing, especially as one of the biggest PPVs (Slammiversary) is right around the corner.

How happy are you with ratings on spike and what can be done to improve on them

Dixie: Very happy with the current trend and especially with the record +3 and +7 ratings we are having (which is what we are judged on).

In relative terms, TNA and Spike should be happy with the ratings. Like I wrote about in this article, having a million people tune in to your show is pretty impressive. Most TV shows don’t last as long as Impact has, and a million people is a LOT of people. The fact that Dixie speaks about the +3 and +7 rating is slightly worrying. These are people who watch the show either 3 or 7 days after it was broadcast. So she was not talking about people who watch the show live every Thursday. That is the number that TNA need to be increasing. I know most people have DVRs these days, but Impact needs to be a show that you feel compelled to watch live. It needs to be must-see TV and it just hasn’t felt like that for a while now.

After the UK tour, will be seeing the UK see more than just one tour a year? #askdixie

Dixie: We are discussing a secondary tour. I am very in favor of it.

I think TNA realize how important the UK market is to their product. They consistently draw their biggest crowds when they make the trip to the UK and I think they’d have no problem selling out arenas even if they did do it twice a year. It’s almost as if they are two different companies when they tour the UK. We frequently hear of house show attendance in the USA being in the mid hundreds and then they fill several thousand into Wembley Arena. I struggle to think of any other entertainment act that has such disparity in numbers.

Madam Dixie – How do you feel about the current Knockouts division & your thoughts on the European talent? #AskDixie

Dixie: KO Division about to get a shakeup. Hope the girls are ready. Several great European talent out there.

I hope Dixie wasn’t referring to the fact that Christy Hemme is now more involved with the knockouts as a “shakeup”. In recent times, all they have really done is bring back Angelina Love and add Brittany. If it wasn’t for Gail Kim still being one of the best female wrestlers and one of the hardest working, consistent performers, the knockouts would be barely watchable.

There are a lot of good, talented female wrestlers out there and I have no idea why TNA don’t add some of them to their roster. I just want to see good, female wrestling matches with intelligent stories. Please, TNA – stop exploiting these women for their bodies. They have more worth than that.

Any chance we will see a TNA mobile app soon?

Dixie: Not planning one at this time.

WHY!!??!! I can only think this is a financial decision, which quite frankly worries me. What would be the downside to having their own mobile app. Surely it could actually be a good way of reaching a new audience. Nearly every company in the world has a mobile app, so why not TNA. If I am missing an obvious reason as to why they don’t have their own mobile app, please could someone let me know. It is pretty concerning to hear Dixie say that they are not even planning one at this time. That is baffling.

Will there be any new KO faces in addition to Lei’D Tapa and Alpha Female?

Dixie: YES…….And very soon.

Well, Lei’D Tapa is now back sharpening her skills in OVW and we never did see any more of Alpha Female. Perhaps when Dixie said we would see some more faces “very soon”, she was just referring to Angelina Love (not a new face) and Brittany (Santana Garrett) I know that Taryn Terrell is on her way back soon, but the lack of numbers in the knockouts division just means the title gets cycled between about three wrestlers and they just have endless, spontaneous number one contender matches.

The X Division really helped put TNA on the map, I feel over the past two years its become sidelined. Any plans to take the division forward over the next year?

Dixie: Agree with you. Several new talent being added and returning to the division. Hopefully you will write me back saying how much you love it.

Well, Seiya Sanada and Tigre Uno were two new faces that have been brought in to wrestle X-Division style matches and we will be seeing TNA tape a Destination X One Night Only special in NYC this June. But the X-Division still doesn’t have a strong identity. At times I wonder whether TNA really know what they want it to be. You can check out this article over at TNAsylum which echoes how we feel about the X-Division. It needs to be separate from the main roster. They need a core of wrestlers who ONLY wrestle X-Division matches. That would be a step in the right direction.

Will you ever bring back the Knockout’s Tag Team Titles. Those titles were a good part of the Knockout division.

Dixie: A possibility. The KO division is about to get a shake up.

Again, Dixie mentioning the Knockouts division was about to get a shakeup. This Q&A session took place in February. I really don’t think the ‘shakeup’ has happened yet, do you? And there’s no way they have enough women wrestlers to even consider bringing back the Knockouts tag title.

The 365 concept seems like just the tip of the iceberg. Any plans on further exploring the concept so that we can see what these guys and girls are like on the road?

Dixie: We have just begun to scratch the surface. Taking it to another level in 2014.

I was a big fan of those little Impact 365 videos that they used to post quite a lot of. TNA seemed really into it at first, but if you check out the page HERE, the last video they actually put up on that page which says it is the #Impact365 page is from May 5. Pretty much a month ago. Hardly 365. It’s just such a shame that TNA seems to strike in ideas that they seem genuinely excited about and are really promising, but then they sort of just fizzle out. I am not sure in which way TNA have ‘taken it to another level in 2014′. Can anyone help me out with that one?

Any update on your long term relationship with Spike TV?

Dixie: They are great partners. Meetings happening regarding several TNA programs.

TNA’s deal with Spike looks set to expire in October and I would be very surprised if they didn’t re-sign with Spike. But here, Dixie mentions that meetings were happening with Spike TV regarding several TNA programs. That sounds really promising and TNA are in need of another little one hour show, so they can tell some other stories and give time to other wrestlers. I know things take a long while to come to fruition in TV land, but it’s worth remembering what she said here and maybe give it another three months before we ask Dixie what happened to those plans for some more TNA programming on Spike.

If vinny mac offered to buy TNA would you sell?

Dixie: Maybe we buy WWE?

Let’s end things with the above response from Dixie. I love her on screen work, and I think she has good comedy timing, and a good sense of humor, demonstrated by her suggestion that TNA might purchase WWE. It speaks of someone’s confidence if they are pretty much able to laugh at themselves – in a good way. Obviously TNA would never buy WWE, and Dixie’s answer to that question was spot on.

What are your thoughts on Dixie’s answers to these questions now that we are three months down the line?

[Big Red Machine]

Any chance we will see a TNA mobile app soon?

Dixie: Not planning one at this time.

WHY!!??!! I can only think this is a financial decision, which quite frankly worries me. What would be the downside to having their own mobile app. Surely it could actually be a good way of reaching a new audience. Nearly every company in the world has a mobile app, so why not TNA. If I am missing an obvious reason as to why they don’t have their own mobile app, please could someone let me know. It is pretty concerning to hear Dixie say that they are not even planning one at this time. That is baffling.

Does this REALLY help? Is there anyone in the world who found out about the existence of WWE through the WWE app? And did anyone who previously didn't know about or didn't like WWE really get the app and decide to become a WWE fan?

The X Division really helped put TNA on the map, I feel over the past two years its become sidelined. Any plans to take the division forward over the next year?

Dixie: Agree with you. Several new talent being added and returning to the division. Hopefully you will write me back saying how much you love it.

Well, Seiya Sanada and Tigre Uno were two new faces that have been brought in to wrestle X-Division style matches and we will be seeing TNA tape a Destination X One Night Only special in NYC this June. But the X-Division still doesn’t have a strong identity. At times I wonder whether TNA really know what they want it to be. You can check out this article over at TNAsylum which echoes how we feel about the X-Division. It needs to be separate from the main roster. They need a core of wrestlers who ONLY wrestle X-Division matches. That would be a step in the right direction.

Yeah. We've all heard this one before way too many times to believe it. They say it ever year, but we all know how it really goes by now: They'll bring about four guys in around Destination X, call it a "rebirth of the X-Division" or something like that, they'll give those guys a few weeks, then some of them will disappear. Others will maybe get one program after that and then also disappear forever.

[cero2k]

Any chance we will see a TNA mobile app soon?

Dixie: Not planning one at this time.

WHY!!??!! I can only think this is a financial decision, which quite frankly worries me. What would be the downside to having their own mobile app. Surely it could actually be a good way of reaching a new audience. Nearly every company in the world has a mobile app, so why not TNA. If I am missing an obvious reason as to why they don’t have their own mobile app, please could someone let me know. It is pretty concerning to hear Dixie say that they are not even planning one at this time. That is baffling.

Does this REALLY help? Is there anyone in the world who found out about the existence of WWE through the WWE app? And did anyone who previously didn't know about or didn't like WWE really get the app and decide to become a WWE fan?

that would obviously never be the case for WWE, but for a smaller company like TNA, i could see someone just browsing wrestling or wwe on the app store and then TNA comes up. ROH used to have an app, and that was how i first started watching ROH footage before buying DVDs. In addition, while it may not bring that many new fans, it could surely improve the experience of the current fan by offering videos, news, etc over there, it would definitely not hurt TNA having an app.

[Big Red Machine]

Any chance we will see a TNA mobile app soon?

Dixie: Not planning one at this time.

WHY!!??!! I can only think this is a financial decision, which quite frankly worries me. What would be the downside to having their own mobile app. Surely it could actually be a good way of reaching a new audience. Nearly every company in the world has a mobile app, so why not TNA. If I am missing an obvious reason as to why they don’t have their own mobile app, please could someone let me know. It is pretty concerning to hear Dixie say that they are not even planning one at this time. That is baffling.

Does this REALLY help? Is there anyone in the world who found out about the existence of WWE through the WWE app? And did anyone who previously didn't know about or didn't like WWE really get the app and decide to become a WWE fan?

that would obviously never be the case for WWE, but for a smaller company like TNA, i could see someone just browsing wrestling or wwe on the app store and then TNA comes up. ROH used to have an app, and that was how i first started watching ROH footage before buying DVDs. In addition, while it may not bring that many new fans, it could surely improve the experience of the current fan by offering videos, news, etc over there, it would definitely not hurt TNA having an app.

But don't both ROH and TNA (and Gabe and CZW, too) just put all of that stuff on Youtube already?

[cero2k]

But don't both ROH and TNA (and Gabe and CZW, too) just put all of that stuff on Youtube already?

well, just videos, but they could also post news, dvd coupons to whoever has the app, tweet feeds, buy tickets or merch through the app, it would be just like the WWE app, an extension to the website, and TNA and ROH could have some sort of live feature during their shows. Like the article and myself said, it wouldn't hurt to have an app. Even chikara has an app/game for mobile

[Big Red Machine]

But don't both ROH and TNA (and Gabe and CZW, too) just put all of that stuff on Youtube already?

well, just videos, but they could also post news, dvd coupons to whoever has the app, tweet feeds, buy tickets or merch through the app, it would be just like the WWE app, an extension to the website, and TNA and ROH could have some sort of live feature during their shows. Like the article and myself said, it wouldn't hurt to have an app. Even chikara has an app/game for mobile

It would cost them money to develop it, but it is probably a good idea.