(28 May 2015, 10:44 am)MrFozz wrote I seem to remember Bischoff once saying he led a consortium that tried to buy WCW and he was told there would not be a TV Deal and he said words to the effect of 'Without TV it wasn't worth 25 cents'
I guess that goes along with what your saying.
But lets not forget that Vince McMahon eventually bought WCW for the princely sum, albeit reduced, of $3.5m. Even without television, WCW was still worth something and I think Bischoff (and Fusient Media) were perhaps a bit short-sighted not to attempt to renegotiate the price and terms of their initial deal. In 2001, many wrestlers were still waiting for their Time Warner contracts to expire. This included Hogan, Sting, Goldberg, Rey Mysterio, Scott Steiner and Ric Flair to name but a few. I firmly believe a television deal could have been struck with another network with that amount of star-power readily available. Hell, TNA achieved a national television deal with a lot less.
Even if TNA ceased tomorrow, I think they've done enough to create a brand which is recognisable to most wrestling fans. It's just unfortunate that TNA demonstrate an inability to create new stars. Relying on disgraced, discarded, released or failed ex-WWE competitors is certainly not the answer as it creates the image of a third-rate promotion of wresters who couldn't cut it in the big leagues. However stars can be created if a wrestlers reputation is somewhat untarnished by past indiscretions. This, of course, takes patience and a bit of long-term planning. The trouble with TNA management is that they're always on the look out for a short-term fix which, ultimately, undermines and destroys any previous effort.
Is Wrestling at a point now where it is WWE and nobody else will get a sniff because they can't compete with Vinny Mc's production values nor have the clout he has
As I said above, if a promoter is in it for the long-haul over a 15-20 period, and their business plan reflects this, then perhaps something can be achieved. Television isn't everything; learn to walk before you try and run.