[NoWordsNoPain]

Everyone is familiered with this Paul Heyman interview. Basically Heyman reveals a bit about his plan for TNA. To resume the main ideas :
1- Long term investment. Use the veterans at some capacity, but Bring in new talents. Find who’s the kid who wants to be the next superstar and shape him, molde him.
2- Push the original talents and brand them and educate your audience about who they are. Present them as the future.
3- 5 year planning. 18 months building the roster, 18 months exploiting that build roster.
4- Let useless people go.
5- Develop a brand, something that just feels and looks TNA. The X division has that and the six-sided ring had that.
6- Have a long-range plan. Don’t be biting your nails waiting for Friday afternoon ratings, just draw where you want to be in 2, 3 years.

I didn't brought this discussion, so we can comment on either Heyman should join TNA or not. We have all been there and there's not much left to say.

What i found interesting is that about year and half have gone by since this interview and what i see is TNA making a very slow and gradual shift from what Hogan/Bischoff thought TNA should be to what seems to be PH's plan.

TNA was a finger away from killing the X division and now we actually have a brilliant champion. Roode and Storm are feuding for the world title, Nash, Hall and other wcw guys along with Dreamer and ecw are gone, Flair is almost gone, RVD is not relavant...

TNA is promoting their product on emergent markets, they bringing new faces every month, they've changed the name to Impact Wrestling...

And who knows if the 6-sided ring isn't coming back next?

I know there are many things wrong with the product, but doesn't it feel Dixie is trying to implement PH's plan without the man itself? I don't know if it's going to work if it's only based on bullets and no blue print or long term vision...

 

[SimplyIncredible]

Pretty much, I've been saying this for months now.

This is why people need to stop the panic about ratings and give TNA the time to build new stars, something they are doing well, which WWE are completely disregarding.

Long term gains are what TNA need to focus on, and by starting to build their own main eventers and stars they are doing that. The WORST possible thing they could do is panic over ratings and go back to the same old names in the main event again.

Hearing what Dixie is saying gives me hope that they are going to stick with the path they are on, even if the ratings take a while to get back up.

 

[Pinball Wizard Graves]

Paul's plan is the plan a lot of fans had for a longer time. In short is just builds down to creating an identity. TNA has made great strides, but they are not there yet.

Things that need to go before TNA reaches even close to Paul Heyman's dream:

1. Commentary team must be replaced. Tenay and Taz out of the booth.

2. Hogan and Bischoff must not have any say in the creative direction of the company

3. Get rid of the Garett Bischoff stuff. All of it must go.

4. Bring the overall presentation of the company up to specs of a 21st century wrestling promotion and not of that of a one reliving the glory days of the 90's.


5. Stop talking about WWE.

6. Stop talking about ratings.

7. Stop basing directions that effect the branding on TNA on what WWE does (Impact being changed to Impact Wrestling).

8. Spend the next 18 months placing: Storm, Roode, Styles, Pope, Magnus, Sarita, Kazarian, MCMG as THE TOP ACTS OF THE COMPANY.

and of course there is more...

 

[NoWordsNoPain]

He does it the bullseye when he says "I think TNA has a major hurdle to overcome — and that's the fact that they have no BRAND. There's no one on that roster that is branded TNA.

You look at Kurt Angle and you think WWE. You look at Booker T and think WCW, five-time, five-time, five-time or King Booker in WWE. You look at The Dudleys and think ECW or WWE or even tables.

You look at Samoa Joe, who should be the TNA guy, and you think this guy's great, when's he going to WWE.

Are there hot moments? Sure. Are there personalities to like? Sure. Is there a good work rate? Sure. But there is no TNA style, TNA persona or TNA brand. "

TNA needs to build their own stars, their own identity, their own product.

 

[Parison Sapphire]

Would of loved Paul Heyman to be part of TNA. He really is a wrestling genius obviously lacking in finance management but can't help but think he would have made a huge difference.

 

[mb1025]

Paul's plan is the plan a lot of fans had for a longer time. In short is just builds down to creating an identity. TNA has made great strides, but they are not there yet.

Things that need to go before TNA reaches even close to Paul Heyman's dream:

1. Commentary team must be replaced. Tenay and Taz out of the booth.

2. Hogan and Bischoff must not have any say in the creative direction of the company

3. Get rid of the Garett Bischoff stuff. All of it must go.

4. Bring the overall presentation of the company up to specs of a 21st century wrestling promotion and not of that of a one reliving the glory days of the 90's.


5. Stop talking about WWE.

6. Stop talking about ratings.

7. Stop basing directions that effect the branding on TNA on what WWE does (Impact being changed to Impact Wrestling).

8. Spend the next 18 months placing: Storm, Roode, Styles, Pope, Magnus, Sarita, Kazarian, MCMG as THE TOP ACTS OF THE COMPANY.

and of course there is more...

What exactly is a 2012 presentation of a 21st century wrestling company and how can they present it like that in the Impact Zone?

The Impact Wrestling stuff was in motion long before Hogan and Bischoff got into the company. It had nothing to do with the WWE.

 

[TasteOfVenom]

Lagana is a Heyman guy

 

[skidawgz]

Paul's plan is the plan a lot of fans had for a longer time. In short is just builds down to creating an identity. TNA has made great strides, but they are not there yet.

Things that need to go before TNA reaches even close to Paul Heyman's dream:

1. Commentary team must be replaced. Tenay and Taz out of the booth.

2. Hogan and Bischoff must not have any say in the creative direction of the company

3. Get rid of the Garett Bischoff stuff. All of it must go.

4. Bring the overall presentation of the company up to specs of a 21st century wrestling promotion and not of that of a one reliving the glory days of the 90's.


5. Stop talking about WWE.

6. Stop talking about ratings.

7. Stop basing directions that effect the branding on TNA on what WWE does (Impact being changed to Impact Wrestling).

8. Spend the next 18 months placing: Storm, Roode, Styles, Pope, Magnus, Sarita, Kazarian, MCMG as THE TOP ACTS OF THE COMPANY.

and of course there is more...

Normally I don't but I have to pretty much agree with you 100% percent. Some points I think are much more important than others.
Bischoff and Hogan's time has seen a drastic polishing in the production of the show, but any idea that involves them sucks as far as creativity.
Dixie needs to never be on TV for ANYTHING storlyine related.

Most importantly Heyman's ideas were the fans ideas for many many years, so hopefully they stick to it. I actually feel way more interested now.

 

[RatedR IWC Star]

Pretty much, I've been saying this for months now.

This is why people need to stop the panic about ratings and give TNA the time to build new stars, something they are doing well, which WWE are completely disregarding.

Long term gains are what TNA need to focus on, and by starting to build their own main eventers and stars they are doing that. The WORST possible thing they could do is panic over ratings and go back to the same old names in the main event again.

Hearing what Dixie is saying gives me hope that they are going to stick with the path they are on, even if the ratings take a while to get back up.

your so biased when you compare wwe and tna its not even funny. aside from roode and possibly storm tna isnt building anybody . and before you jump out of your seat and say aries he is the x division champion yes but bottom line is hell never be above hardy, angle, rvd, anderson, sting and was on TEAM GARRETT at lockdown...enough said

im not saying wwe has done a good job at building stars but theyre definitely doing a lot better then a few years ago and punk, sheamus, bryan,cody rhodes, etc...are well on their way towards the top

the fact that you think tna is doing a better job at building stars then wwe is laughable . wwe just made millions of dollars at wrestlemania and set all time records for ppv buys and tna had 2-3,000 ppl at their 2nd biggest ppv event with a dead crowd and falling ratings.stop comparing wwe and tna. wwe are million of miles ahead of tna and will be for a very very long time. tna needs to build their own stars and not look at what wwe is doing and so do their fans.

but back on point, yeah rvd, anderson, hogan, flair were off tv for a few months but they come back and right away their the focal point again . like i said only roode and maybe storm are in any of their league and this whole "youth movement" in tna is a farce

 

[Equilibrium]

your so biased when you compare wwe and tna its not even funny. aside from roode and possibly storm tna isnt building anybody . and before you jump out of your seat and say aries he is the x division champion yes but bottom line is hell never be above hardy, angle, rvd, anderson, sting and was on TEAM GARRETT at lockdown...enough said

im not saying wwe has done a good job at building stars but theyre definitely doing a lot better then a few years ago and punk, sheamus, bryan,cody rhodes, etc...are well on their way towards the top

the fact that you think tna is doing a better job at building stars then wwe is laughable . wwe just made millions of dollars at wrestlemania and set all time records for ppv buys and tna had 2-3,000 ppl at their 2nd biggest ppv event with a dead crowd and falling ratings.stop comparing wwe and tna. wwe are million of miles ahead of tna and will be for a very very long time. tna needs to build their own stars and not look at what wwe is doing and so do their fans.

but back on point, yeah rvd, anderson, hogan, flair were off tv for a few months but they come back and right away their the focal point again . like i said only roode and maybe storm are in any of their league and this whole "youth movement" in tna is a farce

Saying WWE is doing a good job building stars and then pointing at Wrestlemania isn't helping your argument.

 

[Brian Styles]

If Heyman came in I could see him building the entire thing around Austin Aries with AJ Styles, Bobby Roode, James Storm as the other main eventers.

 

[shandcraig]

I like how when Paul says something it all the sudden becomes a Revolution. His ideas are basic ideas,Dont get me wrong they are good but anyone can come up with it.

This company has been trying to jump growing steps for years. Which is fine but that just does not work.Seems like as of late they are trying to grow the way they should.Slow and right and add bit at a time.

The only problem i think they still cant seem to figure out.Is the size of the bloody venues they pick.If you can sell 4 thousand tickets then you should be in arenas that size.Not ones that are 8 to 10 ect.

Just a waste of money,People would rather see the camreas showing the entire place jam packed .Also if it was packed in smaller places it would be louder.

 

[RatedR IWC Star]

Saying WWE is doing a good job building stars and then pointing at Wrestlemania isn't helping your argument.

i was making a diff point maybe i wasnt clear....

what im trying to say is that i think wwe is doing a decent job at building stars these days although the past few years they have been terrible about it .

even so, regardless if anybody else agrees with me wwe is making tons of money and setting record ppv buys so comparing them in the 1st place is stupidity . if tna was making millions and having good ratings with good ppv buys then with all the established stars from wwe then it would be hard for someone like myself to argue to stop using them and to focus on the younger talent...

but thats not the case at all. all the names that tna have brought in have any of them helped ? maybe slightly in the beginning but after the initial buzz wears off it goes back to where it was before. ratings, ppv buys, live shows are all stagnant no matter which person they bring in.

obviously that shows thats not what the fans are interested in. do i know forsure that fans want to see a lot of younger talent at the top ? no but what does it hurt to try ? it cant get much worse then tna is doing right now and it might be what is needed to get fans interested in the product again.

but tna is completely half assing it . dixie is saying their focusing on younger talent but are they really ? aside from roode and storm, the shows are built around either sting, hogan, bischoff and then go down the list of the revolving door whether it be hardy, angle, ray,rvd, anderson, flair who all when their on tv are the main focus

how is anybody supposed to shine when so much time and focus is spent on these guys ? giving joe/magnus the tag titles and then having them appear for 5 minutes every 2 shows isnt called building them up ...wtvr i could go and on but my point was made. there is no youth movement in tna and to bring wwe into this is absurd to begin with.

but if wwe must be brought into this for whatever reason, their still doing a better job with punk, sheamus, bryan, cody rhodes, barrett, del rio, ziggler all on their way to the top and a lot of new stars like ambrose, ryback who are going to get a big push right out of the gate

 

[TasteOfVenom]

i was making a diff point maybe i wasnt clear....

what im trying to say is that i think wwe is doing a decent job at building stars these days although the past few years they have been terrible about it .

even so, regardless if anybody else agrees with me wwe is making tons of money and setting record ppv buys so comparing them in the 1st place is stupidity . if tna was making millions and having good ratings with good ppv buys then with all the established stars from wwe then it would be hard for someone like myself to argue to stop using them and to focus on the younger talent...

but thats not the case at all. all the names that tna have brought in have any of them helped ? maybe slightly in the beginning but after the initial buzz wears off it goes back to where it was before. ratings, ppv buys, live shows are all stagnant no matter which person they bring in.

obviously that shows thats not what the fans are interested in. do i know forsure that fans want to see a lot of younger talent at the top ? no but what does it hurt to try ? it cant get much worse then tna is doing right now and it might be what is needed to get fans interested in the product again.

but tna is completely half assing it . dixie is saying their focusing on younger talent but are they really ? aside from roode and storm, the shows are built around either sting, hogan, bischoff and then go down the list of the revolving door whether it be hardy, angle, ray,rvd, anderson, flair who all when their on tv are the main focus

how is anybody supposed to shine when so much time and focus is spent on these guys ? giving joe/magnus the tag titles and then having them appear for 5 minutes every 2 shows isnt called building them up ...wtvr i could go and on but my point was made. there is no youth movement in tna and to bring wwe into this is absurd to begin with.

but if wwe must be brought into this for whatever reason, their still doing a better job with punk, sheamus, bryan, cody rhodes, barrett, del rio, ziggler all on their way to the top and a lot of new stars like ambrose, ryback who are going to get a big push right out of the gate

You can thank Rock whooping Cena's candied arse for that record.

 

[miles berg]

WWE had to bring back 4 retired wrestlers to fill 4 of the top 6 spots at Wrestlemania.

The buyrate without The Rock would have been around half of what they got, literally 750-900k.

Which is alot, no doubt, but WWE fans tend to leave out the part about The Rock getting them that buyrate.

 

[muttgeiger]

Paul's plan is the plan a lot of fans had for a longer time. In short is just builds down to creating an identity. TNA has made great strides, but they are not there yet.

Things that need to go before TNA reaches even close to Paul Heyman's dream:

1. Commentary team must be replaced. Tenay and Taz out of the booth.

2. Hogan and Bischoff must not have any say in the creative direction of the company

3. Get rid of the Garett Bischoff stuff. All of it must go.

4. Bring the overall presentation of the company up to specs of a 21st century wrestling promotion and not of that of a one reliving the glory days of the 90's.


5. Stop talking about WWE.

6. Stop talking about ratings.

7. Stop basing directions that effect the branding on TNA on what WWE does (Impact being changed to Impact Wrestling).

8. Spend the next 18 months placing: Storm, Roode, Styles, Pope, Magnus, Sarita, Kazarian, MCMG as THE TOP ACTS OF THE COMPANY.

and of course there is more...

Agree with most of what you say- The commentary thing should be #1 on the list. Tenay, Taz, Don West, Borash, all their in-house guys blow. Search college sports announcers and find a guy with a unique voice and some life and offer him a shit ton of money. Then bring in a former wrestler with some wit as a color guy.


I don't know if Kazarian and Sarita are really going to go far as top acts in the company though, as much as I like sarita's big fat, yet in shape ass.

 

[Pinball Wizard Graves]

What exactly is a 2012 presentation of a 21st century wrestling company and how can they present it like that in the Impact Zone?

The Impact Wrestling stuff was in motion long before Hogan and Bischoff got into the company. It had nothing to do with the WWE.

I want you to go back and look at history. Look at the whole TV Guide thing and then look at TNA changing their name and the reason they kept mentioning as to why they changed their name. I highly doubt TNA wanted to change Impact's name, but as soon as WWE said they are more then wrestling that's when TNA changed their name of Impact. TO deny this is to deny reality...just look it up. Can it be coincidence? Yeah. Sure. But KNOWING TNA and its history of piggy backing off of WWE (VKM, Cookiegate,Monday Night Impact, etc.) I HIGHLY doubt this was just a coincidence.

As far as a 21st century presentation?

Well...first start with the on air personalities. Out with: Hemme, Tenay, and Taz. Get some unknowns for those roles or someone who can be DISTINCTLY MARKED AS TNA. No hangons from the 90's and early 2000s. The rest has been touched on as far as cosmetics and its too long to type out right now, but maybe later in the thread if the thread keeps going.