Post by SodaGuy on Jun 29, 2009 18:57:42 GMT -5
AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH TNA PRESIDENT DIXIE CARTER
By Ross Forman
The seven-year itch has TNA Wrestling President Dixie Carter scratching for continued success and primed for a run at the top spot in professional wrestling.
“After seven years, we’ve come a long way. We’ve overcome some tremendous obstacles, but have a long way to go,” Carter said. “Until we are the biggest wrestling company in the world, we won’t be satisfied. And then with that comes another set of challenges, but I look forward to those challenges one day.”
TNA celebrated its seventh anniversary in June and now heads into the summer on a ratings roll with “TNA iMPACT!” (Thursdays, 9-11 p.m. ET) on Spike TV.
“We’ve set very high, very realistic goals along the way, and I don’t think there’s been one (goal) that we haven’t met or exceeded,” she said. “We have not been infused with hundreds of millions of dollars, nor had a parent company that is a network. We have fought hard for every bit of success we have attained. We’ve done it fan by fan, success by success. And that, to me, is what makes TNA special, because it truly is a company of the fans; they’ve been the ones who have allowed us to grow.”
Such that “TNA iMPACT!” now regularly draws close to 2 million viewers on a weekly basis. As of late, “TNA iMPACT!” ratings routinely surpass the WWE’s ratings for ECW on the Sci-Fi Network. TNA is now focused on surpassing Smackdown in ratings, which is the WWE’s stalwart on Friday nights.
“I think we have accomplished more in the last six- to 12-months than we have in the last several years,” Carter said. “I look at our ratings over the last year, and they are up about 20 percent.”
And yet the ratings for the WWE’s three main shows are flat or significantly down. How do you feel about that?
“We actually don’t want that to happen,” Carter said. “We want everyone’s ratings to go up. In order to succeed, we don’t think we have to take ratings away from anyone else. As a wrestling industry, we all have to grow the fan-base worldwide.
“We can’t just say we’re going to beat Raw (in the ratings). Right now, that’s unrealistic. We had to start with the more obtainable goal to beat the ratings of our competitor’s third-rated show, ECW – and we’ve done that.
“I have heard people say, ‘It’s not a big deal to beat their lowest rated show,’ but I disagree. It’s a huge success for TNA, which five years ago had just 300,000 viewers in a Friday afternoon timeslot on Fox Sports. So now we’re setting our sights on their second-rated show, Smackdown – and that gap has closed significantly over the past six months.”
“When we first went to meet with Spike TV years ago, they had just parted ways with the WWE and were not interested in getting back into wrestling,” Carter said. “We were not prepared to take ‘No’ for an answer, and I think they saw that. Our presentation and determination was just intriguing enough that they decided to stick their little toe back in the water. Today, I think they are happily swimming in the wrestling pool, so to speak.”
Carter added: “Thursday nights are tough. Besides being the most competitive night on TV for networks, we are always up against the biggest sporting events, including high-profile playoffs games. The recent NBA Playoffs had record ratings success, yet TNA held its own. As Spike officials have said, and I agree, ‘God Bless the TNA fans.’”
When asked if Thursday night will remain in TNA’s future, Carter confirmed, “Nothing is set in stone, but no move is being planned right now. Our goal has always been to be competitive and go head-to-head against one of our competitor’s programs. So we hope that might happen sometime in the future.”
And what about TNA’s in-ring product, led by current World Heavyweight Champion Kurt Angle? Well, Carter doesn’t mince words about the wrestlers.
“In my opinion, TNA has the best in-ring performers in the world and (the roster) just continues to get better,” she said. “Every show we tape, I watch as a fan sitting in the arena among the fans. Sometimes I am overwhelmed at the star power in the ring. Just a few short years ago it was a dream to have the roster we now have; today it is a reality.”
“The audience of 2009 is significantly different from the audience during the height of the WWF-WCW run. And we have to continue to change accordingly. Today’s fans are smarter, more involved. They don’t want their intelligence insulted, and we have been guilty of that at times in the past. Can we please everyone all the time? No, that’s not realistic. But you have to strive to please them much more than not.”
Asked what is the single biggest challenge in the business, Carter said: “Making new superstars.”
“We have an amazingly talented group of young guys ready to break out in a big way. It is their time. They have earned it and deserve it,” Carter said. “The landscape in TNA over the next 12 months is going to change dramatically. Our veterans are here to show that their greatness is beyond themselves and to help create other superstars. These (veterans) are secure enough to know that that’s what is needed for this company to continue to grow. Their leadership in and out of the ring is unmatched.”
Here are Dixie Carter’s comments about a few more topics:
AJ STYLES
“Simply PHENOMENAL. He has taken the in-ring product to another level and is really starting to embrace his own stardom, which is a big part of being a star. I am so proud when I hear the ovation he gets around the world when he enters the arena; it usually is the loudest of the night. He has helped build TNA. AJ is the first and only TNA Gland Slam winner, and his time is just beginning.”
MATT MORGAN
“Matt Morgan has amazing potential and is going to be a huge star in this business.”
SUICIDE
“The creation of Suicide has been a great marketing and creative success.”
LAX
“LAX features two amazingly-talented stars. People are just beginning to see what these guys bring to the table as a team and individually.”
THE BRITISH INVASION
“In a very short period of time, the British Invasion has come in and really established itself; they have that natural charisma and confidence that it takes.”
KNOCKOUTS DIVISION
“I’m very proud of the Knockouts. As a woman, it’s important to me that these ladies be represented properly. They are the best in the business, and the recent addition of new Knockouts, such as Tara and Sarita, will only further strengthen this division.”
COMINGS & GOINGS
“I think the roster is in a really good place right now. There might be a few additions, though, and, if so, they will be big additions for us.”
WORLDWIDE ECONOMIC CRISIS
“It’s interesting that we’ve had our biggest growth during a period when the economy has been its worst, and we’re very grateful for that. We know that for people to spend their hard-earned dollars on TNA, that means more today than it ever has, so we have to give them more than we ever have.”
THE TNA LIVE EXPERIENCE
“Anyone who has never been to a TNA Live! event, they really are missing something because we try to make that experience so much more than just a wrestling show. It’s interactive; it’s personal; it’s different from all other pro wrestling shows. I get emails everyday from people who say, ‘TNA is the best live event they have ever been to.’ That is the ultimate compliment. The talent always gives 100 percent effort in the ring, and then takes the time after the show or during an intermission to let the fans know how much we appreciate their support. It doesn’t matter how many people are at a TNA show, the wrestlers perform like it’s a sold-out Madison Square Garden.”
By Ross Forman
The seven-year itch has TNA Wrestling President Dixie Carter scratching for continued success and primed for a run at the top spot in professional wrestling.
“After seven years, we’ve come a long way. We’ve overcome some tremendous obstacles, but have a long way to go,” Carter said. “Until we are the biggest wrestling company in the world, we won’t be satisfied. And then with that comes another set of challenges, but I look forward to those challenges one day.”
TNA celebrated its seventh anniversary in June and now heads into the summer on a ratings roll with “TNA iMPACT!” (Thursdays, 9-11 p.m. ET) on Spike TV.
“We’ve set very high, very realistic goals along the way, and I don’t think there’s been one (goal) that we haven’t met or exceeded,” she said. “We have not been infused with hundreds of millions of dollars, nor had a parent company that is a network. We have fought hard for every bit of success we have attained. We’ve done it fan by fan, success by success. And that, to me, is what makes TNA special, because it truly is a company of the fans; they’ve been the ones who have allowed us to grow.”
Such that “TNA iMPACT!” now regularly draws close to 2 million viewers on a weekly basis. As of late, “TNA iMPACT!” ratings routinely surpass the WWE’s ratings for ECW on the Sci-Fi Network. TNA is now focused on surpassing Smackdown in ratings, which is the WWE’s stalwart on Friday nights.
“I think we have accomplished more in the last six- to 12-months than we have in the last several years,” Carter said. “I look at our ratings over the last year, and they are up about 20 percent.”
And yet the ratings for the WWE’s three main shows are flat or significantly down. How do you feel about that?
“We actually don’t want that to happen,” Carter said. “We want everyone’s ratings to go up. In order to succeed, we don’t think we have to take ratings away from anyone else. As a wrestling industry, we all have to grow the fan-base worldwide.
“We can’t just say we’re going to beat Raw (in the ratings). Right now, that’s unrealistic. We had to start with the more obtainable goal to beat the ratings of our competitor’s third-rated show, ECW – and we’ve done that.
“I have heard people say, ‘It’s not a big deal to beat their lowest rated show,’ but I disagree. It’s a huge success for TNA, which five years ago had just 300,000 viewers in a Friday afternoon timeslot on Fox Sports. So now we’re setting our sights on their second-rated show, Smackdown – and that gap has closed significantly over the past six months.”
“When we first went to meet with Spike TV years ago, they had just parted ways with the WWE and were not interested in getting back into wrestling,” Carter said. “We were not prepared to take ‘No’ for an answer, and I think they saw that. Our presentation and determination was just intriguing enough that they decided to stick their little toe back in the water. Today, I think they are happily swimming in the wrestling pool, so to speak.”
Carter added: “Thursday nights are tough. Besides being the most competitive night on TV for networks, we are always up against the biggest sporting events, including high-profile playoffs games. The recent NBA Playoffs had record ratings success, yet TNA held its own. As Spike officials have said, and I agree, ‘God Bless the TNA fans.’”
When asked if Thursday night will remain in TNA’s future, Carter confirmed, “Nothing is set in stone, but no move is being planned right now. Our goal has always been to be competitive and go head-to-head against one of our competitor’s programs. So we hope that might happen sometime in the future.”
And what about TNA’s in-ring product, led by current World Heavyweight Champion Kurt Angle? Well, Carter doesn’t mince words about the wrestlers.
“In my opinion, TNA has the best in-ring performers in the world and (the roster) just continues to get better,” she said. “Every show we tape, I watch as a fan sitting in the arena among the fans. Sometimes I am overwhelmed at the star power in the ring. Just a few short years ago it was a dream to have the roster we now have; today it is a reality.”
“The audience of 2009 is significantly different from the audience during the height of the WWF-WCW run. And we have to continue to change accordingly. Today’s fans are smarter, more involved. They don’t want their intelligence insulted, and we have been guilty of that at times in the past. Can we please everyone all the time? No, that’s not realistic. But you have to strive to please them much more than not.”
Asked what is the single biggest challenge in the business, Carter said: “Making new superstars.”
“We have an amazingly talented group of young guys ready to break out in a big way. It is their time. They have earned it and deserve it,” Carter said. “The landscape in TNA over the next 12 months is going to change dramatically. Our veterans are here to show that their greatness is beyond themselves and to help create other superstars. These (veterans) are secure enough to know that that’s what is needed for this company to continue to grow. Their leadership in and out of the ring is unmatched.”
Here are Dixie Carter’s comments about a few more topics:
AJ STYLES
“Simply PHENOMENAL. He has taken the in-ring product to another level and is really starting to embrace his own stardom, which is a big part of being a star. I am so proud when I hear the ovation he gets around the world when he enters the arena; it usually is the loudest of the night. He has helped build TNA. AJ is the first and only TNA Gland Slam winner, and his time is just beginning.”
MATT MORGAN
“Matt Morgan has amazing potential and is going to be a huge star in this business.”
SUICIDE
“The creation of Suicide has been a great marketing and creative success.”
LAX
“LAX features two amazingly-talented stars. People are just beginning to see what these guys bring to the table as a team and individually.”
THE BRITISH INVASION
“In a very short period of time, the British Invasion has come in and really established itself; they have that natural charisma and confidence that it takes.”
KNOCKOUTS DIVISION
“I’m very proud of the Knockouts. As a woman, it’s important to me that these ladies be represented properly. They are the best in the business, and the recent addition of new Knockouts, such as Tara and Sarita, will only further strengthen this division.”
COMINGS & GOINGS
“I think the roster is in a really good place right now. There might be a few additions, though, and, if so, they will be big additions for us.”
WORLDWIDE ECONOMIC CRISIS
“It’s interesting that we’ve had our biggest growth during a period when the economy has been its worst, and we’re very grateful for that. We know that for people to spend their hard-earned dollars on TNA, that means more today than it ever has, so we have to give them more than we ever have.”
THE TNA LIVE EXPERIENCE
“Anyone who has never been to a TNA Live! event, they really are missing something because we try to make that experience so much more than just a wrestling show. It’s interactive; it’s personal; it’s different from all other pro wrestling shows. I get emails everyday from people who say, ‘TNA is the best live event they have ever been to.’ That is the ultimate compliment. The talent always gives 100 percent effort in the ring, and then takes the time after the show or during an intermission to let the fans know how much we appreciate their support. It doesn’t matter how many people are at a TNA show, the wrestlers perform like it’s a sold-out Madison Square Garden.”
