I have heard rumors that TNA has reached out to legendary Basketball coach Bobby Knight to make an appearance for them. I have been told this was a six figure offer. I can only hope that this was not true. In my heart I believe it is true but ultimately I hope it is not.
We also have a scenario where the WWE has reached out to Floyd Mayweather for Wrestlemania. I don’t understand the point of the whole thing. I think wrestling fans make themselves real clear ... they aren’t interested in outsiders making one shot appearances at major events. I am sure there have been some exceptions to the rule over the years. I do not think there have been enough exceptions to continue this approach.
In the Bobby Knight scenario TNA seems to be following the Vince McMahon concept of pay big money for someone that you believe will get you main stream media coverage. It should be clear to everyone that TNA is far from a household name. I can see Dixie Carter having a desire for everyone to know her company name. The concept of branding is not a new thing. In most homes wrestling means WWE. The brand has been presented to people all over the world for many years. I would venture many people still are still unaware TNA exists. I would say TNA has already made some attempts in this area and it did nothing to help them as near as I can tell Pacman Jones is a good example. If I was Dixie Carter I would save my money or spend it in other areas before creating a national spotlight on my company. I have stated in this column before that the problems in TNA are not inside the six sided ring they are but, instead, behind the scenes. The management of TNA should send Bobby Knight a thank you note for turning down their offer. At this time Dixie Carter’s Company is not ready for a national spotlight to shine on TNA. Do you remember years ago your mother saying always be sure you have on clean underwear?You never know what may happen to you and you don’t want to be caught with dirty underwear. Well I for one do believe that TNA still has a few soil spots in their underwear. When you walk the red carpet you can either be praised highly or ridiculed forever. This is not a put down it is an observation. In the near future it will become a put down. At TNA they have to start paving the way for future success.
It was recently announced that WWE and Jakks Pacific have parted ways. I have been involved in some negotiations with Jakks Pacific and I have not been thrilled with how they conduct business. It was also announced that TNA will take WWE’s place with Jakks. I do think that unless TNA really comes on strong Jakks will not be producing wrestling dolls of current stars for very long once their TNA deal starts in two thousand and ten.. I have a hard time believing that Jakks will be able to maintain the same level of sales with a bunch of quality wrestlers who don’t have the proper exposure to sell dolls in large numbers.
Can TNA think outside the box to get some of the talented young people that they have exposure? I hold out little hope for most of the scenarios because Dixie appears to be odd person out in a TNA power struggle that will probably lead TNA out of business one day.
In the Floyd Mayweather WWE scenario what is WWE trying to accomplish? You have a great boxer in Floyd Mayweather. He is a very small man and you put him in against The Big Show. The Big Show ends up with a broken nose after a couple of punches. That one situation alone shows how punches are pulled in wrestling.
I don’t see Mayweather being a good thing for the WWE. I have not seen the main stream media really grab hold of Mayweather’s participation. When you reach out to one of these stars to get involved in an event it can only serve two purposes. The first would be for increased exposure. The second would be to attract the casual fan. I realize that Floyd Mayweather was a part of Dancing with the Stars but I don’t think that he really took a huge step forward popularity wise because of the show. He did an admirable job on the show but I think his personality is not one that would let America embrace him
. Hey Vince if you want someone to appear at Wrestlemania that got a huge boost from appearing on Dancing with the Stars, why not try Stacey Keibler and pay her like she is a real celebrity. It was just a thought but I believe the WWE ego would have a hard time reaching out to Keibler. Isn’t it funny how once Stacey got into the real world of entertainment and heard how real stars are treated she didn’t give WWE the time of day anymore.
The picture with this article is from WrestleReunion 2 in Valley Forge Pa. The first match was Brad Armstrong and his father Bullet Bob Armstrong vs. “The Magnificent Muraco” and his son Joe. I had know Don Muraco for many years I believe he wanted to stay retired but for the chance to team up with his young son Joe who was being trained by my teacher, Afa Anoai, at The Wild Samoan Pro Wrestling Training Center he agreed. Bullet Bob and Don had many battles in the seventies that I believe carried over into the eighties. I felt this would also encourage Don to appear and he did with basically no questions asked.
