I want to write about two things this week. The first one is a house show that TNA ran in Little Rock , Ar on July 20th. I hear that the event drew about seventeen hundred people in an arena that holds twenty thousand people. I can honestly say that I believe TNA is coming around the corner. I have seen things that make me think that the light in the tunnel is not a speeding train. In so saying. there are also things that I am seeing that don’t make sense to me. Why come into a market that is known to be a bad wrestling market and to an arena that holds approximately four times as many people as you have ever drawn before. In the last year there were matches held at the old arena where Cowboy Bill Watts used to run in Little Rock. It had Hall and Nash (The Outsiders) and Kamala advertised. Also on the event were Koko B.Ware and Brian Christopher along with Jerry Lawler. It was a financial disaster for the guy running the show, the infamous Curley Womack, who has become more well known for not paying people that he owes money to. Some of the people on the list are Scott Steiner, Rikishi and myself. It was a show with some good names and heavy local promotion but it didn’t draw.
A few years ago WWE ran a PPV in Little Rock. I was at the local gym when Steve Richards recognized me from shows we had done together years earlier. When one of the office guys heard who I was they gave me a stack of tickets to give away for free to the show. This was a live PPV and I could have gotten multiple stacks of tickets. It hasn’t been a good wrestling market for a very long time. I have heard about other, what appeared to be strong events like a Cher concert, that didn’t sell out in the market either. I personally attended a Carrie Underwood concert at the Alltel arena a few months ago. It was sold out weeks in advance. She is one of the hottest acts in the country. That’s what it took to do "turn away" business in Little Rock. TNA is not a household name nor, at this point in time, a hot ticket. So why go into such a proven tough market?
If TNA is going to continue to do these things here is what I recommend for them. I think Dixie Carter believes that Spike TV is going to draw houses for them. I can tell you that is not the whole answer. When I was working for Jim Crockett, and TBS was sizzling hot, they would not go into any market where they didn’t have local television on the air as well. Spike TV is only a shadow on what TBS was for Pro Wrestling in those days. If I was TNA, I would be starting a grass roots campaign in the towns I was going to with live events. I would send someone with major exposure in advance to the town for scheduled events at schools, local radio, local television etc. You need to use someone who everyone will want to talk to. I would suggest Booker T at this point with his exposure. He should have no problem getting media coverage. If this isn’t a workable plan then they should get an eighties legend on payroll. There are many to choose from and you will find that they will have no problem getting media attention. Little Rock would have been a good place to reach out to someone like Koko B. Ware (no airfare) to send on the road with an office rep. All I am saying is that purchasing time on RAW in local markets isn’t the answer alone. It is a small part of the answer. TNA should take advantage of a grass roots approach if they are going to create interest in most markets.
I find what WWE is doing with Jim Duggan to be stupid, pathetic and border line insulting. It wasn’t that long ago that an over fifty Ric Flair was presented as someone who could challenge for a World Title. He could hang in the ring with Shawn Michaels and also be co-holder of a tag team championship. Now, all of a sudden, a fifty something Hacksaw Jim Duggan is an embarrassment to be in the ring? If you're Jerry Lawler how does it make you feel? You still have a very active in ring career on and off WWE TV. If the legends are so washed up why do I continue to hear how great the legends dolls do with Jakks Pacific? I don’t understand what WWE is trying to do with this whole thing. I am sure that somehow they will turn the tables and make the legends save face. But do you have to insult and embarrass someone to create an interest. This whole storyline could have been done in a more positive way and gotten the same or better result. The legends could have been praised and built up along the way not torn down and insulted. I don’t get the way they think in Stamford which leads me into my next statement.
When I was a referee everything was done to keep referees strong and keep the heat off of them. Of course we turned our backs at the right time. The heat was kept where it belonged on the heels. Don’t you wonder what genius sat in a meeting in Stamford and said "Hey lets turn referees into mindless babbling buffoons so we can help our business"? It really has to make you think who in the hell writes this crap?
This photo was taken at the wedding of Quickdraw Rick McGraw. It is of Rick's widow Lisa, Afa The Wild Samoan and Afa Jr who is working in FCW for WWE. The wedding party was held at the home of Angelo Salvati in Branford, Ct.
This has been a piece of my mind
The first thing that I notice on this card is that the attendance was right at 8,500. That’s a successful card (in the eyes of the promotion.) While not a sellout, it’s still a great payday.
