WWE RAW to go to 3 hours every week, TNA iMPACT to go live.

[Cowboy Brian]

At today's USA Network upfronts, it was announced that when Raw hits its 1000th episode on Monday 7/23, the WWE's flagship series will permanently go to three hours every week.

Raw will air from 8-11 weekly every Monday. The plan is to have interactive elements in the first hour that lead to matches and stipulations in the later hours.

With the change, WWE Superstars will be taped on Tuesdays before Smackdown.

WWE has also officially announced the change.

TNA’S IMPACT WRESTLING CELEBRATES SUMMER 2012 BY GOING LIVE!

SPIKE TV TAKES HIGHLY RATED SHOW LIVE AND TO 8:00PM/ET BEGINNING THURSDAY, MAY 31st

NASHVILLE, TN - (May 17, 2012) -- TNA IMPACT WRESTLING President Dixie Carter and SPIKE TV President Kevin Kay announce today that the highly-rated “IMPACT WRESTLING” will be going Live! from Universal Studios beginning May 31st and continue through the summer. This announcement coincides with the recently announced new, one-hour earlier time slot change of 8:00-10:00pm/ET every Thursday night beginning May 31st.

“We are excited to take IMPACT WRESTLING Live! all summer long, and have our first Live! summer show launch our new 8:00pm/ET time slot,” says TNA President Dixie Carter. “Summer of 2012 is going to be remembered as the most momentous time in our company's history-to-date. Stay tuned."

This is big enough news for a new thread I would believe...

 

[silverbear]

I'm thrilled beyond words...

Now you can have even less of a life...

 

[TellerMorrow34]

Interesting on both fronts.

I can say that I honestly didn't see them ever doing a permanent 3 hour show...even for RAW.

Could this mean that an eventual removal of Smackdown is possibly on the horizon in the next couple of years?

I'm definately interested in the change there.



TNA this is needed. You really need a live show, IMO, and that's a nice big step for them. Now here is where you can really see the improvement of wrestlers in promos and such because they've gotta do it live now. They can't do retakes or get it edited when they screw up.

This is a big step for TNA and I'm glad to see it because I believe this will bring Bobby Roode one step closer to showing just how good he really is and to eventually landing in WWE.

Kurt Angle and Bully Ray should excel with the live shows as well given all their years of experience doing them.

 

[BoysFan4ever]

3 hours seems a stretch but we'll see.

Rock please come back!

 

[Yeagermeister]

That's 5 hours of my life I can spend on something useful.

 

[Hoofbite]

3 hours?

I haven't watched in probably 6-8 years and every now and then when I'm flipping through all I see is lame promo spots and story shoots.

So now you get 2 hours of soap operas with 5 matches mixed in?

Wow, sounds amazing.

 

[Cythim]

This belongs in off topic, not sports :

 

[Cowboy Brian]

Interesting on both fronts.

I can say that I honestly didn't see them ever doing a permanent 3 hour show...even for RAW.

Could this mean that an eventual removal of Smackdown is possibly on the horizon in the next couple of years?

I'm definately interested in the change there.



TNA this is needed. You really need a live show, IMO, and that's a nice big step for them. Now here is where you can really see the improvement of wrestlers in promos and such because they've gotta do it live now. They can't do retakes or get it edited when they screw up.

This is a big step for TNA and I'm glad to see it because I believe this will bring Bobby Roode one step closer to showing just how good he really is and to eventually landing in WWE.

Kurt Angle and Bully Ray should excel with the live shows as well given all their years of experience doing them.

Come on.. They have offered him a contract a dozen times and he has turned it down each and every time. As recently as last week he stated in an interview he has no intent to ever go to WWE. In TNA he is the top dog working half the dates he would in WWE making similar money as he would in WWE. In TNA he has a spot for life, in WWE 99% chance they give him a ******** gimmick and kill him off like they do to most young talents. He should stay in TNA, the smart move is to stay in TNA and he will stay in TNA. If James Storm, AJ Styles or Bobby Roode wanted to be in WWE they could in a heartbeat. After what Austin Aries has shown these past few months he could too. Bully Rays contract is up sometime in the summer, given his transformation into a legitimate main eventer I would not be surprised to see WWE sign him. I am one who has been predicting for sometime that WWE will raid TNAs roster and I think the time is near, WWE has failed at building up characters and bringing up new talents. TNA has not, it has excelled at it the past two or so years. People poke fun at TNA having a bunch of old people in Hogan, Sting and Flair but Sting can still go better than any 52 year old I have seen in the ring, Hogan has gotten them TV clearance in 50+ countries, bringing in far more revenue than he costs the company, and Flair I have no idea why he is around he no shows half the events he is booked for and doesn't even cut good promos anymore. I guess he is just mailing it in until his contract is up and he can resign with WWE, TNA should just cut him loose, he doesn't care and brings nothing to the company. Either way TNA has done a far better job of building up new stars than WWE, TNA has established Bully Ray, James Storm and Bobby Roode as main eventers in the past 12 months - Austin Aries, Brutus Magnus, Crimson and Gunner all close to breaking through- WWE established CM Punk and that was more of CM Punk establishing himself. They seem to be doing right with Daniel Bryan, but you can never be sure with WWE considering at Wrestlemania he got buried in 18 seconds.

Either way the predicted talents I see hopping to WWE are Matt Morgan, Ric Flair, possibly Hernandez. Crimson depending on when his deal is up and if TNA establishes him as a main eventer or not, Rob Van Dam returning after his deal is up, Bully Ray, The Pope returning after his deal is up.


Roode - WWE knows how good he is as that is clear from 500 miles away. If he had started his career in WWE he would be one of the three top guys. He is far more talented than Punk, Cena or Orton and I like all three. Roode is just a natural heel and would rise to the top of any organization at any point in time. That is not a TNA or WWE fan opinion that is evident to any wrestling fan. Well any besides Zrinkill I am sure.

 

[TellerMorrow34]

I firmly believe, regardless of what Roode says while under a contract, that he will one day be in the WWE. I have no doubt about that at all.


And the WWE doesn't make any new people? I guess Sheamus just completely sucks in your mind? Not to mention that Ziggler, Rhodes, and The Miz are all also very good.

And while you're too blind to see it, and I really don't care what your reasoning is or any silly internet forum stuff you pull out to try and use as your 'majority of wrestling fans' reasoning either, Del Rio is also a damn good performer.

CM Punk was very good before he got there, and definately is a large part of his own success, but that can be said for absolutely any talented performer. They don't become a success without a lot of the work from their own end. So that's just plain stupid to try and make your points for TNA while trying some lame reason to half list Punk on the WWE side.


And WWE hasn't had to make the same amount of new stars in the last 2-3 years, as TNA, because while TNA was wasting their time with Jarrett and living off the success of guys like Angle and Christian, stars that came from WWE, the WWE was making guys like Orton, Edge, Cena, while still using guys like HHH, Jericho, HBK, Kane and Taker.

It's not even close in the last decade as to whose put together a far better roster of main event stars.


While I really like Roode, and I'm digging the improvement of Bubba Ray, there is no main event scene in TNA in the last 5 or 6 years that I'd take over the main event scene in WWE.


Any main event scene that has included HHH, HBK, Cena, Edge, Orton, Kane, Taker, is going to win out every time for me.

Then there is the arrival of Sheamus, Punk, and Miz and I'm a big fan of all of them and the work they do. I'm not a big Daniel Bryan fan but the guy is definately very talented and they've done pretty well with him.


Add into that mix that the WWE has a couple of other younger guys that I believe are destined for some serious greatness in the main event scene in the very near future in Cody Rhodes and Dolph Ziggler and I'm liking what the WWE has to offer a lot.



Throw in there their ability to bring in guys like The Rock and Brock Lesnar for stints to also add something to the shows and that's another bonus for me over Hulk Hogan who stopped being entertaining for me nearly a decade ago.


Flair will probably leave TNA at this point to go back to the WWE because his daughter signed with the WWE. That just seems like pretty much common sense.



But anyway I like the hell out of Roode and I do believe he'll be in the WWE in the future. And I don't believe he's going to be a nothing there either. I believe he'll be something very special while there. I believe Samoa Joe could be huge there as well if they'd pick him up.


AJ would have a following, as he does now, and I could see him in a role similiar to that of Bryan. They remind me a lot of one another. Great in ring performers who are average, on their best nights, on the mic.

 

[Phoenix]

I knew they would have Christian win that.

Enjoying, as always for free, the PPV tonight

 

[Phoenix]

Layla has come a long way over the years. That was pretty much the best women's match I've seen in so long!

 

[Phoenix]

Fairly decent ppv last night. No real complaints except for Booker T being at ringside as announcer. He's just horrible. I got just sick of hearing him say YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME! over and over and over and over. Ridiculous.

 

[Hook'em#11]

3 hours?

Way too long.

Keep it at two hours, and nix SD.

 

[Yakuza Rich]

I firmly believe, regardless of what Roode says while under a contract, that he will one day be in the WWE. I have no doubt about that at all.

Yes, and then the WWE will find a way to bury him. Par for the course with champions from other 'major league' Nort American companies.

CM Punk was very good before he got there, and definately is a large part of his own success, but that can be said for absolutely any talented performer. They don't become a success without a lot of the work from their own end. So that's just plain stupid to try and make your points for TNA while trying some lame reason to half list Punk on the WWE side.

The simple answer here is 'would Punk be this successful in TNA?'

The answer is a resounding 'no.' He would be buried behind Hogan, Jarrett, Angle, etc.

While I really like Roode, and I'm digging the improvement of Bubba Ray, there is no main event scene in TNA in the last 5 or 6 years that I'd take over the main event scene in WWE.

TNA had something in Roode v. Storm, but it was buried behind Hogan, Bischoff, etc. I swear the only people that like those segments are fans who just want TNA to be more successful than WWE, but know that it's garbage.


Add into that mix that the WWE has a couple of other younger guys that I believe are destined for some serious greatness in the main event scene in the very near future in Cody Rhodes and Dolph Ziggler and I'm liking what the WWE has to offer a lot.

Flair will probably leave TNA at this point to go back to the WWE because his daughter signed with the WWE. That just seems like pretty much common sense.

Flair will go where the money pays him the most. I kinda doubt that the WWE will pay him more than TNA. Vince, HHH and Stephanie have seen Flair for what he is these days, and it ain't worth the headache.

But anyway I like the hell out of Roode and I do believe he'll be in the WWE in the future. And I don't believe he's going to be a nothing there either. I believe he'll be something very special while there. I believe Samoa Joe could be huge there as well if they'd pick him up.

They'll never pick up Samoa Joe at a price that Joe would take. Vince hasn't been into legitimately pushing fat guys unless they are from a family of wrestlers like Husky Harris or the late Umaga.

I like Roode as well, but TNA still doesn't get how to push these guys correctly and every time they start to make something, they get bogged down behind Hogan and Co., which makes them look weak in the end.






YR

 

[zrinkill]

I haven't watched in probably 6-8 years

So why do you care?

 

[BoysFan4ever]

Ok I don't watch TNA but I am curious. Hulk Hogan still wrestles?

 

[Cowboy Brian]

This will get interesting..

TNA has filed a lawsuit against WWE. WWE hired an ex TNA employee who worked with their talent relations and TNA is alleging they used his knowledge of TNA contracts to poach talents.

TNA filed a lawsuit yesterday in court in Nashville against WWE and former TNA and WWE office worker Brian Wittenstein for interference with existing contracts, conversion, breach of contract, civil conspiracy, unfair competition, and violation of the Tennessee Uniform Trade Secrets Act. They are also suing Wittenstein for breach of duty of loyalty.
TNA's lawsuit alleges that that Wittenstein, who worked for the company for three years before departing in 2011, provided WWE with inside information on TNA contracts and other matters from his time working in TNA's talent relations and live events departments.

While working for TNA, Wittenstein handled third party bookings for TNA contracts to work independents, scheduling and lots of talent related grunt work. TNA sources at the time of Wittenstein's departure stated he was let go. Wittenstein told PWInsider several months later he had quit.

Wittenstein was hired by WWE earlier this year and worked briefly under Michael Hayes as an assistant before being let go. According to the suit, WWE fired Wittenstein after he presented them with insider TNA information. However, TNA claims that WWE did not approach them with that information until 5/7, several weeks after they let Wittenstein go.

TNA's lawsuit claimed that WWE is now trying to poach contracted talent from TNA, using inside information from TNA contracts to their advantage. Several days later after being contacted by WWE about the Wittenstein issue, Ric Flair (who, as we've reported here, TNA has been having issues with) approached TNA trying to get out of his contract.

TNA is alleging that Flair was trying to get out of his contract in order to go to WWE and that since telling TNA he wanted out of his deal, has not appeared at live events, including the Sacrifice PPV.

In the last week, there have also been rumors that Alex Shelley had turned down a new TNA contract and was looking to go to WWE as well. While those stories have been making the rounds, PWInsider.com has not been able to independently confirm them. Shelley was not specifically mentioned in the lawsuit filing.

An injunction was issued earlier today demanding that WWE and Wittenstein each return whatever confidential material Wittenstein retained from his time working for TNA. They were specifically instructed not to "destroy" any of the material.

I am told a hearing regarding the case is already slated for next month.

We'll have more information as we confirm it.

Note: Flair requesting he wanted out would go against the stories we heard about him being pulled from shows, so if that is indeed the case, we apologize for the error in our Flair story earlier this week.

 

[zrinkill]

 

[Hoofbite]

So why do you care?

Why do you care that I care?

 

[casmith07]

When's WCW Monday Nitro coming back?

Oh nevermind.