Post by The Ultimate Nullifier on Sept 9, 2014 20:54:54 GMT -6
www.f4wonline.com/more/more-top-stories/100-tna/38852-russo-says-spike-poor-partner-for-tna-spike-responds
By Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer
Vince Russo made comments this past week about Spike TV and its relationship with TNA, including saying he felt they were horrible for the promotion, which led to Spike saying Russo was a non-entity and that they had gone above and beyond their contract over the years in helping fund and promote the product.
Russo, in an interview on the Pro Wrestling Report, said:
“I’ve been holding this back for years and I finally get to say this. I felt like Hannibal Lechter when he was strapped in and had his mouth wired shut. Spike TV is a horrible partner. Why TNA would ever want to partner with Spike is beyond me, unless there were no other options. If Spike TV were the only option to stay on television, then I would understand it. They are a horrible partner. They know nothing about the wrestling business. They way they advertised and marketed the program over the years was absolutely atrocious.
I can tell you this from a position where I worked with the USA Network, I worked directly with Bonnie Hammer. She was the female version of Vince McMahon. She knew what she was doing. When you had Bonnie Hammer at USA and Vince McMahon, the sky was the limit. If TNA signs another deal with Spike TV, great for them. It will move along for another two years and everyone will work, but the product will not grow on Spike TV. My hope for TNA is that a new network comes along and embraces TNA and gives them the time and investment to help grow the product. I can’t say this enough. TNA on Spike TV will never grow.”
Aside from the fact that WWE Raw moved in 2005 from Spike TV back to USA and its ratings never grew, and are today lower than they were on Spike, the reality is Spike TV saved TNA. They had already pulled out of the Fox Sports Net deal because the decision was made to no longer pay for television.
Fox Sports Net didn’t care about the ratings TNA was getting, which were well above the station average. FSN was only interested in wrestling as a time buy, meaning the promotion buys the time. TNA was on the verge of extinction without a television home. But when WWE left Spike to return to USA, Spike decided it wanted to keep wrestling, so they gave TNA a Saturday night show and eventually in time, moved them to Thursdays, and tried Mondays in 2010, which didn’t work.
Spike was not happy with Russo’s comments.
“I want to start by saying we enjoyed a great relationship, a very collaborative relationship with Dixie Carter and her team over the years,” said David Schwarz, the Senior Vice President of Communications with Spike TV. “We took TNA from a late night spot on Saturday nights, doing 500,000 viewers, to a two-hour time slot that did two million viewers over time. Spike went out of its way, not in just adhering to its contract, but above and beyond the contract.
"We paid Hulk Hogan, we paid Eric Bischoff, with our money. We financed many shows. We financed U.K. shows. We helped promote. We gave TNA a prime time slot of Thursdays from 9-11 p.m. I think his comments are way off base. Clearly, he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. He’s somebody who thinks more of himself than really exists. Vince Russo never meant anything to Spike TV. He had nothing to do with negotiations. Nobody cares about Vince Russo at Spike TV. Nobody cares or knows who he is. We have a great relationship with TNA. We went above and beyond for them, as they did for us. Dixie helped promote our shows. What Vince Russo is saying is complete nonsense.”
By Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer
Vince Russo made comments this past week about Spike TV and its relationship with TNA, including saying he felt they were horrible for the promotion, which led to Spike saying Russo was a non-entity and that they had gone above and beyond their contract over the years in helping fund and promote the product.
Russo, in an interview on the Pro Wrestling Report, said:
“I’ve been holding this back for years and I finally get to say this. I felt like Hannibal Lechter when he was strapped in and had his mouth wired shut. Spike TV is a horrible partner. Why TNA would ever want to partner with Spike is beyond me, unless there were no other options. If Spike TV were the only option to stay on television, then I would understand it. They are a horrible partner. They know nothing about the wrestling business. They way they advertised and marketed the program over the years was absolutely atrocious.
I can tell you this from a position where I worked with the USA Network, I worked directly with Bonnie Hammer. She was the female version of Vince McMahon. She knew what she was doing. When you had Bonnie Hammer at USA and Vince McMahon, the sky was the limit. If TNA signs another deal with Spike TV, great for them. It will move along for another two years and everyone will work, but the product will not grow on Spike TV. My hope for TNA is that a new network comes along and embraces TNA and gives them the time and investment to help grow the product. I can’t say this enough. TNA on Spike TV will never grow.”
Aside from the fact that WWE Raw moved in 2005 from Spike TV back to USA and its ratings never grew, and are today lower than they were on Spike, the reality is Spike TV saved TNA. They had already pulled out of the Fox Sports Net deal because the decision was made to no longer pay for television.
Fox Sports Net didn’t care about the ratings TNA was getting, which were well above the station average. FSN was only interested in wrestling as a time buy, meaning the promotion buys the time. TNA was on the verge of extinction without a television home. But when WWE left Spike to return to USA, Spike decided it wanted to keep wrestling, so they gave TNA a Saturday night show and eventually in time, moved them to Thursdays, and tried Mondays in 2010, which didn’t work.
Spike was not happy with Russo’s comments.
“I want to start by saying we enjoyed a great relationship, a very collaborative relationship with Dixie Carter and her team over the years,” said David Schwarz, the Senior Vice President of Communications with Spike TV. “We took TNA from a late night spot on Saturday nights, doing 500,000 viewers, to a two-hour time slot that did two million viewers over time. Spike went out of its way, not in just adhering to its contract, but above and beyond the contract.
"We paid Hulk Hogan, we paid Eric Bischoff, with our money. We financed many shows. We financed U.K. shows. We helped promote. We gave TNA a prime time slot of Thursdays from 9-11 p.m. I think his comments are way off base. Clearly, he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. He’s somebody who thinks more of himself than really exists. Vince Russo never meant anything to Spike TV. He had nothing to do with negotiations. Nobody cares about Vince Russo at Spike TV. Nobody cares or knows who he is. We have a great relationship with TNA. We went above and beyond for them, as they did for us. Dixie helped promote our shows. What Vince Russo is saying is complete nonsense.”