It was announced today that TNA Impact would be making a permanent move to Monday nights starting on March 8th. A press conference was held at the Impact Zone where Dixie Carter and Hulk Hogan addressed the media in attendance to break the major news. The conference was also streamed live on TNA’s web site.
Dixie Carter started the conference by stating that they have grown since coming to the Impact Zone just six years ago. She then stated that they had a successful Monday night show on January 4th that set ratings records for their show, which prompted TNA and Spike to consider moving the show to Monday nights on a permanent basis.
Hulk Hogan then stepped in and stated that the company has made leaps and bounds since he joined up with them and that TNA has also rejuvenated him. Hogan also said that it is an honor for him to work in TNA and that they are making history.
Mike Tenay then opened the floor for questions. Carter answered the first couple of questions by saying that the move was permanent and they will rotate between doing live and taped shows. She also stated that they chose to go head-to-head with Raw but could look at moving the time slot down the line. Hogan added his two cents by saying going head-to-head was the only way to go.
Hogan then answered some Monday Night War questions by saying that he does not want to repeat history but instead wants to make history by putting out the best possible product. Hogan also stated that he doesn’t expect to get a reaction from WWE, but said that he knows that some of their talent is cheering them on and that the corporate types are probably panicking over the news.
Finally, Carter answered a question about making Impact a 3-hour show by saying that there weren’t any plans to do so at the time and that they are discussions going on about adding additional programming to Spike. The press conference concluded shortly afterwards.
If for no other reason, I’m glad that Impact is making the move just to have some live broadcasts. It was easy to tell that being live added an extra element on January 4th that is missing to the usual broadcasts that I hope TNA is able to recreate. Going directly up against WWE Raw, though, is something that one has to question.
As Hogan said, there will probably be no reaction from WWE about this, although I highly doubt anyone is panicking over the announcement. All WWE has to do is stack the deck on Monday nights and watch TNA’s numbers dwindle or at least stay stagnant. Going an hour earlier, however, would have at least given TNA time to set up their show and try to hook viewers into watching their show over Raw.
At any rate, I hope that TNA hasn’t bitten off more than it can chew with this move, but I have to give them credit for at least trying. Competition is good for everyone and the wrestling fans will once again have a choice as to what to watch on Monday nights. Don’t like what’s on Raw, change to Impact. Don’t like what’s on Impact, switch over to Raw. Or do like I do and give my DVR a workout and record both shows.
