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83 WEEKS WITH ERIC BISCHOFF:  TNA SLAMMIVERSARY 2010 06/08/10

Eric’s thoughts on this show:  “I don’t know how anybody objectively says anything but, this was a great PPV.  It may not have been the best PPV.  It may not have been the most exciting PPV.  You may not have walked away thinking this is a company that is really on a roll.  This is a company I can invest my time and emotion into.  But, the reason you don’t feel that way, if you didn’t, or don’t after watching it, is because the ambiance, the vibe, the energy or lack thereof, is what kept the show from feeling as great as it should have.  There was great talent in the ring.  There was great action in the ring by that talent.  There were solid stories and great set-up.  But, it still felt like it was really insignificant.  The sound stage actually looked pretty good. But, you can’t hide small.  You will notice while you are watching the show, you can hear people far removed from ringside hear them talking during the match.  The audio made it feel small and insignificant.  Had this show been in front of 3,000 fans, it would have made a world of difference.”

Eric talking about Hulk Hogan’s lawsuit against Post Foods during this time frame.  Cocoa Pebbles had a cartoon character named Bulk Boulder.  He had long blonde hair, a Hogan style mustache, and had the yellow trunks on.  It was a blatant ripoff:  “One of the things people don’t realize is when you have a trademark, you have to protect it.  If you become aware that there are infringements, or even potential infringements on your trademark, and if you, through your lawyers, don’t take some kind of action, affirmative action in response to it, that is, in effect, abandoning your trademark.”

Eric’s true feeling about TNA:  “My feelings about TNA are more about missed opportunities than they are about personal anger or issues on a personal level.  Anybody that’s in business knows how hard it is to create a real opportunity.  You have TNA in business with Viacom.  Viacom was so Spike TV in particular, so supportive of TNA.  So supportive.  To not fully take advantage of that opportunity, I can see that soon after I got there.  You have one of the most powerful media companies in the world anxious to spend their money on you when they don’t have to according to their contract.  They are anxious to create marketing plans for you that is really not their job.  Your job is to market your own company.  You’re not doing it, so they are willing to do it, and spend a lot of money in the process.  Here’s the big one for me.  Maybe it is not fair, and I’ll admit that.  There was a moment in time, and fans will remember when Ultimate Fighter left, it not only created a programming void, and I will be careful here as I don’t want to put words in anyone’s mouth.  In my discussions with Viacom executives, they were not only angry about losing the content, they recognized clearly and were angered by the fact that for all intents and purposes, Spike TV built UFC….I heard this.  They said if we are going to carry this kind of content, we are going to own it.  Don’t believe me?  Look at Bellator…I ask you?  Was there ever a better opportunity for TNA to hook up with Spike TV, who was already in love with the product and say, why don’t we joint venture this?”