8 months ago
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What's old is new again, as TNA Wrestling is picking up some steam. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, TNA officials recently toured Full Sail University — the former home of "WWE NXT" – and may be considering broadcasting their flagship show live from the soundstage.
Former WCW and TNA producer Eric Bischoff is someone who has experience in taking wrestling shows live. Speaking on "83 Weeks," Bischoff shared his opinion on whether it may be a good idea for TNA or not.
"To be able to answer, 'Will it work or not?' would require us having a better understanding of what their goals are," Bischoff said. "It won't make any difference to their bottom line. ... TNA found out it was expensive [but] that's only if you tour. ... Shooting a show live versus shooting it and post-producing it, it's not the cost of production that is such a hurdle. It's the travel and the setup that goes along with it."
If TNA does decide to broadcast solely from Full Sail or another single location every week, they won't have to deal with those extra costs. However, Bischoff also feels that there isn't necessarily a great benefit to going live if you're staying in one soundstage all the time.
"Touring live is what works," Bischoff continued. "[WCW] proved the model that live television is more interesting, but only if it tours and you've got a crowd that becomes a part of the show."
Bischoff feels that the TNA audience won't care if the show is live or taped as long as they're filming each episode in the same place. Additionally, the energy of a crowd seeing a touring show is very different than a weekly audience that includes many of the same people each week.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "83 Weeks" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
