Source: Twitter
From the pages of the “does anyone really care about this crap?” file, a Twitter war erupted today between WWE’s Joey Styles and TNA Wrestling’s Bob Ryder. Virtually all fans know who Joey Styles is, but for those of you that don’t know Bob Ryder – he used to run the Prodigy internet wrestling boards and eventually opened up 1wrestling.com before working with WCW in its failing days and winding up with TNA Wrestling as the guy who books their hotel rooms, convention halls, VIP weekends, etc.
Here is the seemingly unnecessary exchange:
Joey Styles: TNA in Poughkeepsie NY last night didn’t have Dreamer, Foley or Dudleys …and didn’t have sell out either. The local Indy sells out there.
Bob Ryder: Can’t figure out why @JoeyStyles takes cheap shots at TNA. Especially given how often he has said he would like to work there.
Joey Styles: To clarify, I’m not criticizing TNA for not selling out but rather the TNA employee that didn’t book past ECW wrestlers in NY so they did.
Bob Ryder: Glad to hear @JoeyStyles has all the answers to how to sell out buildings. WWE live event business is down. They could use his help.
Joey Styles: Here’s news much more important than my TNA musings; UFC bought Strikeforce! That is the MMA equivalent of WWE buying TNA.
Dear Joey Styles;
Its nice to hear you’re keeping up with TNA. You must be a big fan of their’s to take time out of your busy life to comment on TNA. Yet WWE can’t even keep their own attendance figures up. Why aren’t you complaining about WWE’s attendance figures? Since you work for that company. Wasn’t it about a month ago that when they taped Smackdown, they only got about 4,000 people in the arena, and they actually had to move everyone further down to the ring so that they could make it look like it was a sell-out on TV?
Oh Joey, you so stooopid.
Regards, Radiitz.
Excellent points Radiitz.
The IWC and people like Styles always like to point out what they percieve to be low attendance numbers by TNA. But when you really delve into the numbers TNA is very successful if you look at the difference in the respective businesses. WWE is seen on multiple cable channels with multiple broadcasts on higher rated channels. They have been in business for over 30 years. There has to be some fear on their part about TNA’s drawing power considering the smaller viewing audience and lack of established brand recognition.
Speaking of the numbers that TNA draws – how about the 1,200 – 1,500 fans that were in Rahway last night?! I should have gone to the show – it’s less than an hour from my house. Next time… And I read somewhere that the Poughkeepsie show was sold out, too.
Good point William B.
People really need to start appreciating TNA for their success thus-far. Its been nearly 9 years since TNA has started, and they are the second biggest wrestling promotion in North America (first biggest in the UK).
@Joe
Wow, those are some pretty good numbers for a house show. That’s more than what the iMPACT Zone can contain I think. But of course, haters will always sweep good news like that under their WWE rug and bring out the old spud guns hitting TNA with everything they’ve got. Sad, really.