Source: The Tennessean
Last week, Dixie Carter gave an exclusive interview to The Tennessean – a local Gannett newspaper in Tennessee. During the interview, Carter talked about the similarities between country music and professional wrestling, how TNA has helped raise the level of WWE’s programming, and challenges with on-going contractual obligations.
You can read the entire article by clicking here or you can read the highlights of the article by scrolling down. Enjoy!
On TNA’s expansion beyond being solely a professional wrestling company:
We’re not just a wrestling company anymore. We do our own booking. We do our own promotion and public relations. We’re a licensing company. We have toys, Halloween costumes, trading cards. We make our own music. All of those things are sold and promoted around the world. But we still do more than 500 hours of television a year.
On the similarities between country music and professional wrestling:
We have wrestlers that girls like to stand in the crowd and scream for like they do for Tim McGraw. Then, we have wrestlers who resonate with more of a family atmosphere. And even though wrestling is predominantly a male sport in the ring and viewed (by) males, you’ll always see grandmas in the crowd. Just like country music moves people, wrestling moves people, too. It’s in a different way. But when your spirit is moved, you’re onto something special.
On the inherent benefit of competition between TNA and WWE:
I don’t care who you are, competition makes you better. There’s a reason there’s a Lowe’s across the street from every Home Depot and a CVS across the street from every Walgreens. I think we’ve made WWE better, just as they’ve improved us.
On expanding the TNA brand, one fan at a time:
It’s a challenging time for the television industry as advertising dollars are dwindling. But it’s the best time to focus on fans. I try to be out in the crowds shaking hands, hugging people and holding babies and saying, “Thank you for being here.” We’ve grown this company one fan at a time. I’ve been there as a small-business startup. I know what it’s like. But we just happened to beat the odds.
On TNA’s ongoing challenges with contractual obligations:
When a company first starts out, you have to do whatever you can to get into the business. Then, once you’re established, you spend a lot of time getting out of all the bad contracts that got you into the business. Deals with companies, bad partnerships or licensing deals. We’re still working through some of those now that we’ve found our footing.
