Why has TNA failed to really take off? + DCW sign ups?

First and foremost, I'd like to say that it's awesome for a promotion to go from zero to National in the span of 11 years. I'd hardly call that not taking off. ROH hasn't taken off, Chikara hasn't taken off, TNA wrestling has taken off. They've had a steady time slot on Spike since signing with them, pull steady ratings, the highest for Spike TV for that matter. I wont say the company doesn't have it's shortcomings, because it does. So here's my take on what's holding it back...

1. The fan base doesn't exist for it: I always hearken back to the end of the Monday Night Wars when it comes to gaining a fanbase. When WCW went under, WCW fans didn't suddenly just start watching WWE programming. As a matter of fact, WWE's ratings were almost cut in half instantaneously because a certain demographic of fans didn't like what Vince had to offer, so they just up and quit watching wrestling. Likewise, WWE fans aren't going to turn to TNA just because it's wrestling. That 90's brand loyalty is still present in the wrestling world, which means TNA is forced to cultivate it's own fan base. No star is going to bring WWE fans over to watch TNA. If anyone were capable of that, it would've been Sting, Angle, Nash, Hardy, Foley or even Hogan, but all of those names failed to put a dent in the ratings. Why?

2. TNA has zero advertising outside of Spike. I can't count how many times I've heard interviews from guys like Sting, Nash, Angle, and Foley saying some fan ran into them in the airport and asked them why they didn't wrestle anymore, to which they had to explain that TNA exists. Fans who already watch Spike are most likely watching TNA, so there's no real gain from advertising them on the network, but since Spike is an island unto itself, TNA gets advertised nowhere but Spike.

3. The WWE's been around nearly 30 years now. It's kind of hard to muster up a fanbase as loyal within that time, especially considering the slings and arrows Vince endured heading to the top of the wrestling world against juggernauts like WCW and rebel factions like ECW. And just like Vince had to win over fans due to WCW's initial NWA popularity advantage (Which he didn't do until '97, nearly 15 years after the first wrestlemania) TNA has to stand out and present itself as a viable option.

4. WWE's business is wrestling. Panda Energy's business is not. TNA is the Carter's pet project, not all of Panda's money goes toward TNA. If it did, odds are they'd have a better network, more vocal advertisers, bigger names, and zero problems in the money department. Even when WCW was at it's most ridiculous it was making bank. And granted, WCW wasn't Turner's sole responsibility, he had no problem pumping time warner money into it. The Carter's (most notably Dixies parent's) do.

I think part of it is just relying on word of mouth promotion, and also changing direction too much!

I think they had a good creative team a few years ago, a lot of them guys are working for WWE now, but maybe criticism from fans, not getting the results TNA management wanted, led to them making changes! Those changes led to the company changing the product, they haven't been consistent, and that is a problem, it is hard to grow a fan base unless you put on a consistent product, making constant changes creatively will also cause problems, I think that is one of the issues TNA had, it seems like they was starting to get things right in 2009, and looked to be on the verge to putting TNA's talent at the main event level, then come in Hogan and Bischoff because of Dixie Carter, that changed everything, they went in a completely different direction, that didn't work, so they tried something else, that didn't work, so they tried something else!

Basically, they keep making changes for the sake of making changes and it has ruined the company!

1. failure to make stars

2. misunderstanding how pro wrestling works

2a. throwing random things on tv does not work

2b. shock value just for the sake of it does not work

3. Dixie Carter is to blame for everything.....

4. Jeff Jarrett was never a draw

5. Fire Hogan

A lot of mistakes and no eye for talent for first off Hogan and Bishoff are killing TNA they have gotten away from what made TNA unique and not just a wwe knockoff for example the 6 sided ring was amazing and innovative they got rid of it. The knockouts division was 150x better than wwe and was a cornerstone for TNA now its still better than wwe but not the same. The tag team division was amazing LAX, aj styles and daniels, motor city machine guns were great and entertaining now there is barely a tag team division. Most important to me was the x division was incredible they had amazing superstars like aj styles, daniels, amazing red, sabin, etc there who put on incredible action pack high flyin matches every week there was nothing like that in wwe the X division title was just as prestigious as the TNA heavyweight title now the x division isnt what it used to be. Next hulk hogan takes up way to much air time he is the biggest name in the company but hes in his 50's vince McMahon isnt shown every 20 min like hogan is he needs to step back and get less air time. And lastly TNA has no eye for talent a majority of their roster came from wwe or wcw bully, devon, kurt angle, hogan, sting, anderson, hardy, gail kim, chavo, tara. Aside from hardy and angle those people were mid carders if that in wwe not there suppossed to be top stars in tna and be taken seriously by fans? TNA hasn't developed young talent at all they gave wwe rejects like rvd, orlando jordan, mr anderson, bully ray and garbage stars who never panned out like abyss, big rob,crimson, wes brisco who got cut by wee and garett bishoff who wwe never called pushes instead of their own stars. TNA has 2 of the top 5 wrestlers in the world on their roster and one whos top 15-20 but they make jeff hardy hulk hogan and bully ray the faces of there company. IMO the top 5 wrestlers in the world are 1.cm punk 2. Aj styles 3. Cena 4. Daniel bryan 5. Austin aries. Bobby roode and samoa joe are just as good as shemus and ryback and Christopher daniels is just as good as orton but why doesnt TNA make them the faces of their company?? Tna has a lot of problems i hope they recover. If TNA kept focus on the X division (witch wwe doesnt have), tag division and knockouts division(wwe weaknesses). And would have kept CM punk and zeb colter( who was in charge of the knockouts division), signed paul heyman, and jim ross they would be able to go up against wwe. Paul heyman automatically bring brock lesnar(instant drawing power) plus heymans the best talker and actor in the business. Jim ross has an incredible eye for talent any major superstar that has came to wwe since 2010 jim ross prob brought them to wwe. Sorry for the long answer.