Howdy peeps. To cut to the chase of this blog this week let's face some facts. The wrestling PPV business is slowly dying. Does that necessarily mean wrestling will stop having PPVs in the future? Doubtful, but it's certainly possible. Let's look at it from the perspective of a common fan shall we?
In the news recently we've heard a lot about PPV buy rates dropping for WWE. In the same week it's been noted by many in the business, or at least on the journalism side, that TNA has had hardly any hype to it's Labor Day weekend PPV No Surrender (That aired last night). Honestly, it's pretty sad even when my tag team partner in the podcasting realm Steve and I are completely oblivious and had no mention of the TNA PPV this Sunday (I'm referring to our last Monday night show by the way). Why was that? Because we had no idea it was coming up!
Now TNA isn't the only one at fault here. Sure, WWE promotes their PPVs better. But in the end it comes down to so much more than just promoting a show. When hard-earned cash is at stake, people want it to be worth their while.
First of all, I'm not a massive UFC fan. I enjoy it, but it just isn't something I follow. If I was invited to watch a fight I'd gladly go. Or if it's on Spike TV and there isn't anything else on the tube that catches my interest, I'll tune in. But I'm just not a die-hard fan. The same goes for boxing. However as many fans have said recently, wrestling can take a few pointers from UFC as to how they grab the buy rates that they do.
Let's remember these common opinions are coming from someone with no business background or any experience with business in MMA or professional wrestling. That being said, I want to take a bit of a different spin on what's been said regarding how UFC tactics can help wrestling PPVs, and also how it may not be as big a help as many think.
I personally feel that professional wrestling is at a point where it's reputation will never get beyond what it currently is. At least not in the near future. With young deaths occurring so rapidly anyone can see that it's never going to be in the good graces of those in the media. Now, with that said, it's still going strong in various markets and on most stations that carry wrestling programming (USA, Spike, etc). The television ratings are very strong in comparison to other programming those stations offer (As they tell us every second they get) yet we're not talking "Monday Night War" ratings. Let's face it, in our lifetime we may never see those kind of ratings occur again.
My point is that wrestling is still popular, but we're going to have to live with the fact that with kayfabe pretty much non-existant, stories are harder to sell compared to UFC where the action is obviously real and not "predetermined". For any fan to say wrestling has to copy UFC is out of their mind. It would never work. However, the aspects that CAN work in regards to PPV buys is simple;
Give fans a reason to shell out $30-$50. Unfortunately for most, that doesn't happen much today. Even with UFC, I personally don't want to even pay for that because the fights could be short and the huge main event I'm looking forward to will only be 30 seconds long. Don't get my wrong, I love a good knockout, but not for $50. This is where good ol' gatherings come into play. and sorry to say Vinny Mac, the reason for drops in PPV buys is NOT due to people getting together. We've heard of fans doing that for a long time, even during the Monday Night Wars. It's just an example of a poor excuse which is something we're seeing a lot of from the WWE PR department related to the WWE recently, especially in the news which is unfortunate in regards to a number of tragic issues. But hey, on the bright side, the media is a tough beast to tame.
So while the above may seem simple enough, I'm NOT going to pay $50 to see a lousy or predictable professional wrestling show, and that's with both TNA and WWE. I want to care about what's going on, and I'm not talking something like a huge twist, just give me something that MATTERS. Like a championship, or a compelling storyline. This is where UFC is ahead of professional wrestling. Back in wrestling's heyday, even well before the Monday Night Wars, people knew wrestling was a work. But they STILL bought PPVs based on something that matters. As a common fan I feel that this is what's missing today. Could I do better? Uh, maybe? Kidding. No, I couldn't. But with everyone talking about how wrestling needs to go the route of UFC, it would still only get them so far.
For many fans who have already converted to UFC, the "work" that professional wrestling is won't be revisited when they can see Brock Lesnar pound someone's face in for real. That's not the fault of wrestling, rather a compliment to how Dana White has run UFC.
On the other end of the spectrum, ROH and Dragon Gate USA in my opinion have a better system although one can argue they're geared towards more of an old school, niche' audience. And believe me, their buys aren't near what TNA and WWE are even pulling in, but as a fan the reason to buy the PPV is there (Not just because they're only about $15, I'd pay double).
In those cases, I either care about what's going on, or KNOW that I'm going to get wrestling that will tear the house down. Just being "interested" in a story or match isn't enough to want people today to spend upwards of $20 or so. I'm glad Steve and I didn't buy Summerslam this year, I enjoy the bigger shows in general, but to be honest, I was only "interested". Sorry, that ain't gonna empty my wallet.
To be perfectly honest, if ROH/DGUSA PPVs were even as much as $30-$50, I'd be very tempted to partake. Especially when you don't get one every month which is another strength of UFC's PPV format. Another example that wrestling does need to duplicate, but we all know it'll never happen. A handful of things are still better in wrestling as opposed to MMA simply because it's labeled more of an entertainment form as opposed to a competitive sport. I love my Wrestlemania shows like the next person, pyro and all, and while UFC doesn't have that, it's not the only thing that makes a show worth paying money to see. It means that championships and angles still matter above everything else, and from a marketing standpoint, who it involves.
So apart from those complaints above, in a nutshell we all know UFC's format can help professional wrestling. I just feel that in the end it still won't get them back to the so called "promised land" of years past. The focus should be on young talent and meaningful championships with a legit reason to put out hard earned money for PPVs. This was pretty much a common sense rant that we all probably know already, but I sure feel better getting it out in writing! So until next week, this has been you're perspective from a common fan.
In the news recently we've heard a lot about PPV buy rates dropping for WWE. In the same week it's been noted by many in the business, or at least on the journalism side, that TNA has had hardly any hype to it's Labor Day weekend PPV No Surrender (That aired last night). Honestly, it's pretty sad even when my tag team partner in the podcasting realm Steve and I are completely oblivious and had no mention of the TNA PPV this Sunday (I'm referring to our last Monday night show by the way). Why was that? Because we had no idea it was coming up!
Now TNA isn't the only one at fault here. Sure, WWE promotes their PPVs better. But in the end it comes down to so much more than just promoting a show. When hard-earned cash is at stake, people want it to be worth their while.
First of all, I'm not a massive UFC fan. I enjoy it, but it just isn't something I follow. If I was invited to watch a fight I'd gladly go. Or if it's on Spike TV and there isn't anything else on the tube that catches my interest, I'll tune in. But I'm just not a die-hard fan. The same goes for boxing. However as many fans have said recently, wrestling can take a few pointers from UFC as to how they grab the buy rates that they do.
Let's remember these common opinions are coming from someone with no business background or any experience with business in MMA or professional wrestling. That being said, I want to take a bit of a different spin on what's been said regarding how UFC tactics can help wrestling PPVs, and also how it may not be as big a help as many think.
I personally feel that professional wrestling is at a point where it's reputation will never get beyond what it currently is. At least not in the near future. With young deaths occurring so rapidly anyone can see that it's never going to be in the good graces of those in the media. Now, with that said, it's still going strong in various markets and on most stations that carry wrestling programming (USA, Spike, etc). The television ratings are very strong in comparison to other programming those stations offer (As they tell us every second they get) yet we're not talking "Monday Night War" ratings. Let's face it, in our lifetime we may never see those kind of ratings occur again.
My point is that wrestling is still popular, but we're going to have to live with the fact that with kayfabe pretty much non-existant, stories are harder to sell compared to UFC where the action is obviously real and not "predetermined". For any fan to say wrestling has to copy UFC is out of their mind. It would never work. However, the aspects that CAN work in regards to PPV buys is simple;
Give fans a reason to shell out $30-$50. Unfortunately for most, that doesn't happen much today. Even with UFC, I personally don't want to even pay for that because the fights could be short and the huge main event I'm looking forward to will only be 30 seconds long. Don't get my wrong, I love a good knockout, but not for $50. This is where good ol' gatherings come into play. and sorry to say Vinny Mac, the reason for drops in PPV buys is NOT due to people getting together. We've heard of fans doing that for a long time, even during the Monday Night Wars. It's just an example of a poor excuse which is something we're seeing a lot of from the WWE PR department related to the WWE recently, especially in the news which is unfortunate in regards to a number of tragic issues. But hey, on the bright side, the media is a tough beast to tame.
So while the above may seem simple enough, I'm NOT going to pay $50 to see a lousy or predictable professional wrestling show, and that's with both TNA and WWE. I want to care about what's going on, and I'm not talking something like a huge twist, just give me something that MATTERS. Like a championship, or a compelling storyline. This is where UFC is ahead of professional wrestling. Back in wrestling's heyday, even well before the Monday Night Wars, people knew wrestling was a work. But they STILL bought PPVs based on something that matters. As a common fan I feel that this is what's missing today. Could I do better? Uh, maybe? Kidding. No, I couldn't. But with everyone talking about how wrestling needs to go the route of UFC, it would still only get them so far.
For many fans who have already converted to UFC, the "work" that professional wrestling is won't be revisited when they can see Brock Lesnar pound someone's face in for real. That's not the fault of wrestling, rather a compliment to how Dana White has run UFC.
On the other end of the spectrum, ROH and Dragon Gate USA in my opinion have a better system although one can argue they're geared towards more of an old school, niche' audience. And believe me, their buys aren't near what TNA and WWE are even pulling in, but as a fan the reason to buy the PPV is there (Not just because they're only about $15, I'd pay double).
In those cases, I either care about what's going on, or KNOW that I'm going to get wrestling that will tear the house down. Just being "interested" in a story or match isn't enough to want people today to spend upwards of $20 or so. I'm glad Steve and I didn't buy Summerslam this year, I enjoy the bigger shows in general, but to be honest, I was only "interested". Sorry, that ain't gonna empty my wallet.
To be perfectly honest, if ROH/DGUSA PPVs were even as much as $30-$50, I'd be very tempted to partake. Especially when you don't get one every month which is another strength of UFC's PPV format. Another example that wrestling does need to duplicate, but we all know it'll never happen. A handful of things are still better in wrestling as opposed to MMA simply because it's labeled more of an entertainment form as opposed to a competitive sport. I love my Wrestlemania shows like the next person, pyro and all, and while UFC doesn't have that, it's not the only thing that makes a show worth paying money to see. It means that championships and angles still matter above everything else, and from a marketing standpoint, who it involves.
So apart from those complaints above, in a nutshell we all know UFC's format can help professional wrestling. I just feel that in the end it still won't get them back to the so called "promised land" of years past. The focus should be on young talent and meaningful championships with a legit reason to put out hard earned money for PPVs. This was pretty much a common sense rant that we all probably know already, but I sure feel better getting it out in writing! So until next week, this has been you're perspective from a common fan.
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