A lot can change in 30 years, ladies and gentlemen.
In 1986, pro
wrestling was entering its second year of promoting pay-per-view events. WrestleMania started off as the biggest
gamble in pro wrestling history.
Ultimately, it laid the blueprint for the modern-day WWE. It takes Vince and Linda McMahon to verbally
express how much they stood to lose in putting on WrestleMania. So many things led to this event
happening. And when it finally did, it
changed the sport forever.
For the wrestling buff totally into WWE, it was all about
building so many things during the Golden Era of WWE. Back then, there was wrestling outside of the
WWE. It did not matter if your name was
Verne Gagne or Jim Crockett or even Herb Abrams. The eyes of the pro wrestling world were
focused on the success or failure of the WWE’s pay-per-view exploits. The logic was simple: if the PPV model worked for him, it will
surely work for us!
Outside of WWE, the only organization that ever had
continued success with PPV was the NWA/WCW.
I say that Chi-Town Rumble ’89 is still one of the greatest wrestling
PPV’s in history. ECW also had some moderate success with the pay-per-view
model. The American Wrestling
Association took a huge chance on SuperClash III - in
conjunction with three other wrestling organizations - and failed miserably. The same can be said for the even more
abysmal UWF Beach Brawl. With the exception of WWE, all of the other
organizations are no longer in existence.
WCW and ECW will probably be remembered more for their successes than
their ultimate failures. Part of that is
due to the PPV success. The AWA has a
rich history but their PPV forays are forgettable by choice in remembering what
they contributed to wrestling. UWF just
flopped and its PPV was indicative of that.
When an organization wanted to prove that it belonged among the elite in
the sport, it put all of its chips on the table and gambled on the PPV
model. For the successful few, it said
“we have arrived”. For the many that
failed, it said “please go quietly into the night”.
Now we are in a day and age where WWE took another gamble
that has ultimately paid off – the WWE Network.
One of the criticisms against the streaming network was that WWE would
cut its revenue by now offering its PPV’s for $9.99. Plus, they own the libraries of most of the defunct
feds mentioned and offer their PPV’s in the subscription package. The words “pay-per-view” have become more
tagline than purchasing method. Unless we are talking boxing, it seems like
the PPV model is slowly fading into obscurity in wrestling. The concept seems a bit dated for wrestling.
So why are there organizations still trying to sell PPV’s?
I say this on the heels of TNA’s most recent PPV offering –
Slammiversary 2016. It is a show whose
top three matches feature five WWE castoffs between them. All of that aside, people don’t speak as
optimistically about TNA as they did a decade ago. Constantly in a state of transition and
forever seeking an identity, TNA is no longer viewed as revolutionary pro
wrestling. It comes off now as simply a
wrestling show. At this point, is the
risk worth the reward? Even after that,
would YOU pay money to watch a TNA PPV? The
same can be said for Ring of Honor. Owed
by a conglomerate of syndicated television stations, Ring of Honor can be seen
almost anywhere throughout the country during the week or weekend. And while ROH has clearly supplanted TNA as
North America’s number-two organization, it’s kind of hard for me to stomach
the idea of paying almost $35 for one of their offerings. I am certain I’m not the only one who feels
this way either.
One of the things that WWE loves to do during its PPV’s is
to acknowledge other countries offering WWE shows to their viewers on PPV. It’s a kind gesture that serves a double
purpose. It also solidifies WWE’s status
in doing global business. However, the
same can’t be said for the other two feds.
This is not a knock on either of them, but think about it. There are really only two events that are
really doing big numbers consistently on PPV these days: boxing and the UFC. Brock Lesnar is a multiple-time WWE champion,
but his status as the king of PPV came when he turned Frank Mir’s face into
sloppy Joe at UFC 100. WWE still does
good business – especially during WrestleMania – but even they are falling
short of the new PPV giants’ numbers.
Neither TNA and ROH can compete with WWE financially. And no matter who offers your product
overseas, international offerings do not always translate into international
buys. Can they truly afford to lose
money – much less compete - on a PPV level?
Supply and demand will always have a place in the center of
any business seeking growth. No one
could fathom if Vince McMahon exaggerated the demand for WWE programming when
he embarked on the journey that was WrestleMania. It was a risk that paid off. It was a calculated risk. But more importantly, it was a well-funded
risk seen through the eyes of a man with a very clear vision. Had they failed, WWE could have recovered in
time to give WrestleMania or the PPV market another go in time. With people starting to slowly fall out of
love with cable television as a whole, maybe the PPV route isn’t the best way
to go anymore. Today’s media offers
other forms of broadcasting. From PPV
comes iPPV. There are other streaming
services that aren’t as well-known as the industry leaders, but isn’t the job of
a promoter is to promote? If growth and
prosperity are the ultimate goal of any organization, the smartest move to make
is to take advantage of the latest way to broadcast your vision to the
world. That is if you are financially
stable. Work smarter, not harder, and
milk these modern methods for all they are worth….
…..because a lot can change in 30 years, ladies and
gentlemen.
Fin.
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