Could MMA put the WWE out of business?

[Guest William E]

After reading the Untertaker interview thread I thought of something when Taker said that "MMA is the wave of the future" shouldn't that scare Vince if Pride or some other MMA organization became big in the US? I mean MMA could overtake boxing in America and crush the WWE since thier are many similarities to Pro wrestling and the major difference is that MMA isn't a work. Do you feel the rise of shootfighting could destroy the WWE?

[Guest Austin3164life]

I highly doubt it, but it would be a lie if Vince weren't at least somewhat concerned with other non-wrestling organizations that are gaining popularity.

[Guest Youth N Asia]

No. I think more people could watch a wrestling match then a grappling match where one guy's on his back for 10 minutes trying to stay out of an armbar.

 

I don't think PRIDE could get over here. And UFC's numbers are way down since they went from sideshow to sport.

[Guest Dangerous A]

Nope. They couldn't do it in 1993-95 when UFC was hot and WWF was in the shitter. Right now UFC isn't hot and Pride doesn't have enough of a following.

 

 

Plus without TV, none of those shows stand a chance to promote vs WWE and their 2 two hour commercials (SD and Raw) that sell their ppv's.

[Guest TheHulkster]

I love UFC, but it's not even in the radar as far as competing with the money made by or the popularity of the WWE. Even right now in a down period.

[Guest Youth N Asia]

I really like UFC as well. But just running on ppv won't put them over the WWE. And that's the only way they can really do it since they can't run new shows every week.

[Guest William E]

What if they did get TV exposure?

[Guest Youth N Asia]

I still don't think it would work...unless they went from to a complete work with angles and whatnot.

[Guest William E]

I still don't think it would work...unless they went from to a complete work with angles and whatnot.

Then it would be another pro wrestling company with some extremely stiff workers

[Guest Spaceman Spiff]

What if they did get TV exposure?

My guess is that most TV networks would deem it "too violent" for TV. Maybe Rupert Murdoch takes a chance & puts it on a Fox station. If not, HBO or Showtime would probably be the only other alternatives, IMO.

[Guest newblood03]

`the guys would be too messed up to go week to week adn that would take away drawing power from the few they have

[Guest Dangerous A]

Even with TV, it won't garner the same exposure of other violent sports like, say, Boxing.

 

Boxing people have and will be quick to point out the barbarianism in MMA, but the chances for injury are far greater in boxing than in MMA. ESPN had an episode of Outside the Lines where they painted MMA in a not so nice picture. That right there shows you that mainstream media doesn't want to give MMA a chance in North America.

 

MMA would need TV and they would need to cater to the wrestling audience similar to how Pride and the other Japanese pro wrestling promotions. It would need to be promoted as non worked pro wrestling and you would still need charasmatic fighters with personality to help sell the matches. Same as boxing. Boxing is in a slump because of the lack of stars, especially the heavyweight division. MMA could come to the US and possibly survive WITH the pro wrestling, but by no means would it put pro wrestling out of business.

[Guest razazteca]

PRIDE is now being offered on PPV in my area so it is a start, but without any kind of publicity outside of the rare tv appearance on The Best Sports Show Period MMA will not put WWE out of business anytime soon.

 

Fox should put the UFC show back on tv if they want to be competitive with wrestling so the general public can understand what it is. I have shown my DVDs of Pride and UFC to casual fans of wrestling and they enjoyed it.

[Guest Austin3164life]

It would be interesting if the MMA could become the next competition to the WWE. People could be (and by people I mean marks) getting sick of the focus on entertainment, and slowly turn to more athletic programming with almost real fighting. It's really hard to get a t.v. deal, when, like DA said, ESPN painted a bad picture of it.

[Guest Downhome]

I don't know about you, but for the most part, I'd say that MMA fans are a lot different than Pro. Wrestling fans.

 

I don't even look at the two "sports" as competition for one another period.

[Guest razazteca]

I think fans of Boxing and Wrestling can embrace MMA after all it similiar to both. All it needs is Ken Shamrock or Tito Ortiz to pimp it out to the public.

 

Hell they could push this as "Reality Fighting" if they wanted to.

[Guest Lei Tong]

It's very doubtful UFC will be as big as pro wrestling in the States, unless it goes the way of PRIDE & other Japanese MMA events and use pro wrestling as a bit of a starting off point, and even then they'd be alienating a big chunk of their audience.

 

And unlike Japan, you're not going to find too many well known athletes (aside from amateur wrestlers, who aren't that well known here in the first place) and/or pro wrestlers to participate.

[Guest RavishingRickRudo]

I'm a Pro Wrestling fan and I like MMA. Curry is a Pro Wrestling fan and he likes MMA. My buddy Charlie was a Pro Wrestling fan and he likes MMA. A bunch of people on the sherdog forum are Pro Wrestling fans. A lot of pro wrestlers/personalities (Heyman, Bradshaw, Taker, Benoit, JR) like MMA. I wouldn't say that they are different audiences. The _hardcore_ base of MMA generally hate Pro Wrestling, but I wouldn't say that Pro Wrestling fans hate MMA - they're just ignorant to/of it. MMA features _a lot_ of the same elements found in Professional Wrestling, it's just, as Lei Tong suggested, a matter of star power. Get a big named athlete in the ring/octagon, and you get attention. Vince used Cindy Lauper and Mike Tyson to put heat on his big events. They have to get into the mainstream public consciousness.

 

I don't think it's a matter of "if", but "when" MMA gets big in North America - that could be in 2 years, it could be in 10, but the product cannot go unseen forever. It's evolved, it's the highest form of sport on the planet, it is just too fucking good for people not to know about it. UFC 40 was the biggest UFC PPV to date, drawing in over $1 mil. dollar gate. Does this mean that WWE will become obsolete? No, of course not... at least, not by MMA's hands... As long as people will want guilt-free violence, wrestling will be around, plus Pro Wrestling has the advantage to change with the times and format their show accordingly.

 

And they do push it as "reality fighting" which makes me want to slap Mike Goldberg in the fucking head. That's almost as bad as "sports entertainment" to me.

 

UFC/Zuffa is still trying to undo the damage caused by SEG - the former owners of the UFC - who marketed it as a bloodsport, rather than a legetimate athletic contest. That's hard to do. There was also the PPV ban as well as difficulty in finding sactioning in the states. That was just resolved in 2000. And they still can't get sanctioning in Ontario (or the rest of Canada for that match, except Quebec and Alberta.. Quebec has the UCC, which is a very popular organization over there and sometimes airs on TSN)

 

Yes, a TV deal is the most important thing to the rise of MMA. Every time I watch TV and see all these stupid channels with stupid shows on them I can't help but fucking think "jesus fucking christ, MMA isn't on, but THIS is!?". Anywho, TSN *does* air the UFC show that aired in the UK last year which features various fights in a 1 hour span, but it's on at midnight on saturdays, and I believe that is also showing on the Sunshine network. I believe their shows on TBDSSP got that shows highest ratings. It's all about Baby steps. Sooner or Later someone is bound to take a chance on it. This is a relatively new sport, with the UFC celebrating it's 10th aniversary this year. When you think about it, every other sport it's competing with in this oversaturated sporting society we live in, has been around for at least 50 years. With the integration of modern technology and especially the internet, the development of this particular sport should go much faster than others. The UFC (and MMA in general) is lucky to have some very passionate fans who "support the sport" which certainly is a very strong base to build from.

[Guest Hogan Made Wrestling]

"Reality fighting" to me sounds like "taking regular guys off the street and having them fight".

[Guest Lei Tong]

With the stubborness and ignorance of many sports fans in this country (and I mean that in the most loving way), I would say we're in for quite a wait.

 

Unless Vince goes insane and decideds to start Inoki'ing his boys into the UFC. (I can hope, can't I?)

[Guest deadbeater]

When Bob Sapp and Chyna are man and woman of the year in Japan, catch wrestling is safe.

 

Elements of MMA, particularly the transitions will be deployed in pro wrestling. In the first ROH show in Queens, NY, Homicide and AJ Styles was practising MMA transitions on each other beforer the show started.

[Guest RavishingRickRudo]

Just show Frye/Takayama to hockey fans and you'll get them hooked

[Guest RavishingRickRudo]

I wonder if the MMA influence in indy wrestling is because of Pride and UFC or because of the Japanese Wrestling promotions like Zero-One incorporating it?

[Guest nikowwf]

I can't see it, cause MMA was much hotter before and it didn't hurt WWE. Right now its a hot commodity, for those who watch it. Its a real niche thing. I like PRIDE, but a lot of my fans who are wrestling fans can't get into it at all.

 

niko

[Guest Steviekick]

I havent honestly seen too much MMA, but I'm kind of interested in it. I think that if it ever gets really popular, it wont' put the WWE out of business necessarily, but it will provide an alternative as well as influence how the WWE presents itself.

[Guest Rob Edwards]

With the stubborness and ignorance of many sports fans in this country (and I mean that in the most loving way), I would say we're in for quite a wait.

 

Unless Vince goes insane and decideds to start Inoki'ing his boys into the UFC. (I can hope, can't I?)

Agreed, it might be seen as too Japanese and Americans seem to find it hard to accept sports they consider foreign, take soccer, it's the most popular sport in the world by a country mile but can't get big in the US for the life of it

 

 

Vince taking WWE in an MMA direction may be the WORST thing he could do seeing as he'd be competing in a market with an alternative thats a real version of what he's faking

[Guest razazteca]

Vince taking WWE in an MMA direction may be the WORST thing he could do seeing as he'd be competing in a market with an alternative thats a real version of what he's faking

I don't know about you but I would be more than happy to see Bill Goldberg fight in a No Holds Barred tourny only to see someone like Nunuzo beat the shit out of him.

 

Bring back the Brawl For All!

[{''({o..o})''} 0]

MMA can't work on the same card as worked matches. Brawl for All didn't work because you can't throw any big names or even high midcards into a match without a huge gamble on their credibility. It killed Dr. Death right away and imagine one of our favorites getting injured during a match.

[Guest razazteca]

Its a risk I am willing to take, bring back the King of the Ring and make it MMA.

[{''({o..o})''} 0]

Ok look at it this way, Kazushi Sakuraba took on Wanderlei Silva and because of the injuries he sustained in their first match has pretty much ended his carreer as a top fighter. Also with the risk involved in shoot matches much higher wages would be required to said competitorto justify risk. Would you take a shoot match with Goldberg or a Steiner who has a history of sloppiness and stiffness. Time off between apperences would also be needed to allow recovery from fights.