PPV Buy Rates at Scary Low

[Michrome 0]

You underestimate the power of capitalism. If WWE was gone, there would surely be some other rich billionaire out there (Like Rupert Murdoch) that would see the market in a national wrestling company and put it together. It's one of the great things about a free market, there will always be an alternative as long as there's a market for it--and there is.

[Guest MikeSC]

You underestimate the power of capitalism. If WWE was gone, there would surely be some other rich billionaire out there (Like Rupert Murdoch) that would see the market in a national wrestling company and put it together. It's one of the great things about a free market, there will always be an alternative as long as there's a market for it--and there is.

The opportunity is there right now.

 

Nobody is touching it.

-=Mike

[Michrome 0]

Yep, because they don't want to compete with Vince. An empty market with no competition will be jumped on right away.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Again, you have that "We have to burn the village to save it" mentality. It was asinine in Vietnam. It's asinine here.

-=Mike

 

Fuck the Village, if the wrestling industry is a village, then the WWE is the really big fucking house in the middle of town who make it so no other house could be built bigger than it.

[Michrome 0]

And yes, people like Eddy, Lesnar, Benoit, etc WOULD do tours in Japan. Hell, when Eddy was fired a while back, he was doing all sorts of Indy wrestling and providing some great matches that were a lot of fun to watch, a hell of a lot more fun to watch than him spraying dog shit at the Big Show. Vince Mcmahon destroyed wrestling in America, and it's going to take a while to bring it back. The sooner he's gone, the better. Cable companies look down on wrestling because of the shit Vince has pulled. Making girls strip on television, mud matches, etc. The public perception of wrestling is at an all-time low, and as long as Vince is around, that ain't gonna change.

 

By the way, a lot of people that make tons of money spend it because they expect to keep making money. A lot also want to keep making money so they can keep living a great life. You don't think Lesnar, who has been making real money for 2 years, would do huge payoffs against Misawa and Kobashi? You're nuts.

[Guest MikeSC]

Yep, because they don't want to compete with Vince. An empty market with no competition will be jumped on right away.

By people LESS competent than the WWE.

 

Face the facts: Smark favorites DON'T MAKE MONEY.

 

Never have.

 

Never will.

-=Mike

[bob_barron 0]

In 2000 Rock and HHH were smark favourites- and made money.

 

And Fully Loaded headlined by Rock v. Benoit/HHH v. Jericho did a good buyrate

[Michrome 0]

Ric Flair never drew money then? Honestly, what are you talking about?

 

In 2000, Fully Loaded did amazingly well for a PPV with little to no hype featuring the three young guys against the established stars.

 

In 1998, Souled Out did a great buyrate for Flair-Hart despite all of the "mark favorites" intentionally staying off the show for political reasons.

[Guest MikeSC]

And yes, people like Eddy, Lesnar, Benoit, etc WOULD do tours in Japan. Hell, when Eddy was fired a while back, he was doing all sorts of Indy wrestling and providing some great matches that were a lot of fun to watch, a hell of a lot more fun to watch than him spraying dog shit at the Big Show. Vince Mcmahon destroyed wrestling in America, and it's going to take a while to bring it back. The sooner he's gone, the better. Cable companies look down on wrestling because of the shit Vince has pulled. Making girls strip on television, mud matches, etc. The public perception of wrestling is at an all-time low, and as long as Vince is around, that ain't gonna change.

 

By the way, a lot of people that make tons of money spend it because they expect to keep making money. A lot also want to keep making money so they can keep living a great life. You don't think Lesnar, who has been making real money for 2 years, would do huge payoffs against Misawa and Kobashi? You're nuts.

No, they would not do it. Eddy did the indies and all to get BACK to the WWE. With no WWE, he's not going to go overseas to work. Heck, if he could've gotten money in America early on (I specifically remember him working a match with WCW in 1989 on TV, so they HAD him, but didn't sign him), he would've never gone to Japan in the first place.

 

WWE is the goal. Always has been.

 

And I doubt Lesnar or Angle would even CONSIDER it for a moment.

 

And, again, you ignore history. WWF/E is why TV won't touch wrestling? Once again, watch Cornette's shoot. You know why one station wouldn't touch OVW? Because of the crap shows The Sheik put on in the '70's! Vince has made wrestling more mainstream than it ever was in history.

 

Lesnar would not travel to Japan to wrestle. He'd do something else.

 

If you think otherwise, you're FAR too optimistic.

-=Mike

[LaParkaYourCar 0]

And yes, people like Eddy, Lesnar, Benoit, etc WOULD do tours in Japan.  Hell, when Eddy was fired a while back, he was doing all sorts of Indy wrestling and providing some great matches that were a lot of fun to watch, a hell of a lot more fun to watch than him spraying dog shit at the Big Show.  Vince Mcmahon destroyed wrestling in America, and it's going to take a while to bring it back.  The sooner he's gone, the better.  Cable companies look down on wrestling because of the shit Vince has pulled.  Making girls strip on television, mud matches, etc.  The public perception of wrestling is at an all-time low, and as long as Vince is around, that ain't gonna change. 

 

By the way, a lot of people that make tons of money spend it because they expect to keep making money.  A lot also want to keep making money so they can keep living a great life.  You don't think Lesnar, who has been making real money for 2 years, would do huge payoffs against Misawa and Kobashi?  You're nuts.

When Eddy worked Indies or if he worked Japan more than likely it was said from the start that it would be a short time deal. You're talking about wrestlers going over there for long term deals.

[Michrome 0]

What I think is fascinating is that your argument is basically that the free market which creates products for all niches available does not apply to wrestling. What exactly makes wrestling any different from other economic commodities? A new big startup company would surely have some huge WWE names that OVW doesn't have (at least on a regular basis).

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

"WWE is the goal. Always has been."

 

-Mike

 

"Because there was no wrestling before the WWE...

 

As long as people want guilt-free violence, and as long as there will be people dumb enough to give it them, there will be wrestling."

 

-RRR

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

Actually several wrestlers have turned down the WWF lately b/c they can make more in the indy feds. Actually more guys have turned them down lately then signed.

Why work 200+ days a year for the WWF at the starting price of $500 a week, when you can do 1 appearance on TNA and do a show or two over the weekend and make double or triple that?

[Guest wildpegasus]

In 1998, Souled Out did a great buyrate for Flair-Hart despite all of the "mark favorites" intentionally staying off the show for political reasons.

I never heard about this. Any more details on why all the mark favourites were staying off the show?

[Michrome 0]

Bret Hart had just come into the company, and was slated to face Ric Flair one on one. Hogan and Sting decided to stay off the show, delaying their rematch until Superbrawl, leaving Souled Out with no title match and only Flair-Hart and the blowoff of Raven-Benoit to carry the show. It ended up doing a 1.02 (over 400,000 buys), and the huge Hogan-Sting rematch did a 1.1. Hart was subsequently buried and Ric Flair was phased off TV.

 

Edit: It was Hogan's call to delay their match, not Sting's, by all accounts.

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

I thought Hart got hurt shortly after that?

[Guest MikeSC]

What I think is fascinating is that your argument is basically that the free market which creates products for all niches available does not apply to wrestling. What exactly makes wrestling any different from other economic commodities? A new big startup company would surely have some huge WWE names that OVW doesn't have (at least on a regular basis).

We've not had a monopoly just die recently.

 

If the NBA died --- would somebody replace it? Probably not. It's a ridiculously difficult proposition.

 

I'll again quote Cornette: "Those that have the money don't have the know-how; those that have the know-how don't have the money".

 

If AOL/T-W couldn't make a fed work --- why would ANYBODY try it?

-=Mike

[Guest MikeSC]

"WWE is the goal. Always has been."

 

-Mike

 

"Because there was no wrestling before the WWE...

 

As long as people want guilt-free violence, and as long as there will be people dumb enough to give it them, there will be wrestling."

 

-RRR

And for the guys in the WWE right now, BEING IN THE WWE HAS ALWAYS BEEN THEIR GOAL.

 

I was not speaking historically.

 

The WWF CHANGED the industry irreversibly.

 

There once was a time where one guy could make a video game and possibly make a profit. NOW, you'd be a total moron to try.

-=Mike

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

I was not speaking historically.

 

Funny, cause "always" sorta says differently.

 

If AOL/T-W couldn't make a fed work --- why would ANYBODY try it?

 

T-W did make a fed work. Even with all the garbage within, WCW still was a successful promotion for a good 3 years. The promotion would still be around if the merger didn't happen.

 

If the NBA died --- would somebody replace it? Probably not. It's a ridiculously difficult proposition.

 

Someone would try to. That's for sure. Whether or not they would be successful is another story. Brand recognition is tough, especially in sports. The UFC has been around for 10 years and they haven't broken into the mainstream. It takes sports decades to build up - luckily for basketball and wrestling, those decades have passed and it has already been established. Which means there would be someone seeing an opportunity...

[Michrome 0]

I thought Hart got hurt shortly after that?

 

not before being shunted into a worthless midcard feud with Curt Hennig and Brian Adams.

[Lil' Bitch 0]

And Vince was really expecting HIGH buyrates for himself vs. Stephanie? What a fool.

[Guest nikowwf]

Not only did they give us that craptastic main event, but they gave us a undercard almost devoid of good wrestling beneath it.

 

That PPV made me not want to order, and I've ordered like 48 out of the last 50 and we practically have a damn party around the show every time.

 

niko

[Kahran Ramsus 0]

Face the facts: Smark favorites DON'T MAKE MONEY.

 

We were calling for Austin to be pushed for years, before he actually was given a run at the top and became the top drawing American wrestler of all time. The backlash came afterwards.