What Makes You Buy a Tape?

[Guest Harry, Archie and Gus]

I am just curious what makes you buy a certain a commercial tape from one of the bigger indies - IWAMS, CZW, ROH, etc.

 

I personally get curious about the young talent from word of mouth. I can't say as I need to necessarily see any of these MOTYC. I'm rarely blown away.

 

I think I'd be more apt to buy tapes from a company if they had really great production than I am right now. The current crop of promotions are so lazy with their editing and overall production.

[LucharesuFan619 0]

Of course, I love if I see top names like Chris Daniels, AJ Styles, Low Ki, Homicide, etc. listed on the card, and that'll make me more likely to buy it. However, I also look at the match combinations. I like the intriguing matches that haven't been done before. For example, I want to get Politically Incorrect Wrestling's debut show because it has Homicide & B-Boy vs. the tag team sensation All Money Is Legal. CZW isn't going to give you that because AMIL are on the low card and Homicide and B-Boy don't team there, so PIW is really the only place you can get that match. This upcoming IWA-MS card has Danielson vs. Hero I believe. That draws me NOT ONLY because it's two of the best wrestlers in the world, but also since they've never wrestled before. USA Pro especially does this well. They bring in top guys like Raven, Al Snow, and Sabu and mix them up willingly with top indy guys. You don't really find that as much in TNA. And in USA Pro, the top indy guys mix with the up-and-coming indy guys, so you can get unqiue combos ranging from Sabu vs. Homicide to Louie Ramos vs. Grim Reefer to Perry Saturn vs. Homicide to Chris Candido vs. Dan Maff. USA Pro gives me that. IWA-MS gives me that. ROH gives me that to a degree. CZW gives me that, to a slightly lesser degree than ROH. XPW used to give me that (i.e. Hamrick & Smothers vs. Shark Boy & Angel, MMW vs. Youthanazia, etc.). IWC also does it. Where else than IWC (besides USA Pro, I mean) can you see combos like Tracy Smothers vs. Chris Candido vs. CM Punk and Chris Sabin vs. Joe E. Legend vs. Jimmy Jacobs? You can't see shit like that in WWE. The brand split and also their strict card status separations (main event, midcard, lowercard) make it rare for them to book what I really wanna see - Benoit vs. Noble, La Resistance vs. WGTT, Hurricane vs. Eddie G., London vs. Jericho, Haas vs. Benoit, Cena vs. Matt Hardy, etc. On the indies, you get to see the top guys wrestling the small guys in unique combinations. Did anyone expect XPW's Messiah vs. Sabu feud to be as successful as it was? That's one weird combo right there, but it worked. As you can tell by my Raven vs. Sabu column in the General Wrestling forum, I'm drawn to matches that have a sense of intrigue behind them. I'll add PWG to the list because they do some weird combos, as evidenced by the Cash & Tango tag tournament. Messiah & Chris Daniels vs. Punk & Hero? Excalibur & Jonny Storm teaming together? MLW did it big time - Chris Daniels vs. Sabu, Teddy Hart vs. Jerry Lynn, London vs. Lynn, Hero vs. Collyer, etc. Who'd have thunk it? The independent circuit...that's who.

 

If I want a card with all top wrestlers, I turn to ROH because they have an all around teriffic roster. But I also like to see matches other than Low Ki vs. Chris Daniels and Michael Shane vs. Paul London, so if an indy tape has an intriguing combo of guys, then that's gonna peak my interest.

 

Gernerally, that's what I look for in a tape. Along with Becky Bayless. If Becky's on it, I buy it.

[Guest Dynamite Kido]

I would say basically that if anyone is a stickler for quality and production.......then the INDY's are the wrong place for you. But if you like innovative wrestling and your looking for a wrestling alternative then the indy's may be the best thing for you.

 

When buying INDY tapes I generally look at the overall card and basically try and figure out what I am getting for my money. I would have to agree with Lucharesu when he said that guys like AJ/Daniels/American Dragon/etc. usually help as I know that they generally have tons of awesome stuff, and they are definately worth checking out. I also like some of the original idea that the INDY's have for events such as ROH's Round Robin Challenge, IWA-MS's Ted Petty Invitational, and CZW's Best of the Best. These are usually great cards with some innovative ways of presenting it. Plus, I always enjoy finding new stuff that I haven't seen....especially when I've heard good things.

[Guest Markingout]

The ROH DVDs has great production values. I buy anything that has a good card, with the workers I like. I go for the pure wrestling stuff so I love me some ROH, and sometimes IWA-MS.

[Guest Harry, Archie and Gus]

ROH has great production values? Ummm... No! Their production is as lazy as any company on the scene.

 

See, I really don't get it. These companies expect to turn profits on their tape sales. Yet they issue bootlegs. Standard Issue Bootlegs.

 

Imagine if other industries of entertainment were as lazy as INDY wrestling. Imagine if bands only released live show with there sound source being a couple of handheld recorders. Or if a movies were filmed from a handheld in a theater, and then released to the public.

 

It isn't to say any of these companies need to spend any more money. Just put some time in. It blows my mind how awful some of these tapes are.

 

ps Chris Lovey is the number 1 worst flaw in ROH production.

[Guest Markingout]

Um... yeah.. What indy shows have you seen? And yes, ROH announcers are bad, but you shouldn't be watching to see how announcers perform.

[Guest Staravenger]

Um... yeah.. What indy shows have you seen? And yes, ROH announcers are bad, but you shouldn't be watching to see how announcers perform.

Horrible PBP takes away from anything, no matter how good the wrestling is. I personally am not a fan of watching wrestling with the mute on. I like to hear the crowd reactions and PBP for a good match.

[Guest Harry, Archie and Gus]

Um... yeah.. What indy shows have you seen? And yes, ROH announcers are bad, but you shouldn't be watching to see how announcers perform.

Well I've seen IWA MS, and ROH, and... What? Good question amigo? What indies have I seen? I agree with Dynamite Kado that Indies aren't the way to go if your looking for production values, but is this because it isn't necessary or because these companies are either lazy or incompetent. If I'm going to spend $30 on a DVD I want something for my money.

 

Good point, you don't buy for the announcer's performance!?! When an announcer takes away from the match there is a problem. When you spend your money on a DVD or VHS and have to mute the fucking tape it's a problem. Listening to Gabe Lovy is like going to the cinema, and having to sit in front of a talking fool for the entirety of a really decent movie. "The is gotta be a MOTYC. Movie of the Year!!! Movie of the Year!!!"

 

But I guess your proof that Gabe has at least one supporter.

[Guest OSIcon]

Boring. Troll somewhere else.

[Guest Harry, Archie and Gus]

Boring. Troll somewhere else.

Tremndous! Thanks for coming out!

[Guest DeathBecomesYou]

Depends really, of course the big shows with the name indy talent are always good, but like some other people have said, I look for matches that interest me. For example, i'm getting IWA MS Simply The Best 5, just on wanting to see Styles vs Sydal, the rest of the show looks decent too, but that one match is what persuaded me to get the tape.