Free Agency in the US wrestling scene?!?

[Guest jaderock]

Just 2 days ago, Sabu appeared on TNA's Lethal Lockdown PPV losing to Samoan Joe in an X division Title match. Currently, while the WWE is advertising ECW's One Night Stand 2 for June, Sabu is featured in a match with Tazz as the match that best represented ECW. Will Sabu be part of ONS2?!?

 

Reality is wrestlers are employees to a specific company except they are sign on as independant contractors. However, to the best of my knowledge Sabu would be the 1st USA based wrestler who is/will appear in both major promotion's PPV that isn't under contract to either organization.

 

This is big news as more indy and free agents may use Sabu's lead as a start of wrestlers remaining FA and working for any and all companies. Will this become the NEXT big thing that really changes the face of professional wrestling?!? What will happen to guys like Goldberg, Chris Jericho and others. What do you think?

[Placebo Effect 0]

No, it won't.

[Celtic Jobber 0]

Actually Sabu signed a contract with WWE's new "ECW" right after TNA's ppv Sunday night, so he is no longer a free agent.

[Guest Deputy Marshall]

This is big news as more indy and free agents may use Sabu's lead as a start of wrestlers remaining FA and working for any and all companies. Will this become the NEXT big thing that really changes the face of professional wrestling?!? What will happen to guys like Goldberg, Chris Jericho and others. What do you think?

 

What it basically comes down to is that TNA needs to not use high profile talent without having them sign a short-term contract at the very least. I mean, don't get me wrong, there are some guys on their roster right now they can get away with paying per appearance. However even before the word came out of the ECW relaunch, it was no big secret that WWE had been contacting him about a possible Legends contract while he was still being booked for/on TNA shows.

 

Sabu they can get away with, because they hadn't used him extensively and didn't put anything on him long term. However, it's only a matter of time before something like this really bites them in the ass...and, if I'm not mistaken, it almost did with Abyss not terribly long ago.

[slimm44 0]

Call me a nit-pick but it was called 'Lockdown' (Lethal Lockdown was the WarGames match) and it's 'Samoa' Joe.

 

And I don't agree with you

[Mole 0]

The fuck you talking about? And who cares?

[mfn 0]

Sabu jobbed to Samoa Joe becuase he was going to jump ship to WWE. That was no big secret to anyone.

 

I do like the idea of Free Agents in wrestling, because you could see people jump from fed to fed, but at the same time... It would never work because once you get a story line going with one person, they are gone working for some other promotion.

 

The next big thing in wrestling is not going to be this 'free agent' idea.

 

In my opinion with ECW coming back, and supposedly ROH going to PPV this summer/year (can't remember which one) will shake things up a bit and possibly(hopefully) make wrestling a better business all around.

[Scroby 0]

I'm so confused on what the hell he's talking about. I can't tell if he's asking something or if he's pitching an idea. Can someone please explain to me what the hell he's talking about?

[Guest burth179]

WWE will never allow its guys to be paid by appearance, they all work exclusively for WWE. Accept for maybe Heat and Velocity jobber types. I think I heard that Colt Cabana was even on an edition of Heat or Velocity (can't remember which one). But ultimately, no this will not be the "next big thing" so to speak because anyone that is on TV consistently is exclusive to WWE.

 

While it is kind of nice that TNA does this in a way, ultimately I think it hurts them. For every Sabu they can bring in once in a blue moon you have this whole Austin Aries/Roderick Strong suspension crap. That suspension is totally a product of TNA's policies in my opinon. They say "go work for whomoever" on one hand, and then suspend the guys because they honored their committments to ROH?

 

Granted, for Aries and Strong they were dealing with an expected snow storm 1000 miles away the night before a PPV, so perhaps TNA had just cause to suspend them, but if TNA would just sign them to exclusive deals they wouldn't have to worry about flying guys in at the last minute and telling them to cancel their Saturday night committments.

 

I feel also that a small sect of wrestling fan that would watch TNA religiously, may only watch every now and again because they can see who they want to see from TNA at local indy shows, and they are uninterested in the so called "main events" in TNA. The impact of that may be minimal, but I think is worth stating at least.

 

It will be interesting to see how this ECW pans out. I think it is an attempt to win back some of the "smark" type fans Vince has lost to the independent scene (mainly ROH) and TNA, or namely the OLD ECW fans. And he figures it would be pretty low startup costs (he has everything he needs already, he even has the announcer and booker already on his payroll!) and should make money rather easily. So, it can make money and perhaps drive out some of the "competition"? Of course Vinny is gonna do it, he didn't get that rich for nothing.

 

I think at first it will be a lot of the "established" ECW guys like Sabu, Ballz, RVD, etc., maybe even Foley, Funk, etc. but eventually it is going to be a hybrid product of CZW/ROH (or something like the TNA X division) in that it will be an avenue for younger talent to display that they "can go" in the ring. It will be a mix of hardcore, high flying, and solid mat wrestling IMO, with mostly younger talent. But if anyone is expecting the ECW of 1996, or even the ECW of 2001, I think they are going to be mistaken. Yes, some of the old mainstays will be a part, but ultimately I feel it is going to be more of a thing to get younger guys some TV time.

 

You watch, if this ECW becomes a TV show it will be on at 11:00 on Thursday nights on USA to go straight up against TNA. If Vinny can outspend TNA for these X guys, I could see guys like Dutt, Aries, Strong, Lethal jumping ship. Or perhaps even Styles, Joe, or Daniels, although they have made a name in TNA and may stay there.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

Basically, the original poster is suggesting that WWE and TNA will start using guys on more of a "per-appearance" basis, rather than signing them to long term contracts.

 

To answer his question, wrestling used to have a system like that. Back in the '80s and beforehand, larger names would work different territories quite frequently. Look at the careers of guys like Bruiser Brody, Abdullah the Butcher, Andre the Giant, etc. In the NWA territories, you'd have guys going to and from different areas of the country quite frequently. So, basically, we're past the days of guys not being tied to one company for long periods of time. Also, in this era of weekly nationally viewed TV shows, a free agency system would not work. How could WWE book someone to wrestle on RAW when that same guy could show up on TNA Impact the following Saturday? It would be totally counter-productive.

[BruiserKC 0]

But with the NWA territories most of them were tied together...so that's why Ric Flair could be seen in Mid-Atlantic one month, then tour to Central States, then head for World Class, then down to Mid-South. Vince killed all that though once he went national and signed many of the top stars to exclusive deals.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

But with the NWA territories most of them were tied together...so that's why Ric Flair could be seen in Mid-Atlantic one month, then tour to Central States, then head for World Class, then down to Mid-South. Vince killed all that though once he went national and signed many of the top stars to exclusive deals.

 

Which is why you won't see "free agency" in the US again (aside from indy workers).

[The Decemberists 0]

Sabu jobbed to Samoa Joe becuase he was going to jump ship to WWE. That was no big secret to anyone.

 

Sabu could've just signed a 5 year exclusive contract with TNA and he'd still have jobbed to Joe.

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

Yeah. Somebody losing to Joe in TNA isn't a big secret since Joe is being pushed as UNDEFEATABLE (and not because he can do a football tackle and a botched suplex, but rather because he can absorb a shitload of punishment and dish it right back out).

 

IMO, the only thing close to a Free Agency we'd ever see in the States again (outside of the indies) would be short-term deals without no-compete clauses attached to the end of them.

[2GOLD 0]

Yeah. Somebody losing to Joe in TNA isn't a big secret since Joe is being pushed as UNDEFEATABLE (and not because he can do a football tackle and a botched suplex, but rather because he can absorb a shitload of punishment and dish it right back out).

 

IMO, the only thing close to a Free Agency we'd ever see in the States again (outside of the indies) would be short-term deals without no-compete clauses attached to the end of them.

 

Which you'll never see in the WWE. You won't see a per apperance basis anymore because then a company loses a lot of money on merch. If it's a per deal, the wrestlers would be selling their own merch and that cuts a huge cash flow out.

 

So no way does that come close to happening.

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

I do give him a lot of credit for coming in with a broken arm to put Joe over on the way out.

[Scroby 0]

Basically, the original poster is suggesting that WWE and TNA will start using guys on more of a "per-appearance" basis, rather than signing them to long term contracts.

 

To answer his question, wrestling used to have a system like that. Back in the '80s and beforehand, larger names would work different territories quite frequently. Look at the careers of guys like Bruiser Brody, Abdullah the Butcher, Andre the Giant, etc. In the NWA territories, you'd have guys going to and from different areas of the country quite frequently. So, basically, we're past the days of guys not being tied to one company for long periods of time. Also, in this era of weekly nationally viewed TV shows, a free agency system would not work. How could WWE book someone to wrestle on RAW when that same guy could show up on TNA Impact the following Saturday? It would be totally counter-productive.

 

I also want to point out that in those days, when a wrestler said he was going to be there he was going to be there. Wrestlers didn't screw over promoters becuase they needed the money, so if one wrestler said he was going to be there for the pay, he would have been there. Now today since a wreslter has a few differant options on where he/she can go, if they are not signed to a contract its a 50/50 if they'll show up or not.

[Guest Cannonball K]

you're reffering to "freelancer" as uposed to free agent