Official WWE/ECW/WCW/TNA talk, or whatever v2

[Inferno]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

It's worth it to pay a bit more for better seats, but try to pay face value and not the "Platnium Seats" offers if you can.

Yeah, I stay away from Platinum. The only time I've ever considered it is if there's extra perks.

It would be nice if North America would follow many European countries leads and ban these type of practices. There was all this talk about how Taylor Swift tickets were so much cheaper in Europe and it was because they actually have better ticket practices to prevent re-selling above face value and re-sale.

One thing I found really stupid about Ticketmaster re-sale when I was trying to get rid of my extra Metallica ticket in Edmonton was they had no problem with people listing their tickets as high as they want, but you couldn't list it for as low as you want past face value.

I think that's something the band/company decides to do but it should be the other way around. But I guess the higher someone sells their ticket for the more Ticketmaster collects in seller and buyer fees.

[Ozy_Flame]

I challenge three of you to say a positive about:

AEW
NJPW
MLW
GCW

Go!

[trackercowe]

I think we were all fans during the "Monday Night Wars" era as well. We're kinda glued into the backstage gossip, ratings, rumours, and speculation. Like it or not, the fascination in professional wrestling goes far beyond what we see on television week to week. Heck CaptainCrunch can discuss backstage politics from eras before I was born in companies I have never heard of.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

I challenge three of you to say a positive about:

AEW
NJPW
MLW
GCW

Go!

AEW: Still the deepest roster and usually the best PPV quality top to Bottom in the business

NJPW: Naito is great and have been the best organization at developing talent in the world in recent history.

MLW: Never seen it but if more talents like Jacob Fatu are hiding over there I probably should.

GCW: Never seen it but honestly not a big fan of death match type wrestling, so not really my style. But I'm sure it gets full
marks from people that like that style.

Edit: Actually I did see when Cardona won the title and it drove fans insane, brilliant booking decision.

Originally Posted by trackercowe

I think we were all fans during the "Monday Night Wars" era as well. We're kinda glued into the backstage gossip, ratings, rumours, and speculation. Like it or not, the fascination in professional wrestling goes far beyond what we see on television week to week. Heck CaptainCrunch can discuss backstage politics from eras before I was born in companies I have never heard of.

Honestly it's not even just wrestling for me. Think there are times where I like trade rumors and speculation, roster discussion, coaching decisions, more than actually watching actual hockey games at times.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

I challenge three of you to say a positive about:

AEW - Sure they have some great workers, they have some great pure wrestling matches.
NJPW - I love the style, because it looks realistic, without the bull#### and reminds me of Stampeded.
MLW - Great development territory, look who's established themselves there, CM PUnk and MJF cut their teeth there. Sabu's time there, and of course the Stampede Bulldogs.
GCW - Not really knowing much

Go!

Add TNA Impact - Before the whole nightmare of Hulk Hogan, and after its rough beginning, had the exceptional X Division, and probably the best woman's division that we've seen in the wrestling game. Its bull#### that Hogan completely destroyed TNA and Dixie Carter let it happen.

[Ozy_Flame]

I sort of just loop TNA into the NXT orbit now, but you're right to be fair.

I do think they shot themselves in the foot with Jordyn Grace. They built her up as a monster, have no more legitimate challengers, and gave her a monster push to NXT where she will now wait out the clock on her TNA contact and go to WWE as soon as that expires.

Also, it looks like Josh Alexander is going to test the market, that's another big loss.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

I sort of just loop TNA into the NXT orbit now, but you're right to be fair.

I do think they shot themselves in the foot with Jordyn Grace. They built her up as a monster, have no more legitimate challengers, and gave her a monster push to NXT where she will now wait out the clock on her TNA contact and go to WWE as soon as that expires.

Also, it looks like Josh Alexander is going to test the market, that's another big loss.

Once in a while TNA still does some really good things, but they have problems with bad booking as well.


Grace is a really amazing talent with a really unique look. She's got the China look, but unlike China Grace can absolutely work.



I heard that Alexander was looking to test the market, and should get a pretty good big money deal out of a bidding war.


AS much as the NXT TNA talent share is really interesting you can't help but feel that Impact is being taken advantage of.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

AS much as the NXT TNA talent share is really interesting you can't help but feel that Impact is being taken advantage of.

Yes and no.

WWE is getting the better talent trade off, and the risk is this just ends up introducing more talent to leave to WWE (but really that's going to happen anyways), but it's also given TNA a lot more publicity and eyes than they've had in a long time and introduced people to really good wrestlers who still are there week after week.

[Ozy_Flame]

And yet WWE is going to poach the most marketable ones.

Does NXT send their best to go challenge on TNA shows?

[Ozy_Flame]

Also now that I think about it, put Josh Alexander with Chad Gable's team. Have him slowly push Gable out as the leader and take over. Then have a big match at some PPV (that isn't $2000 a ticket lol). He'd do better in WWE than AEW.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

And yet WWE is going to poach the most marketable ones.

Does NXT send their best to go challenge on TNA shows?

I think I said that though. WWE is 100% getting the better talent trade off.

But I think this has done a lot to help TNA and names like Grace, Hendry, etc become even bigger stars.

And really WWE and AEW are both going to poach the most marketable ones when the time comes and contracts expire, I'm actually not sure this makes a huge difference in that outcome happening. It probably gives WWE a leg up over AEW, but both companies are going to poach the more marketable ones regardless.

Personally I think the NXT-TNA relationship has done more to make TNA look like their own interesting promotion more than the former AEW-TNA relationship where AEW guys just won the TNA title, AEW had ads that #### all over the TNA brand (Kayfabe or not it wasn't helping TNA), and no TNA guys actually appeared on AEW TV.

[Ozy_Flame]

That's not true. The Good Brothers and Don Callis were Impact guys at the time. They showed up on Dynamite and AEW TV.

AEW at least sent the best wrestler in the world with Omega as Impact champion. TNA gets from NXT .... Wendy Choo?

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

That's not true. The Good Brothers and Don Callis were Impact guys at the time. They showed up on Dynamite and AEW TV.

AEW at least sent the best wrestler in the world with Omega as Impact champion. TNA gets from NXT .... Wendy Choo?

Fair on good brothers...guess I forgot because within a couple months they felt more like AEW guys than TNA guys, especially Callis who did become an AEW regular during that time.

The way I look at it the AEW-TNA partnership helped TNA pop a rating but didn't actually help TNA promote their own product or stars. They did the weird TK trashing TNA ads, had Omega and Christian win the title, and I can't really think of a star that got a rub outside of Alexander beating Christian at the tail end of it. To me it felt like in the end it solidified AEW as being "bigger" than TNA but helped TNA get some publicity in the pandemic.

The NXT-TNA partnership is kind of the opposite. You have the bigger names going from TNA to NXT, and some of the less popular names going from NXT to TNA but to me it's actually doing a better job of promoting TNA wrestling and makes the TNA brand look "equal" to NXT as a brand.

The TNA wrestlers seem to think this partnership is more beneficial too https://metro.co.uk/2024/07/17/tna-w...soms-21242268/

[king_amonte]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

Even for Raw in Calgary...the crowd was really into it and loud. But when you have half of the entire 200 level tarped off it still feels kind of empty and that was with 11k people.

Edit: Forgot Dynamite this year was probably about the same and think they drew maybe close to 5k for that in the Saddledome when it was all said and done.

I’m concerned we won’t get a WWE show for awhile after seeing half the second level tarped off Monday night. They are selling out everywhere and really scaling back house shows. Could be awhile before they bother coming back…..

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by king_amonte

I’m concerned we won’t get a WWE show for awhile after seeing half the second level tarped off Monday night. They are selling out everywhere and really scaling back house shows. Could be awhile before they bother coming back…..

Wouldn't be worried about that TBH. According to Wrestletix They have been doing about 10k in most places and in most of the big arenas they've had the second level tarped off on the non-hard cam side.

They are more worried about total gate and seen to be happier selling 10k seats at a premium than worrying about trying to fill a 20k arena.

[HitterD]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

Wouldn't be worried about that TBH. According to Wrestletix They have been doing about 10k in most places and in most of the big arenas they've had the second level tarped off on the non-hard cam side.

They are more worried about total gate and seen to be happier selling 10k seats at a premium than worrying about trying to fill a 20k arena.

Yeah I think for the most part its nothing to worry about. The smackdown in Edmonton made a point to show a full 360 of the full arena, IIRC, but its also worth noting that WWE did not come to Edmonton last year like it did Calgary, there was maybe a little more demand.

Last year in Calgary, I remember the second level was not tarped off and the hard cam side was populated (though not full i dont think). For this year though, prices went up across the board and they still got over 10K. I'd bet that Calgary was one of WWE's better financial draws for the Raw circuit in 2024 so far, and they are showing the Calgary market lots of love as well

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by HitterD

Yeah I think for the most part its nothing to worry about. The smackdown in Edmonton made a point to show a full 360 of the full arena, IIRC, but its also worth noting that WWE did not come to Edmonton last year like it did Calgary, there was maybe a little more demand.

Last year in Calgary, I remember the second level was not tarped off and the hard cam side was populated (though not full i dont think). For this year though, prices went up across the board and they still got over 10K. I'd bet that Calgary was one of WWE's better financial draws for the Raw circuit in 2024 so far, and they are showing the Calgary market lots of love as well

Think it's also the difference of the arena. Based on WrestleTix last updates Smackdown in Edmonton was set up 11,106 and Calgary was set up for 8,905.

So not that far off in terms of total attendance, and I think Calgary might have actually had more late sales as it felt like more than 8905 to me

[rubecube]

For all the ratings concerns, it sounds like FOX might be picking up a new AEW show. Not sure how well that's going to work, considering FOX had issues with WWE when they would swear, and AEW's content is much more "mature" than WWE's.

[TheIronMaiden]

I know he is disliked by many. But jimcornette's review of the page and swerve match is a hilarious meltdown.

[SuperMatt18]

I still can't believe they did a powerbomb and a invertebreaker onto a cinder block...that was ridiculous.

The rant is pretty ridiculous and I'm not a huge Cornette fan but this quote is good...'The art of wrestling is to simulate violence, aggression and danger as much as possible, and make it look dangerous and violent without actually being so'.

They have the danger and violence part down pat...but the problem is unless I'm completely unknowledgeable on this I'm not sure how some of this stuff isn't actually dangerous for these workers.

I'll be honest when I was younger I loved the Attitude era and the hardcore and extreme aspects of some of those matches like TLC. And still am okay with going to the edge when it's done in a way that isn't actually risky (like not a real issue with the staple gun or even the needle, that's no worse than blading IMO).

But I don't love some of the stuff that has a real chance of injury. Now that I'm older and know more about the long term effects of some of these things, and the risks of stuff like CTE, it's honestly not worth the risk.

AEW has done some of it well in the past too to be fair to them, and some of their big spots leveraged pretty big crash mats and things like that (some of the big dives and falls that Sammy G did). But this cinder block one is still just crazy to me.