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Post by corndog on Dec 27, 2016 1:11:32 GMT -5
Watched a few videos and read some stuff about the UK tournament. Some people actually believe Vince's next major move will be Japan. Meltzer has reported that WWE is trying to get loans for huge sums of cash to work on the global market. Many believe after the UK tournament, already having several top stars from Japan, that he might actually be crazy enough to a tournament in Japan, also that a New Japan/WWE "war" is just down the road. Personally, I think Vince would be stupid to do this and would get crushed in Japan, probably losing a large sum of cash. Does anyone else think this will even happen or even heard about this?
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Chiral
Salacious Crumb
Posts: 73,299
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Post by Chiral on Dec 27, 2016 1:16:09 GMT -5
They were talking about globalizing like this in like 2008 or 2009 I think? I remember the original plan was to have a brand in Mexico first and send Rey there.
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Reflecto
Hank Scorpio
The Sorceress' Knight
Posts: 6,847
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Post by Reflecto on Dec 27, 2016 3:51:12 GMT -5
Watched a few videos and read some stuff about the UK tournament. Some people actually believe Vince's next major move will be Japan. Meltzer has reported that WWE is trying to get loans for huge sums of cash to work on the global market. Many believe after the UK tournament, already having several top stars from Japan, that he might actually be crazy enough to a tournament in Japan, also that a New Japan/WWE "war" is just down the road. Personally, I think Vince would be stupid to do this and would get crushed in Japan, probably losing a large sum of cash. Does anyone else think this will even happen or even heard about this? As far as "Vince being crushed in Japan if he tried expanding for a war with New Japan"- no. No, that would not happen. At all. WORST CASE scenario, the situation for WWE with a Japan expansion would be...well, the reverse of the claims New Japan is planning to expand into North America next year. In both cases, it's the same basic story: They have a lot of big competition there, but it's countered because on a star by star basic, enough New Japan stars are popular enough person to person to make New Japan at least on par with Ring of Honor in the US, even if they don't have any realistic chance of competing with WWE Stateside. New Japan can't be number one, but they can absolutely be number TWO." That worst case isn't even likely, since WWE has always been very popular touring Japan and Japanese fans DO want to see WWE as well as their own promotions. Not only would WWE be able to thrive in Japan, but the most likely way for any other puro company to get in the game to compete with New Japan there would be "WWE announces a working agreement with that puro promotion and will send some WWE or NXT names on one or two tours at a time". The biggest problem WWE will have in Japan will be the potential issues with Japanese culture, and how a Japanese or Asian brand could blur the lines and take away WWE's benefits to get the top puro or joshi standouts like they do now. Japanese stars signing for WWE if they go Stateside is one thing, but signing with WWE and staying in Japan most of the time would be a far, far different problem with company loyalty into play. It'd be more likely that only smaller names sign to be on the Japanese brand, and that may likely lead to the catch-22 of "any big name puro/joshi standouts who WWE would want as the stars of a Japanese brand would almost certainly demand "I won't compete against my home promotion- I won't sign with NXT Japan and demand to be assigned to the US or UK" as a condition of signing.
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Bub (BLM)
Patti Mayonnaise
advocates duck on rodent violence
Fed. Up.
Posts: 37,742
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Post by Bub (BLM) on Dec 27, 2016 3:54:47 GMT -5
WWE: "We see your Okada and raise you Ho-Ho Lun".
NJPW: "Ho-Ho Lun is Chinese."
WWE: "Why do you think he's billed from China, Japan?"
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Dec 27, 2016 3:57:23 GMT -5
Honestly I see this rapid international expansion and huge hiring spree really biting WWE on the ass at a point. If there is some sudden big loss in profits they're going to have to start cutting off whole divisions which is probably going to murder stock prices for awhile. Seems like a risky game to be doing it all at once instead of waiting for footholds to form, particularly given their one established extra brand as it is doesn't turn a profit.
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Post by Bungle on Dec 27, 2016 4:36:29 GMT -5
Global Wrestling Monopoly
Exactly like the Tiger Mask W anime.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Dec 27, 2016 4:44:23 GMT -5
If WWE were to try to break into Asia, it would probably be China or India. There's just so much more potential money to be made there long term. Plus with the way tv is in Japan, the ceiling for a full time WWE brand there is probably Dragon Gate level unless they can somehow get on a major network (which I doubt). That's not a terrible level to be at but it's not super great either.
An annual tournament in Japan could work but I don't see a full time brand thriving there.
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Post by N E O G E O B O Y S on Dec 27, 2016 6:45:42 GMT -5
If WWE were to try to break into Asia, it would probably be China or India. There's just so much more potential money to be made there long term. Plus with the way tv is in Japan, the ceiling for a full time WWE brand there is probably Dragon Gate level unless they can somehow get on a major network (which I doubt). That's not a terrible level to be at but it's not super great either. An annual tournament in Japan could work but I don't see a full time brand thriving there. To be fair, I think that wwe plan is to get the show on the network, not on a local channel. I think that the WWE could pull this off, do some korauken level shows all year, and a big show every 3 months, it will not be a big loss for them, at least if all those promotions could exist in japan, a global corporation like the WWE will not have troubles doing small shows there
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Post by HisRoyalGreeness on Dec 27, 2016 7:47:36 GMT -5
Now that's too Asian.
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Post by ________ has left the building on Dec 27, 2016 8:05:11 GMT -5
I see WWE doing a Japanese tournament but not setting up an actual branch. What I do see is them buying or at least buying into a puroresu company. Someone like All Japan, Zero One, or Wrestle-1. Companies that will take up the offer and WWE don't have to go through the headaches and loss of money of establishing a company in Japan. But China and/or India are better choices. Especially China with a large, major market waiting for someone to come in and entertain the billions. WWN did big numbers in China for a series of house shows without any major names on the card. Imagine what WWE could do with their marketing talent.
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.
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
Bye
Posts: 16,450
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Post by . on Dec 27, 2016 9:16:56 GMT -5
I'd be worth it to hear Cole and JBl struggle through pronouncing their names and moves.
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Post by Limity (BLM) on Dec 27, 2016 9:31:25 GMT -5
They were talking about globalizing like this in like 2008 or 2009 I think? I remember the original plan was to have a brand in Mexico first and send Rey there. I remember that! But besides that one thread about it, it's never been mentioned or brought up ever again. A couple times over the years I've wondered if I imagined it.
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Post by Stu on Dec 27, 2016 9:48:23 GMT -5
Who, exactly, is saying anything about a Japan expansion? Where do these so-called rumors come from?
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Post by sunnytaker on Dec 27, 2016 10:28:01 GMT -5
maybe if they only had some sort of group or even just a club of some kind they could use to help ease the transition between wwe and njpw that could work/exchanged for both sides during this it might just have a chance!
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Allie Kitsune
Crow T. Robot
Always Feelin' Foxy.
Celestial Princess in Exile.
Posts: 46,053
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Post by Allie Kitsune on Dec 27, 2016 10:41:50 GMT -5
Honestly I see this rapid international expansion and huge hiring spree really biting WWE on the ass at a point. If there is some sudden big loss in profits they're going to have to start cutting off whole divisions which is probably going to murder stock prices for awhile. Seems like a risky game to be doing it all at once instead of waiting for footholds to form, particularly given their one established extra brand as it is doesn't turn a profit. It seems like HHH keeps wanting to load up for more and more network content, which makes me wonder if WWE doesn't think that Comcast/Universal plans on low-balling the hell out of them to the point where WWE is going to shift their business model primarily towards the network (which may be why they keep doing surveys about possibly having different tiers of service) and away from Cable TV.
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Post by ________ has left the building on Dec 27, 2016 10:49:59 GMT -5
I'd be worth it to hear Cole and JBl struggle through pronouncing their names and moves. They'll put Mauro and Funaki in the commentary booth. Mauro will have a permanent erection with all of Japanese names and moves he can say without Vince and Hunter yelling at him.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Dec 27, 2016 11:06:40 GMT -5
Who, exactly, is saying anything about a Japan expansion? Where do these so-called rumors come from? The current rumor is that Stu is questioning whether or not there will be a Japan expansion. WWE officials refused to comment but extremely well respected and wildly attractive FAN member Bootytime was on hand and offered a statement indicating that this may or may not be the case.
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Post by MrElijah on Dec 27, 2016 11:28:12 GMT -5
I'd be worth it to hear Cole and JBl struggle through pronouncing their names and moves. They'll put Mauro and Funaki in the commentary booth. Mauro will have a permanent erection with all of Japanese names and moves he can say without Vince and Hunter yelling at him. They'll get Maruo, JBL and Tyson Kidd and it will nothing but arguments of which era of Japanese Puro was the best.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Dec 27, 2016 13:08:36 GMT -5
To be fair, I think that wwe plan is to get the show on the network, not on a local channel. That would just give them a much lower ceiling. Subscription services aren't popular in Japan, even cable/satellite tv never really took off. They may be able to have a Japanese project that turns a slight profit but considering opportunity cost it probably makes more sense to invest elsewhere.
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Reflecto
Hank Scorpio
The Sorceress' Knight
Posts: 6,847
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Post by Reflecto on Dec 27, 2016 15:35:27 GMT -5
I see WWE doing a Japanese tournament but not setting up an actual branch. What I do see is them buying or at least buying into a puroresu company. Someone like All Japan, Zero One, or Wrestle-1. Companies that will take up the offer and WWE don't have to go through the headaches and loss of money of establishing a company in Japan. But China and/or India are better choices. Especially China with a large, major market waiting for someone to come in and entertain the billions. WWN did big numbers in China for a series of house shows without any major names on the card. Imagine what WWE could do with their marketing talent. The bigger problem, though, is even those countries being bigger deals than Japan would be for more profit comes with its own risks as well. With both countries, they are the most populous in the world- but we saw with The Great Khali (and WWE having to re-edit shows so that he was a huge babyface in India), and what movie studios have seen for having to reedit movies for the Chinese market (and even WWE feels the burn: Considering he was barely out of Florida and hasn't come close to matches on 205 Live, but made the early cut, there is no doubt in my mind that HoHo Lun made the 205 Live roster just to add a Hong Kong/Chinese star to the roster even though he wasn't near ready for prime time in NXT to satisfy that market.) With those things, it's just as likely if they expand there, those markets won't just be happy with 'their' market, but there is a chance they want more than just their market and to mesh well with the world. Best case scenario: ...hope you like Mahabali Shera in TNA, because WWE's giving him seven figures to jump to NXT next year. Worst case scenario: Expect Tian Bin to not just make the WWE main roster when this happens...there's a non-zero chance he breaks Sheamus or Lesnar's record for quickest WWE Title win and takes the Reigns position as THE MAN, whether or not he's over in the US.
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