Powerline
ALF
I'm a pale imitator of a boy in the sky, with a cap on his head and a knot in his tie
Posts: 1,060
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Post by Powerline on Feb 25, 2019 7:03:57 GMT -5
Depends on how you define "boom period".
If you're looking at it as "WWE's business being in healthy shape", then yeah we are. They're doing excellent.
If you're looking at it as "Show and in-ring quality firing at a high clip", even if you mean it in a worldwide sense and not just WWE, nah. It's definitely more "up" than "down", but I wouldn't say business is as good as it could be.
I hear the argument about indies being in a boom period, but it seems like since streaming/YouTube became more widely available the indies have been riding high. We keep wondering "who's left" when a bunch of indie wrestlers get picked up by WWE or NJPW or something, but they all just seem to reload with talent that's just as high-caliber as what came before. If this is a "boom" period for indies, I'd like to know how we're currently riding notably higher than any other time in the last several years (and that's me legit asking, I'll admit my indie knowledge isn't the deepest; I know some of the major players and that's it really). And that's not counting AEW; I wouldn't count a company with so much hype and build and money behind it that it'll likely be the #2 (#3 at the very worst) American wrestling company as soon as it runs its first show as an "indie".
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Feb 25, 2019 7:07:17 GMT -5
Economically it's certainly arguable but the big issue is that WWE's current model is... not even a little sustainable. Like, if something doesn't change then sooner or later they are absolutely going to die.
They are bringing in money hand over fist so it's not like it's an issue in the here and now, and that's probably a big part of why they're not really addressing it in the moment because Vince will probably be dead before there are any consequences for it, but year after year after year they have done nothing but chase fans off while utterly failing at bringing in new fans to replace them. That needs to change if they want to survive but I feel like no one in a position of power in WWE has any clue how to make their product look attractive to a first-time viewer.
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Post by RedSmile on Feb 25, 2019 7:21:41 GMT -5
WWE just had to give away tickets for the Royal Rumble, while Double or Nothing sold out in minutes, and NXT is the most consistently great brand while still getting handwaved by "ride or die" WWE fans. We are in a really strange, chaotic period that's churning out a lot of kick ass yet underappreciated shows.
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Post by King Devitt and the Woke Mob on Feb 25, 2019 7:40:51 GMT -5
On the Indie scene? Absolutely. In WWE. Not while Vince is around.
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Pushed to the Moon
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
Tony Schiavone in Disguise
Working myself into a shoot
Posts: 15,819
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Post by Pushed to the Moon on Feb 25, 2019 8:16:40 GMT -5
Nah. I think wrestling is still a niche thing for nerds. Everyone is on the internet 247 now unlike the 90s so it's easier to come across people talking about wrestling and mainstream publications can have someone posting a little article about it online because you can cater to every minor interest now so it probably feels more ubiquitous than it used to.
I don't think The Rock or Batista etc being in Hollywood movies has anything to do with wrestling either really. It's like saying bodybuilding was going through a boom period when Arnie was in the Terminator. (Maybe it was I dunno haha).
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Feb 25, 2019 8:26:52 GMT -5
WWE just had to give away tickets for the Royal Rumble, while Double or Nothing sold out in minutes, and NXT is the most consistently great brand while still getting handwaved by "ride or die" WWE fans. We are in a really strange, chaotic period that's churning out a lot of kick ass yet underappreciated shows. Being fair here, Royal Rumble was in a building with three times the capacity of the one Double or Nothing is in. Granted WWE didn't come anywhere close to selling out said building, but it still sold double what Double or Nothing did.
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thecrusherwi
El Dandy
the Financially Responsible Man
Brawl For All
Posts: 7,723
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Post by thecrusherwi on Feb 25, 2019 8:32:50 GMT -5
I would say no for the reasons many others have described. Even once they’re on Fox I would lean no. Just because there is a lot of wrestling on TV, doesn’t mean it’s crossed over. There is more Boxing on major cable and broadcast networks than there’s been in over 20 years, yet no one is watching it but hardcore boxing fans. Wrestling is the same way.
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Mecca
Wade Wilson
Posts: 25,174
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Post by Mecca on Feb 25, 2019 8:50:27 GMT -5
The WWE product itself is bland and they are losing fans with the way attendance and ratings are down...so in that regard no not at all. But what they have done is they have figured out how to market and get big time sponsors.
They make more money than ever before without really needing a ton of fans...it's kinda brilliant in a way but it makes for a product that is very vanilla.
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Post by RedSmile on Feb 25, 2019 9:02:45 GMT -5
WWE just had to give away tickets for the Royal Rumble, while Double or Nothing sold out in minutes, and NXT is the most consistently great brand while still getting handwaved by "ride or die" WWE fans. We are in a really strange, chaotic period that's churning out a lot of kick ass yet underappreciated shows. Being fair here, Royal Rumble was in a building with three times the capacity of the one Double or Nothing is in. Granted WWE didn't come anywhere close to selling out said building, but it still sold double what Double or Nothing did. Right, but if we were in a "Boom Period" a show like the Royal Rumble would have no problem selling out.
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Post by Mighty Attack Tribble on Feb 25, 2019 9:15:31 GMT -5
Nah. I think wrestling is still a niche thing for nerds. Everyone is on the internet 247 now unlike the 90s so it's easier to come across people talking about wrestling and mainstream publications can have someone posting a little article about it online because you can cater to every minor interest now so it probably feels more ubiquitous than it used to. Basically this. And it works both ways - indie wrestlers and promotions are doing well because advertising themselves directly to the consumer absurdly easy now. Even ten years ago it would be incredibly difficult and in many cases impossible to follow an indie star or promotion regularly. Now you can get up-to-the-minute updates via social media, watch them on any number of apps and services, and buy merchandise directly from them with a few button clicks.
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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 Feb 25, 2019 10:19:28 GMT -5
Nope, but it does almost feel like the line of gunpowder is there ready to be lit. Yeah, definitely the best way of looking at it. There's an obvious shift happening across the TV product. Hot acts for the most part are being pushed as such, and TV crowds have been louder on average than they were say a year ago. As for who is going to spearhead the new boom, they've already shown Becky is that individual, and if Roman is back and healthy, he's got a new lease as a character because folks genuinely want to root for him now.
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Sam Punk
Hank Scorpio
Own Nothing, Be Happy
Posts: 6,321
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Post by Sam Punk on Feb 25, 2019 12:15:20 GMT -5
Not until Roman gets back.
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Post by prichardmark on Feb 25, 2019 12:27:54 GMT -5
WWE only makes its money off TV deals now and conning investors. Definitely no merit to their profits now. Its all superficial money
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krozor
Don Corleone
Posts: 1,420
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Post by krozor on Feb 25, 2019 19:02:20 GMT -5
They had a chance. The Summer of Punk/Pipe Bomb promo had them on the cusp of being something huge, a major angle - fronted by an interesting performer - that felt like it captured the current zeitgeist in a way that Rock 'n Wrestling and the Attitude Era had before. People suddenly had something to point to and say "check this out, I swear, wrestling might be fun again" to lapsed fans, and pop culture sites started covering wrestling again. It was primed and ready to go.
Then they stomped all over the Punk angle and turned it into HHH/Nash, and have spent every month of every year since then aggressively strangling the life out of any gimmick or angle that actually gets over with the fans. Now all that potential energy and interest has turned into either renewed disinterest or hope that someone else will change things, and any coverage of what WWE does is about what a mess the product is.
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Post by EoE: Well There's Your Problem on Feb 25, 2019 19:03:53 GMT -5
I feel like wrestling is more socially acceptable as general nerd culture has become more accepted and mainstream, but more popular? I don’t think so, no.
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Post by bmfjules on Feb 25, 2019 19:31:42 GMT -5
WWE to me right now are like Elvis during his Vegas years. The money is solid. The production is top notch. The actual shows however are uninspired and there hasn't been any worthwhile original material released in a long, long time... but it's still Elvis.
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Cranjis McBasketball
Crow T. Robot
Knew what the hell that thing was supposed to be
Peace Love and Nothing But
Posts: 42,350
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Post by Cranjis McBasketball on Feb 25, 2019 21:45:41 GMT -5
Hahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahha....oh, you were honestly asking?
Yeah no.
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Post by benstudd on Feb 25, 2019 22:48:24 GMT -5
The Doom Period.
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Post by Toilet Paper Roll on Feb 25, 2019 23:14:01 GMT -5
Ratings are dropping. The WWE is more centered around using "wrestling" as a means to get it's "superstars" to do things outside of wrestling. Difficult for the product to have a boom period when it's being promoted as just a reason to show people on TV every week so they become more accessible before they do commercials, TV or movies.
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Post by "Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay on Feb 26, 2019 16:31:31 GMT -5
WWE only makes its money off TV deals now and conning investors. Definitely no merit to their profits now. Its all superficial money ...How can I tell how much of my money is superficial? Is it affected by inflation? I want to earn interest on my shallowness.
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