The General Wrestling Thread

[EmpireWF]

Meltzer says Taker has requested to work with Bryan at WM.

oh shit...

 

[ThomasTomasz]

Meltzer says Taker has requested to work with Bryan at WM.

oh shit...

 

[ThomasTomasz]

Can any of you verify the rumors of Spike looking at purchasing the rights to air Smackdown?

 

[EmpireWF]

Can any of you verify the rumors of Spike looking at purchasing the rights to air Smackdown?

Nothing too specific, just that (essentially) everyone has at least some interest in WWE.

This is from a Variety article last month (all of WWE's TV content will be up for negotiation at the same time..for the first time)...

The Stamford, Conn.-based company ideally would like to partner with a conglomerate that owns a variety of channels the way NBCU currently airs many of WWE’s shows. Along with “Raw,” “SmackDown” and “Total Divas,” specials like “Tribute to the Troops” and a shortened version of its annual “WrestleMania” pay-per-view also air on NBC. WWE already has reached out to or held meetings with the expected list of players who own a variety of channels hungry for programming, including A&E, Disney, Viacom, 21st Century Fox and Discovery.

Negotiations and bids can’t take place until Feb. 15, when NBCU accepts or rejects WWE’s final offer; other bids are due Feb. 28, with WWE set to select its media partners by March 4. Should a new deal with another conglom happen, WWE’s shows wouldn’t move to a new network until October.

Yet even as WWE makes the rounds of media congloms, industry insiders say they believe there is no way that NBCUniversal will loosen its grip on WWE. “Monday Night Raw” is a huge contributor to USA’s bottom line and weekly ratings stats; without “Raw” on its schedule, USA Network would drop from first place to as low as No. 4 among basic entertainment networks, costing the company premium advertising dollars. Syfy would also lose a sizable audience without “SmackDown,” which has raised viewership by 35% for the network. “Divas” is a hit for E! but has perhaps has benefitted WWE more, given that it’s helped the company attract more women, which currently make up around 35% of its audience.

The third hour of “Raw” is up 44% vs. programming that aired in the timeslot last year. “Saturday Morning Slam” is up 34% for the CW, “Main Event” is up 25% for ION and “Divas” has boosted ratings 166% for E!

http://variety.com/2013/tv/news/wwe-aims-to-pin-down-rich-new-tv-rights-deals-exclusive-1200966579/

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

WrestleKingdom 8 review, which I almost titled "New Japan draws 35,000 pushing people who TNA buried on Xplosion"

http://www.voicesofwrestling.com/2014/01/04/new-japan-pro-wrestling-wrestle-kingdom-8-review/

Doc Gallows, Young Bucks, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kazuchika Okada, Alex Shelley, Lance Archer.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

Quick Stats:
Impact Wrestling scored a lower year to year rating than last year, grossing in just a 0.99 average Nielson rating average for the entire year. The number is down 2% from last year's overall Nielson rating of 1.01.

Much like last year, this makes 2013 the lowest grossing year for Impact Wrestling since 2006.

This is the first time since 2006 that Impact's yearly average is less than a 1.0

Bruce Prichard, Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan, who were widely suspected to be the creative mainstays for the company since 2012, all parted ways with TNA by the 29th week of 2013; Just 3 episodes through the second half of the year.

The team of Prichard, Bischoff and Hogan 2013 run scored a 1.0009 average for the year in 29 episodes.

Dave Lagana, who has taken up primary creative duties since TNA parted with Bruce Prichard has scored a meager 0.9734 rating in 23 episodes.

the mid-term rating average for the first half of 2013 is a 1.01 rating

the mid-term rating average for the second half of 2013 is a 0.974 rating

The highest rating TNA Impact Wrestling scored in 2013 was a 1.17 rating on January 24 2013. Compare that to the highest rating of 2012 was a 1.18

The lowest rating TNA Impact Wrestling scored in 2013 was a 0.70 rating on Thanksgiving day November 28 2013. Compare that to the lowest rating of 2012 was a 0.85

Silver lining and looking to the future:
The month of December has not had any episode that scored less than a 1.0 rating. This is the first month since February 2013 that any month had scored a cumulative 1.0 and above rating for each week.

Impact Wrestling is still a marquee show for SpikeTV. During the last 3 months of 2013 alone, SpikeTV scored a dismal 890,000 viewers average across their shows.

Read more: http://www.tnainsider.com/view/tna-news ... z2pQAchnx4

Summary. Aces & 8's was a bust. Slower paced show with Dixie as top heel is doing 1.0's again. Hogan & The Bisch suck.

 

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

It seems that people tuned out a bit after Hogan and Bischoff left, but are just starting to come back a bit by the end of the year.

As we all suspected, Hogan and Bischoff were a zero sum acquisition in regards to ratings and buys and yield a HUGE net negative when you combined their salary and hijinks like taking Impact on the road.

 

[ThomasTomasz]

Both posts by W2B are great. TNA has just let the wrong talent go throughout the years, and they are clinging to guys who just don't draw for them. I think any of the names he mentioned that TNA buried could draw as much on a PPV card for TNA at half the salary cost at least.

I just can't see that company surviving in the next six months, especially with Jarrett out. Also, I had nothing better to do last night and watched most of Impact. With the exception of Storm/Roode vs Gunner/Angle, the whole show was terrible. The Dixie lovefest to close the show was especially awful.

 

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

WrestleKingdom 8 review, which I almost titled "New Japan draws 35,000 pushing people who TNA buried on Xplosion"

http://www.voicesofwrestling.com/2014/01/04/new-japan-pro-wrestling-wrestle-kingdom-8-review/

Doc Gallows, Young Bucks, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kazuchika Okada, Alex Shelley, Lance Archer.

New Japan is a hodge podge of talent...its no longer just a Japanese show...it seems like half the roster is English Speaking.

Alex Shelley, Rocky Romero, Alex Kozlov, Taka Michinoku, Young Bucks, I believe Kushida can speak English, Lance Archer and Davey Boy JR, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows, Devitt, Tonga and Fale, Conway and Tharpe, Benjamin, Okada...they all can speak English. I think Muta and some of the MMA guys can speak it as well.

That is a lot of fucking English Speakers.

It is funny though, how TNA had a ton of guys featured and are now or were champions in NJPW, who is the second largest company on planet earth (TNA isn't even within a mile) and they couldn't draw a nickel with them.

Now, I don't know if Okada, Tanahashi, and Nakamura could draw a dime in America...but they sure draw buckets of money in Japan.

 

[ThomasTomasz]

TNA unable to secure any dates at Universal Studios sound stages for 2014, apparently they are all booked :jonesy:

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

New Japan is a hodge podge of talent...its no longer just a Japanese show...it seems like half the roster is English Speaking.

Alex Shelley, Rocky Romero, Alex Kozlov, Taka Michinoku, Young Bucks, I believe Kushida can speak English, Lance Archer and Davey Boy JR, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows, Devitt, Tonga and Fale, Conway and Tharpe, Benjamin, Okada...they all can speak English. I think Muta and some of the MMA guys can speak it as well.

That is a lot of fucking English Speakers.

It is funny though, how TNA had a ton of guys featured and are now or were champions in NJPW, who is the second largest company on planet earth (TNA isn't even within a mile) and they couldn't draw a nickel with them.

Now, I don't know if Okada, Tanahashi, and Nakamura could draw a dime in America...but they sure draw buckets of money in Japan.

It's also pretty obvious they have a great eye for underused talent and know exactly how to use these guys. Set the Japanese aside. Nobody in the U.S. did fuck all with Doc Gallows, Lance Archer, Karl Anderson, Harry Smith, Young Bucks got no run in TNA, etc. They
get the absolute most out of all of them. Who knew Lance f'n Hoyt was such a workhorse?

 

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

It's also pretty obvious they have a great eye for underused talent and know exactly how to use these guys. Set the Japanese aside. Nobody in the U.S. did fuck all with Doc Gallows, Lance Archer, Karl Anderson, Harry Smith, Young Bucks got no run in TNA, etc. They
get the absolute most out of all of them. Who knew Lance f'n Hoyt was such a workhorse?

It is very impressive. Japan has always had a way of getting the most out of at least semi-athletic American big men.

Now they are taking that little magic with some guys like Karl Anderson and Davey Boy Jr.

They've always used the Juniors pretty well...a team as good as #theBucks getting over in Japan is a no brainer. The fact that TNA had a TON of these guys under their umbrella and had them on Xplosion or not on TV at all is some real weirdo shit. How u no make no money off Alex Shelley?

 

[MrBill]

I'm at the RCW "Texas Explosion" event tonight. Crowd estimate ~250. Just getting underway with introduction of former Playboy Playmate/Hef's former girlfriend Tina Jordan.

 

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

On an all-time charisma scale...where do we rank Shinsuke Nakamura?

 

[BigBiss]

I'm at the RCW "Texas Explosion" event tonight. Crowd estimate ~250. Just getting underway with introduction of former Playboy Playmate/Hef's former girlfriend Tina Jordan.

Drive up to Austin Tomorrow, nothing on TV any way

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

On an all-time charisma scale...where do we rank Shinsuke Nakamura?

Pretty god damn high, especially since the gimmick change.

 

[MrBill]

Drive up to Austin Tomorrow, nothing on TV any way

If I weren't such a big Packers fan, I would be there to watch. I'll definitely come to one of your events in the next couple of months :yep:

 

[MrBill]

Great "Last Man Standing" title for title match between Phoenix Champion Centerfold Matthew Palmer and International Champion Sammy Guevera. Back and forth with several near count outs before Guevera ultimately broke Palmer in half with a suplex off the top rope onto a ladder that had been propped across the ring apron and crowd barrier.

 

[s@ppisgod]

It is very impressive. Japan has always had a way of getting the most out of at least semi-athletic American big men.

Now they are taking that little magic with some guys like Karl Anderson and Davey Boy Jr.

They've always used the Juniors pretty well...a team as good as #theBucks getting over in Japan is a no brainer. The fact that TNA had a TON of these guys under their umbrella and had them on Xplosion or not on TV at all is some real weirdo shit. How u no make no money off Alex Shelley?

Shelley is great in the ring, has a ton of charisma, and a unique style. He could have been big if they did anything. How do you push dry ass James Storm off of tag team success and not Shelley, when the MCMGs were twice as hot with the crowd? Then they push Sabin, who can't talk a lick
Bigger missed boat than the first time they had Aries.

 

[JayDizzle]

Looks like someone's got a job on the side...