Progress and Change in the World of Pro Wrestling
These major accomplishments and shows for the world of Pro Wrestling all happened in the span of a year. Are you paying attention? Courtesy of the WWE, NJPW, ROH, and All In.
By Matthew Klink (@klinkmatt)
August 10, 2018
I was going to post an article like this and have it focus on Renee Young and her temporary position with the announce team on Monday Night Raw. On its own, it is an incredible achievement and nod to all of her hard work and I'm sure, what must be countless hours of frustration and wondering if it is all worth it. The real accomplishment will be the eventual passing of the torch from Michael Cole to Renee. Hopefully within a week of her participation on Monday.
That is a huge announcement, however that isn't the only big news going on in the WWE and it isn't the only big news in Pro Wrestling. While the WWE is making major waves by offering more opportunity in different areas, Ring of Honor (who we don't give enough credit to on the website) and New Japan Pro Wrestling have sold out Madison Square Garden for their G1 Supercard in record time.
In a full 180 degrees from a couple of months ago (when Vince McMahon was being accused of blocking any non-WWE event from occurring at Madison Square Garden despite MSG being its own business entity perfectly capable of making its own business decisions), ROH and NJPW are dancing and doing cartwheels all the way to the bank.
And lets not forget the wonderful job that Cody Rhodes and the boys have accomplished with All In. In what had even less support in the US than ROH and NJPW, Cody worked a major marketing campaign, through what were mainly social media channels, into his own, sold out, pro wrestling, arena show.
Now, I'm not the bozo who thinks this is going to scare the WWE or allow ROH and NJPW to takeover the states. Its just simply not the case (And I apologize if that is you. Bozo is the least harsh word I could think of). Have you ever thought that when the Premier League sells out an exhibition match in the states that it means the end for the National Football League? Yeah, me neither. But this is good for the sport of pro wrestling. This G1 Supercard is something that may not have happened a few years ago and is a testament to how truly global our communication lines are and will continue to be. As the sport continues to prove that borders aren't an obstacle, we'll continue to get great wrestling.
That brings us back to the WWE, who had just turned in their best revenue numbers for a 2nd quarter ever. While part of that is inflation, the growth numbers from year to year (so comparing apples to apples) is due to the Greatest Royal Rumble's revenue dollars, which eclipsed WrestleMania's numbers by almost 3 times. They are also on the verge of a wonderfully expensive split test (I jest, for all of you marketers out there) when they put on the Super Show-Down in Australia.
As the WWE continues to test new markets and find new fans, they are also grabbing up new talent. Its the same reason why pro sports today are fueled and littered with such high caliber and elite talent. There isn't a place in the world that can hide elite, megastar talent. And if its good enough, its going to be found. That brings the whole idea full circle. Show the world that they are worth it, as a fan base, and you've put your foot into a new pool of potential talent as well.
While the show might not bring in the same dollars numbers as the Greatest Royal Rumble, it is sure to bring in some major dough (probably surpassing WrestleMania again). However, the real performance barometer will be years from now, when the WWE is picking up more talent in these different geographical locations. And going another step further, when they announce the next big globetrotting super show.
This is all ahead of the eventual all female Pay-Per-View, WWE Women's Evolution and of course, the completion of the $Billion dollar deal to move SmackDown to FOX. If you have questioned whether or not the WWE is doing well (because you don't like their creative direction) you could not be further from the truth (and facts).
So this brings me back to the point of this post and why you're reading. Its literally just to make sure your eyes get a glimpse of the big picture and the amazing state of the world of pro wrestling. As the business continues to grow and the industry thrives under these huge announcements, expect more news that is similar to the likes of Renee Young hitting the Raw announce team and the creation of Evolution. It means more investment in new ideas and it means that the WWE, NJPW, and ROH are going to continue to grow and give you the product you love.
After all, allegiances aside, we are all fans of pro wrestling and we should be happy that this type of news is real and is happening. The crazy thing is to try and guess what the next step is or what progressive leap these pro wrestling giants take. Don't think for a second that they haven't discussed working together or think that a temporary partnership is out of the question. When growth is the major goal, exposure has truly proved to be everything. And with all of these major announcements and accomplishments occurring, its not just the world of pro wrestling that'll be tuned in. More people and businesses with money will come knockin'.
On top of that, SummerSlam is right around the corner!
As we continue to get more matches booked (so far, ten in total), I am loving this card. If you haven't made plans yet, don't forget to be on your couch on August 19th for the biggest show of the summer!
Carmella vs Becky Lynch vs Charlotte Flair for the SmackDown Women's Championship
Ronda Rousey vs Alexa Bliss for the Raw Women's Championship
AJ Styles vs Samoa Joe for the WWE Championship
Roman Reigns vs Brock Lesnar for the WWE Universal Title
Dolph Ziggler vs Seth Rollins for the Intercontinental Championship
Shinsuke Nakamura vs Jeff Hardy for the United States Championship
Braun Strowman vs Kevin Owens for the MITB Briefcase
The Bludgeon Brothers vs the New Day for the SmackDown Tag Titles
Baron Corbin vs Finn Balor
Daniel Bryan vs The Miz
Sunday, August 19th, 7PM EST
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