wrestling / Columns

411 Wrestling Fact or Fiction: Do Wrestling Promotions Really Listen To Their Fans?

December 29, 2019 | Posted by Jake Chambers
WWE Vince McMahon, Samoa Joe WWE, MVP, NXT Image Credit: WWE

Welcome back to the 411 Fact or Fiction – Wrestling Edition, I’m your host, Jake Chambers. Every week, Fact or Fiction poses statements on pro-wrestling history, culture and current events and then challenges writers to explain why they believe each statement is totally factual or completely fiction. No middle ground will be tolerated!

This week’s guest is: Drew Cordeiro.

Drew is the owner and promoter of Beyond Wrestling, a company that for over a decade has been championing independent wrestling and booking dynamic, trend-setting events. You can see his fingerprints all over the pro-wrestling landscape, but especially if you tune in to the Wednesday Night Wars where so many who made their mark in Beyond are now being showcased on national TV.

One of the great joys of being able to do my take on Fact or Fiction has been getting to pick the brains of some of my friends and favourite writers, and the inaugural edition of this column featured Drew discussing the world of pro-wrestling on the eve of Season 2 of Uncharted Territory, Beyond Wrestling’s fantastic live, 2-hour weekly streaming series at Independent Wrestling TV.

Even though he’s one of the busiest guys I knew, Drew took the time to punch up some great responses then, and is back this week to indulge my curiosity with more of his fascinating insights. I mean, I’m just a fan, but this dude is a real, successful, innovative, professional wrestling promoter. So let’s read on as he schools me once again!

Statement #1: It is easy for a wrestling promotion to “listen to their fans” and give them what they want.

Jake Chambers: FICTION – This is the one-year anniversary of the McMahons coming on RAW to announce that they were going to listen to “our audience” and start to make some changes. The WWE breaking the fourth wall like this is tricky because how do you convince millions of fans around the world that you are taking a consensus of what they want and then turning that into unpredictable creative content? Additionally, one angry social media reaction often seems to confidently speak for millions, so it must be frustrating to feel like you’re ever collectively pleasing anyone. If you gauge appeal based on the live audiences, generally the WWE must think they’re doing something right, since those crowds generally pop for the physical stimulus provided. I wonder if Drew has developed any new sympathy for the WWE’s predicament this year, after moving from mainly producing live events to a weekly live streaming show that needs to continually please a returning TV audience more than just those in attendance at the show.

Drew Cordeiro: FACT/FICTION – The first question and I’m already split! I think it’s easy for a wrestling promotion to listen to their fans but sometimes it is impossible to give the fans what they want depending on the circumstances. In 2019 we ran 31 live, weekly, episodic, 2-hour wrestling broadcasts (Beyond Wrestling “Uncharted Territory” on IndependentWrestling.TV) and I can honestly say now that we’re wrapping up Season 02 that I empathize with the decision makers in WWE. There are so many factors that are left completely up to chance, the most important being the physical and mental well-being of the wrestlers. Injuries are common – that’s the nature of the beast – and if a wrestler gets hurt there is no way around that. Fans have no idea what was planned, only what plays out, and there’s been multiple instances since Season 02 started in October where we can’t deliver Plan A, Plan B, or Plan C, so we do the best we can with what we’ve got. That doesn’t mean we’re delivering the absolute best of what we’re capable of if the stars align.

Statement #2: The main event should always be the best match on a card.

Jake Chambers: FACT – If that last match isn’t the best one on a show I only assume something went wrong. I don’t want to feel like I did at the end of WWE TLC 2019 where the only good match, Aleister Black vs. Buddy Murphy, took place in the first hour. If those guys are the best, build up the card to finish with that match. Of course what makes something the “best” is often debatable in pro-wrestling. For instance, Hulk Hogan and John Cena matches were always the best ones on a WWF/E PPV even if it wasn’t due to a workrate-specific move variety. They guys brought such a special atmosphere to every show, the same way The Sandman or Nick Gage also could do on the indies. No matter what, I believe it is the booker’s responsibility to always put on the “best” match last.

Drew Cordeiro: FICTION – I don’t agree at all, although the main event should always be the most important match on the card. When wrestlers can put on a show-stealing performance as part of the undercard, that can help them earn the respect of the fans which in turn makes it easier to position them in a main event. If they can deliver in that spot, there’s a possibility they can become a bonafide draw, and every wrestling promotion needs as many of those as possible. Despite big time contracts, wrestling rosters continue to be very fluid. Every wrestling promotion should operate with the goal of reaching as many fans as possible at all times. I don’t think you can ever have too many stars. The mentality that the main event should always be the best match means that more capable wrestlers earlier in the night should stifle their performance to make sure the last match delivers. That will hamper a wrestler’s ability to develop and keeps everyone in the same position on the totem pole, which would get very boring very quickly.

Statement #3: An independent wrestler can have a successful career without ever signing a contract with a corporate pro-wrestling entertainment entity.

Jake Chambers: FACT – I should explain what I mean by “successful”, which is going to be different for everybody, but to me it’s being able to make a living from what you love to do. You don’t need to be a millionaire to be successful, so if you make a comfortable living from being a professional wrestler without having to work at like an insurance company during the day I consider that a success. Plus, if you remain independent you’ll have more creative freedom, which is something money can’t buy. The careers of guys like Colt Cabana, Joey Ryan, Zack Sabre Jr, or David Starr, in various ways seem to prove that you can live a creative, fulfilling and profitable life without being locked in to a potentially restrictive corporate contract.

Drew Cordeiro: FACT – I think, at least since I’ve gotten involved in pro wrestling, this couldn’t be truer. I don’t know how many wrestler on the indies are commanding $1,000+ per match, but there are more viable promotions than ever before in the United States, often running during weekdays, so it’s pretty easy to keep a full schedule. On top of that, there seem to be even more international opportunities outside of places like Japan, Canada, and Mexico, and from what I understand those tours can be rather lucrative. Factor in merchandising and new platforms like Patreon and you’ve got yourself a winning combination. Hopefully more wrestlers realize this and are a little more careful about signing the first contract placed in front of them.

Fact or Fiction – Quick Hits
– one sentence is all you need for this FoF lightning round!

1. A female-only wrestling show from the WWE would never get equal (or higher) ratings to their current prime time shows.

Drew Cordeiro: FICTION – Haven’t the women’s matches been drawing some of the strongest ratings especially in key demos since they’ve started getting scrutinized in October?

Jake Chambers: FACT – The WWE might be able to promote the first episode well, but they’d end up booking it into the ground after a couple of weeks.

2. Chris Dickinson will be the first inductee into the Beyond Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Drew Cordeiro: FACT – There’s others to be considered such as Drew Gulak, Oney Lorcan, Donovan Dijakovic, or Keith Lee, but nobody has had the longevity or done as much for Beyond Wrestling as Chris Dickinson.

3. The retiring Jushin “Thunder” Liger is one of your top 10 favourite wrestlers of all time.

Drew Cordeiro: FICTION – I don’t think I’ve even seen 10 Jushin Liger matches.

Jake Chambers: FICTION – Love Liger, and I’ve seen hundreds of his matches (since I’m a nerd and not busy, you know, like booking wrestling promotions), but he’s not in my all-time Top 10.

¡SWITCH!

Statement #4: AEW revolutionized the wrestling industry this year.

Drew Cordeiro: FICTION – Has AEW made positive changes in the wrestling industry this year? Undeniably. By virtue of AEW’s existence, most of the wrestlers in WWE are getting better taken care of, even just so they don’t jump ship. Plus it has also forced WWE to push NXT to a live, weekly format, and even though I don’t typically watch, from what I hear it seems like that brand is better than ever. On top of that, there’s so many more wrestlers making a full time living and wrestling on national television as part of AEW that wouldn’t have gotten a second look had the landscape not changed so drastically with the introduction of another big player. But is it fair to say AEW “revolutionized” the industry? Maybe I’m getting caught up in semantics, but it’s nothing new for there to be two major wrestling organizations on cable TV in the United States. Nobody is doing record numbers, and while the way fans consume media continues to change, is anyone MAKING new fans? I think that remains to be seen, and that’s coming from someone that is a huge fan of what AEW has done for wrestling in 2019.

Jake Chambers: FACT – The way I’m going to put this is going to sound like an insult, but it’s not. AEW kind of revolutionized the wrestling business by making people think that doing the same thing as everyone else is different. Let’s be honest, there’s not much difference between AEW and what we see in NJPW, NXT, ROH, IMPACT, or even WWE. There’s a few cosmetic differences here or there, but sometimes I get the feeling that people think AEW is doing something truly original. And I believe there’s a lot of work that goes into accomplishing this goal, including media hustling and strategic marketing, and THAT is the revolutionary side to AEW. All those other companies I previously listed, no matter how good (or bad) they’ve been, would have killed in the past few years to have a fraction of the attention, backing and good will that AEW has accumulated. Any mainstream pro-wrestling start-up from this point forward will have to study the AEW marketing model.

Statement #5: All tag teams should eventually break up and feud.

Drew Cordeiro: FICTION – I don’t agree, and even though this has been a trend in WWE as long as I can remember, I think we are starting to see that change. There are more tag teams nowadays that are solid acts and both partners are dependent on one another, as opposed to random pairings of singles wrestlers to give the current champions some fresh opponents. For example, if the Revival broke up and feuded, what’s the plan after that? Are both guys getting elevated as single stars? Is there a big Scott Dawson vs. Roman Reigns match at Summerslam we should be salivating over? With other teams, I could see it making sense, like if Big E left the New Day and got pushed to the title, but in general it’s certainly not a “one size fits all” booking strategy.

Jake Chambers: FACT – A tag team, once introduced into the narrative world of pro-wrestling, is just waiting to be Chekhov’s Gun-ed into an eventual feud. It doesn’t always have to be a Shawn Michaels/Marty Jannetty situation where one guy becomes a star and the other falls off, because I think the eventual return to partnership should be the ultimate payoff. Since mainstream tag team wrestling is a mid-card attraction, I think breaking up longstanding teams is a great way to build up a high profile singles match in the future.

Statement #6: A pro-wrestling show on New Year’s Eve is a great idea!

Drew Cordeiro: FACT – Yeah, and I actually would go so far as to say it’s a great idea running a wrestling show on ANY holiday except Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. There’s a lot of people out there who are looking for something to do, either with their family, to get away from their family, or because they have no family. I can’t speak for every promotion, but our shows already feel like a big party as it is, so it’s a great place to grab a drink and socialize. As far as New Year’s Eve specifically, I feel like it’s one of those holidays where there is added pressure to “do something” in a social situation – nobody wants to be that loser that stays home watching the ball drop on TV – and for the last two years our “Heavy Lies The Crown” event has been the perfect way to ring in the New Year. It sets the tone for what’s to come, and it’s rad being able to host the first match of the year. This year we’ll be streaming live on IWTV.live immediately following the Independent Wrestling Awards Show and our card is headlined with a FANS BRING THE WEAPONS tag team match between Team TREMENDOUS and Bear Country!

Jake Chambers: FACT – This was a softball question, of course, for Drew to thank him for participating and let everyone reading this know how great Beyond’s Heavy Lies the Crown events have been the past two years. I’ve watched both live (although neither from the EST time zone), and the festive atmosphere is unlike anything you’re going to see on an indie show. Drew has tapped into something here with a holiday event, as he explained above, which does make a lot of sense for wrestling fans who might not lay within the nuclear family demo and want something cool to do.

No doubt, the show has such a killer line-up will not fail to disappoint, so get over to Independent Wrestling TV and tune in for the first official match of 2020!

Thanks again to Drew Cordeiro for joining me this week, it truly is an honour. Get over to Beyond Wrestling’s Youtube page (look at all the insane free matches they’re giving away) and help one awesome independent wrestling company get over 2 million subscribers (that’s more than most corporate-backed promotions)! As well, thanks to everyone who read along with my version of Fact or Fiction the past few months. Lots more cool stuff to come!

Happy Holidays!