003 to now] had a 5,000 drawing show on 8.24.04 with Terry Funk & Cory Maclin vs Jerry Lawler & Jimmy Hart, but the gate was in the $50,000 range. The company would have probably done better in the Mid-South Coliseum and with Jerry Lawler headlining. This group had averaged 2,256 in attendance during their Coliseum run [8/03 to 4/05]. The attendance started to fall during the Southaven, MS shows last year, when one of the shows only drew 300 people. Add high ticket prices and ratings decline, this company could not produce huge numbers even with the biggest draw guy in our sport.----I have been told by more than one person that worked the show that there were at least 4000 people there. The place was heavily papered, because Hogan had told everyone involved that if they had to give tickets away, then do it, because he wanted a big crowd for the VH1 cameras. Also if you take a look at the crowd in the pic above [taken while people were still coming in] you will see about 1500 people. And then, take a look at the crowd when Hogan was in the ring from the video. As was reported, it looks like that a lot of the fans did not come to their seats until the Hogan match.
----As I had reported in an earlier report, I was told the building and security was in the $75,000 range. Talent without Hulk Hogan was in the $30,000 range – that is with hotel and airfares. You got to believe they spent $20,000 on advertising, so they DID NOT break even. This event can not be considered a success even though it will be #1 in the record books.
