Welcome to what I hope becomes a regular feature here on www.rasslinriotonline.com. I will use the word “regular” as opposed to weekly so I won’t set myself up to fail. Needless to say, I hope to bring you a column on a regular basis, so here goes.
This week, I want to discuss the World Wrestling Entertainment house show that was held Saturday, Jan. 12 at the Arkansas State University Convocation Center in Jonesboro, AR. This particular event was a combination effort of the SmackDown and ECW brands.
While ECW has been hit or miss on its television show each Tuesday night on the SciFi Network, SmackDown is typically a good show on Friday nights on the CW Network.
Going into the show, there were a couple of things that led to the house of approximately 5,000 fans.
First, there is the Undertaker. He is known as the “phenom” of the WWE and for good reason. Minus Howard Finkel, I think the ‘Taker has the longest uninterrupted run in the WWE. He debuted at the 1990 Survivor Series and has been with the company since. While Shawn Michaels actually started in 1988 with the company, he took his injury hiatus from 1998-2002 and only made occasional appearances during that 5-year period before returning full time. So the Undertaker is a long time favorite of WWE fans. He got over quickly with the audience and has stayed over by changing his character with the different times. And just when it was getting a little stale, he was able to make a change to add life to it.
The Undertaker is no longer on a schedule where he works a lot of house shows and while Jonesboro isn’t considered a major market, I have a gut feeling he decided to work the card as a way to return to one of the towns he frequented during his pre-WWE days.
He certainly added some allure to the card.
Then there is Edge. He is easily the best heel in the business today. Couple that with his on-going fued with Rey Mysterio, who is also vastly popular, and there is a reason to plunk down a few dollars and watch a house show.
While those things made the card a probable success, something else added to the event’s success. It can all be summed up in one big word “ADVERTISING.”
Local wrestling promoters, take a look at that word.In my opinion, you can never have enough of it. Ever wonder why the “supercard” that you have been promoting is drawing a small following? It could have something to do with the fact that there isn’t enough real advertising being done.You have to spend money to make money. That is a fact of life. To get to your job, you have to buy fuel. And today that is tougher than ever.
Why not take a few dollars and advertise. I’m in the newspaper business, so I’m naturally going to support that medium, but radio and TV also work. And, if you play your cards right, you can get some solid advertising at key times.
I’ll go on the record and say that I’m not the smartest guy in the world and I’m not trying to act like “Mr. Promoter of the Year,” in giving this advice. Guys, I’ve learned by experience meaning I’ve lost money in failed efforts that might have worked out with a little advertising.
Let me also talk about the small town promoters’ favorite form of advertising – flyers. Do them, but don’t rely on them. If you ONLY put flyers around town, you are destined to have a little egg on your face. There is the luck factor, but nine out of 10 times, you need to have something to go along with flyers. Flyers should serve as a “reminder” that wrestling is in town.
Now, I can hear the response to this column. Some promoter out there whips out some cash, spends a chunk of change and the house is still bad. Well, there’s a little something that goes along with advertising – a good product.
If you have out of shape champion vs. can’t work challenger, you can advertise it all day long and it won’t matter. You might get one okay to good house out of advertising and then flush it all down the toilet.
Everybody on the card at the WWE show looked like wrestlers. They had their gear on. Sure, they all make a decent living and can pay for it. If you are a worker, get some freakin’ gear. If you don’t want to make the investment, get out of the business. When you go to college, you buy books. They are like your gear for class. Why wouldn’t you do the same in wrestling?
In closing, I’d like to say to local promoters, think about advertising a little bit when planning things out. Who knows? You might sell a ticket or two!
In one last piece of business, I’d like to thank Brian Tramel for this opportunity and his continuing efforts with the website. I don’t know if people realize how much time, effort and passion this guy puts into it. I know firsthand that the Yearbook 2007 is going to be a fun read. If you haven’t purchased yet, do so now! Also, be sure to listen to the great radio broadcasts courtesy of Gene Jackson. I see that he has a really interesting schedule of guest coming up. And, one last thing, speaking of radio guests, if Izzy Rotten is out there, give me an e-mail at the address below. I apologize for missing your phone call several weeks back. By the time I prepared to call you back, the number was erased from my last 10 calls. Darn phones!
Take care all!
(Brian Thompson may be reached by e-mail at bptbookings@yahoo.com)
