PWInsider - WWE News, Wrestling News, WWE

PWINSIDER Q & A: JERICHO, WWE LOSING IN THE BARS, DAYTIME PPVS, ORDORFF'S WWF PUSH AND MORE

My friends and I like to visit sports bars to watch the pay-per-views. After visiting several sports bars in Atlanta that used to carry PPVs, I noticed that several have stopped carrying them altogether. By the time I found one yesterday, the place was so packed it was standing room only and several people decided to leave. Did WWE raise their prices, or is this just a lack of interest? I would think with the demand, most would carry Wrestlemania.

It's actually a combination of both.  Establishments have to pay a steep price for PPVs determined by their size and the amount of people they hold.  They don't get the show for 55 bucks like the rest of us.  They pay hundreds, or more.  So, in order to air a PPV, they have to draw a crowd that will make it worth it to them financially.  In addition to less people coming to the establishments lately for WWE PPVs, there has long been a problem where the people that do come are often, in a word, cheap.  I heard stories of people taking up a table for hours watching the PPV and spending 10 dollars or so.  That makes it even more of a losing proposition for the outlets.  More and more are dropping the WWE shows because of it.

Just a quick question about Chris Jericho. Do you know if he has a prosthetic jaw or dentures or something? I know it sounds crazy BUT... I have been watching for a long time and I noticed that after every match with Jericho he walks back to the dressing room holding his jaw. Now I know this week he took a shot there and needed to sell that, but it seems as if even if he wore a football helmet to the ring, he would still sell the jaw injury. 

I think it's just a selling thing.  I don't ever remember hearing anything about that.

I have been a visitor to the site for a few years now and I have never seen you guys talk much about the announcers for TNA. In my opinion they take so much away from the product because Mike Tenay and Don West could possibly be the worst announce team that I can ever remember. There are times when I am watching Impact that I can not concentrate on the matches because one of them, or both, are yelling and overselling the product like its the main event of a pay per view on every match. It seems like they treat the audience as if they have never seen a wrestling match before and they have to explain every move as if we can't see it for ourselves. I would compare it to them doing radio instead of TV. Also, there is never a point in the broadcast that they let the moment speak for itself, like WWE announcers do all the time when no explanation is needed. Don West's overselling of moves and holds such as "He creamed him" and "He took his head off" are not only annoying but its getting to the point where I can't watch a TNA show anymore. In my opinion, its the biggest thing wrong with TNA at the moment, as they have lots of talent in the locker room and the booking is usually good to decent. I am not expecting them to be the quality of Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler but surely they can find someone better than these two. I was wondering how you felt about the announce team or if you have noticed the things that I have mentioned. Thanks for your time, love the site. 

I agree that there are definitely times when Tenay and West talk far too much and it hurts the product, not to mention over-hyping it.  Tenay has been very good in the past at calling the action but you call the action the way the company wants it called.  As for West, he has done some solid work in the past as well but he can definitely oversell things when they want him to.  I think it comes down to them doing what they are directed to do.

Dave Scherer wrote on March 9th that Wrestlemania starts at 7:00 p.m. eastern time because more people will buy in the evening versus buying in the afternoon. I remember at least one Wrestlemania that started at 4:00 pm, and it was Wrestlemania 8 in Indianapolis where Sid battled Hulk Hogan where the Warrior returned, and Savage defeated Ric Flair to win the WWF Title. My questions are in regard to this is..... how did that buyrate compare to say the previous two (6 & 7) 'Manias and the next two (9 & 10) after that started in the evenings? And don't you think regardless if a show starts in the afternoon or evening, if the card is top caliber and after all it is the brand "Wrestlemania" it will sell well regardless?

These are the numbers I have for the old Manias.  You can see a pattern develop pretty quickly. 

Mania 6 - 3.8
Mania 7 - 2.8
Mania 8 - 2.3
Mania 9 - 2.0
Mania 10 - 1.7 

As you can see, the number went down every year.  While part of it has something to do with interest and the fact that more and more shows were coming to PPV, the bigger thing here is that the PPV universe expanded.  As there were more and more homes with the capability to get PPVs, the numbers get skewed.  A 1.7 could actually mean more buys than a 3.8 if the cable universe for Mania 10 was three times that of what it was for Mania 6. Total buys would be a better barometer but I don't have them anywhere.  

As for your second question, no I don't think that.  With all of the competition out there for viewers' eyes, not to mention their time on a weekend, night time will sell better than day time.  If it didn't, you would see Oscar De la Hoya fighting Floyd Mayweather in the afternoon instead of the evening.

When WWF/E Hall Of Famer "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff was in NWA and WCW, he had the opportunity to hold the World Tag Team Titles and The World Television Title. He held those belts as a true and convincing champion. When he was in the WWF/E, he was not given the opportunity to become a champion. Now I know he had a lot of title shots against Hulk Hogan and Tito Santana, but do you know why he was never given an opportunity to become a WWF/E World, IC and/or Tag Team Champion?

He was a main event player in the WWF Title picture for most of his WWE run.  That would have been the only belt that he should have held back then and with Hulk Hogan around, it just wasn't going to happen.  When he was a heel, he wasn't going to beat Hogan.  When he was a face, he was the Little Hulk, as Bobby Heenan called him, and Hogan was still in his way.  I think he still holds that against the company which was why he seemed so grumpy when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame, in Hogan's class of course .  But make no mistake, he may never have been the WWF champ but he made a lot, a LOT, of money.  That is (or should be) what's important.

You can send us questions for the PWInsider.com Q&A by clicking here.

We also have a new Q and A up today on PWInsiderXtra.com.

 

If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here!

• Tweet