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Over the last several years, one of the biggest complaints we’ve received from wrestling fans that regularly write us griping is that they want something new and something fresh. A generation that grew up on the Monday Night Wars and ECW, as they’ve gotten older and the wrestling scene has become more homogenized, they’ve, in some cases, fallen out of love with wrestling but for the most part, have evolved into a generation of fans who watch on the sidelines, waiting to hear about something that’s cool and worth their time.
Then, there’s the generation that is growing up with wrestling now, who want their access to the material they want to see to be instantaneous and fast. They don’t want to order a shoot interview DVD and wait 5 days for it to come (I can’t imagine them wanting to hear about the good old days where retail orders often took 4-6 weeks for deliveries: man, do I feel old!) – they want it now.
In the last few months, one of my favorite new websites is one that I believe can truly appeal to both the techies that want it, NOW NOW NOW like Daffy Duck going, “MINE MINE MINE†as he insanely cackles while holding a giant pearl as well as the disenfranchised fans who are waiting for something to grab their interest but until something does, are very unlikely to spend a lot of time and emotional investment waiting for that to come along - www.DIYWrestling.com.
The brainchild of the folks behind www.highspots.com, DIY works similar to other iPPV websites in that you can stream videos available from a slew of providers, including Highspots, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, Montreal’s ISW, Northeast Wrestling, Cleveland’s AIW and other indy promotions.
With DIY set up so fans can stream certain matches or complete shows, it allows a quick and easy way for you to check out something you may have heard or read about online that intrigued you. This week, I wanted to see The Young Bucks vs. The Hardys first-ever bout, which was promoted by NEW. For $12 (as opposed to $20 for a DVD), I was able to rent a stream that I can watch up to four times over the next four days.
So, now I’m watching a match that I wanted to see, immediately (following a quick sign-up and payment through process) and when I have a chance, I can jump back in and watch the undercard.
When Highspots released a new Davey Richards shoot and I wanted to check out what the TNA star had to say, I was able to do so, or $1 no less, as opposed to paying $20 plus shipping to wait for a DVD. That level of immediacy and low pricing is a phenomenal match.
I'll be the first to tell you that DIY isn't the slicking looking site, but I think that helps bring it a cute little charm. The key here isn't fancy presentation but a very bare-bones, "This is what we have to offer you" presentation. That said, while the website is obviously still very young, the streams I've watched have been pretty much perfect - and that, to me, is what I really care about when watching a show. A clear stream that doesn't aggravate me while I am trying to get lost in the emotional journey of some good shoot interview storytelling or a great wrestling bout.
The site, which has opened itself up as something of a facilitator, allowing promotions to upload and price their own material (DIY hosts it, but the material is owned by the company itself), providing a new potential revenue stream to the companies that can regularly provide good, fun content and that are willing to work to promote it hard to their fan base. So, it’s the best of both worlds for both fans and the promotion.
There’s a reason I called it my new favorite website and that’s because, for someone like me, that consumes a ton of wrestling, I am at the point where, honestly, I don’t want boxes upon boxes of DVDs cluttering my office anymore. I was sort of against digital media as it first began encroaching on my books and DVDs, but as time has gone on, I see a real advantage to having all my books on a Kindle and all my wrestling streaming. It just makes life beyond easier – and so does DIYWrestling.com.
The site is easy to navigate, as you can scroll through those offering their wares at the bottom of the site and then look through their offerings – or you can just search what personality you are looking for to bring up a cross-section of content.
So, if you are one of those disenfranchised fans who write me complaining about Raw and TNA and wishing you had something else you can enjoy, my advice to you is to go DIY and discover something you want to watch. With DIY, all of these promotions can be your new home group – and instead of bemoaning the fact that you miss pro wrestling, you might discover something you love instead. Sure, it will be rough around the edges, but hey, when it’s DIY, it’s not always perfect, but it’s made with passion and work ethic.
Sort of like the best wrestling matches.
Check out DIYWrestling.com.
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