Just S'pose 3.18.07
Posted by Ron Gamble on 03.18.2007
A first for this column -- audience participation!
If it is at all possible to pimp someone with no thoughts to the free swag I might be offered (I'm not asking…), but I just got the full list of Outlaw Wrestling's Video and DVD Catalog. Holy crap, he's got a bunch. My only complaint? No "Best of S.D. Jones." Work on that, dude.
And yes, I'm serious.
The Penguins are the talk of the NHL. They're in fourth place in the Eastern Conference, they have been the best and hottest team in the league since January 15, they have the best player in the league in Sidney Crosby (and, he's 19!), the thought of Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Jordan Staal on the same line scares goalies, and with the arena deal that was announced on Tuesday, they will finally be upgrading their home arena and staying in the ‘Burgh where they belong.
Don't get me wrong: The Igloo is a nice place to watch hockey, and it's where I saw many matches, including Bruno and Zbyszko in a cage in 1980. But it's the oldest building in the league (opened in 1961, before the Pens were established), and there is no room for expansion at all. While "old" may work at Wrigley Field and Fenway Park, those are baseball parks. Baseball has a timeless feel to it, which is celebrated in "throwback" stadiums like PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Camden Yards in Baltimore, Comiskey Park in Chicago, and Enron/Minute Maid/Halliburton/AOL Time Warner Field in Houston.
But hockey is trying for the "sport of the future" market that soccer has been monopolizing for years. Mellon Arena (or, as I knew it while growing up, "Pittsburgh Civic Arena") is just plain old. With the exception of the opening roof that allowed the Pittsburgh Pisces to enter the arena in a hot air balloon in "The Fish that Saved Pittsburgh," there is nothing exceptional about the building. It's a nice place, but no one is clamoring to place it on some kind of historical building register.
Just as an aside, if you'd like another view on what might happen if WCW came about earlier, go here. If you'd like to add an entry to the site, you have to register. I've had problems with that, however, so good luck.
Y'know, talking about Outlaw Wrestling Videos (I'm not hinting…), I'm inspired. Let's goooooooooo to the reason you're here.
DIGITAL KILLED THE VIDEO STAR
In the reality we know, the first video cassette recorder for home use was invented by Philips and sold in 1970. The VCR allowed people to watch videotapes of movies in their homes instead of going to a theater or waiting for the movie to be broadcast on television, and later models allowed consumers to record programs from their television to watch later. The VHS and Beta formats fought for dominance of the market in the early 1980's, a battle won by VHS. In the late 1990's, the digital video disc player entered the market. This led to the digital video recorder, first marketed by TiVo in the early 2000's. But, Just S'pose digital video recorders forced home video players out of the market in the late 1970's. What might have happened?
If there were no personal video cassette recorders or digital video players, the video market would not exist. Video stores, such as Blockbuster Video, would not exist. With no home video players, there would also be no home video market, and major movie studios would not be able to sell videos of movies.
The same problems would be faced by wrestling companies. Coliseum Video and, later, Turner Home Video would not be around to sell videos of wrestling programs and pay-per-view shows to home consumers.
At the same time, all companies would work to solve the problem. With the expansion of programming and channels cable systems carried in the mid-80's, and the availability of digital video recorders through those cable systems, pay-per-view channels would also come about earlier. For a couple dollars, home viewers could buy the rights to watch any movie in a certain studios' catalog at any time. Other entertainment companies would do the same thing with their programming, including broadcast and cable networks, sports leagues, and wrestling companies.
The WWF Channel, first broadcasting in 1985, not only showed former syndicated television shows, but also allowed viewers to watch nightly cards for a price. All live programming would be subject to blackout rules, like other sporting events, but while a live show would be blacked out, people in those areas would still be able to purchase other programming. AWA Channel, first broadcasting in 1986, and The WCW Network, first broadcasting in 1988 and focusing on the NWA territories controlled by Jim Crockett Promotions, would follow the same guidelines.
Smaller wrestling companies in America, such as other territories in the NWA not controlled by Jim Crockett Promotions, would not be able to afford national cable channels, and many would be forced out of business. World Class tried a channel that would be carried only in Texas and Oklahoma, but found the profit margin too small to continue more than two years. By 1989, the territory system that had worked for almost seventy years would be almost completely eliminated.
With fewer wrestling companies, fewer wrestlers would be able to get the experience and training needed to break into the major companies. In the early 1990's, the quality of matches started to suffer, as better wrestlers got older and younger wrestlers needed more time before they could move up the ladder. To counteract the aging of their stars, WCW and WWF decided to open their own wrestling schools in 1992 and 1993, respectively.
Not only were smaller companies that had been in business for many years being forced to close, but other companies had trouble establishing any kind of momentum. While ECW existed in Philadelphia, the only way many of its would-be fans could stay up with matches and title changes was to watch online. A national pay-per-view channel would require millions of dollars and hundreds of hours of programming, but a web cast could be put together for about $1000. The Internet was more important than ever to small wrestling companies.
It was also important to young wrestlers who were hoping to be "discovered" by the big companies. Wrestlers would host "Best of" videos on their web pages, and then send a link to the site to agents for WWF and WCW, hoping to get an email inviting them to a tryout in Stamford or Atlanta. For most wrestlers, it would not happen, but a few of them were given the chance, and even fewer went from the tryout matches to the training schools.
Finally, since there was no home video market, that really ate into the tape trading market. Mainly, it didn't exist. Fans would get online to talk about shows they had seen on the ppv channels, and some would occasionally get a large group to buy a show at the same time, called a "rush," then have a real-time chat about the event. They would also talk to fans around the world about watching online broadcasts of different indy groups. This was also the only way to watch matches from Japan, Mexico, Germany, etc. Fans without Internet capability were left out of the loop.
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
Am I missing something? Is there one effect you can't believe I didn't mention?
This is your big chance. Click on the link below and tell me that I have no idea what the heck I'm talking about. I'll include the best letters next time, and…
Well, I shouldn't say right now. We'll talk more next time.
