Truth B Told 12.4.08: Bailing Out Brawl Street

Posted by Bayani Domingo on 12.04.2008

This just in: We are in a recession. This just JUST in: So is the wrestling industry. So why isn’t their a stimulus plan for wrestling…outside of the one the Bella twins make in my pants.

So I know we are now officially in the grips of a recession. The economy is horrible, stocks are down, people are losing their houses and jobs. But luckily the government is stepping in to help the people that really need it…the multi-billion dollar corporations that helped screw us over in the first place. No, it's not the regular working stiff like you or I that need help in this time of economic crisis, it's the automobile industry that does. It looks like maybe this "de-regulations" and "free market system" didn't exactly bring us to this promised "land of milk and honey" after all. Or if it did, then maybe we're all just lactose intolerant and diabetic. The point is that everyone is suffering due to the economy, just some of us don't know it yet.

I'll be honest, if it wasn't in the news every single minute of every single day I wouldn't have even realized their was an economic crisis. Seriously, I'm in that minority that just hasn't felt the brunt of the recession hammer yet and for me things have been all that different. I don't own a house, I'm not buying a car, I'm gainfully employed in an industry that is seeing an actual boom right now, I have job security, I don't own any stocks outside of my 401K that I'm not worried about until 30 years from now, and I'm not planning to borrow any money for anything any time soon. So for me the economic downturn has really only resulted in cheaper gas, more shares of my company's stock since it's cheaper now to buy than it was 6 months ago, and a hell of a lot of deals at Christmas time. Actually it wasn't until just a few days ago that I was finally hit by the effects of the turbulent economy; Pro Wrestling Guerrilla finally announced on their message board that they weren't running another show this year. Sadness.

I probably should have been fully prepared for PWG to announce that they weren't running anymore shows for the year but I was holding out hope. The Battle of Los Angeles was a good way to end the year, although the problem is that it usually runs in the later summer months and not during the winter. In fact this year PWG ran only 11 shows, 4 of those being "Super Shows" (2 nights) like the DDT4 tag tournament, BoLA and then two All-Star Weekends. This was one of the lowest outputs in recent history for PWG and over the past few years and in fact they only ran 4 shows in the 2nd half of 2008. While that might not be horrible by some Indy standards, it is for the supposed #2 Indy company in the country right now. While one could argue that a mix of difficulty in booking talent and issues with booking venues might have led to the problems PWG has had in putting on enough shows this year it's clear that the cost of doing business across the board has hit hard for just about everyone.

The WWE recently has announced they will soon be doing dual tapings for Smackdown. The idea is to save money by only producing one step of tapings instead of two, reportedly to the tune of $696,000 twice a month or $16,704,000 annually. This is on the way towards the "e" trying to cut an estimated $20 million in expenses in the next year, which is what Linda McMahon said they were going to cut on the last conference call. This of course is due to business being down this year across the board; house show attendance, WWE stock (which is at an all-time low), PPV buys, and I assume even merchandise, which is why DX is constantly shilling us on everything from action figures, to t-shirts, to MVP style unitards for men. Then again, maybe it IS the Jeff Hardy rainbow day glow colored sleeves that are keeping the "e" afloat right now. Not only are they cutting production costs but they are cutting talent as well. Now while that is usually a yearly occurrence anyways, this year it seems like there isn't merely a one-time deal but for the next month or two we may see an occasional "best wishes" to the random lower and mid-carder on the roster.

Seems like a precarious time for the "e" to be trying to sign Christian, Dos Caras Jr, and perhaps some other TNA talent whose contracts may soon be expiring, but you know the "e" is always looking for ways to re-invest. Cut a tag team, a diva, and a cruiserweight or two and re-sign a future upper mid-carder and luchador. It's like the "e" is at the trade deadline and it's not even playoff time yet. Speaking of TNA talent you have to wonder just how many guys are really "testing the waters" and how many are bluffing. Would the "e" really be willing to sign TNA mid-card talent with their recent roster purging still in progress? Maybe TNA finally has the upper hand in contract negotiating this time around. Then again TNA has rumors also circulating that some talent will be released or not re-signed in the coming months. While we can always hope that Cute Kip and Stone Cold Sharky are on that list, you really won't know how things shake out until we see the first news bite. While the WWE is losing money due to the stock market crashing around their feet, TNA isn't a publicly owned company, although Panda Energy is. Also it seems like their buy rates, ratings, and attendance numbers are still static across the board so while the overall economic situation may not be hitting them as hard as the "e" considering they have a much lower "baseline" in terms of measuring success, they may be readying themselves for the results of a much steeper decline.

TNA has managed to move already to a multi-taping session schedule so their production costs are fairly low and the talent, even the top talent, doesn't make nearly what the wrestlers in the "e" make, so one would reason that they aren't getting hit as hard from the recent economic down turn. Yet once again they do not have nearly the financial backing or diverse revenue stream that the "e" does. The TNA game pretty much bombed and they aren't exactly raking in the bucks in merchandising and DVD sales are they? The "e" is in the best financial situation to weather this storm, but even they are showing signs of cracking, hell, when is the last time you saw HHH and HBK rock the "fake n' bake" tans? They might be cut down to only once a month now. Or maybe they just lost a bet to Dolph Zeigler who is now bogarting all the spray tan funds. Really it seems like RoH is the only fed you don't hear much about in terms of being in a financial pinch. Then again they travel mostly by car/van and with fuel prices falling they might just be doing okay for themselves. They also have a fairly loyal (re: zombie like) following that will pretty much keep them in business for as long as they want to be. But you know the rumors of them aggressively seeking a television deal might either be an indication of them wanting to "evolve" as a company because they are outgrowing their current situation, OR they need a little extra backing to help keep the company afloat.

If you are a wrestler now you have to be a bit worried about your job, both Indy and "pro". If you're a main event guy you probably aren't breaking a sweat, but the mid-carder and newbie has to be at least a little worried about either getting released or just not being booked. If Indy promoters can't afford to put on shows because not enough fans can afford to turnout for them, then you end up with a lot of workers and very few guaranteed spots. This is really working in RoH's favor at the moment as they are really one of the few Indy companies that is able to maintain a fairly regular booking schedule. It seems like the flipside of the coin is for TNA and the WWE to step up the house show schedule in order to try and pull in extra revenue, however we have seen both companies recently cancel both overseas shows as well as a few domestic ones due to low projected attendance. So what does this mean for us fans?

When you think about the typical wrestling fan, they fall within the realm of "affected by the economic crisis". A good number of fans probably aren't heading out to Indy shows because of money issues, a good number of fans probably aren't shelling out for video games, DVDs, tickets to see RAW and Smackdown. Then again it seems like according to the crowds on TV that there are still a larger number that are just making due with what they have and finding other ways to cut corners to afford nose bleed tickets to a WWE event. Some fans are affected, some aren't. Some fans will just have to subsist on free television, while others will finds the means to feed their wrestling habit. But in terms of the quality of the product we consume, I don't think we'll see much of a change at all. Sure we'll see a few less lower card guys, but do you really think that the matches will be any different? The angles, the storylines, the in-ring action? Naw, what we'll see is the same thing we've been seeing, the only difference is that a few more DVD's might be left on the shelf and websites like 411 might get a few more hits on their PPV recaps. Things aren't going to be as glum as we think they are. Some things in life seem almost "bulletproof", wrestling just might be one of those things.

But you know, this is all theory. Like I said before I'm not really too affected by this economic downturn. I don't buy PPV's, I don't attend live shows, I don't buy DVDs. What I do is watch Indy wrestling and free TV, and with the exception of missing out on a few more Indy shows that didn't happen this year, I'm no worse off then I was before the "bubble burst". But what about you? Has your fandom changed in these times of hardship for most, but not all? Do you imagine you'll see a few less Cryme Tyme action figures under your Christmas tree this year? Are you going to skip out on a PPV and pirate it later? Will you just have to wait for the next time that RoH hits town to go? Maybe this is the first time I'll be happy that we have that little "comments" section down at the bottom of the page.

The Truth

I don't know whether our "wrestling geekness" will require it's own "Bailout plan" or whether status quo will rule. My guess is that the wrestling world will adapt with a few less bells and whistles and it'll be up to the fans to decide where their dollar is best spent. My feeling is that revenue will be down for all wrestling companies, but I can't imagine there will be too many drastic changes. I don't imagine the bigger Indy feds to fold or the televised ones to panic. It's all a part of the cycle of the business. The question is…when will my NEXT stimulus check come around? I could certainly use a new DJ Gabriel Dance Dance Revolution pad.

Coming Up Short

I'm really confused with the whole TNA tag team situation now. Not to complain because I'm really digging the division now and it looks pretty stacked: Morgan/Abyss, LAX, MCMG, 3D, Super Heroes, Rock n' Rave, and of course Beer Money. But what I don't get is who the hell are the "heels" and who are the "faces" because it seems like everyone is getting cheered. Except Rock n' Rave that is. Cuz' who the hell cheers for those guys? I'm a little worried with how this is going because there are just so many storylines going on that are being dominated by the big "Frontline vs MEM" angle and right now the Tag Team division is all tied up in things. I would hate to see a division with so much potential come up short because they got sucked into the vortex that is the "New Blood vs Millionaire Club II". At some point you have to pick a horse and ride it, so far it looks like with Beer Money, 3D, and MCMG there are too many horses in the race.

6 Degrees of…



In celebration of last nights riveting Victoria's Secret "fashion show", I'm going to link up my favorite Aussie Angel Miranda Kerr to another woman who has recently taken the WWE by storm…or rather she and her sister.



The Bella twins

The greatest handicap match you could ever hope to be booked in.

Whatchu talkin' bout readers?

Har har fucking har. Thanks for the meaningless drizzle, now my microwave meal is done.

When you respond to this, I shalt explode in a cloud of 78 duck feathers.

Thank YOU good sir.

Posted By: me

So I take it someone basted their Thanksgiving Turkey with Cannibutter.

6 Degrees Results

I think I'll keep doing this just to post extra pictures of half naked women from time to time. Yeah…it passes the day don't it?

Left Overs…

Does anyone else think that JBL's offer to HBK has something to do with…THIS. It's either that or the latest spinoff drink, Shawnajuana. Now with 50% more "Jesus Juice".

Someone needs to come up with a better nickname for that perspective team of JBL and Michaels than JBK. I'm thinking… "Rich in Spirit".

I missed out on "National Ice Cream Day" because I was on a business trip, they were giving out free ice cream cones during certain hours. I also missed "National Donut Day" in June and I heard Krispy Kreme and other places were giving out free donuts during certain hours too. Monday was "National AIDS Day"…I didn't leave the fuckin' house all day, just in case.

TNA will now be selling TNA World Heavyweight Championship replica belts on their website. The cost to obtain the TNA Title belt is believed to be either between $150 to $200 or the inability to spike their ratings past a 1.1.

William Regal is still sick and there is no telling what malady or illness he might have caught in Europe. Sources say he may have just caught some filthy disease in the "back alleys" of London.

Smackdown is getting ready to tape two shows a week. however in the interest of cost cutting they will not pay wrestlers for each taping, but rather hire more people that either are twins (Bella's) or people "creative" thinks kinda look like they could be the same person (Ryder & Hawkins). In this vein they will be firing Mark Henry, MVP, Boogeyman, and Cryme Tyme and now Shelton Benjamin will have to play every single Black wrestler on the roster. Hey, works for SNL right?

You ever get a song stuck in your head, not even realizing that you had even heard it before in your life? Yesterday morning I was on the elliptical machine at my gym and all of a sudden a chorus popped in my head that went, "Whiskey for my men, beer for my horses". What the FUCK was that about? Seriously, is that even a song? What the hell.

Gail Kim appears headed for Smackdown…as the redneck girlfriend of Jimmy Wang Yang. Her new name will be Crystal Gail Kim.

The Great Booty Debate 2008

Vanessa Ng and Korrina Rico step into the GBD battle dome to face off in a battle of clearly "candid" photos. Seriously…they weren't staged whatsoever.

Random Asian Bitch Lookin' Good Pic of the Week



Vanessa Ng: Her pose has more angles than an episode of Impact!

Random Latina Bitch Lookin' Good Pic of the Week



Korrina Rico: Mmm…Suave.

George Bush recently sent the WWE a tape thanking them for doing the "Tribute to the Troops" show in Iraq. This comes after TNA has been trying to get linked with Sarah Palin and teasing her appearance at an Impact taping. Seriously though? Is the wrestling industry trying to sink themselves now by trying to link themselves with some of the biggest political suicide bombers of the past century? What next, is RoH going to announce Walter Mondale as their new Commissioner?

The Insane Clown Posse is still talking about invading the Royal Rumble with Scott Hall. If you've seen Scott Hall lately then you might have thought that the only way he will make it to the Rumble is if the ICP are secretly Andrew McCarthy and Jonathon Silverman in disguise.

Pimpin' In High Places

Looks like 411 is one of the few places that doesn't take a holiday:

Ask 411

FoF

Csonka's R's

Mattis

HH

CoH

Eubanks

D-Dubya

Anyone know when the McRib is back at McDonald's? I had a whole conversation with friends in Vegas about the McRib and there needing to be some kind of website called, www.mcribisback.com where they do nothing but count down the days until the McRib returns along with various locations and days it's returning. Oh sure you could have some McRib related articles, perhaps a McMessage board, or a McMatch type dating service for the lonely, single McRib lovers out there looking for a different kind of love that also involves porking something. "Adam gave his rib for love, but would you give up your McRib?" Funny, cuz' I've never even had a McRib in my life, but the prospect of it has suddenly become intriguing, not appealing, but maybe it's just curiosity that finally got to me because I understand how McDonalds could get their McNuggets, I mean they have chicken on their menu so chances are they get it from the same place that gives them the breasts for their sandwiches and salads. But, what other pork products do they have on the menu? Where the hell are they just getting pork scraps from that are shaped to look like another full piece of pork and WHY in God's name would they form a shape that looked like a bone made of meat? Boggles the mind. Perhaps soon though, it shall boggle my tummy. So McRib watchers out there, can you help a brutha out?

Till then, the Truth will set you free.

-B