Column - Mr. Kennedy and WWE’s House Shows
Posted by Roxxi Laveaux Fanboy on Aug 11, 2008
As I’m sure most of you are aware, Mr. Kennedy has been injured and will be out of action for an undetermined period of time. For those of you who don’t know what happened, the short version is Kennedy was at a house show and landed on his stomach with his arm stretched across his chest. His opponent landed on top of him, and all this dislocated his arm. Once Kennedy was taken to the back, the doctors popped his arm back in. It’s unknown if he’ll need surgery or not – they’re running tests and assessing his rehab over the next couple days. If no surgery is required, he’ll be our for 2-4 more weeks. If surgery is required, six months.
Thanks a lot, WWE.
Mr. Kennedy is just one of hundreds of other superstars that have been put out of action during house shows in front of a couple thousand locals. Personally, I see no point of these house shows – at least, not having so many of them that superstars are on the road over 300 days a year. House shows are meant to get the company name out there, gain some new viewers and whatnot.
Why would a person who doesn’t watch wrestling pay $50 for a ticket to watch it live? What sense does that make? If he won’t watch it for free on TV why would he pay for it?
Now, if TNA runs house shows, THEN it makes sense. There are millions of wrestling fans who don’t know about TNA, so if TNA rolls into their city, that’s advertising. But if you can find me a wrestling fan who doesn’t know about WWE, I will pay you. Honest to god, $10 over Paypal if you can find me an American citizen who watches professional wrestling and yet doesn’t know that WWE exists. I say American because ok, perhaps there are some people in the UK or Japan who don’t know of WWE, so if they go international for house shows, that could get some new viewers. But Kennedy wasn’t injured in Japan; he was in the good ol’ US of A.
Plus, I can honestly say that, despite being a wrestling fan, if a house show rolled around here I wouldn’t go. Most wrestling fans have never been to a house show and probably wouldn’t go even if one rolled around. I’d go to an actual show taping, or a PPV, but a house show is not worth the time or money.
So what’s the point of constantly having these house shows? Why drag the superstars across the country for over 300 shows a day, potentially seriously injuring them thereby harming the actual show? People who know about WWE and watch WWE are going to continue to watch even if there were no house shows, and if you can find me an American wrestling fan who doesn’t know that WWE exists I will pay you. Plus, the profit is negligible when you look at what’s made in actual shows and what’s lost when a superstar is taken out for half a year in front of a couple thousand locals. Mr. Kennedy was insanely over, and now he’s potentially out for six months and will be out for at least one month regardless. Say goodbye to the ratings and the merchandise sales that have been lost as a result. But hey, at least we have Great Khali in the main event, right? That’s just as good; people love him just as much as Kennedy or more.
That’s my view from the Great White North. I’m Roxxi Laveaux Fanboy, may the voodoo be with you.
And remember, this will probably be my last column until after September 5th.
August 11th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
Great column. Totally agree with you. I go to Baylor University and WWE has rolled into Waco a few times during my time as a student. I have never gone. I would rather drive to Dallas or back home to Houston to see a televised event.
I feel bad for Kennedy. His push keeps getting put on the back burner and his numerous injuries are not helping. Will this guy ever get his big break? (No pun intended.)
August 11th, 2008 at 4:15 pm
Good column but i tend to disagree on the house shows. Its a great way to have wrestling event that wont be ridiculously packed and have cameras buzzing around everywhere. Also its all business. Why have an employee work 1-2 times a week? If they’re working for you, work em. Get your money’s worth. They are supposed to be professionals. Its not WWE’s fault everyone’s injuring themselves. Its the superstars careless mistakes. But everyone is human. Everyone makes mistakes. Right?
August 11th, 2008 at 4:32 pm
yeah everyone has flaws you know, but yeah I disagree too, some people aren’t able to attend an televised show but would love to see an house show live. basically they use them to tryout new matchups to be put in place for televised shows. plus the majority of the house shows money go directly to the wrestlers and show the appreciation of how much they care about the fans because without them there would be no WWE.
August 11th, 2008 at 4:40 pm
House shows are very important to the business. It gets them out to the public in smaller venues at a cheaper price more people can afford. Not every fan cann afford to travel to a bigger city and pay the admission to a PPV or taping show.
It gives the midcarders a cheance to be top carders and gives the low carders newcomers a chance to practice in front of a acrowd and show what they can do.
The big difference today is the company is being more forward on who is hurt and why they are not showing up other places.
August 11th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
It has to do with live gate and merch. sales, lol. You’re way off on your house show thoughts. House Shows are the MAIN SOURCE of revenue for WWE.
August 11th, 2008 at 5:39 pm
If what you’re saying is true, Ryan, then it goes back to one of my previous articles saying that WWE cares more about making money than it does about giving us something worth watching, on the basis that there isn’t any real competition. TNA, however, doesn’t work that way. Dixie Carter will never be a billionaire and she doesn’t want to be - she wants to put on a quality wrestling show, and that means keeping the talent well rested and NOT on the road over 300 days a year.
August 11th, 2008 at 6:15 pm
All this as TNA increases their live events and road shedule. Don’t think for one second that once TNA gets bigger that they wouldn’t do 300 shows a year as well. If you think otherwise, you’re sadly mistaken bud.
Lets also look back at the Wednesday night PPVs….. that was a QUALITY WRESTLING SHOW. Then came the TV deal and the storylines, w/ more focus on storylines and LESS wrestling.
August 11th, 2008 at 6:31 pm
TNA pushes back tapings after PPVs to give the stars time to rest. Yes, things will pick up once TNA gets bigger, but i’m confident that TNA’s attitude towards their talent will remain closer to what it is now than to WWE’s style. They’ve got enough former-WWE guys regaling them with horror stories to ensure that. Wrestlers have families, and they should be able to see them more than a day a week on a good week. That’s TNA’s attitude now, and though things will get more intense soon, that basic attitude will remain.
August 11th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
Ryan, totally agree about TNA. The Wednesday night PPV’s was quality wrestling, since the horrible storylines and angles came into play, it is garbage IMO.
August 11th, 2008 at 7:40 pm
They give talent time off the day after a PPV because they have 1500 miles of travel ahead of them, not 100 or 200 miles that are driveable, like WWE. It’s a travel day. WWE runs cities near each other. Sorry, lol. House shows are a MAJOR MAJOR MAJOR part of any wrestling company. TNA will slowly increase the number of shows they run.
August 11th, 2008 at 7:59 pm
Although you DO make some valid points roxxi.