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Pro Wrestling is Like a Dandelion

By Sheldon Goldberg | January 31, 2006

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By Sheldon Goldberg

Just when you thought you should write off pro wrestling in America as a dying beast, along come signs of growth. Like a dandelion on a field of grass, no matter what WWE does or what the mood of the public is toward the mat game, pro wrestling still manages to sprout up from between the cracks.

This past year it was TNA getting a time slot on Spike TV. Whatever you think of the TNA product, the fact that some kind of wrestling that is not owned by Vince McMahon is on a national network is very good news.

Last week, the news broke that MTV is about to get into wrestling by developing a new show with Big Vision Entertainment, the company that distributed the Forever Hardcore documentary and the Hardcore Homecoming DVD’s, as well as the Pro Wrestling’s Ultimate Insider series.

That MTV would seriously look to launch its own version of pro wrestling ought to make anyone who cares about the business ecstatic. MTV is a barometer and a facilitator of pop culture trends, that they consider wrestling to be a viable business is a major vote of confidence.

Okay, so I’m getting ahead of myself, what if the MTV show is terrible or just doesn’t get picked up. Again, diversity in the marketplace on a national level is a good thing.

I have said in interviews and columns over the years that the worst thing to have happened to wrestling is when Time-Warner pulled the plug on wrestling on TBS and TNT. When the largest media conglomerate in the world at the time says we don’t think wrestling is a good business, the entire industry is affected.

The truth is – and history bears this out – wrestling will always be around on television, because it is cheap original programming. The tough task now is creating a viable national alternative to WWE. While I don’t know their revenue picture, TNA is holding its own for now. Whether an MTV version of pro wrestling can work remains to be seen. Conceptually, a pro wrestling product skewed toward the skateboard set could potentially be successful. And if it is a success, history also shows that interest in wrestling in general will rise because of it.

It is sad that the WWE did not allow the ECW brand to come back as a regular promotion after the One Night Stand PPV. After all, Levi’s does not just make jeans. Nothing would be wrong with WWE having multiple brands of wrestling with distinctive styles. These, in my opinion, would not cause fragmentation of the marketplace, but stimulate general interest.

Whatever happens to TNA and the MTV project, pro wrestling looks like it may be coming back into bloom. Just like that dandelion in spring.

Sheldon Goldberg is the owner of New England Championship Wrestling, which is also launching a new women’s promotion called World Women’s Wrestling on March 5th.

Topics: All Topics, Pro-Wrestling, Sheldon Goldberg, TNA, WWE | 1 Comment » | Permalink | Trackback |

One Response to “Pro Wrestling is Like a Dandelion”

  1. HijoDelOso says:

    The more competition the better. It gives wrestlers an alternative pay source and it gives fans an option to Vince’s bizarre McWrestling world.

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