WWE's Game of Global Domination: How Expansion is Bad for Pro Wrestling
How WWE is doing to the world what they did in the US 20 years ago.
As a fan of Professional Wrestling for nearly 20 years, I have been able to enjoy a lot of exciting moments in time. From Shane McMahon jumping over 5 stories off the Titantron, to the 6 sides of steel in TNA. The Greatness that I enjoyed watching. But pro wrestling has been going down in the years since the major wars of WCW, ECW, and the WWE.
Fans feel the lack of major competition in the United States has caused to pro wrestling. Not just with the lack of major federations to choose from, as TNA Wrestling wasn’t a major competitor. But also in terms of the notice that WWE did its best when they had to literally fight for the top spot. The Monday Night Wars did great for us fans. We had 2 giant feds and a smaller but exciting federations filling the gaps from behind (ECW). But for almost 16 years now, WWE has been uncontested for the top spot and has gotten lazy.
WWE does not try anymore to appease to fans the right way, and the constant draining of viewer numbers shows. Gerwick.net, one of the best at covering the television ratings for wrestling, shows that said losses. WWE’s flagship show “Raw” went from a 2.49 rating on its first show of 2016, to 2.02 and 1.94 on its last 2 shows of the year respectively. This is a company that in 2001 when they bought their competition WCW, was doing 4.0 and 5.0 ratings. Without competition, the leaders promote and push not what the fans would like, but only what they would like. Fans feel Wrestling is tainted in the US, a word that WWE doesn’t acknowledge. Now, like a cancer, it is spreading outside the United States.
WWE just had their tournament to crown the first ever United Kingdom Champion, crowning Tyler Bate in Blackpool, England. When announcing the tournament originally, WWE Executive Vice President Paul Levesque, better known in wrestling as Triple H, stated that the company is hoping to start a separate brand in the UK. This would be the first physical expansion of WWE into another country. Not talking about normal tours or tv deals in the UK, but a physical Federation in the United Kingdom. WWE will now be placing a branch with wrestlers, championships, and possibly a separate TV deal in the United Kingdom. And this is not good for anyone at all
As when McDonalds placed their first restaurant in another country and globalized, WWE is now doing themselves. And the United Kingdom is just the start. Reports are that the company is planning 2 more tournaments for regional championships that’ll most likely precede a branch as well (h/t Wrestling Inc). The rumored championships, the WWE Latin American and Asian Championships, would most likely focus in Mexico, and Japan and China. Last year, the company hired a number of Chinese wrestlers and this tournament is where to maximize them. If true, this will continue the trend that WWE is doing with expanding and taking over Professional Wrestling across the World. The problem that many do not see, is the damage that this will do for professional wrestling, severe damage.
While fans in the United States see the UK expansion as a positive, they need to answer 1 question. If WWE has been bad for wrestling here in the US, how will it do better in other countries?
WWE became the best in the United States by defeating all competition in the US: WCW, ECW, NWA, AWA, and more. They became the hottest item in the country during the Monday Night Wars, and is repeating themselves. But now the company is taking their war Global and is going to face off against other federations and push them into a corner to either shut down, or become part of their Umbrella.
Currently in the UK, there are 3 major Federations to follow. What Culture Pro Wrestling (WCPW) & Progress Wrestling, both of England, and Scotland’s Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW). However, none of these companies, even if combined, have the money and pull of WWE to compete with them.
Recently, the famous World of Sport, the mainstay of all sports in England in the 60s thru the 80s, made a big return. They revived, strictly as a wrestling federation, the biggest show during their last airing and aired this New Year’s Eve. World of Sport belongs to ITV, which is the biggest television network in the United Kingdom, and therefore has money and pull. However, it just restarted after 30 years and doesn’t have a foundation just yet to build and compete against the Conglomerate. Now if WWE UK has a slow start and World of Sport takes off in the year, then there is possibility for competition. However if not, WWE will be able to take control of UK wrestling and all will essentially go thru them.
Many people would say that WWE would not own all the companies and become monopoly. What they need to understand is they don’t have to own and control, they just have to control the field. As long as they control the field, other federations can exist, but they will never get big. WWE controls the glass ceiling and if any fed tries to expand, they will drop the glass on them.
Claims have been made that WWE has done a number of items to prevent other companies from succeeding. From TNA’s cancellation of a planned show in Connecticut due to an anonymous call, to Rey Mysterio’s contract being extended without his consent. There is also the belief of fans the WWE takes stars off television long before their contract is up. Doing so lowers their value and the fans may have forgotten them by the time they leave. Damien Sandow is an example of this claim. Shows what one might do to prevent other companies from succeeding.
With the coming time, we as fans can only look and see what happens as WWE expands into other countries. And with the impending war or surrenders of other federations when they come, we will see where the lines will draw. Realistically, only 2 federations can try to stand up against, AAA in Mexico and New Japan Pro Wrestling. And with all that is happening, even they are realistic in what is coming. In a series of tweets in December, New Japan Owner Takaaki Kidani stated in Japanese, later translated to English, “We are entering a phase where you are either with WWE or against them”, signifying that everyone has to choose to join them or fight them.
As I look at this, I think back to the game “Risk, the Game of World Domination”, great game. Well, now I see the game being played in the world of wrestling. But instead of Kamchatka going after Japan or Eastern United States attacking Central America, it will be WWE attacking Mexico, Japan, and all. And when the dust settles, Global Domination will be achieved, and the word wrestling will cease to exist. Like Q-Tip or Cleanex, the Leader in Sports Entertainment may become the brand word that people will replace the actual word of wrestling. What WWE are you watching? Oh ICW.
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