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Not Your Usual Wrestling Smackdown

Not Your Usual Wrestling Smackdown

Posted: Apr 6th 2010 By: CMBurnham

When Total Nonstop Action Wrestling begins its three-city tour through Kentucky and West Virginia on Thursday, fans will find something a bit different than what they see weekly on Spike TV.

Because of the growing wrestling company's business model, not all of its highest-profile stars attend the non-televised live events, commonly called "house shows." But those who do put on "the most fan-friendly, interactive live event that I've ever been affiliated with," said Jeff Jarrett, who founded the company with his father, Jerry.

Jarrett is among the stars, including TNA World Heavyweight Champion "The Phenomenal" A. J. Styles and Kurt Angle, who are slated to appear at the shows this weekend in Corbin, Pikeville and Huntington, W.Va.

But absent will be stars like Sting, Hulk Hogan, "Nature Boy" Ric Flair, and Kevin Nash, who have increasingly become centerpieces of the company's weekly television show, which has moved to Monday nights to face off against the flagship Monday Night Raw telecast of wrestling megapower World Wrestling Entertainment.

It's a move that has its roots in TNA's business model. When Jarrett and his father founded the company in 2002, a year after WWE bought its rival World Championship Wrestling, TNA made money by selling weekly pay-per-views. As the company evolved and became a more familiar name, it ditched the weekly pay-per-view model in favor of weekly cable television shows building to heavily promoted monthly pay-per-views that are more expensive. And it added house shows.

Jarrett, whose family promoted events in Rupp Arena in the 1970s and '80s, said that in TNA's first five years, it put on probably 15 non-televised live events. In 2008, it ran about 20 and then increased that to 80 or so last year. This year, they're looking to do as many as 90.

House shows can be a major revenue stream ? 22.9 percent of WWE's 2009 revenue came from live events, that rises to 27.1 percent when you add in merchandise sold at the shows ? but they also have high costs. Wrestlers are brought in for the shows, and production teams bring the ring and set-up.

"Going to a building the size of Rupp Arena doesn't make financial sense for us at this point," Jarrett said.

And with TNA still growing and maturing as a touring company, "You can't load up a card with up to 20 superstars," Jarrett said.

"You've got to be smart and strategic about it and build your base and make sure the shows aren't money-losers," he said. "All of our shows are financial winners."

He declined to give the percentage of the company's revenue that comes from house shows but said merchandise sales at recent live events is up more than 130 percent year-over-year and attendance is up 27 percent.

James Caldwell, assistant editor of wrestling industry publication Pro Wrestling Torch and PWTorch.com, said TNA is smart in how it chooses locations.

"It's been successful because they've been able to reach fans that WWE doesn't go to," he said. "WWE typically goes to the larger cities and larger venues. TNA kind of fills in the smaller towns."

TNA, he said, might choose a 600-person arena and pack it by bringing in just a couple of major stars, he said. That way, the costs stay low, "but they can make up for it with the interaction."

Jarrett said TNA shows are famous for crowd interaction and autograph sessions with the wrestlers for some fans afterward, as well as customized merchandise unique to the show.

The relaxed schedule is also an attraction for many wrestlers who shun the hundreds of dates a year required by WWE.

"Even if a wrestler did a full-time TNA schedule with all the pay-per-views, TV shows and live events, it still wouldn't come close to WWE's schedule," Caldwell said.

But some of that might be changing soon.

Jarrett said TNA is considering whether to bring more top stars along to house shows.

"The issue you're talking about of the (Kevin) Nashes of the world not making it, we are graduating or progressing so that won't be the case by the end of the year," Jarrett said. "What you see on TV will match the live events."

Caldwell said that could be realistic "if the cost-benefit is in TNA's favor."

"If they're going to step up and start doing 3,000-seat arenas, they're going to have to bring the top stars or they won't draw," he said.

 

Tags: TNA, Jeff Jarrett, A. J. Styles, Sting, Ric Flair, WWE

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Spotlight in History

  • 2006 AWOL def. Michael York for the TPW Heavyweight Champion
  • 2006 Natural Born Sinners (Appolyon & El Lotus) def. Pretty Young Things (Cade Sydal & Mitch Carter) for the ACW Tag Team Champions
  • 2006 Rexx Reed def. Carnage for the ACW Hardcore Champion
  • 2006 Carnage def. Rexx Reed for the ACW Hardcore Champion
  • 2007 Aaron Neil def. Tyler Bateman for the MSWA Oklahoma Champion
  • 2007 Brad Michaels def. Ryan Davidson for the MSWA Mid-South Heavyweight Champion
  • 2007 Bad Boy & Outlaw became the MSWA Mid-South Tag Team Champion
  • 2011 The Unknown & Johnny USA def. Michael H & Mr. Big for the NCW Tag Team Champions
  • 2011 Mr. Big became the NCW Heavyweight Champion
  • 2012 Sam Stackhouse def. Prophet for the BYEW Heavyweight Champion
  • 2012 Rage Logan became the MSWA Mid-South Heavyweight Champion
  • 2012 Nemesis (Damien Morte & Damon Windsor) became the MSWA Mid-South Tag Team Champion
  • 2017 Aaron Anders became the ComPro Oklahoma X Division Champion

Week of Sun 04-28 to Sat: 05-04

  • 04-28 1954 Red Berry def. Whitey Whittler for the TSW Tri-State Champion
  • 04-28 1976 Ted DiBiase & Dick Murdoch def. Buck Robley & Bob Slaughter for the TSW United States Tag Team Champion
  • 04-28 1980 Kevin Von Erich def. Toru Tanaka for the WCCW American Heavyweight Champion
  • 04-28 1989 The Simpson Brothers (Steve Simpson & Shaun Simpson) def. Beauty & The Beast (Terrance M. Garvin & The Beast [2nd]) for the WCCW Texas Tag Team Champion
  • 04-28 2000 Heather Savage def. Jenna Love for the OPW Oklahoma Womens Champion
  • 04-28 2002 Summer Rain became the OCW Oklahoma Womens Champion
  • 04-28 2007 Eric Rose def. Jersey Devil for the UWF06 Light Heavyweight Champion
  • 04-28 2007 Joe Herell became the UWF06 Violent Division Champion
  • 04-28 2017 Brandon Groom def. Sam Stackhouse for the BPPW Oklahoma Champion
  • 04-28 2018 Dusty Gold def. Wesley Crane for the UWE United States Champion
  • 04-29 2006 AWOL def. Michael York for the TPW Heavyweight Champion
  • 04-29 2006 Natural Born Sinners (Appolyon & El Lotus) def. Pretty Young Things (Cade Sydal & Mitch Carter) for the ACW Tag Team Champions
  • 04-29 2006 Rexx Reed def. Carnage for the ACW Hardcore Champion
  • 04-29 2006 Carnage def. Rexx Reed for the ACW Hardcore Champion
  • 04-29 2007 Aaron Neil def. Tyler Bateman for the MSWA Oklahoma Champion
  • 04-29 2007 Brad Michaels def. Ryan Davidson for the MSWA Mid-South Heavyweight Champion
  • 04-29 2007 Bad Boy & Outlaw became the MSWA Mid-South Tag Team Champion
  • 04-29 2011 The Unknown & Johnny USA def. Michael H & Mr. Big for the NCW Tag Team Champions
  • 04-29 2011 Mr. Big became the NCW Heavyweight Champion
  • 04-29 2012 Sam Stackhouse def. Prophet for the BYEW Heavyweight Champion
  • 04-29 2012 Rage Logan became the MSWA Mid-South Heavyweight Champion
  • 04-29 2012 Nemesis (Damien Morte & Damon Windsor) became the MSWA Mid-South Tag Team Champion
  • 04-29 2017 Aaron Anders became the ComPro Oklahoma X Division Champion
  • 04-30 1954 Frenchy Roy became the TSW Oklahoma Junior Heavyweight Champion
  • 04-30 1955 Ricki Starr became the TSW Oklahoma Champion
  • 04-30 2004 Shadow of Death def. Terry Montana for the TPW Hardcore Champion
  • 04-30 2011 Ryan Reed def. Rolling Thunder for the UWE United States Champion
  • 04-30 2011 Ray Martinez def. Ryan Reed for the UWE United States Champion
  • 04-30 2016 Ray Martinez became the SRPW Heavyweight Champion
  • 04-30 2022 Clayton Bloodstone def. Ky-Ote for the NCWO Choctaw Nation Champion
  • 04-30 2023 El Gallardo/El Vaquero def. Cappuccino Jones for the BPW Lion Heart Champion
  • 04-30 2023 Heavyweight Grappling (Dan Webber & Morrison) def. Subject To Death (Cade Fite & Leo Fox) for the BPW Oklahoma Tag Team Champion
  • 05-01 1981 Super Destroyer def. Jim Garvin for the MSW Louisiana Champion
  • 05-01 2016 Skylar Slice def. Nikki Knight for the MSWA Ladies Champion
  • 05-01 2021 Fuel def. Derek James for the UWE Heavyweight Champion
  • 05-02 1964 Mike Clancy & Al Lovelock def. Karol Krauser & Stan Pulaski for the TSW United States Tag Team Champion
  • 05-02 1969 Johnny Valentine def. Fritz Von Erich for the WCCW American Heavyweight Champion
  • 05-02 1977 Stan Hansen def. Dick Murdoch for the TSW North American Champion
  • 05-02 1984 Krusher Khrushchev became the MSW Television Champion
  • 05-02 1984 The Rock-N-Roll Express (Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson) def. The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton & Dennis Condrey) for the MSW Mid-South Tag Team Champion
  • 05-02 2009 Ozzy Hendrix def. Shank for the SWCW Luchadore Champion
  • 05-02 2015 Gail Kim became the IWR Diamonds Champion
  • 05-02 2015 Kareem Sadat became the BCW Independent Hardcore Champion
  • 05-02 2021 Drake Gallows def. Blade [2nd] for the AIWF National Champion
  • 05-03 1973 Rip Tyler & Eddie Sullivan def. The Hollywood Blondes (Jerry Brown & Dale Valentine) for the TSW United States Tag Team Champion
  • 05-03 1985 Ted DiBiase & Steve Williams def. The Rock-N-Roll Express (Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson) for the MSW Mid-South Tag Team Champion
  • 05-03 2003 El Sufamilico def. Ichiban [1st] for the TPW Heavyweight Champion
  • 05-03 2008 Damon Windsor def. Havoc for the SWCW Heavyweight Champion
  • 05-03 2008 Miss Sheila def. Kareem Sadat for the SWCW Hardcore Champion
  • 05-03 2014 Sam Stackhouse def. Steven Sterling for the ComPro Showtime Champion
  • 05-04 1953 Mike Clancy def. Karl Von Poppenheim for the TSW Oklahoma Junior Heavyweight Champion
  • 05-04 1968 Danny Hodge & Skandar Akbar became the TSW United States Tag Team Champion
  • 05-04 1969 Jerry Miller & Jim Osborne def. Danny Little Bear & Frank Dalton for the TSW Louisiana Tag Team Champion
  • 05-04 1973 Blackjack Mulligan def. Jose Lothario for the WCCW Texas Heavyweight Champion
  • 05-04 1986 Kerry Von Erich & Lance Von Erich & Steve Simpson def. The Fabulous Freebirds (Terry Gordy, Michael Hayes, & Buddy Roberts) for the WCCW World 6-Man Tag Team Champion
  • 05-04 1986 The Von Erichs (Kerry Von Erich & Kevin Von Erich & Lance Von Erich) became the WCCW World 6-Man Tag Team Champion
  • 05-04 1987 The Fantastics (Tommy Rogers & Bobby Fulton) became the WCCW World Tag Team Champion
  • 05-04 2003 Ichiban [1st]/Rocco Valentino def. El Sufamilico for the TPW Heavyweight Champion
  • 05-04 2013 Tim Rockwell def. Daemon Storm for the UWE United States Champion
04-29
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