Filling the Void
A void exists. And voids don't last. Either the void will be filled or the void will go away. But voids don't last.
The void is in the wrestling business. The demand of fans and ex-fans for a more intelligent, grounded product has no supply to feed from. WWE can't or won't give up scripted promos and "invisible camera" segments. Lucha Underground is a fine product, but it's more television than wrestling. Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) thrills local fans in Los Angeles, but their goal has never been to go mainstream. Surely there are other contenders, but none that have caught on. And so the void continues.
Voids cannot last because eventually the demand dries up. People move on. Fans become fans of something else. How many have moved on to MMA or fantasy football or something else altogether? But wrestling's void persists. A hardcore fanbase and an intransigent monarch have sustained it.
Nigel McGuinness wants to fill the pro wrestling guide with something altogether different. He is tight with details and short on time, but he is trying.
Nigel's offering would be called "L.A. Fights". It would be non-touring; a TV product like Lucha Underground. It would be character-driven; he likes to compare it to "Breaking Bad". It would be seasonal; Nigel says that six initial episodes would be shot, then more as demand grows.
Nigel has a Kickstarter for "L.A. Fights", but there's not much time left. The L.A. Fights Kickstarter needs almost $300,000 in funding by this weekend or it doesn't happen. (Kickstarter is a funding mechanism that only triggers if the full amount is reached. In other words, Nigel does not get any of the money promised to the L.A. Fights Kickstarter unless the full $370,000 funding goal is reached.) Many Kickstarters see big pushes as the funding deadline nears, and L.A. Fights would need need a major one. Only 21 Kickstarter campaigns in history have ever raised as much money as Nigel is attempting to raise for L.A. Fights.
Who knows if Nigel's idea would even fill the void? What we know is that Nigel says he has six fully written scripts, each of which ready for shooting as a one hour show. We know that the show will have a heavy emphasis on characters and that it will not be just about wrestling. He is wary of divulging too many details because he wants to keep the project viable even if the Kickstarter campaign fails. Based on what he has been willing to say, the show sounds like a pro wrestling version of "The Larry Sanders Show". Larry Sanders was a sitcom based around a fictional TV talk show. Some parts of the show were presented like a traditional late night talk show, but most of the show was shot documentary-style. Larry Sanders focused on the characters, such as the host, producer and sidekick. L.A. Fights sounds like it will focus on the promoter, star wrestler and other character archetypes that are typically present around independent pro wrestling.
Do wrestling fans want a pro wrestling version of Larry Sanders? Perhaps. We know -- based on television ratings and Network subscription numbers -- that wrestling fans by and large don't want what WWE is offering. We know that Lucha Underground has a vocal online audience, but we don't know how that scales (the El Rey Network, which owns and broadcasts Lucha, is not rated for viewership by traditional ratings organizations). We know that PWG sold out it's February show in a matter of minutes (so fast, in fact, that some people who logged in at the exact minute that PWG advertised tickets going on sale were still shut out from pre-sold seats), but that's only four hundred tickets.
PWG is an interesting case that deserves more discussion. Unlike Lucha, which is a TV product with a stated goal of only producing TV tapings with no touring product, PWG is a traditional wrestling promotion. Lucha offers free admission, like Jimmy Fallon and Maury Povich do. PWG charges $40 or more. Lucha runs in a remodeled manufacturing facility that has been built for television tapings. PWG tapes television, but there is no production design to speak of. Lucha's level of success is based on advertising; how much Miller-Coors will pay to sponsor the show, and how much television ad buyers will pay for commercial time during shows. PWG's success is based on more direct transactions; how many tickets, t-shirts and DVDs are purchased by wrestling fans.
Both Lucha and PWG are fine options for wrestling fans, but they still seem to be short of filling the void. There is still more complaining than complimenting from online wrestling fans. Maybe one of them will grow; maybe L.A. Fights will happen. Maybe a new contender will start up and give the people what they want.
There is one thing that seems to delineate PWG from the rest of the void fillers: a lack of ambition. Most of the contenders set no limits. How high can New Japan climb? Ask an AXS TV executive and they'll probably tell you that they'd love to see huge ratings and a North American tour. Lucha Underground? They'd love to draw a million viewers and tape every week at the Temple. TNA? They want to be WWE. Global Force? Ditto.
PWG is different in that they are what they want to be. PWG wants to promote great matches. They want to be untethered from Suits (network executives, investors, etc.) who might dilute the product in the name of making it the ever-dreaded "more accessible". They want the fans and wrestlers to have a deep connection. They have these things now. They may or may not last, but they want to give them a chance.
Excalibur, the ex-wrestler, current play-by-play announcer, face of the company and part-owner, sees PWG for what it is and likes it that way. But he also sees the broader picture. He sees that WWE is showing signs of filling the void via NXT. On NXT shows, wrestling fans can see ex-PWG talent. The booking is far more grounded, similar to PWG. Great wrestling matches are valued, corny gimmicks are eschewed and talent is given space to breathe, like at PWG. Excalibur said that NXT is a sign that PWG and its fans are not the only one who see the void that WWE has left open.
Part of Nigel McGuinness's rationale for using Kickstarter is timing. He knows that $370,000 is a lot to raise and he knows that it's a stretch to charge $100 for early viewing (since LA FIghts would probably be released on YouTube, the only value is in early access), a t-shirt and a DVD. But he thinks that it has to happen now. The void is here now. And voids don't last. And if he waits, then either the void will close or someone else will fill it. Maybe.
There is a possibility that pro wrestling is just plain cold. People may be moving on. They may match WWE out of habit or attend PWG for the thrill of an energetic crowd, but maybe people are just moving on from pro wrestling. It happens. Horse racing used to be massive, and now it's an oddity. Open wheel racing has a fraction of the fans it used to have in the United States. The three-camera sitcom is dead (though zombies do pop up occasionally) and all that's left of worked Roller Derby is come great old writing and fond memories. Things die. And if I were a person looking to invest money in an entertainment product, I would have to wonder if pro wrestling's void is on a one way path towards zero.
The void is in the wrestling business. The demand of fans and ex-fans for a more intelligent, grounded product has no supply to feed from. WWE can't or won't give up scripted promos and "invisible camera" segments. Lucha Underground is a fine product, but it's more television than wrestling. Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) thrills local fans in Los Angeles, but their goal has never been to go mainstream. Surely there are other contenders, but none that have caught on. And so the void continues.
Voids cannot last because eventually the demand dries up. People move on. Fans become fans of something else. How many have moved on to MMA or fantasy football or something else altogether? But wrestling's void persists. A hardcore fanbase and an intransigent monarch have sustained it.
Nigel McGuinness wants to fill the pro wrestling guide with something altogether different. He is tight with details and short on time, but he is trying.
Nigel's offering would be called "L.A. Fights". It would be non-touring; a TV product like Lucha Underground. It would be character-driven; he likes to compare it to "Breaking Bad". It would be seasonal; Nigel says that six initial episodes would be shot, then more as demand grows.
Nigel has a Kickstarter for "L.A. Fights", but there's not much time left. The L.A. Fights Kickstarter needs almost $300,000 in funding by this weekend or it doesn't happen. (Kickstarter is a funding mechanism that only triggers if the full amount is reached. In other words, Nigel does not get any of the money promised to the L.A. Fights Kickstarter unless the full $370,000 funding goal is reached.) Many Kickstarters see big pushes as the funding deadline nears, and L.A. Fights would need need a major one. Only 21 Kickstarter campaigns in history have ever raised as much money as Nigel is attempting to raise for L.A. Fights.
Who knows if Nigel's idea would even fill the void? What we know is that Nigel says he has six fully written scripts, each of which ready for shooting as a one hour show. We know that the show will have a heavy emphasis on characters and that it will not be just about wrestling. He is wary of divulging too many details because he wants to keep the project viable even if the Kickstarter campaign fails. Based on what he has been willing to say, the show sounds like a pro wrestling version of "The Larry Sanders Show". Larry Sanders was a sitcom based around a fictional TV talk show. Some parts of the show were presented like a traditional late night talk show, but most of the show was shot documentary-style. Larry Sanders focused on the characters, such as the host, producer and sidekick. L.A. Fights sounds like it will focus on the promoter, star wrestler and other character archetypes that are typically present around independent pro wrestling.
Do wrestling fans want a pro wrestling version of Larry Sanders? Perhaps. We know -- based on television ratings and Network subscription numbers -- that wrestling fans by and large don't want what WWE is offering. We know that Lucha Underground has a vocal online audience, but we don't know how that scales (the El Rey Network, which owns and broadcasts Lucha, is not rated for viewership by traditional ratings organizations). We know that PWG sold out it's February show in a matter of minutes (so fast, in fact, that some people who logged in at the exact minute that PWG advertised tickets going on sale were still shut out from pre-sold seats), but that's only four hundred tickets.
PWG is an interesting case that deserves more discussion. Unlike Lucha, which is a TV product with a stated goal of only producing TV tapings with no touring product, PWG is a traditional wrestling promotion. Lucha offers free admission, like Jimmy Fallon and Maury Povich do. PWG charges $40 or more. Lucha runs in a remodeled manufacturing facility that has been built for television tapings. PWG tapes television, but there is no production design to speak of. Lucha's level of success is based on advertising; how much Miller-Coors will pay to sponsor the show, and how much television ad buyers will pay for commercial time during shows. PWG's success is based on more direct transactions; how many tickets, t-shirts and DVDs are purchased by wrestling fans.
Both Lucha and PWG are fine options for wrestling fans, but they still seem to be short of filling the void. There is still more complaining than complimenting from online wrestling fans. Maybe one of them will grow; maybe L.A. Fights will happen. Maybe a new contender will start up and give the people what they want.
There is one thing that seems to delineate PWG from the rest of the void fillers: a lack of ambition. Most of the contenders set no limits. How high can New Japan climb? Ask an AXS TV executive and they'll probably tell you that they'd love to see huge ratings and a North American tour. Lucha Underground? They'd love to draw a million viewers and tape every week at the Temple. TNA? They want to be WWE. Global Force? Ditto.
PWG is different in that they are what they want to be. PWG wants to promote great matches. They want to be untethered from Suits (network executives, investors, etc.) who might dilute the product in the name of making it the ever-dreaded "more accessible". They want the fans and wrestlers to have a deep connection. They have these things now. They may or may not last, but they want to give them a chance.
Excalibur, the ex-wrestler, current play-by-play announcer, face of the company and part-owner, sees PWG for what it is and likes it that way. But he also sees the broader picture. He sees that WWE is showing signs of filling the void via NXT. On NXT shows, wrestling fans can see ex-PWG talent. The booking is far more grounded, similar to PWG. Great wrestling matches are valued, corny gimmicks are eschewed and talent is given space to breathe, like at PWG. Excalibur said that NXT is a sign that PWG and its fans are not the only one who see the void that WWE has left open.
Part of Nigel McGuinness's rationale for using Kickstarter is timing. He knows that $370,000 is a lot to raise and he knows that it's a stretch to charge $100 for early viewing (since LA FIghts would probably be released on YouTube, the only value is in early access), a t-shirt and a DVD. But he thinks that it has to happen now. The void is here now. And voids don't last. And if he waits, then either the void will close or someone else will fill it. Maybe.
There is a possibility that pro wrestling is just plain cold. People may be moving on. They may match WWE out of habit or attend PWG for the thrill of an energetic crowd, but maybe people are just moving on from pro wrestling. It happens. Horse racing used to be massive, and now it's an oddity. Open wheel racing has a fraction of the fans it used to have in the United States. The three-camera sitcom is dead (though zombies do pop up occasionally) and all that's left of worked Roller Derby is come great old writing and fond memories. Things die. And if I were a person looking to invest money in an entertainment product, I would have to wonder if pro wrestling's void is on a one way path towards zero.
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