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From: Scott Oliver
It seems to me that the WWE have forgotten or dont realise that the first W stands for WORLD and last time i checked there was more countries than just America in the world. Now, i recently attended Insurexion (i should mention that iv waited 12 years to see the WWE live) in Newcastle and i knew upon going there that i was about to see a glorified house show with no major storyline changes or belt changes and it got me thinking that with ratings down in the USA, how are the rating in the UK and Australia and other countries that view it? id like to bet they are quite consistently high. So, i think that the WWE should branch out and include other countries in Raw and Smackdown tapings. its ideal because with 2 seperate rosters now, 1 can still be in the US for their show and the other could be in the UK or Australia, india etc. etc. I think it would bring in new fans in other countries and the more coverage they get and tours they do the more sponsors they will get, which will rake in possibly millions of dollars for the company. The WWE could have wrestling academies in other countries aswell and start up a franchise of their product or possibly an international Tough Enough type program. I believe it would be highly benificial in the long term to the company Not to blow my own horn,but i think this is a feasable idea and i would love an address to someone high up in the WWE to suggest this to them.

I hate to break it to you Scott, but I think the WWE are already aware of your idea. Not to be insulting or anything but it's not exactly a revolutionary concept that you've come up with. First of all, let me address you comment that the ratings in the UK and Australia are "consistently high". First of all, there are about 19 million people in Australia. Less than 10% of those people have access to cable television. Of those who have access, maybe 3% enjoy wrestling. Even if they love it, you're looking at 3% of 19 million people which isn't even a million people. I'm not sure on the figures as I don't know much about WWE wrestling in the UK. I believe it is only available on Sky, so once again you look at the population, the number who have Sky and the number who actually watch wrestling. So basically you're looking at a situation where they are simply not as many fans in Australia and probably the UK who are eager to attend wrestling events. On the good side, the Raw that was held in Australia a few months back sold out, and as Scott pointed out, the UK-only PPV's also sell out.
The WWE have to date, held one successful Raw taping in Australia so there's nothing to say that they wouldn't do it again. However, Australia is a very very very long flight away from the continental US so I can't see them flying their talent and equipment to Australia more than once a year at the most. I'm not sure why the WWE have never held television tapings in the UK. I wonder if it has something to do with stadium size and the expenses associated. After all the greenback doesn't exactly hold up all that well to the pound. I'll do a little digging and see if I can come up with anything.
The WWE have realized that they need to focus a little more on other countries, especially with the drop in ticket sales in the USA. They have toured Japan, UK, Europe, India, Asia Pacific and Australia in the past few years which has to indicate that they are open to a wider market. However, only when it's worth their while. If ticket sales and general business in the US picks up to the point where they can make more or just as much money at home as opposed to the hassle of international tours, they'll shut down their international operations and kiss they goodbye without the slightest hesitation.
Finally, there is not need for the WWE to offer "international" tough enough competitions or an "academy" in other countries because they have more than enough talent within US (and one could argue Canadian) borders. You don't eat somewhere else if your own table is full of food. You could try sending an email to the WWE via their website but like I said, it's nothing a bunch of other people have thought of before. Just call me Aree The Dream Crusher.

From: Tony
Great website. I have 1 question. There was word a while back about a 24hr wrestling channel. Any word on if it is still going to happen? Thanks a bunch

I think I've answered this question before. I think the chances of having a 24 hour wrestling channel are slim to none, and slim just left town. The WWE are the only wrestling orgranisation on the face of the earth who could make this work as they have the kind of footage needed to be able to run non stop 24/7 wrestling. However, now isn't the time for the WWE to undertake such an ambitious project. It would be extremely expensive, and is not guaranteed to be successful by any means. The wrestling boom of the late 90's, early 00's is well and truly over and the WWE are working very hard to maintain the ratings for their program in the face of deflated ticket sales, growing fan lethargy and a decrease in general revenue. I think it would be much more lucrative for the WWE if they released DVD's and tapes for sale of old WCW PPV's and Nitro's and ECW PPV's and weekly TV and I really think they'll do this in the near future. They're sitting on a goldmine with all that archival footage and they know it.

From: Jeff
Hey, Rajah great site, it is the best on the net. First off, is it me or does Smackdown put much better quality in their matches than Raw. I mean, Raw is full of promos and backstage interactions, and when they do finally have a match, they are poor in quality, not to mention rushed. Smackdown on the other hand, they take their time in their matches, they don't rush them like Raw. Smackdown matches have better quality, and their show's aren't all made of backstage stints and in-ring promo's. I saw in one of Aree's comments that she thinks that Cena is like a try-hard eminem, THAT IS SOO TRUE, I thought I was the only one who see's that, I get tired of hearing him on the mic, b/c working the mic involves more than trying to make all of your lines rhyme, it involves them makins some....SENCE as well.

Well, that makes CENTS...um...SENSE to me too. Cena has a gimmick that capitalizes on what I like to call "white rapper syndrome". Every white boy with a mic thinks he's Eminem these days. I'm not saying white boys can't rap (or as our reader Jeff might say "wrap") but they're aren't too many of them who can do it without looking desperate and kinda dumb. But I don't even like rap so who the hell am I to judge? Jeff's (not his real name) comment about the difference between Raw and Smackdown is not new. It's true that Smackdown tend to have more actual impressive "wrestling" and less of the smack talking whereas Raw likes its little storylines and intrigues mixed in with some usually decent but hardly spectacular wrestling matches. I'm guessing that the differences are intentional as when you're trying to market one product as two separate units, you want to make them a little different otherwise why did you bother? I think the strong wrestling component will be swapped between Smackdown and Raw if the branding continues, as the flow of wrestlers to and from each show will surely alter the kind of matches that are put on.

From: Mike
Hey Rajah, Great site and such but I do have a slight question. I am wondering about the evidence of Christianity in wrestling. Do you believe ever since Shawn came back that Christianity is finally showing up. And if you believe it is what do you think about it. Please answer this I would appreciate it

It may just be me, but religious faith and wrestling don't exactly make great bedfellows. People don't watch wrestling to get a sermon or an explanation of one wrestler's personal faith. I think Shawn Michaels almost went too far with all his religiousness (that's not actually a word, but explains perfectly what I actually mean) as it sort of overtook his character. And let's not forget that Shawn Michaels has only recently discovered his Christianity. It's not like he supressed it for years and now it's finally being allowed to come out. You asked for my opinion, and my opinion is that people can believe whatever they want as long as they believe in something and don't try and force their beliefs down other people's throats. Whether or not professional wrestling is the ideal environment to incorporate your religion into is another thing altogether. I think I'm inclined to tell people to keep their personal faith personal and not bring it to work.

From: DONALD ROBERTSON (a dying fan of 50 years)
I HAVE WATCHED WRESTLING SINCE I WAS A CHILD WHEN IT WAS A LOT OF FUN TO WATCH WITH MEN LIKE DICK THE BRUISER HIS AND HIS COUSIN AND IRON SHIECK YOU KNEW WHO WAS THE HEELS AND THE GOOD GUYS WAS YOU DID NOT HAVE THE OWNERS WALKING AROUND LIKE THEY HAVE A CORN COB STUCK UP THE ASS OR GUYS RUNNING IN JUST BECAUSE WITH OUT SOME ONE BEING DQ OR HALF DRESSED WOMEN WALKING OUT SHOWING EVEYTHINF TO 9 AND 10 YEAR OLD KIDS IT WAS STILL FAKE BUT YOU KNEW YOU COULD TAKR E YOUR SON OR DAUGHTER AND NOT WORRY ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO SEE AND HEAR ITS BECOMING NO MORE THAN A RATED SHOW NOT WORTH THE TIME OF DAY WATCHING IF WE COULD RE LAY THESE TYPE OF FEELINGS TO THE WWE MAYBE THEY MIGHT SAVE THESE EVENTS BUT AS OF NOW ALL I SE IS [A DEAD SHOW GOING NO WHERE]

I hope this doesn't mean that Donald is actually dying. I hope it just means that his love of wrestling is dying. What can I say that you don't already know, Donald? The wrestling of yesteryear is dead and gone and I doubt very much that it will ever be back. The product is very different and almost unrecognisable. Wrestling is not for children anymore, rather it is a massive industry aimed at an older demographic with the intention to squeeze people for all the money they have. If you don't like wrestling today, buy the old tapes from the 70's and 80's and watch them at home while pretending that this is still the way it is. I do that all the time with my tapes from the 90's. I pop one in the VCR every so often and get lost in epic fueds between Yokozuna and Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels and Steve Austin. I guess old time wrestling will not truly die until people are no longer around to remember it. Sadly, that's all it is these days - a dusty, half forgotten memory.
I'm so poetic today!

From: Ronald
Will A-Train win the U.S. title any time soon?

Hold on while I consult my magic eight ball. *Aree shakes her magic eight ball* And the magic eight ball says "How the hell am I supposed to know?" If you're asking for my opinion, which you probably are *Aree pauses to throw her magic eightball into the trash* then I would say that he has a good chance. He seems to be getting a good solid push and there's really no reason to not give him a short US title run.

From: LL Richie H
Hi, First of all I just want to say that the site is da bomb! Why oh why is the WWE persisting in bringing in more and more "part-time" wrestlers. The likes of Hogan, Steiner, Nash and now Goldberg aren't adding to the entertainment of the shows. RAW seems to have become a retirement home for past-their-prime wrestlers, and they wonder why ratings aren't great. With the exception of HBK these wrestlers perform relatively poorly when they do get a chance, with most of then not really doing any wrestling per say. I know it creates revenue which is obviously the main priority, but the product is suffering. The worrying thing is too many of these veterans, thats the polite way of putting it, are getting big pushes on TV. Why do people rave about these falling stars, Steiner, Goldberg and Nash just don't make me want to watch with any enthusiasm. Many of the current womens matches on RAW are of a better standard and more entertaining. Please enlighten me on why these old stars plague the WWE?

Hold the phone, LL Richie. I'll agree that Steiner, Nash and Hogan do not perform at a consistently high level, but to suggest that current women's matches are of a better standard is taking the whole thing just a little too far. It's one of the biggest double edges of professional sports - when you achieve name recognition your career is basically all downhill. People get older, they get injured, they get slower. If they're lucky they can still pull out some pretty amazing matches or games, but they'll probably never be able to match that initial amazing performance that first put them in the spotlight, with a few possible exceptions. Now in regards to Steiner, Nash and Hogan, well, they were never the most brilliant performers to begin with so the reason why they reached the heights of wrestling superstardom was more to do with how over they were with the fans than their level of talent. This is the reason why they are still given substantial air time - their popularity never rested on their in-ring ability. However, that doesn't make the WWE's worships of fossils a good thing. A certain amount of respect should certainly be afforded to these men for the incredible success they have had over the course of their lengthy careers, but that doesn't mean new talent should be squashed to make way for healthy servings of this "respect".

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