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The billion dollar deal and the current state of the WWE seem to be old news in terms of how quickly pro wrestling happens. But things do happen fast in wrestling. Ring of Honor sold out it’s All In show in less than 30 minutes. Chris Jericho became the IWGP Intercontinental champion. WWE had one of the best pay-per-view events since Wrestlemania with Money in the Bank. A valid conversation is ready to be had in regards to getting a fresh taste of true competition for pro wrestling.
Competition
Fans of professional wrestling have heard, seen, or remember fondly the time period known as, “the Monday Night Wars.” The era encompassed an almost 6 year period between 1995 and 2001 where the World Wrestling Federation’s (WWF, now WWE) Monday Night Raw went head-to-head for ratings and viewership against World Championship Wrestling’s (WCW) Monday Nitro. The time was marked by “betrayals” of wrestlers from both promotions going to the other. It seemed WCW had the upper hand for much of the time. What finally tipped the scales to WWF was the introduction of a more “adult” product with sexuality and violence. This propelled WWF into the Attitude Era, and eventually caused the fall of WCW. So how does this tie into the billion dollar deal? I’m glad you asked.
Ratings and TV
Since that time, the WWE has been met with very little, and arguably, no true competition for ratings, TV slots, commercial endorsements, or even merchandise. But the tides are beginning to shift.
Though the WWE was able to solidify this deal with Fox for $1 billion dollars for Smackdown Live, it is well known to most wrestling fans that this is not going to change the product. Some have questioned whether being on Fox will allow WWE to make Smackdown Live an edgier product, changing its rating from PG to PG-13. But why would Fox spend $1 billion on something they were going to change? If they didn’t like it just the way it was, why would they pay that price? So, I argue that there is no need for Vince McMahon to fear yet. But, as Ring of Honor becomes a increasingly popular promotion and as Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho propel New Japan into households who knew nothing of it, the thrill of true competition is almost palatable.
Can it be done?
Now, this is not going to happen overnight. From here, to get that kind of movement, Ring of Honor would need to pull a WCW. By that, I mean, they need to get on a major network with an episodic weekly show that can rival WWE. Only then can we get that competition that once made WWE change their product to bring out some of the best in their talent.
Update
We now know that it is not necessarily Ring Of Honor that will be direct competition for Vince McMahon. Rather a new promotion, All Elite Wrestling (AEW). See more about All Elite at the link and what their future may hold.
