New golden age of Wrestling is upon us....

[Cowboy Brian]

In a shocking move out of nowhere, a relatively new Professional Wrestling company has just announced a long-term deal with a network that reaches 80m homes.

Paragon Pro Wrestling, a newer promotion out of Las Vegas that has been running a little under a year, informed their locker room last night at a TV Taping that they would be announcing a TV deal with Pop TV, a national cable network that was formerly the TV Guide Network, according to several sources.
The promotion has featured mostly Southern California talents of late as well as former TNA star Jesse Sorensen (who is their current champion), former WWE star Gangrel, former WWE Diva Lisa Marie Varon and EVOLVE star Caleb Konley.

The promotion is owned and operated by Jeff Manning, who's been running the Portland area under the West Coast Wrestling Connection banner for years and has appeared on camera for different promotions as Morty Lipschitz.

The website for the promotion lists Len "The Grappler" Denton as the Director of Wrestling Operations and I am told he is booking the promotion.

We are told former TNA announcer Todd Kenely has been tapped to do the announcing for the show.

Former WWE star Matt Striker is said to be producing and directing for the company.

As noted, the promotion taped TV last night and I was told they had state of the art equipment for the taping. No word when the series will debut, but the locker room was told this summer.

Pop TV launched in the summer of 2014. It is available in more than 80 million households and is owned in part by Lionsgate and CBS.

http://www.pwinsider.com/article/92929/new-promotion-to-announce-national-cable-tv-deal.html?p=1

There are also continuous rumours that ROH will be headed to Spike in late 2015. This will be the most prime-time wrestling ever on television in my life-time. We also now have TNA as the anchor on Destination America, who have continuously praised the ratings the company has been pulling (it is their top show by about 4x)

 

[BoysFan4ever]

In a shocking move out of nowhere, a relatively new Professional Wrestling company has just announced a long-term deal with a network that reaches 80m homes.



http://www.pwinsider.com/article/92929/new-promotion-to-announce-national-cable-tv-deal.html?p=1

There are also continuous rumours that ROH will be headed to Spike in late 2015. This will be the most prime-time wrestling ever on television in my life-time. We also now have TNA as the anchor on Destination America, who have continuously praised the ratings the company has been pulling (it is their top show by about 4x)

You mean TNA gets better ratings than Mountain Mosters..Bigfoot?

I'll watch anything.

 

[TellerMorrow34]

In a shocking move out of nowhere, a relatively new Professional Wrestling company has just announced a long-term deal with a network that reaches 80m homes.



http://www.pwinsider.com/article/92929/new-promotion-to-announce-national-cable-tv-deal.html?p=1

There are also continuous rumours that ROH will be headed to Spike in late 2015. This will be the most prime-time wrestling ever on television in my life-time. We also now have TNA as the anchor on Destination America, who have continuously praised the ratings the company has been pulling (it is their top show by about 4x)

It could be interesting with more promotions out there to possibly give some real competition.

TNA has already proven they are not competition in the slightest. They're on Destination America cause they suck. Yay for them that they're the highest rated crap out of a mountain of crap. They're nothing and don't belong in the conversation as a real competitor.

Now if ROH could get a TV deal on Spike, and this new federation could put out some high quality stuff on TV, then down the road we could see some real competition between the companies and that would be great for business.

This new place is going to have to come up with some much better talent then the list they're passing off in this article though.

Definitely something to keep an eye on. I appreciate you posting the link about this cause I hadn't heard anything about a new promotion possibly getting on TV.

 

[big dog cowboy]

Paragon Pro Wrestling? I'll bet this announcement just made Vince laugh.

 

[Cowboy Brian]

Paragon Pro Wrestling? I'll bet this announcement just made Vince laugh.

Eh, I'm not saying it'll be competition to WWE. It won't. Especially with Smackdown heading over to USA, nothing will ever come close to them unless for some reason ABC, CBS, FOX, or ESPN decides to start airing wrestling in prime time. For the industry as a whole it is still great news though.

 

[Cowboy Brian]

It could be interesting with more promotions out there to possibly give some real competition.

TNA has already proven they are not competition in the slightest. They're on Destination America cause they suck. Yay for them that they're the highest rated crap out of a mountain of crap. They're nothing and don't belong in the conversation as a real competitor.

Now if ROH could get a TV deal on Spike, and this new federation could put out some high quality stuff on TV, then down the road we could see some real competition between the companies and that would be great for business.

This new place is going to have to come up with some much better talent then the list they're passing off in this article though.

Definitely something to keep an eye on. I appreciate you posting the link about this cause I hadn't heard anything about a new promotion possibly getting on TV.

I don't think any company will ever become legitimate competition to WWE, but we could see Paragon, RoH and TNA start competing with each other, which would make for some interesting alternative programming. Mike Johnson from PWInsider said it best, WWE is #1, everyone else is fighting for #2.

 

[big dog cowboy]

Eh, I'm not saying it'll be competition to WWE. It won't. Especially with Smackdown heading over to USA, nothing will ever come close to them unless for some reason ABC, CBS, FOX, or ESPN decides to start airing wrestling in prime time. For the industry as a whole it is still great news though.

No it won't be any competition for WWE. If one of those networks picked up a wrestling promotion Vince would crap his pants.

 

[Cowboy Brian]

No it won't be any competition for WWE. If one of those networks picked up a wrestling promotion Vince would crap his pants.

Precisely. None of those networks will for the foreseeable future, but as ratings continue to decline and the only industry that seems somewhat immune is live, sports-based programming, we may come to a point where one of those networks is looking for some wrestling.

 

[TellerMorrow34]

I don't think any company will ever become legitimate competition to WWE, but we could see Paragon, RoH and TNA start competing with each other, which would make for some interesting alternative programming. Mike Johnson from PWInsider said it best, WWE is #1, everyone else is fighting for #2.

This is probably very true.

What I'm hoping though is ROH and possibly this Paragon could get going really strong and start to become a viable competition to WWE. That is when we would all win, as wrestling fans, cause it would force WWE to up their game once more.

 

[TellerMorrow34]

No it won't be any competition for WWE. If one of those networks picked up a wrestling promotion Vince would crap his pants.

Initially. But where we'd all win is that Vince, and everyone running WWE with him, would then start doing much better work.

I've said before, and I'll continue to say it till I see otherwise, I am seeing an upward trend in their programing with HHH having more to do with it. He's putting together better stuff but it's going to take time because he doesn't have the established roster he needs, or could have had, due to the WWE wasting so much for so long prior to now.

Watching NXT gives me some real hope for what HHH can do with WWE the more he becomes involved and the more he becomes the singular voice for them. His work with NXT is darn good and they're putting on some pretty quality shows with some solid characters.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

At some point there will be legitimate competition with the WWE. It's just a matter of time. At some point some television exec will look at the costs to put on an hour wrestling show on a legit network and that will start things.

 

[jrumann59]

At some point there will be legitimate competition with the WWE. It's just a matter of time. At some point some television exec will look at the costs to put on an hour wrestling show on a legit network and that will start things.

Same could be said about the major sports companies. Its hard to competite against a billionaire with a few million dollars

 

[big dog cowboy]

Initially. But where we'd all win is that Vince, and everyone running WWE with him, would then start doing much better work.

I've said before, and I'll continue to say it till I see otherwise, I am seeing an upward trend in their programing with HHH having more to do with it. He's putting together better stuff but it's going to take time because he doesn't have the established roster he needs, or could have had, due to the WWE wasting so much for so long prior to now.

Watching NXT gives me some real hope for what HHH can do with WWE the more he becomes involved and the more he becomes the singular voice for them. His work with NXT is darn good and they're putting on some pretty quality shows with some solid characters.

Post of the day.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

Same could be said about the major sports companies. Its hard to competite against a billionaire with a few million dollars

At some point every dominant company takes their eye off the ball... Pennsylvania RR, A&P, IBM, Gateway, Bethlehem Steel...

And an upstart makes waves.

 

[BoysFan4ever]

That Lucha Underground show will never be big time.

TNA still looks the same to me. Even after a network change.


Kurt Angle is money. WWE should have gone after him hard.

 

[Yakuza Rich]

At some point there will be legitimate competition with the WWE. It's just a matter of time. At some point some television exec will look at the costs to put on an hour wrestling show on a legit network and that will start things.

The issue is that pro wrestling is an awful business model.

You need TV to make any money because you have to develop characters and turn them into stars and you can't without some sort of TV. And TV production is expensive.

Every single promotion that has ever been successful financially has started out small and built their fanbase and then continued to steadily expand.

I do think a company can start off going to TV quickly, but it will mean some initial heavy losses financially. The key would be willing to absorb them and continue to improve the bottom line over time. Most people have zero patience for that. And if they do, it still means that they start booking the promotion to make the quick buck instead of booking for the long haul.

In the end, every promotion ends up trying to be like the WWE and that is that absolute last thing you want to do. Every promotion that has had success financially since 1985 has done it by in large part of presenting a product that is the opposite of what the WWE does. But, when you are talking to investors and share holders and board members, they will think that the way to go is to be like the WWE and try to beat Vince at his own game.





YR

 

[MichaelWinicki]

In the end, every promotion ends up trying to be like the WWE and that is that absolute last thing you want to do. Every promotion that has had success financially since 1985 has done it by in large part of presenting a product that is the opposite of what the WWE does. But, when you are talking to investors and share holders and board members, they will think that the way to go is to be like the WWE and try to beat Vince at his own game.

YR

Very valid point and I totally agree.

To become a financially solid professional wrestling company, you can't follow the WWE path. You can't compete.

 

[jrumann59]

Very valid point and I totally agree.

To become a financially solid professional wrestling company, you can't follow the WWE path. You can't compete.

The problem is some of these networks see WWE as a train they missed and get involved too much in the running of the company or paying attention to the bottom line way too much. I mean profits are good but if you are going to throw your hat in the ring to eventually compete with WWE you have to deal with a few thin years. I am sorry but I believe if you are going to do TV wrestling then you need to set your goals to be as big as WWE or you will fail look at TNA.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

The problem is some of these networks see WWE as a train they missed and get involved too much in the running of the company or paying attention to the bottom line way too much. I mean profits are good but if you are going to throw your hat in the ring to eventually compete with WWE you have to deal with a few thin years. I am sorry but I believe if you are going to do TV wrestling then you need to set your goals to be as big as WWE or you will fail look at TNA.

There's a difference between setting your goals to be as big as the WWE and another to be building your company so it doesn't look like or act like the WWE.

In addition most large and successful companies do not start out with grandiose ideas. They simply do well in one area and then proceed to expand into another and another and then wha-la! you have one have your large and successful company.

Right now in most of the country you have medium to large cities that use to have wrestling on monthly basis... and now they're lucky if they get it once a year.

You combine that with a zillion cable channels that need programming and there is an opening there.

The other day I read an article where the ratings of syndicated shows are getting hammered in the ratings. Cable channels are looking at more original programming in order to fill air-time.

 

[zrinkill]