Boxnation, Why not a Wrestling Channel
 

Now we have a boxing channel available on the system, why doesn't VM go for a British Wrestling channel.

We have all this 'fixed' American stuff, l am certain around the British Isle's we must have British Wrestling.

If that came in, it would be great, especially from the World of Sport days.:D

Re: Boxnation, Why not a Wrestling Channel
 

There was a wrestling channel showing World of sport matches a few years ago but it was on sky only, I know that WWE are launching a channel in america next year.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WWE_Network

Re: Boxnation, Why not a Wrestling Channel
 

*Cracks knuckles*

Right, let me get my teeth in to this one.

There used to be a channel called TWC - The Wrestling Channel. It didn't work out as there simply wasn't enough money in it. It primarily featured LDN wrestling, run by a friend of mine called Sanjay Bagga and they do shows around the London and Essex areas. Sanjay is considered by many to be the most successful UK promoter in the south of the country. If he wasn't able to put on a sustainable product then I can't think of many others that could.

The problem with British-based wrestling is there's a LOT of crap out there. Legendary promoter Jim Cornette once said "There's only 2 types of wrestling, good wrestling and bad wrestling".

Right now all you need to run a show is to hire a ring (usually around £150) and possibly about £50 to pay your 'talent'. many noobs will be willing to work for free just to be on a show. A lot of venues are Social Clubs and the like which won't ask to see insurance - lucky, because liability cover for the workers and audience is usually £1000+. Usually they don't charge to hire the hall, they just make money from the bar. As a result any Tom, Dick and Harry can put on a 'wrestling' show and it leads to what is often an embarrassing show which exposes so many of the secrets of wrestling. Yes we know you're aware it's not real but we want to put on a performance which is so good you're happy to suspend your disbelief for the duration of the event. With all the rubbish out there, it's very frustrating.

There are a handful of top quality promoters in the UK who ensure their product is the best - Brian Dixon, Alan Ravenhill to name just 2. But TV is too much of a risk for it to be sustainable. The target audience is kids, and they just want to see huge muscular blokes who are well over and have a great hook/gimmick. The problem is as soon as any UK workers get like that, they get head-hunted by WWE or TNA.

Arthur, there is a thriving British wrestling scene (check the second link in my sig). I used to wrestle and am now a referee and have been for 5 years. All pro wrestling is 'fixed' as you call it. There is no real distinction between what you call 'American' wrestling and the old World of Sport product. The results are pre-determined and the moves are 'worked'. the only real difference is the presentation. The American stuff (and about 99% of what you see anywhere in the UK right now) is just more flashy and 'show'. The old WoS rules system (8x3 minute rounds etc) simply would not work right now, the market has moved on.

I've reffed a few WoS-rules matches which were featured as one-offs on shows and they're an interesting novelty but the vast majority of the target audience have never heard of it and have no long-term interest in it.

Re: Boxnation, Why not a Wrestling Channel
 

cheers Russ for that, British wrestling used to be on a Saturday afternoon, but to me the sad part of American crap is this raza ma tazz that goes with it and this to me ruins the whole point of watching it.

I remember the days of Big Daddy, Fal Finley and Kendo Nackersacky. good pros, but you don't have that anymore.

Re: Boxnation, Why not a Wrestling Channel
 

I think Sky would launch a wrestling channel, they already own the UK rights to WWE events (if they would be bothered)

Re: Boxnation, Why not a Wrestling Channel
 

Fit Finley, until recently, worked for WWE and is expected to return in the near future.

The 'American' style is pretty much standard all over the UK now.

They did, it was called The Wrestling Channel.

Re: Boxnation, Why not a Wrestling Channel
 

Yes i agree a Wrestling channel,if only we could bring back Giant Haystacks,Big Daddy,Jim Breaks,Kendo nagasaki,and commentator Kent Walton i might subscribe.;)

Re: Boxnation, Why not a Wrestling Channel
 

They would do well, 3 are dead to my knowledge.

Re: Boxnation, Why not a Wrestling Channel
 

Yes l remember watching these grand old names of wrestling when l was much younger with my dad and it was great watching them on a saturday on ITV.

Re: Boxnation, Why not a Wrestling Channel
 

Yes you are right sadly 3 i think re no longer here, jim breaks and kendo nagasaki are still with us.

I liked the uk wrestling much less razz matazz bull then the us stuff.

Re: Boxnation, Why not a Wrestling Channel
 

The problem is there's no market for the UK style. Again, the target audience is kids and WWE/TNA is all they know.

If they relaunched The Wrestling Channel and featured WoS rules matches there would be very little interest in it.

Re: Boxnation, Why not a Wrestling Channel
 

Yes your right denphone,saturday afternoon with Kent Walton commentating,and lots of ladies in the front rows clutching their handbags,whilst shouting loudly and jumping up and even sometimes landing a handbagging to Giant Haystacks or Big Daddy ,classic stuff.:)

Re: Boxnation, Why not a Wrestling Channel
 

I wonder if seen as sky have dropped PPV Boxing, if WWE might do the same thing?

Re: Boxnation, Why not a Wrestling Channel
 

Not so sure Russ the baby boomber generation is a large target audience you know,when i get to retire the generations will be tipped towards us.:erm::erm:

But Yeah you are right todays kids like the amercan stuff with added bull.

Re: Boxnation, Why not a Wrestling Channel
 

Every show I've ever worked at, the vast majority of the audience has been kids.

Re: Boxnation, Why not a Wrestling Channel
 

Thats the trouble RussTV shows aim themselves at kids as they think especially on commercial tv they are the ones with a lot of disposable income,whilst ignoring the older genertions which are an increasingly large demographic.

But as they say to be right on "its with the kids"

Re: Boxnation, Why not a Wrestling Channel
 

Years ago I was working for OnDigital and suggested at several high level meetings that we should get the wrestling, WWE was on channel 4 back then and WcW was still going to, had we got them the plan was to stick them all on one channel and pad it out with classic old shows, Japanese and British wrestling. Sadly I was over ruled and we went for Championship football instead...

Re: Boxnation, Why not a Wrestling Channel
 

To be fair there already is somewhere you can watch wrestling on VM it's called the Syfy channel. After all that's where the majority of all the far fetched shows/programmes are shown.

No offence though to the real fans and admirers of the sport out there who I'm sure really enjoy it.

Re: Boxnation, Why not a Wrestling Channel
 

You've obviously been reading US WWE promos where SmackDown is shown on SyFy. In the UK unless the channel begins with the word 'Sky' you won't be seeing any WWE wrestling.

As for the thread, I can see a WWE Network-eske channel in the same vain as the new F1 channel in a few years time.

Re: Boxnation, Why not a Wrestling Channel
 

Or he could be having a little dig...

Re: Boxnation, Why not a Wrestling Channel
 

Your'e right TheDaddy it was /is a bit of a dig as you put it but hopefully all taken in a bit of fun. :rolleyes:

Re: Boxnation, Why not a Wrestling Channel
 

Yeah, cos it's "all fake, innit"....

Re: Boxnation, Why not a Wrestling Channel
 

Well yes I'd say it's fake probably along with a lot of other people....

It's just those who actually believe it's real/genuine that I can't understand...

But hey we're all entitled to what we do or don't like..

And like I said earlier if they enjoy it fair play to them.

Re: Boxnation, Why not a Wrestling Channel
 

I don't think any adult thinks that wrestling is unscripted but that doesn't stop people from enjoying it.

Re: Boxnation, Why not a Wrestling Channel
 

It depends on what you're calling 'fake'

Kids, you mean?

Re: Boxnation, Why not a Wrestling Channel
 

Russ

You asked It depends on what I call 'fake'...........................................

Well I think there's enough on You Tube telling you all about that without me having to explain myself.

Then I said it's just those who actually believe it's real/genuine that I can't understand.

Then you said kids, you mean?................................

No I don't mean the kids at all they're there to see their favourites/heroes etc and if it looks real and exciting to them at their age they're going to believe that and why not.

It's the grown up's behaviour I'm on about in the way that they seem to get so enraged and caught up in the moment as though their lives depends on it if their fighter/wrestler is getting beaten etc.

Re: Boxnation, Why not a Wrestling Channel
 

It helps to know a bit about it in order to understand it.

Firstly I and a LOT of others involved with pro wrestling would take great offence at you calling it 'fake'. Seeing as you're refusing to elaborate on what you mean I'll assume you mean nobody ever gets injured and it's totally safe and any time someone appears to be hurt, they're just 'faking' it.

It takes a great deal of skill and training to be a pro wrestler. To execute the moves properly is not 'fake'. To ensure you do not permanently injure the other guy takes practise. You are literally putting your life in his hands each time you step in the ring. You think it's just a case of 2 guys in silly costumes throwing themselves around a ring? Your ignorance is showing. To tell a story, to get (and keep) the crowd interested, that is not fake. It is a skill which needs to be learned.

Are the results and moves predetermined? Yes absolutely and we never pretend otherwise. But the injuries and risks are very real. I once refereed a match where a move was botched by a usually very skillful worker and someone ended up with severe spinal injuries and to this day is paralysed.

I'm pretty sure he feels it is anything but 'fake'.

I assure you nobody other than kids believes the 2 guys really do hate each other and are trying to beat each other up. What the audience does is suspend their disbelief. It's escapism. During the matches they scream and shout as that is part of the show but afterwards nobody comes up to me and asks why I didn't catch someone cheating etc.

When you watch a film, you take it for what it is. Seen The Expendables? See that bit when Dolph Lundgren shoots a bloke in half? You don't say "Oh he didn't really shoot him in half, he's just acting, it's all fake".

No, you take it as part of the performance. When I take my kids to the pantomime each Christmas I have yet to hear anyone say "That's not really a woman, it's a man dressed up" or "That's not really a giant, it's all fake". No, you accept it for what it is.

Wrestling is not everyone's cup of tea, no problem with that. But to call it 'fake' is ignorant and very insulting to the guys who risk their lives and health each time they lace up their boots.

Re: Boxnation, Why not a Wrestling Channel
 

That is why I enjoy watching wrestling!

Re: Boxnation, Why not a Wrestling Channel
 

If you did notice in my 1st post (#18) I was trying to have a bit of fun that's all. But I did say....... "No offence though to the real fans and admirers of the sport out there who I'm sure really enjoy it".......

Then in my next post (#21) I put...... your'e right it was /is a bit of a dig as you put it but hopefully all taken in a bit of fun.......

And at the bottom of post (#33) I finish by saying....... but hey we're all entitled to what we do or don't like and like and if they enjoy it fair play to them.......

Well from your reply I can tell how passionate you are about wrestling and it's the 'FAKE' term that seems to have hit on a nerve with you.

Well as much as I'm entitled to think what sport/s I enjoy I think you've gathered wrestling isn't my cup of tea.

You are obviously offended by the word 'Fake' - so if I were to rephrase that to wrestling is a professionally well staged sport would you still be offended?

Re: Boxnation, Why not a Wrestling Channel
 

I didn't think for a minute you were intending to offend anyone, but it would have helped if you'd elaborated on your definition of 'fake'.

And I think the term 'sports entertainment' is more apt :)

Re: Boxnation, Why not a Wrestling Channel
 

I think that fake, bit of a joke WWE contributed a lot towards how nutty our kids are today.

Re: Boxnation, Why not a Wrestling Channel
 

They do a lot of good work for pandas and endangered species.

edit: this was posted when Gary initially called them 'WWF'.

Re: Boxnation, Why not a Wrestling Channel
 

That kind of makes up for it I suppose.

Re: Boxnation, Why not a Wrestling Channel
 

Yes Russ you're probably right that I should have put a bit more thought in to it before mentioning the word 'fake' when comparing it with/to wrestling...

But for many a year now just out of curiosity (and please don't take it the wrong way) when asking someone their thoughts on wrestling and whether they liked it or not, if their answer happened to be no and you'd ask why the main reason would be because they'd say it's 'fake'. And to be honest that's what was going through my mind when writing my post..

Anyway I hope we've understood each other :handshake