Boot Camp Britain

I didn't write about TNA's British Boot Camp while it was on. I had mixed feelings about it. On the one hand it was a clever move by TNA that made use of the group’s popularity in the UK. It gave us extra programming starring wrestlers who, as they were Brits, we should find that little bit more relatable. It was well times too, airing at just the right time to serve as advertising for the company’s January tour. On the other hand it was another example of American wrestling dipping into the British scene for its own needs.
 
I'm not the most knowledgeable or vocal supporter of British wrestling but I am a supporter. I know that the men and women wrestling in Britain work just as hard as those elsewhere and generally do so for significantly less cash. I also appreciate that most of them, as with the majority of North American wrestlers I imagine, want to eventually earn themselves a WWE contract. I certainly don't begrudge any of the Boot Camp contestants the chance to work for TNA. It could be a stepping stone to WWE. Even if it's not it will get them a considerably larger paycheque than working in Broxbourne ever would.
 
I appreciate that another series of Boot Camp would be a good thing for anyone wrestling on it and for TNA. It would be nice for anyone who enjoyed the first series too, and I know it was very popular. It could even be considered a minor boon for the British scene, shedding light on some of its best workers and encouraging people to attend a show they’d otherwise overlook. But the greater effect will be detrimental. The more successful the show proves the greater the number of wrestlers Britain will lose.

Coming to an IMPACT Zone near you

 
The fact that TNA can get away with running a show like this is depressing. This country provides the promotion with its biggest crowds of the year and has done ever since they started their annual tours. WWE runs two tours a year here because they always do well too. There are plenty of wrestling fans in Britain and yet (here's the depressing part) not one of its dozens of promoters has managed to create a product that showcases British talent the way they deserve to be showcased.
 
I'm not suggesting that a British indy could compete with TNA or WWE. It would take a very long time and a lot of hard work to come close to being at TNA's level and I don't think a UK group could ever reach the heights of WWE. I’m not suggesting a TV deal is attainable either (though I did suggest an alternativeto TV last year that I stand by).  I do think that with the right people in charge the early Ring of Honor model could be successfully emulated though.
 
Broadly speaking this would mean finding a core group of wrestlers to use as the basis of the roster and running shows with the intention of breaking even on the night and making a profit through DVD sales. The emphasis wouldn't need to be the same as it was for ROH, quality matches are popular yes, but a healthy dose of storylines could have their appeal too.

Perhaps it’s expecting a lot for one company to rise above the rest when so many share the same workers. A working agreement could be reached though, surely? Maybe an all-British version of the National Wrestling Alliance? Only the NWA of the 70s, not the NWA of today. Because the NWA of today is rubbish.

It would be nice if this country's wrestlers and fans had a home-grown alternative to the North American product. A company that would allow a couple of dozen guys to work as full time wrestlers in Britain without leaving the country that supplies viewers with regulars DVDs and-or a regular TV or YouTube show. The wrestlers and the fans are there. It just needs someone to create a big enough splash and grab some attention.

Twenty Years Later

It was reported last week that WWE officials had met representatives from several British stadiums during the company’s recent tour of the company. London’s Wembley Stadium, Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium and Manchester’s Old Trafford are the known venues. It’s entirely possible they met with others too.

This series of meetings has stirred up that long-standing rumour slash wish of WWE returning to the UK to promote a large scale pay-per-view. I’ve always been of the opinion that WWE would never return to Britain for anything other than RAW and SmackDown recordings. The time difference between the two countries is pronounced enough that WWE would have to air the proposed pay-per-view on a delay.

Even a few hours is enough for spoilers to become a serious issue, which could potentially harm buy rates. They’re not going to care if people find out that Kofi Kingston beat The Miz on RAW a few hours before the show airs, but a world title changing hands on PPV is a different situation entirely. I’ve always felt it’s a big enough reason that WWE would not do anything major over here.

If a pay-per-view were to be held here it would be the first large scale WWE event since SummerSlam 1992 to be held outside of North America. That event was headlined by the heated confrontation between brothers-in-law Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart and ‘The British Bulldog’ Davey Boy Smith. That WWE has not ventured overseas for a big show in decades tells us that it isn’t an idea they’re keen on.

 

The home of SummerSlam '13?

 

This recent talks have begun to make me think that management (mainly Vince McMahon) may have had a change of heart of the issue. Britain almost always provides WWE with hot crowds, desirable for a big show. The atmosphere would be incredible and it would allow WWE to present themselves as the globally dominant colossus they love making themselves out to be. The issues of internet spoilers arising could easily be worked around by WWE broadcasting the event live or streaming it on their website in addition to a taped show kicking off at the usual time of a PPV.

There are two questions I feel this subject raises. The first is which location should WWE pick? The second is which event would they hold here?

A pay-per-view could be held at pretty much any stadium in the country. Wembley would seem the most logical to me though. It was overhauled a few years ago and is in the capital of the country. Plus there’s the link back to SummerSlam ’92 being held there. There’s even a great hashtag they could push on Twitter: #WWEmbley could be trending worldwide!

Speaking of which I think SummerSlam is the most logical choice of event to hold in Britain. August is a good time of year to put on such an event in this country. Not only are schools off but nights are longer and there’s as slim a chance of rain as you’re ever likely to get.

Even without those reasons SummerSlam still seems the best option because the alternatives seem so unlikely. Survivor Series is not really treated as a particularly special show anymore and wouldn’t feel like such an event. The Royal Rumble is generally considered the kick-off to WrestleMania season and I can’t see WWE going outside of the US for that, or for a show that relies so heavily on surprises and spoilers.

WrestleMania seems unlikely simply because of the time difference. It being WWE’s biggest show of the year means they’d almost certainly be against it airing on delay or in the middle of the afternoon. Live streaming doesn’t seem a realistic option either: WWE wouldn’t want their greatest card of the year watched across North America on laptops. The rest of the calendar is made up of B shows. They, like Survivor Series, would not feel special enough to warrant going overseas for a broadcast.

So, SummerSlam 2013 in Britain? If so WWE better serious about that Wade Barrett push.

View Counters Are the New Ratings Figures

I have written before about the lack of British wrestling on British television (see here). Turn on Sky Sports and you’ll find over seven hours of new WWE programming each week. Flick on Challenge on a Sunday and you’ll see the previous week’s episode of IMPACT. You can’t turn on a channel and find a TV show for a British wrestling promotion though because no TV channel wishes to air the product.

Actually that statement is only partially correct. What UK TV channels want are programmes that will get them the best ratings possible (or in the BBC’s case something that will appeal to a large enough demographic to justify airing it). That is not pro wrestling in 2012.

While there is an audience out there for a weekly wrestling programme showcasing British talent it’s not large enough to convince a TV network to take a chance on such a venture. I’d watch such a show. Chances are that if you’re reading this then you would too. But how many casual or lapsed WWE or TNA fans would such a show attract? Not a big enough number to make it worth a TV channel’s time.

El Ligero could help attract a YouTube audience

But in 2012 TV is not the only option open to wrestling promoters. YouTube is the perfect way for any wrestling promotion to present a weekly product to prospective fans. With that simple piece of information it’s not too much of a stretch to envisage an enterprising wrestling league using the site to reach a wider audience.

How’s this for an idea? A new British promotion is formed, headed up by a booker with some experience, fresh ideas and a clear vision of where he wants to take his product. He hires out a venue and records four or five episodes worth of content in a night, with each episode running between forty-five and sixty minutes. That gets edited into four or five videos for YouTube, uploaded on a weekly basis with short backstage interviews and vignettes spliced in.

A campaign is launched two or three weeks before the first upload. This could easily be pulled off for very little cost online. Ad space could be purchased in Power Slam and FSM and flyers could be handed out at wrestling events around the country. That’s a little cheeky, sure, but perhaps some sort of working relationship could be reached amongst Britain’s larger federations.

The biggest cost involved in this would be hiring the venue and paying the talent, but that’s key to any wrestling business anyway. They would be incurring an extra cost by taping their event and editing it, but that’s not as complex a process as it was five years ago and larger indies already do this so it’s not out of the ordinary. Perhaps they could take the WWE-Full Sail route and find a university to work with to get the show edited semi-professionally.

Four or five episodes in a night is enough for a month’s worth of uploading. The company could even consider doing two consecutive nights of taping and get two months of footage in the can, which would help to keep costs down a bit and encourage regular attendance. Using the same venue for every recording, as TNA does with IMPACT, would help to attract a loyal fanbase who support the group and want to see it grow.

The good thing about this idea is that it opens up a British wrestling product to a worldwide audience. That helps when it comes to view counters, and if those attract big enough numbers then long-term this hypothetical promotion could sell advertising spots, either on the YouTube page or within the show itself (have the commentators give a quick plug to a product, for example).

If this promotion was booked well enough and was given a sustained marketing push then I think it could be enormously successful. Long term the company would have the option of producing house shows around the country and maybe even trying live internet pay-per-views. This would require a brand name known for high quality wrestling to be built first, but it could be done.

Will it be? That’s really up to the British wrestling community. Utilising the internet to market wrestling is something that has really taken off in the last year or two. Making use of a site such as YouTube, as well as the talented but unseen wrestlers working in Britain, to produce a worthwhile weekly show is the next logical step.

British Invasion

The last ten years has seen an increase in the number of British wrestlers getting work in US promotions. While it’s been particularly noticeable in WWE, TNA and Ring of Honor have gotten in on the act too. It’s a stark contrast to how things were fifteen years ago, when pretty much the only British wrestler the average American fan (and a lot of British ones) would have been able to name was the British Bulldog.

Each company has its own reasons for using British wrestlers. For RoH it was about showcasing different styles of wrestling and finding talent who complimented their core roster. For WWE it was about trying to find another source of big, muscular wrestlers, the fad of former footballers and amateur wrestlers signing pro wrestling contracts having passed. For TNA it was originally part of a drive to introduce international talent to the X Division, though in the last few years it’s been more to do with emulating Vince McMahon.

I thought it would be a nice idea to have a look at the Brits currently plying their trade in the land of opportunity and giving thoughts on who has the potential to make a lasting impression. So, in no particular order...

There’s no better person to start with than Sheamus. Within six months of his WWE television debut he won the WWE championship and had a not inconsequential three month reign. He regained it a few months after losing it and enjoyed a slightly longer second reign, showing that the WWE office has faith in him to be one of the top guys. While he’s done very good work as a heel I think he has the potential to become an even bigger star as a face: he has a unique look and a clear sense of humour, plus the size WWE fans are accustomed to. As he’s been in the company for around two years now we could be seeing that turn some time later this year. If and when the turn happens the best approach would be to let him be himself. I’ve said before that he could very quickly become the lead man on SmackDown and I stand by that. WWE has chosen Orton and he’ll work in the short term but long term it will be fans who chose the show’s lead guy, as was the case with Edge.

Over on RAW there’s muscled up Welshman Mason Ryan. The size of the former Gladiators star is what got him his contract, not his wrestling ability. But in WWE size can sometimes be all you need. Unless he makes drastic improvements when it comes to his ring work or verbal skills I don’t think he’ll ever become someone the company relies on to carry a show, but he does have the potential to evolve into a decent hand. One thing he’ll never be bettered at is grimacing. When it comes to that he will always be world class.

Wade Barrett was someone that WWE originally had big hopes for. He did well during his time on NXT, standing out as one of the show’s better wrestlers and its best talker, but the bungled Nexus angle and painfully protracted feud with John Cena has ruined his chances of breaking into the main event scene any time soon. Right now I think that’s for the best: he’s a good heel talker and works well as a mid-card champion. Personally I think that’s his niche.

On the women’s side of things for WWE is Layla (yes, she’s from London!). During her stint as one half of LayCool she was one of the promotion’s top female heels, her above average wrestling ability complimenting Michelle McCool’s good microphone work nicely. She’s currently sidelined with knee problems and is expected to return to TV as a face. I’m interested to see how she’s used without McCool. She’s one of the better workers in the company, but she’s never going to have a standout career in WWE’s women’s division.

If Layla were to move to TNA she would make a fine addition to the Knockouts’ division. This is a move Winter has made and she’s been rewarded with a program alongside TNA’s most established female act: the Beautiful People. The subject matter is a little questionable (it’s been implied Winter is spiking Angelina Love’s drinks each week on IMPACT in order to get her to turn on Velvet Sky, for mysterious reasons yet to be made clear (and knowing TNA, they may never be made clear)) but everyone involved seems to be making the most of the situation. It’s unlikely TNA would use her as a regular wrestler now, but if they did that would be ideal: Winter is one of the best workers the company currently has. That ring name is horrendous though.

Rob Terry is similar to Mason Ryan, only with a silly haircut and without Gladiators on his CV. I don’t think he’ll ever amount to anything in TNA and if WWE was interested in him they would have signed him by now. Frankly he’s lucky to have a job.

Doug Williams and Brutus Magnus, Terry’s former teammates, are the best examples of Brits in Total Nonstop Action. Williams got his US break working for Ring of Honor, and is now regarded as one of the best technical wrestlers in the world. TNA are lucky to have someone of his calibre to utilise in their X Division. Magnus, another former Gladiator, is an underrated worker and a great talker. They’re a team that compliments each other very nicely: between them they have the complete package of wrestling skills, verbal ability, look and “It Factor”. If they were booked as consistently as the Motor City Machine Guns or Beer Money they could easily carry the division. The team’s just been slapped back together because TNA had no plans for either man as a singles competitor. I don’t know why: I could easily see Williams in the X Division and Magnus as world champion.

I’ve saved the best two until last. First, William Regal. He’s one of the greatest examples anywhere in wrestling of how to get a character across to the audience. He’s also one of the very best technical wrestlers in the world, and one of the best two in WWE (the other being Bryan Danielson). It’s never mattered to British fans that he’s never going to become WWE champion. He is loved because he has been booked consistently for years and because even though his character is unrealistic it is identifiable, and one that had national pride written into it. He’s proud of where he comes from and represents Britain, and its wrestling fans, well.

Finally there’s Nigel McGuinness (now working for TNA as Desmond Wolfe). His TNA career sadly faltered due to an undisclosed medical problem, but his RoH career alone contains enough stellar material to make him one of the greatest of all time. He worked his way up from the bottom of the company to become one of its most reliable stars, having some of the greatest matches in company history against the likes of Austin Aries, Chris Hero, Takeshi Morishima, Tyler Black, Roderick Strong, KENTA, Samoa Jow, and, of course, Bryan Danielson. He is the only man to ever hold the world championship throughout one calendar year (in a company where such accolades mean something). McGuinness (or Wolfe) is the complete package: a great talker, a great character, and a great wrestler. It’s not known when, or if, he will wrestle again, and the business is a sadder place for it.

At the moment I think the future looks pretty bright for British wrestlers in the United States. WWE may be cobbling together a patchy TV show on a regular basis, but they tour Europe twice a year and have been signing more foreign talent over the last several years than at any time previously. When RoH launches their new television show in September I imagine they will begin to increase the size of their roster. They’re a company that has used many high profile British wrestlers in the past and I’m sure they will again. And when they do it will be someone more talented than Rob Terry who gets the spot.