Bully Ray Talks PPV Schedule, CM Punk, Hardy & Tackling Larger Markets

[It's Damn Real!]

http://www.prowrestling.net/artman/p...10029316.shtml

On the new PPV schedule for TNA:

"I think it’s good for business as far as people being emotionally invested and really interested in what’s going on. From a dollars and cents point of view, I can only hope it makes sense for TNA. I like to compare everything to sex. Even sex gets too much at times. A pay per view every single month, you kind of get burned out on it. What really is special and what is not special?

"Sometimes you may watch a pay per view and say actually Thursday night’s Impact was better than the pay per view. So what did I spend my money on? I remember as a kid growing up, the Wrestlemanias, the Royal Rumbles, the Survivor Series, the Summerslams, the Starrcades. The special shows that you really, really built to. You built real emotional investment. Where you said to yourself, 'I absolutely, positively have to see this show.' With pay per views nowadays, whether it’s WWE, TNA, Ring of Honor. Is there anything that’s must see anymore? Ok I know I must see Bound For Glory, and I know I must see Wrestlemania. What else?"

Why is TNA not tackling the big markets?

"There aren’t a lot of topics that I won’t answer you guys on. This one I’m going to step away from, for the very simple fact that my opinions might not mesh with their business opinions. All I know is this, in New York City, a small underground company with no better than a midnight spot on cable television fifteen years ago sold this city out every single time. TNA should be doing the same thing. I would love to see TNA get on board a little bit with the more traditional style of wrestling promotion, and getting word out to the fans a little more than just the TV show and the internet. I do believe that a company who is still growing like TNA, you really do need to do the gorilla marketing, the grassroots marketing. I do believe that TNA should be appearing more and more in New York, in Philadelphia, in Boston, in Chicago and Detroit. Hardcore wrestling fanatics, cities where people will really sink their teeth into your product, people will really jump on board. I’m not quite sure why they stay away from the Northeast as much as they do."

On a potential match with Jeff Hardy:

"Me and Jeff had a ton of history. Everybody knows about the TLC matches. The Hardys vs the Dudleys. All of the history that we made together. Got to give Jeff a ton of credit for bouncing back from his personal issues. I never held a grudge against Jeff for his personal issues, when actually, I’m the guy that should probably hold the biggest grudge. Because when Jeff was going through his personal issues, who did the company turn too to make everyone forget that Jeff Hardy was on the shelf? Me! And in a week’s time, you forgot he was gone. I was the guy who stepped up and hit grand slam after grand slam every single week. No grudges, no jealousy, no nothing. TNA is better with Jeff Hardy as the champion. TNA is a better company. Professional wrestling is better with Jeff Hardy. Nothing but respect, but I do want another opportunity."

--

The quote he gave specifically about the North East is the biggest kicker for me, being from New York City myself. I have no idea why TNA doesn't market here more. I remember attending a house show at Webster Hall years ago that was PACKED to the brim. The fans didn't even leave when the show ended, and hung around for like an hour and a half just chatting with the wrestlers, taking pictures, getting autographs, etc.

If you don't think TNA could make a stronger move into markets like this, I don't know what to tell you, because I've been to their live events, and I've been to ROH events in the area. The fans eat this shit up like it's free cake. I'm with Bully Ray here 100%. It's a risk worth taking. In fact, if you somehow could poll the fans as to what city TNA needs to visit more, I'm wiling to bet NYC ends up in the top-3.

As to everything else, it's fairly repetitive stuff we've already discussed, except for the CM Punk comments, which I'm omitting from quoting, simply because this is the TNA section, and I don't want the fact he was mentioned to hijack this thread into something WWE related. If you care about his CM Punk comments, read the article, and if you wanna talk about them, go open a thread in that section.

On a somewhat related note, does anyone else get the sense that when Bully Ray finally retires, he's pretty much assured a job behind the scenes somewhere? Guy really knows the business.

Thoughts?

[VencomHardcore]

I agree TNA should be doing more events in Philly, NYC and other Hardcore Cities. To be honest, if the four major ppv's were done in these markets, they could make their money back at the gate plus sell a ton of merch.

There is a reason ROH goes back over and over. They do extremely well in NYC. These cities have great fan bases that follow indy wrestling and are more passionate about the product. So TNA could focus the Big 4 on these cities and it would pay off.

Hell if they are going to make the Big 4 really BIG then they can always add talent that people really want to see like Petey Williams and other top indy talent just to get more of the locals invested.

[The Dragon Saga]

I think Ring of Honor probably has something to do with it.

They can go to Philly and Chicago, they've several wrestling arenas to choose from, that aren't too large and can fit 4,000 people or so. But New York City in Jim Cornette's words is shit for wrestling arenas. He hates the Hammerstein Ballroom because to light it up fully means you have to construct lights on the roof and the way its built makes that extremely difficult, so ROH devised a "we'll leave one half of the arena dark and the other lit" mentality towards it. With ROH having a deal with Hammerstein that'd probably remove any chances of them going there.

Rahaway, New Jersey is shit. I think they did a show there years back, or was it Elizabeth, NJ? Jay Lethal was a focal point in the show anyway, that's all I can recall, it built around his return to NJ. I think Philly is a good idea as is Chicago, but again ROH sell out Chicago every PPV they hold there so It'd be kind of like going into, not so much enemy territory, as TNA are bigger but there'd just be something awkward about it.

[Lady Sheamus]

Originally Posted by It's Damn Real!

http://www.prowrestling.net/artman/p...10029316.shtml

On the new PPV schedule for TNA:

Why is TNA not tackling the big markets?

On a potential match with Jeff Hardy:

--

The quote he gave specifically about the North East is the biggest kicker for me, being from New York City myself. I have no idea why TNA doesn't market here more. I remember attending a house show at Webster Hall years ago that was PACKED to the brim. The fans didn't even leave when the show ended, and hung around for like an hour and a half just chatting with the wrestlers, taking pictures, getting autographs, etc.

If you don't think TNA could make a stronger move into markets like this, I don't know what to tell you, because I've been to their live events, and I've been to ROH events in the area. The fans eat this shit up like it's free cake. I'm with Bully Ray here 100%. It's a risk worth taking. In fact, if you somehow could poll the fans as to what city TNA needs to visit more, I'm wiling to bet NYC ends up in the top-3.

As to everything else, it's fairly repetitive stuff we've already discussed, except for the CM Punk comments, which I'm omitting from quoting, simply because this is the TNA section, and I don't want the fact he was mentioned to hijack this thread into something WWE related. If you care about his CM Punk comments, read the article, and if you wanna talk about them, go open a thread in that section.

On a somewhat related note, does anyone else get the sense that when Bully Ray finally retires, he's pretty much assured a job behind the scenes somewhere? Guy really knows the business.

Thoughts?

I read this yesterday and I loved how he said he wasn't going to answer what he thought they should do but then turned around and said it.

I think he knows what he's talking about, and it makes me think of on the Rise and Fall of ECW vid when he was talking about the way things should have been run in ECW I agreed with what he said then. I got the sense that he has a mind for business (I believe he said he had a background in it?); I don't know if it's a great mind, but what's plain is what's plain for those who see things plainly. When I read this before I remember thinking that they definitely should try to hit up the markets that WWE distributes itself sparingly to. I think the New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago crowds would love it, but it would be a bit of a gamble on live tv if they hated it. They would make sure to make their feelings known far more emphatically than the IZ cast--I mean, crowd. For a PPV it's fine, though.