Do the lower production values hurt the credibility of Independent Companies?

[Thriller Ant]

When you go to a Raw or SmackDown taping, you are greeted with bright lights, a giant stage, and the HD tron. You can see backstage segments and if a match spills out into the crowd or around the stage, the spotlights and tron make sure everyone in the arena can see what is going on. Entrances have great pyro, appropriate lighting and music that plays clearly.

When you go to an Indy show, things are a little different. I'll use ROH since I've been to a couple of their shows. You walk in, and see a little entrance ramp, a few light stands, a computer set-up for the music, and a few rows of folding chairs around the ring and entryway. Once the taping starts, you can't see anything too well unless it is immediately around the ring or has the spotlight on it. There is no pyro, the lights are decent, and the entrance music doesn't always sound the best.

Now that is just when you attend the show; when the show airs, whether on TV or DVD, is when this becomes more obvious. So when it comes down to it, when you take the in-ring product out of the equation, does the lower production quality hurt Indy companies and their credibility? I'm not talking about issues stemming from GoFightLive, even though that is a hot topic right now, but rather the stuff the company does control: mics, lights, music, staging, etc. Is this something that reinforces why these companies aren't in the big time, or is it just a fact of life that doesn't really matter to you?

 

[klunderbunker]

I watch OVW which has a ring, a curtain and a sign and it doesn't bother me. At the end of the day, wrestling is wrestling and the stuff around it is just that: stuff around it. It can be nice to have all the production values and all that jazz but there's something nice to be said about having the more basic stuff at times. It doesn't bother me as the ring and what goes on in it is what matters, so no the production values don't hurt the credibility. When more or less two American companies can afford to have huge productions it's hardly fair to make the comparison between them and indies.

 

[K_VonFong]

Absolutely.......lower production certainly hurts independent promotions. However, is it a crippling problem? No, not really. Indy feds know that they are appealing to a niche market, which are die-hard wrestling fans, smarts, and the IWC.

These die-hard fans are there to watch wrestling not to see fireworks. However, if the indy fed has any desire to go mainstream (which most do) then the production of the show has to be improved at some point. Certainly, for many "wrestling fans", whether or not they'll pay attention to a wrestling company depends heavily on the "look" and production value of the show.

Bottomline: Most feds dont start out with multi-million dollar owners backing them, so they have to make decisions based on cost/benefit if they have any hopes of longevity. Most feds are going to start with a focus on the in-ring product (because its the easiest and cheapest thing they can control) and if they can make some profits then they will improve on all the other "fluff". Look at ROH's 1st few years compared to now, production value has improved, especially in terms of tv prduction.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

In the eyes of some, I'm sure it does. For instance, you hear complaints about the TNA Impact Zone all the time and how it makes TNA look low rent or second class and all that. When WCW and WWE started using all the big lights and the pyro and the highest quality sound equipment, they made it much more difficult for smaller companies to be able to simply look as good on the surface.

However, for me, I honestly don't think the lack of pyro and all that hurts the credibility of indy companies. When it comes to any wrestling company, whether it be a small indy to WWE or TNA, it's about the product with me. As long as there are good wrestlers that are able to make me care about what they're involved in and are able to put on good and interesting wrestling matches, then it's all good as far as I'm concerned.

Having all the bells and whistles is nice if you've got them. Sometimes, the entrances of some wrestlers are just plain awesome and all that can potentially add a little something extra to the show. But, if you don't have good wrestlers or good wrestling matches, then I don't really care how good you look on the surface or how much you hype your product.