Hosting Shows In Canada

[waylonmercy]

I have seen on occasion photos or stories about WWE Raw's and Smackdown's drawing poor crowds and having to tape off 1/3 of the arena. With the Canadian Dollar being above par why doesn't the WWE do more Raw's and Smckdowns in Canada? WWE hasn't had a televised show in Montreal in a few years and the last time WWE ran a televised event in Winnipeg, where I live (Raw/Smackdown back to back) it was back when Eugene was the hottest commodity in WWE and they sold out both shows. I believe it was the 1st back to back event for WWE. I don't even remember the last time WWE ran a show in Vancouver or Quebec City.

 

[Ubiquitous]

Honestly dude, they're in Toronto atleast once a year, usually twice. Whether it be a Raw, Smackdown or house show. To be brutally brunt, I just don't think they like making all that travel. It's probably a huge pain in the ass. I don't know if you've noticed, but usually if they have shows in Canada, all the shows in a row will be in relatively close proximity to one another. I have a theory on why Toronto gets tons of shows though, and that's cause it's the only real MAJOR city close enough to the border that these guys can get away with driving back into the US that night and catch a flight, cause Customs is a BITCH when you're flying.

 

[sTyLnK]

I live in Vancouver and both shows (Raw/Smackdown) are NEVER at Rogers Arena. It's always house shows in smaller venues. It sucks. I've never been to a WWE event and if I do go, I want it to be the big time shows. Oh well, what can you do.

 

[Derf]

They hit Canada up twice a year, usally in either September or May. In fact this upcoming sunday I will be attending my 4th house show since May 08, and I live on the east coast. Canada is a hot place for shows, easily, that's why they're here alot.

 

[RD_21]

To be honest I am getting mad at them why the f are they not coming in Montreal anymore. We always had one of the biggest crowd reaction and after chanting "You screw Bret" and "We want Bret" for 13 years when everyone had forgotten the man, I think we "deserve" Bret. The pop would be so HUGE (disclaimer: I realise that maybd Bret don't want to do it for the big emotions it would bring him), just look on youtube when HBK tricked us with Bret music the concentration of the pop was UNIQUE.

They used to come once or twice a year the next or previous day of Toronto but now it seems like they go in Ontario instead for the 2 nights. The last show other than House show was Breaking Point 2 or 3 years ago.

Sometime I almost want to register on JR's BBQ site to ask him what's up between WWE and Montreal.

I think they should do more shows in Canada as the crowd here are always loud and a part of the show. I remember years ago when JR was doing the Ross Report he would always say things like "Can't wait to get in Montreal next week were the crowd is always a factor". Damn I miss live shows.

 

[WWEIsLife2]

Well the WWE was just in Canada a couple weeks ago in Edmonton & Calgary for RAW & Smackdown. They are going back again Next Week going to Ottawa and Toronto before Night Of Champions. Im sure they will hit Montreal again eventually,they always do.

 

[Macho_King]

Yeah just checked for you guys interested and heres the events scheduled for the remander of this year in Canada. I think they were in winnipeg earlier this year. Not sure why they don't go to montreal more often. It always more to it than one would think. It has to make sense travel wise IE other local locations plus other International tours do they interfere and arena availability.


http://www.wwelivetour.com/eventlistings?country=ca&state=&unix_event_start=&term_node_tid_depth=All

 

[dadubay]

I am sure that they would have more shows there if your laws werent so strict. Wrestlers like to do stupid things and have their arrest records to show for it. If you guys let R Truth and the other WWE former convicts in your "country" then I am sure you would see more shows. Since that wont change, accept your nothingness and crappy half shows with half ass crew showing up.

 

[Tripleb2k1]

language barrier may play a role as the audio of it isnt the greatest with having 2 languages chanted in unison

 

[XXJJ]

They have a Smackdown coming up in Toronto, and they have Raw in Ottawa. They were just in Calgary and Edmonton. I believe they drew well in Calgary and Edmonton.

They need to keep Raw and SD away from the small midwestern markets in the US. The crowds are either quiet or their are not as many people. A lot of those markets should be only for house shows.

 

[GameOver]

Australia is the same, don't think they've ever done an actual taping here, they have the yearly tours for both shows and on the east coast which is understandably the 2 bigger cities they did tape the show for the purpose of releasing a DVD for sale here. I believe that was the Smackdown tour when John Cena was a part of Smackdown.

Wouldn't blame them though, the crowds here don't get so wound up like the American TV crowds do and we have smaller arena's we are more subdued too and just want a good show and less of the cheap pops and mindless chants

Maybe they just sick of the You Screwed Bret chants and the crazy Canadians (god love em) that cheer for the wrong people
na seriously Canada would have to be there biggest money spinner as far as touring, closer and thus cheaper, alot of great "wrestlers" came/come or went though the Canada region

 

[RD_21]

language barrier may play a role as the audio of it isnt the greatest with having 2 languages chanted in unison

We only did one chant in French an it was back when Lita was there. Even if we are french speaking in Montreal there's English people as well and people know the chant since they are watching a product in English in the first place anyway.

Crowd reaction is always hot here so the 2 language has nothing to do with it.

 

[Psykohurricane55]

It's the montreal screw job effect. The last time they did a big show in montreal was Breaking Point. The main event event was Taker Vs Punk and they did a montreal screw job type ending and just like the last time they did this, they stop coming to montreal for t.v event or house show because they are scared of the reaction they are going to have. In a couple of years, montreal will probably be back on the main schedule for Raw's and Smackdown because Montreal as always been a great market for them.

 

[B.Ware]

I love the shows in Canada, the fans seem very much like the ones here in England. They're always loud and seem really up for the occasion. I guess that's what happens when you only get a chance to see a show once every couple of years. Wish they did more there though.

 

[whoopin' ass]

part of the problem is wwe shoots themselves in the foot. they did shows here in Regina and Saskatoon a few weeks back and the RAW roster was good - Punk, Cena, all the stars. but it has been probably 5 years since they were here last (they were supposed to be here a few weeks after Benoit's death - can't remember if there was a show inbetween) and why? poor sales because of a poor roster showing up. right after the brand split, there were here like 3 times in 4 years and they had great rosters - the first show i went to had HHH vs Kurt Angle, jericho, etc and this was the Smackdown show. by the time the third show was here, we were down to Orton and Edge main eventing - no Triple H, don't remember Cena. Not bad but this was before either of them were World Champ. I understand we are the middle of nowhere Canada but if they can put on a good show in middle of nowhere USA and draw, they why can't they do the same here?

as others have said though, eastern Canada has wwe all the time. they do at least 2 shows a year in Toronto including a Raw/Smackdown and are all over Ontario. It isn't that they don't come to Canada, they rarely leave Ontario unless it is to go to Quebec.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

They've been taping off the hard cam side (by that I mean the side the hard cam is sitting on) for years. They did it when I went to my first show in 2002 and they did it this year. It's not a big deal.

They don't go to Canada a lot because if they do, it diminishes it. Think about it. If I only give you a candy bar every few months, you're going to really enjoy the shit out of it when I give it to you. If I give it to you everyday, not so much.

Not only that but I'm sure there are excess costs when running Canada with passports and such. Plus travel is harder in the winter, especially in Canada. I know it's not THAT much different than say Chicago or New York, but it's definately harder than Atlanta or Phoenix.

Also, the markets in the midwest aren't smaller or more quiet. They just aren't smarky assholes and they actually enjoy the show and cheer and boo instead of "look at me" chants.

 

[Dizzy]

To be honest I am getting mad at them why the f are they not coming in Montreal anymore. We always had one of the biggest crowd reaction and after chanting "You screw Bret" and "We want Bret" for 13 years when everyone had forgotten the man, I think we "deserve" Bret. The pop would be so HUGE (disclaimer: I realise that maybd Bret don't want to do it for the big emotions it would bring him), just look on youtube when HBK tricked us with Bret music the concentration of the pop was UNIQUE.

They used to come once or twice a year the next or previous day of Toronto but now it seems like they go in Ontario instead for the 2 nights. The last show other than House show was Breaking Point 2 or 3 years ago.

Sometime I almost want to register on JR's BBQ site to ask him what's up between WWE and Montreal.

I think they should do more shows in Canada as the crowd here are always loud and a part of the show. I remember years ago when JR was doing the Ross Report he would always say things like "Can't wait to get in Montreal next week were the crowd is always a factor". Damn I miss live shows.

Watch Breaking Point. You will notice why they don't come back.

Honestly, WWE wants to protect their "image" so instead of going to places that will sell, they are more afraid of crowd reactions and whatnot. I think travel is the cop out because they know the kayfabe characters will get heavily booed or cheered and will alter the show.

Ziggler cut a promo at Breaking Point and the "Shut The Fuck Up" chants rattled him and it was un-editable.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

Watch Breaking Point. You will notice why they don't come back.

Honestly, WWE wants to protect their "image" so instead of going to places that will sell, they are more afraid of crowd reactions and whatnot. I think travel is the cop out because they know the kayfabe characters will get heavily booed or cheered and will alter the show.

Ziggler cut a promo at Breaking Point and the "Shut The Fuck Up" chants rattled him and it was un-editable.

lol that's silly. They LOVE the hostile crowds. If they were so afraid of "the intelligent smarky crowd showing their flaws" (essentially what you're saying) they wouldn't have done the whole CM Punk vs Cena thing.

WWE isn't afraid of a loud, entertaining audience.

 

[boywithbluehanger]

As a viewer I LOVE when they're in Canada. Canadian fans seem to be the lost soul of the WWE. I miss extremely loud responses from the crowd, the funny chants, and the ridiculous bashing whenever wrestlers in a match end up outside the ring near the front row.

 

[RD_21]

Well I know that I was disapointed with the crowd in Montral at Breaking Point. They are usually full of smark and I was expecting people to boo Cena out of the building but to my surprise it was 50/50 for Orton and him.

And come on if they don't come to Canada, you don't get the classic moment of a fan throwing Cena's shirt back to him. That was a classic lol.

 

[waylonmercy]

What I am asking is why they don't have Raw or Smackdown in cities like Vancouver/Saskatoon/Regina/Winnipeg/Montreal/Quebec City and Halifax?

I know they do house shows in most of those places and I know they do tapings in Toronto/Ottawa & Calgary/Edmonton combos. There is no reason why they can't do...

Vancouver/Seattle
Winnipeg/Minneapolis-St Paul
Quebec City/Montreal

THey did the 1st back to back show in the same city in WInnipeg back when HHH was trying to turn Eugene heel.

 

[Syborgg]

There must be something up with Vancouver as to why they don't go there. Did the B.C. government fuck them over or something? It seems odd to me that WWE would come to Canada but NOT visit one of it's biggest cities.

As for them coming to Canada, I'm Canadian, so I love it when they come up. I just don't think that they can do much more because of how small most of our centers are. Just look think, our biggest cities are Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal and Calgary. Ottawa and Edmonton are on the smaller end. Then compare that to Philly, The entire N.Y. area, the SoCal area, etc. My point is, there are alot of cities in the U.S. that are bigger than Calgary, and even more that are atleast the size of Edmonton. The choices of cities to go to is just larger. We here in Canada can't compete. But I'm honestly o.k. with it, because it makes it more special when they do come up. Also usually when they do come up, our Canadian crowds get enthuised and electric and they cheer whoever they want.