Live Smackdown From Australia

[Jaffa]

This is a self explanatory thread do you think a live episode of Smackdown from Australia would work. This isn't an original idea by any means as the UFC already have done it and it has worked in terms of live attendance and profit. Australia has never been the location of a WWE show as Global warning was just a taped house show and only WCW taped episodes of Nitro and Thunder here in 2000. Australia is a successful region for the WWE every tour they do they make millions every last year when they only went to three cities. During the Australian summer (October to around Wrestlemania) the two biggest cities of Australia of Sydney and Melbourne are 16 hours ahead of American EST therefore making a live episode of Smackdown midday on Saturday. I think the Australian market is very profitable for WWE at the moment especially with the high Australian dollar so they would be able to make a reasonable amount and it already costs $250+ for front row seats at the house shows anyway. If the WWE were to do I think the best time would be between Survivor Series and TLC so not to clash with other sports in Australia.

Agree or Disagree?

 

[thebarber]

A live Smackdown would work, but it the logistics that make it that it will never happen. They generally do a tour in the UK when they do a Raw. As Smackdown is taped in the States, they could get a sell out crowd on a Saturday morning in Sydney or Melbourne no worries, dads taking their kids, be over by lunch time. I agree WWE could really do more down under,I mean between 1986 and 2002 they didnt come here once. The annual trip is always a massive success, but as they are already on a very tight schedule touring the world around ppvs and Raw/Smackdowns, it just isnt going to happen. The UFC is different, they do a PPV here, not a weekly show. A WWE PPV down under would work, except nobody would go as it would be a Monday morning here in Australia, doubtful a crowd would attend, well not a sell out and ppvs are all about making money.

 

[GameOver]

I don't think it's a successfull region at all, successfull for PayTV maybe but live events, with exception of Melbourne and maybe Sydney the other areas probably lose a tonne of money (we are too far away from the US) the logistics of getting everything here that would cope with a huge TV show would be astonimical. I know when they come to Adelaide bugger all people go and the crowd generally very quiet, granted we don't have a decent stadium or arena.

Australians aren't as rowdy too, we are more picky .

Saying that i'm sure a once a year for RAW or Smackdown would work in the Melbourne show if they stored equipment here and jsut had to ship the crew, definately not a PPV tho, the cost of just getting here alone would kill any profits for a huge event

 

[M]

Australians aren't as rowdy too, we are more picky .

Collingwood vs Richmond at the MCG would disagree, we can be rowdy when we want to be

If they were going to do a live show in Melbourne it would probably be at Rod Laver arena which holds around 10-14 thousand, they'd probably get that many fans in there and with their outrageous pricing for tickets to the WWE shows down here they'd easily make up for the costs of logistics so in the monetary sense it'll be a success. The crowd would like it too, wrestling's pretty unacknowledged down here so it'd be a good way to let Australians know about this wrestling stuff, and we've got a reputation for being a pretty good crowd for the WWE so the only question left is "why not?"

 

[hunterXhunter21]

I'm pretty sure WWE has a warehouse in Europe they keep a ring and tv gear in. Making it easier to hold shows. I don't know if they have one in Australia. So they would have to fly everything over. I wouldn't mind seeing it happen. A would more likely tune into a live broadcast than a taped one.

The other thing they have to worry about are drop bears. For those who don't know drop bears are unusually large, vicious, carnivorous marsupials related to koalas that inhabit treetops and attack their prey by dropping onto their heads from above.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

JR summed it up this week, the model at the moment basically works as they aren't over exposing any area with 2 a year being the max. The UK is the only one that could realistically handle a 3rd visit but it's not worth them only doing the UK on its own.

The biggest factor is does a territory have talent that is "must see" and will help bring casual fans. Someone mentioned the MCG. Aussie crowds who are not die hard WWE fans would probably want a home-grown talent... Of course the UK and Ireland has several in prominent positions so it always works here. For Manchester/Liverpool shows they can advertise Layla or Barrett as "hometown", likewise for Shemus in Dublin or Drew in Scotland. It helps get that reluctant dad to spend the money on the tickets if someone local is on the show.

As far as I am aware there is just one guy in NXT from Australia so that side of things is difficult.

Time difference would also be an issue, not so much as in the UK but for the possible returns the investment probably wouldn't be worth it until either an Aussie gets over or wrestling itself becomes more over in that region.

 

[Jaffa]

The UFC event in the Gold Coast last year which wasn't a PPV btw drew $900,000 gate with only just over 4,000 people in attendance. So drawing a crowd of 10-14 thousand at Rod Laver would more than cover the cost of sending the equipment over if they had to. So a show would be fine I live in Perth personally and while the crowd isn't the best the shows are almost always sold out even though front row in 2009 was $350 which further proves my point about money not being a problem especially if they did the usual house shows in Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane and wherever they happen to go in New Zealnd.

 

[Jaffa]

I don't think it's a successfull region at all, successfull for PayTV maybe but live events, with exception of Melbourne and maybe Sydney the other areas probably lose a tonne of money (we are too far away from the US) the logistics of getting everything here that would cope with a huge TV show would be astonimical. I know when they come to Adelaide bugger all people go and the crowd generally very quiet, granted we don't have a decent stadium or arena.

I did read an article on a dirtsheet last year saying the three shows made over 5 million combined and that was just the three if you remember because Perth and Adelaide didn't get one. If the UFC can do it and only draw a crowd of 4000 and still make money I am show the WWE can have a show. They are probably quiet because they are depressed due to the fact they live in Adelaide

 

[AustralianBroski]

I don't even think they'd need for it to be a live special, seeing as Smackdown is always taped prior. A Tuesday night taping in Melbourne/Sydney would work fine.

 

[Headman]

It wouldn't work live because of the time zone issues but considering Smackdown is taped anyway (As others have stated) there's no reason they couldn't do a few episodes of SD over seas.

 

[Max_Power]

Any wrestling event that would go to air would absolutely sell-out. Melbourne or Sydney would be the only place you'd hold it but it would be absolutely huge for Australia if they did it.

I still dream we'll one day get a PPV, however the time-zone makes it near impossible.

 

[Soulblazed]

I'm not from Australia but I really want WWE to do more televised international shows/PPVs..WWE could do Raw/Smackdown tapings throughout Australia for an entire month leading up to a major PPV, holding both televised Raws and Smackdowns along with house shows in cities like Perth, Hobart, Adelaide, etc culminating, say at a Survivor Series PPV held in Sydney/Melbourne

 

[Jaffa]

I'm not from Australia but I really want WWE to do more televised international shows/PPVs..WWE could do Raw/Smackdown tapings throughout Australia for an entire month leading up to a major PPV, holding both televised Raws and Smackdowns along with house shows in cities like Perth, Hobart, Adelaide, etc culminating, say at a Survivor Series PPV held in Sydney/Melbourne

If they wanted to do that the best month would be June because in June the 2nd Monday is a public holiday meaning that it could go live in America. I think if they were going to tape a month worth of shows they should probably do some in each city and throw a taping to the Kiwis even if most of them live here anyway. The one problem with that is because Australia doesn't have many cities that aren't big cities they would risk the problem of it getting quite dead or empty quite quickly.

 

[CripplerBenoitFan]

If you were going to do a Live Smackdown from Australia, it would need to be first thing in the morning. Friday Night 8PM in NYC is Saturday morning 8AM in Perth, Australia. I guess you could make it like 10 or 11 AM if you held the show in Sydney.

I would love to see it, I am not boo-hoo'ing the idea at all. The time constraints make it difficult. It's exactly why you rarely see live events outside of the US. East coast USA is still WWE's home base even though they are global.

 

[Jaffa]

If you were going to do a Live Smackdown from Australia, it would need to be first thing in the morning. Friday Night 8PM in NYC is Saturday morning 8AM in Perth, Australia. I guess you could make it like 10 or 11 AM if you held the show in Sydney.

I would love to see it, I am not boo-hoo'ing the idea at all. The time constraints make it difficult. It's exactly why you rarely see live events outside of the US. East coast USA is still WWE's home base even though they are global.

Read my first post properly on the time situation when Americans don't have day light savings but when Australia does in our summer Sydney and Melbourne are midday Saturday for 8pm EST Friday night.