Networks afraid to give ROH a TV deal

[FOTH 3:16]

Thats what I think.I personally think that the networks are afraid because it would blow the products that TNA and WWE present out of the country.It features solid wrestling and an overall better product than the two bigger promotions.It is not loaded down with gimmicks and sucky wrestling and is a threat to TNA and WWE.What do you guys think about that?

 

[BooCocky]

Thats what I think.I personally think that the networks are afraid because it would blow the products that TNA and WWE present out of the country.What do you guys think about that?

there is a reason why roh doesnt have a timeslot on a cable television network. Its not because its good its because its utter garbage and only three people care about it. They wrestle in high school gymnasiums, there stars arent appealing to the general public and its a spotty style. The WWE is like a billion dollar business, ROH could be bought for like $100,000's and thats probably stretching the truth.

 

[Shadowmancer]

I think you are underestimating Ring of Honor there Brian. Im sure if a network wanted to have Wrestling on they would consider Ring of Honor. But I think that it is more that Ring of Honor wants to grow organically rather than following the ECW method which ended up failing. I do think that there would be a niche for Ring of Honor on Cable Television, but there is a problem of them taping relatively rarely as opposed to WWE and TNA which you look at the taping schedule for both are definately more hectic than Ring of Honors. Then there is also the keeping the Wrestlers to contract similar to what TNA has. Ring of Honor doesn't have the financial backing of a millionaire right now. So it would be difficult to have a TV show right now as well.

 

[Slim Pickns]

ROH is not on TV because it does not belong on TV. Sure, it has a small but loyal fanbase, that however won't get you far. WWE has mainstream publicity, a large loyal fanbase, and old fans who randomly pop in and watch for a week or two. That all adds up to solid ratings each week. ROH still hasn't had a live PPV to my knowledge and their biggest superstar is a former jobber on WWE's smallest TV show, not exactly ideal. If they signed a TV deal now they would be off within a year, I'm fairly sure.

The statement of it driving WWE and TNA out of the country is laughable. ROH is about as much of a threat as a baby kitten with no legs to the WWE right now.

 

[Shocky]

I don't think he's under estimating ROH at all. It's proven, wrestling simply doesn't draw at all anymore. It's not a viable product to put on TV. ROH caters to a very very small, but vocal fan base. The similarities to ECW is so scary. It's a niche market, that won't survive on cable. The best thing possible for ROH is for the "Big Two" not to take notice of them, much like ECW. The last thing ROH needs is for the WWE to decide to revitalize it's cruiserweight division and TNA to take the X-Division serious again.

As I said, ROH is niche program. I'm sure the fanbase will be on here to say otherwise, but it simply won't work. Wrestling today is about production value, and that is why TNA isn't any bigger then what it is. People like flash and loud noise, and the WWE provides that. Nothing is as distracting as watching a wrestling show and seeing a basketball hoop in the background.

 

[Shadowmancer]

its because its utter garbage and only three people care about it. They wrestle in high school gymnasiums, there stars arent appealing to the general public and its a spotty style. ROH could be bought for like $100,000's and thats probably stretching the truth.

This is the stuff that I am saying Brian is Underestimating Ring of Honor on. Calling it utter garbage is one of the stupidist things to do when you look at it from what I call the Sly position, just because it isn't on TV doesn't mean it isn't good. High School Gymnasiums are a good place really. Ring of Honor doesn't have the name brandig that the WWE has so comparing ROH to WWE is Apples to Oranges in that regard. saying that the stars don't appeal to the General public, last time I checked CM Punk and Samoa Joe were Ring of Honor guys and they are pretty over and their gimmicks haven't changed much. Spotty style, meet the most over guy in the WWE right now, his name is Jeff Hardy. That Last line I agree with, that would be stretching the truth as I suspect it would be sold for more than $100,000. I would seriously say that if a network wanted Wrestling on their network, which they won't because the WWE and TNA are showing that it gets consistent ratings but it isn't popular right now.

Ring of Honor is in as much a potential threat to the WWE and TNA as anything out there right now because it is difficult to actually tell what draws right now as there is nothing that is drawing properly whether it is Wrestling or the "Entertainment" stuff. And RoH also wouldn't have the current facilities to do the production live. They pre-tape because they are conentrating on the quality of production then getting it out as fast as possible, that may be a side-effect of the DVD stuff that they do.

 

[FOTH 3:16]

You guys know that ROH does do Pay-Per-Views and has a great DVD deal.And look at it this way:ROH PPVs are $10 or $12 and WWE's cost $40.ROH DVDs also cost less than WWE's.Plus they feature great wrestling.Fans will go for better wrestling at cheaper prices anyday.But it is true they don't have a lot of money,but neither did ECW and they survived.

 

[travis_touchdown]

Thats what I think.I personally think that the networks are afraid because it would blow the products that TNA and WWE present out of the country

Wouldn’t that be a reason to air the program?

This is the stuff that I am saying Brian is Underestimating Ring of Honor on. Calling it utter garbage is one of the stupidist things to do when you look at it from what I call the Sly position, just because it isn't on TV doesn't mean it isn't good.

It has little to do with position. Entertainment value is generally found through reception. A program that can attract the masses is seen as an entertaining [or good] product. If a program is unable to do this it receives a more unpleasant honor.

Ring of Honor is in as much a potential threat to the WWE and TNA as anything out there right now because it is difficult to actually tell what draws right now as there is nothing that is drawing properly whether it is Wrestling or the "Entertainment" stuff.

I think the lack of interest has more to do with the main-event scene and little do with uncertainty.

 

[xmoshx]

i like ROH but its more catered for the indies then actual cable tv. the two biggest stars roh produce is a tna champ that ppl like or hate and the mitb winner that prob wont even win the belt. roh has to tape there ppv's and there not even live and that kind of spoils it for some ppl that you can get results even before its shown on tv. alot of ppl bitch and wine about WWE but the fact is the biggest wrestling show of the year drer over 70 thousand ppl were TNA is happy if there able to draw 3 thousand were as ROH gets mayb a couple hundred

 

[twisterwrw929]

You guys know that ROH does do Pay-Per-Views and has a great DVD deal.And look at it this way:ROH PPVs are $10 or $12 and WWE's cost $40.ROH DVDs also cost less than WWE's.Plus they feature great wrestling.Fans will go for better wrestling at cheaper prices anyday.But it is true they don't have a lot of money,but neither did ECW and they survived.

ECW survived? Thats news to me, they didn't have enough money and WWE was even helping them do a few things and they still couldn't make it. If filing for bankruptcy counts as surviving, then ECW definitely survived.........

 

[tha_icon85]

u can't really the reasn ROH isn't on tv is becuz its s good. makes no senses tv stations r in the business to make money and if ROH was that good it woould get snatched up in a second. and as far as over stars produced, cm punk is good but botches spot on a regular basis and samoe joe, well give him a mic and stevie wonder could see whts wrong there. and those to things r y ROH wouldn't blow wwe out the water. there's no big two in wwe period. tna is not even competition for wwecw: the AA of pro wrestling. as much as ppl wanna see good wrestling matches. they still wanna be entertained that wht made wwe viable, wcw viable, and ecw viable. if ur just doin spots wit a poor story to back up y these two r putting their bodies on the line than no one will watch. that y westling ratings as a whole r down poor entertainment value. HHH and orton can go out every week and put on a great match. but we walk thru that fued so many times no one cares. it has to entertain

 

[agentsmith22]

Is ROH a direct threat to either company, or will it ever be? No, and they don't want to be. They strive to be a left of center promotion that can give its fans a 30 minute match at anytime without the constraints of TV time. Would i like to see their ppv's go live? absolutely! But i'm sure the big two aren't scared of them. To call it utter garbage is ridiculous though. J.r> wants to subsidize it like the old ECW because they have the best talent. The ROH belt is internationally respected, probably more so overseas than it is here. But look up and down the roster of both promotions. Chock full of former ROH stars. London and Kendrick, Samoa Joe, Homicide, CM Punk, MVP, Motor City Machine Guns, Jamie Noble, Jimmy Wang, Evan Bourne, etc etc. My main point, however, is that ROH is not a threat because that's not what they are setting out to do. TNA wants to be a direct threat to WWE, and they never will be. I personally don't want ROH to get any bigger because i like helping out with the shows when they are in town and getting drinks bought for me at the bar later that night by the same guys i cheered for lol

And joe is fine on the stick what are you talkin about lol

 

[Y 2 Jake]

ROH actually makes a profit. Which is more than TNA currently does. But that all comes from DVD. So having a TV deal would be a total waste of time for them. It was eliminate a vast percentage of their income. They make a profit. But it's minor. I doubt they could afford to lose out. Which they would with a TV deal.

As it currently makes a profit, at a time when wrestling isn't very profitable, they're doing great. Maybe they just need to hand on until another boom. If and when that happens thay'll benefit in some way.

 

[Instant Classic]

To put ROH in perspective, there are more supporters of Wigan Athletic than there are people who watch ROH. Now I am not knocking fans of ROH but if ROH can get a tv deal in its current form given its popularity, then any bit promotion can. It is a Indy promotion nothing more nothing less. It would struggle to even draw a few thousand viewers to its programming so what possible reason would a tv station have for putting it on? I mean I dont think anyone outside of this forum in the uk has even heard of ROH. ROH like most indy promotions wont even last that long, it would be better off merging with one of the bigger companies in the us or mexico to help get itself noticed.

 

[joker76]

ROH is doing great business right now. They sell a ton of dvds and merchandise. I don't think they could afford to get any bigger. Remember when ECW got bigger, it pretty much sank them. They couldn't afford to try and keep up with the WCW and WWE. ROH dosen't try to compete with TNA or WWE. If a wrestler leaves ROH they just move on create another star. The owners of ROH seem to be very smart business men and know what their fans want to see.

 

[Slyfox696]

The simple fact is that ROH is not on TV, because they are not good enough to be on TV. There really is no disputing this. I had to laugh at the opening suggestion that they weren't on TV because the product was too good it would blow others out of the water. That flies in the face of all logic, as that fact would PRECISELY be why a TV network would give them a show.

ROH can not afford to produce television. And they can't afford to produce television because they don't have the fan base to support it. You take the ROH audience, multiply it by 5, and maybe then they could support television. But, the fact is, that ROH is little more than a small-time regional indy promotion (albeit the biggest indy promotion around), and the only reason they are just a regional indy promotion is because the quality of the promotion is not good enough to attract enough fans for it to grow.

ROH is not on TV, because it is not good enough to create fans which would financially support a television show.

ROH actually makes a profit. Which is more than TNA currently does.

TNA supposedly turned a small profit last year, and is expected to make a significant profit this year.

 

[FoleyIsGod]

ROH does not have the stars that would draw in the casual fan.

ECW thrived(losing money, but its fanbase was rabid) because it was so different. They had guys like Cactus Jack, Terry Funk and others who used to be on tv, before WCW cocked thier pushes up. They had guys like the Dudleys and New Jack and especially Sabu, who people thought would die for the company. ECW started to die when the big two stole all thier ideas and talent, so they were forced to look for a tv deal to make money back(which failed and they ended up losing MORE money)

ROH just doesnt have any big names. Say if they had a guy like Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall or Goldberg there(totally contrasting the rog style I know), mainstream America MIGHT pick up on that and tune in. Look at WSX, that died on its arse because it was shit and filled wit nobodies(with exception of X-Pac, but noone gives a toss about him anyway). And WSX had MTV, one of the biggest tv networks for the 18-35 demographic America has.

 

[klunderbunker]

The networks aren't afraid to give ROH a tv deal. Odds are is that the networks haven't heard of them. We all know about ROH because we're big wrestling fans. People that aren't fans still call WWE WWF, a name which hasn't been used in what, 6 years now? TNA managed to get where they are today because they had a big company backing them, and they had a bunch of named stars, maybe not huge stars, but names people were familiar with. The weekly PPV thing was a fairly original idea, and somehow it managed to work. It's been a good while, but now they're turning a profit. ROH on the other hand, to the best of my limited knowledge, has no major company backing them, and they do about 4-6 shows a month. Right now they're probably the biggest indy show promotion in the company and they have a loyal, albeit tiny, fan base and they don't really look like they're going out of business anytime soon. Take your time, and the company will grow. They're doing something right alredady, why mess it up? ECW was a once in a lifetime thing, and ROH won't be able to duplicate that, so why should they try?

 

[GUMBO2ndcoming]

Ok...personally theres two reasons why their not on t.v. Its not because networks are scared its because the product isnt what the networks want. Plus none of the casual fans know any of there talent. They dont have that big draw superstar like wwe and tna. Also unfortunately its because none of the networks know who they are. Plus the facts that people are losing intrest in wrestling, putting an almost no name company on their network could be suicide.

 

[jtbsoon2b]

everyone is overlooking why ROH isnt on TV
it isnt that they dont have "star" power, it isnt the fact they dont produce great wrestling (they have the best wrestling from what ive seen)
i believe they dont have a "need" to be on TV, because they remind me of ECW and they dont want to suffer the same fate
BUT...
the main reason they dont have a TV deal is because, lets face it, their production is poor, the graphics are very generic, the lighting is terrible (when i watch any ROH dvd or ppv and they switch from the hard camera to a different one, it looks like to different matches pieced together) and the crowd volume is sooooooo loud you have to struggle to hear what the announcers are saying.
before they get a TV deal they need to focus their energy on their production, because they constantly produce the best wrestling in the U.S.

 

[FoleyIsGod]

everyone is overlooking why ROH isnt on TV
it isnt that they dont have "star" power, it isnt the fact they dont produce great wrestling (they have the best wrestling from what ive seen)
i believe they dont have a "need" to be on TV, because they remind me of ECW and they dont want to suffer the same fate
BUT...
the main reason they dont have a TV deal is because, lets face it, their production is poor, the graphics are very generic, the lighting is terrible (when i watch any ROH dvd or ppv and they switch from the hard camera to a different one, it looks like to different matches pieced together) and the crowd volume is sooooooo loud you have to struggle to hear what the announcers are saying.
before they get a TV deal they need to focus their energy on their production, because they constantly produce the best wrestling in the U.S.

ROHs production is quite god compared to some of the other indy feds out there.

But seriously, they do not have a single "star" that they could use and they havent since Joe/Punk 3 years ago

 

[Luther_Hull]

The main reason they're not on the telly is because they're a wrestling promotion. Face it, wrestling sucks right now, no one cares about it. If WWE, the biggest and most well known promotion, are struggling what chance does that give anyone else. Why would a TV network risk money on a product that's at a complete low right about now?

Added to the fact they have no marketable stars, there's no former WWE or WCW stars to get people interested, no one knows about the product at all. If I didn't come on here I sure as hell would never have heard of Ring of Honor.

 

[NEW DAWN]

i have been following roh since 2003 and i can tell you what. ROH is doing the right thing they are building there selfs up and each year get known more and more they should not rush in to things. they got PPV a big deal in the US they are coming to Canada next month they are building there selfs. And till ROH feels they are ready do it but what they are doing is good i think the wwe and especially TNA thinks they are therts. I think ROH could get on a half descent tv station they could beat TNA. but they should not settle for any thing crappy i believe roh will get on tv and dystroy tna but don't rush in to any thing cause each year they are getting bigger and more known. 2007 the got ppv 2008 they got dvd distribution. and people who want to see what cm punk and Samoa joe did before they came to the big 2 they might look and see roh and get then hooked. when i seen my first roh show in 2003 i was hooked couldent get enough. i think what they are doing now is good they are getting noticed more and i love it roh will get noticed for there best wrestling in the world stuff you thought you would never see is in roh. they are coming in a big way and wwe and tna should be afraid cause unlike ECW roh is not going to die ever. roh roh roh roh roh

 

[finoj05]

ROH has a place on television, but not to compete with TNA or WWE. It would probably be used best on a smaller network or on late time slot like TNA in the old days.

 

[tha_icon85]

ill give u the fact that tna shuld be worried about roh but come on wwe could buy them out wit the weekly giveaway raw mania bs. mainstream wrestling is not about the best wrestling around its about the best entertainment around. plain and simple. roh is good and had produce decent draws for the "big two" but wwe barely worries about tna aside from the womens division, u think their worried about some indy program that n mainstream casual fan has ever heard of. not likely but they respect them enuff to kno they have something that's y they have snatched up a few of their biggest draws. wcw had the superior wrestling program around for years b4 they started to even respectfully compete wit wwf. it wasn't til they got creative wit their storylines and started to entertain did they see true success. pro wrestling = entertainment value. no entertainment no ratings no business