Regular Shows or House Shows?

[WWE.IS.AWESOME]

Everybody knows that in the WWE, there are house shows and regular shows. What I'm asking you is which one is better to go to?

House Shows: I'm going to say the good things and bad things about going to house shows. A good thing (for some people) is that the wrestlers can kind of break kayfabe and interact with the crowd. Another good thing is they have more time to go around and smack people's hands. There are normally more matches, too. A bad thing is there's no titantron so if you don't have good seats, you can't see.

Normal Shows: The good thing about normal shows is there is a titantron so you can see everything. There are also more promos to listen to. Regular shows are also way more exciting. The bad thing is that wrestlers normally don't have enough time to go around and hit everyone's hand. There are also less matches.

Have you been to one of each? If so, which one was more enjoyable to go to?

If you haven't been to either, which one would you rather go to and why?

If you have been to one, but not the other, would you go to the same one again or the different one and why?

Discuss.

 

[Father Uncle Oscar]

My father got me two tickets to a house show in Rhode Island the night before Royal Rumble 2008. I can't remember some of the matches but I'll try to run through the ones I remember.

CM Punk def. Chavo Guerrero for the final spot in the Royal Rumble. It was a decent match that really got Punk over with the crowd a few months before his first reign as Mr. Money in the Bank.

Mark Henry def. Nunzio in a squash match. I only remember this for the reaction my dad had when he saw the size of Henry compared to Nunzio. You should have seen the look on his face.

Triple H def. Umaga in a Steel Cage match. Umaga almost escaped a few times before HHH brought him to the mat for the Pedigree and the 3-count. Afterward, HHH signed a few autographs for the crowd while the crew took down the cage. It's a shame that will be the only time I see Umaga in person. R.I.P.

Jeff Hardy/Chris Jericho def. JBL/Randy Orton. Hardy got a huge pop from the entire arena. He was the only guy I got on my feet for, since he was my favorite Superstar back then. Close to the end of the match, Y2J chased JBL to the back to distract Orton and gave Hardy the perfect oppertunity for the Twist of Fate and Swanton for the win. I was PUMPED.

Edge def. Rey Mysterio and Batista for the WHC in the main event. I knew Edge would win, but I still had fun watching the match. The finish came when Rey hit the 619 on Batista, and Edge speared Rey in mid-air during the splash to retain. All in all, I had a great time and it was my favorite birthday present so far. I'll have to wait and see if I get anything on Tuesday.

But anyway, I had a lot of fun at the only house show I went to, but I definately want to see a few TV tapings before I lose interest in wrestling (if I ever do). I contemplated going to a Raw taping in 08, but my parents said no. Of coarse it had to be Jeff Hardy's return from suspension againt Mr. Kennedy Kennedy, so I was pissed. I wanted to go to Survivor Series 08 too, but never brought it up. Same with Smackdown's 10th Anniversary and this coming Royal Rumble. But I would definately go to another house show because the wrestlers are much more laid back and willing to see what plays out in the arena rather than being aware of their performances only.

 

[LegendKiller716]

I think tapings are better. The pyro, the music, the tron, just the environment is much more exciting. If I want to get real technical I actually prefer ppvs. I went to Survivor Series the year Jeff Hardy won his first WWE title. It was great, especially because I'm a huge Hardy mark. The house show I went to was fun, but it doesn't compare.

 

[Kaneanite]

I've only been to a house show and it was really good. I remember Morrison v. Shelton v. Carlito (pretty sure it was Carlito) and that match was awesome - it was for the IC Title. Kane and Orton had a good match in which Kane won and then I forget who Cena's opponent was... I want to say Edge though I'm not 100% sure, and since it was in a part of Massachusetts Cena got a HUGE pop and it was just overall a great time.

I think you have a better chance of seeing better wrestling in the house shows because it seems like everyone has a match and they don't really chip you out of anything. But overall, I'd probably much rather go to a RAW or SD! since it just seems more exciting.

 

[CripplerFrogSplash]

I'd go with TV tapings, as mentioned before the fireworks, the tron & the promos just make it better. House shows just get music & a few matches, nothing more

 

[Rahkeyshe]

I've been to a house show, a Raw, and a PPV (Armageddon 1999 in S Fla ... Vince vs Triple H).

PPV >>>> Raw >>>> House show.


Don't get me wrong, all of them were exciting and a good time, but there is just no comparison in regards to atmosphere at a PPV. You know ANYTHING can happen, and you're on the edge of your seat the entire time.

Tapings to me are better than house shows. You get the Tron, you get promos, you get pyro, and most importantly there is still some doubt about what will happen. With house shows, you know all titles will be retained, and a lot of faces are going to win. It's still a great time though.

 

[EB112177]

I have been to house shows, normal (tv tapings), and PPVs. They all have pros and cons. House shows, yes you get more time to interact with the superstars, than at tv tapings or PPVs, considering the time constraints that they have. I have been to plentyy of both. At house shows I have gone to seen plenty of great matches. One of the best things I got from a house show was half of Stone Cold's shirt that he wore during a match. Another had front row seats, and shot the breeze with the Coach, got a few prizes from him at that event. Remember shooting the breeze with Y2J about Trish and he said been there done that. Normally never see title changes at house shows. Defenitely the TV taping and PPVs have a different feel. Knowing that you are at a live event that everyone else is watching is, and I quote, the Miz AWESOME. You never know what is going to happen, possible title changes and so on. Ever since the PG era I have not been to a WWE event. As of late they just seem to cost a little to much. I just seem to want to spend the money on a house show that is really focused to the kids. Not a bad thing though. I have been to 2 Wrestlemanias, 12 and 19, both were great. Great matches. Seeing Goldberg make his WWE debut after WM 19 against the Rock was classic. After the the TV tapings I remember there was one time Booker T, had mostly everyone out there trying to do the Spinaroni. He even had Vince out there trying to do it, and called it the Macaroni. I will finally be making a return to a WWE event later this year when it comes to Seattle for Over the Limit in May.

 

[GameOver]

Well i can only talk from a perspective of TV vs House Show.
been to tour shows in Sth Australia, none of them would ever be a televised event

the scale is alot smaller, but thats alot to do with our Entertainment Centre is relatively small.

Bad Points
No commentry
small titantron that only shows the logo of Smackdown or Raw
too loud, sound distortion with music etc.
Can't see alot unless you are at close distance
Expensive compared to a small fee for having cable tv
No backstage stuff - interviews, promo's etc.
Cant just fast forward or change channels if something is boring
Titles will likely never change hands outside of televised shows or for that matter outside of the US, so it's pointless even having those matches on tours
Some of them "Cena mostly" tries to hard to get local cheap pops and fails miserably.

Goods
Can interact with the stars both in ring and after the show
They can do stuff they wouldn't be aloud to on TV
No adverts
Atmosphere can be enticing

overall i'd much rather watch on TV then goto a house show, but thats me.
i don't find entertaining in going to live events for sports either, other then maybe basketball and Sprint Cars.

My brother has been to a taped event on the east coast of Australia and he enjoyed it alot, said it was like a mini PPV and pretty much LegendKiller was saying. the overall atmosphere and what they put on was well worth going. However it was pretty damn expensive bonus though the show was never shown on TV only chance to see it was when it came out on DVD several months later, and everyone in certain seats got to keep there seats as souveniers. the Steel/Padded chairs with logo on them and everything.

 

[Post]

I haven't been to a house show since 2001, but I used to go to everyone that came to my area. The house shows in the Detroit area always had great advertised title matches, but the titles never changed hands. I stopped going because I realized that nothing major would ever happen at a house show. Don't get me wrong, house shows have great entertainment value, but if I had a choice between a televised show or a house show, I would chose televised.

The Saskatoon house show where Bret beat Flair for the WWF title was so rare...I just think if I am spending my hard earned money, I want the full experience of what I see on TV. And I want the possibility that I could witness history.

 

[The Suplexer Perfecter]

TV show definitely. You get the story lines, and possible title changes. How often do titles change at a house show? Once in a blue moon

 

[Little Stinger At Heart]

I went to WM 26, SummerSlam 2004, numerous Raw's/Smackdowns/Nitro's/Thunders and a TNA house show and a WWE House Show...I'll tell you this, my favorite out of all of those is the TNA house show I went to last year...I got Ric Flair/Samoa Joe/Christy Hemme/MCMG's and Eric Youngs autograph...got to take pictures with a bunch of the stars...there was match after match and the wrestlers were just outstanding to the crowd...I had so much fun it was incredible...I'll never miss another house show in my area again...

 

[greg_74]

Since 1999 I've been to a couple house shows, a couple Raws, a couple SmackDowns, and 3 PPV's and PPV's were the best but thats too be expected.

House Shows
Pros
-Usually better seats due to smaller venues and less people attending (Not always true)
-More fan interaction
-A good number of matches

Cons
-No lights camera action effect as noted there is no pyro, titantron, etc. and its not broadcast on TV so you can't go back and watch it when you get home or when it comes out on DVD
-Rarely any title changes
-Not all the top wrestlers are there

Raw/SmackDown
Pros
-Lights Camera Action, you get everything you see on a weekly basis from these shows
-Usually all the main event guys are there with the exception of injury
-You can DVR the show and go back and watch it
-Unpredictibily (sp?), anything can happen on these shows, especially Raw due to it being live

Cons
-Commercial breaks, which are to be expected with Raw but they even build them into Smackdown so you're left with nothing to do for a few minuted multiple times
-The matches are shorter, for the most part matches at PPV's or House Shows get a good amount of time were on Raw or SmackDown they can be a lot shorter due to the 2 hour time constraints

PPVs
Pros
-Everything listed for Raw/Smackdown
-More title matches, with a good chance of a title changing hands
-"Special Matches": Hell in a Cell, Ladder, TLC, Last Man Standing, etc.
-You can buy the DVD afterwards and have the event to watch whenever you want

Cons
-The only real negatives I can thing of have to do with tickets are they are harder to get good seats and they cost more on average than house shows or Raws
-Also there are only like 13 or 14 so your chances of getting one in your hometown or close are not as good

So overall each of these events can be fun but once you go to PPVs you set spoiled and want to go to those all the time. I still have gone to one Raw since my first PPV (2007) and it was fun since it was the Undertaker accepting HBK's challenge last February but the quality of the matches are just not as good as a PPV.

 

[LitasRevenge79]

You know...I've been to RAW/Smackdown, and to house shows. No PPV's yet. But I can't complain about the quality at either. I've been lucky enough to always have great times at all the shows I Was at. The RAW/ECW show in October 2006 when DX took over Raw and then about a year later, a live Raw right before Survivor Series, the week before Jericho re-debuted. I even ran into Umaga and Orton in our local mall. Then earlier that year, in May of 07, I think, it was on a Monday night, at a house show for SD and ECW, I got to see a tag match of Benoit and Batista vs Edge and MVP. VERY good match. Batista went around the ring and was hanging out with the people and even after the Main Event, he hung out for an extra 20-30 minutes signing stuff for the kids and hugging and pics. Even at that show, Kane was playing around with some kids, and Regal and Taylor, etc, it was all great fun. Then I got some tix to a house show in 09, I can't remember, just before WM25...when Jericho was against all the legends and Ricky Steamboat comes out to talk about how thankful he was to be getting inducted into HOF. Y2J comes out and interrupts him, then Punk comes out and saves the day. It was an AMAZING show. Cena was even there, a main event against Edge. I had a GREAT time at the SD show for October 2010, where Kane had just won at Hell In A Cell against Taker, with Bearer betraying Taker. I really can't choose. I would have to say, I'm split down the middle. Great times at all of them!!

 

[ECWcyrus]

i have to tons of house shows. WWE comes to my area at least once a year. yes there fun because there is more interaction with the superstars. i only been to "regular" show once when RAW came several years ago to binghamton Ny. it was the night kurt angle was drafted to RAW, HBK returned. it was an all around awesome night

I would say regular shows are far better. the atmosphere is amazing and usually you
dont know what to expect

 

[cboedeker2]

As someone who has been to all varieties of WWE shows including, Raw, Smackdown, PPV, and soon, WrestleMania, I'm torn on this one. If you're looking for a straight wrestling show with more of an indie feel to it, house shows would be better for you. If you're looking for flash and production value, then obviously TV tapings and Pay Per Views are going to be for you. Personally, I prefer TV tapings and Pay Per Views, for more than one reason. For one, WWE doesn't bring their own sound system to house shows, so if the house sound system sucks, you can look forward to not understanding half of the promos at all. Secondly, the lighting in the building is generally crap. I've been to low-budget, garage-band concerts that had better lighting than WWE has at their house shows. Also, as stated before, the atmosphere is just that much better. I remember getting chills as Raw went live when I attended in Nashville in July. When the Smackdown house show in Chicago opened, yeah, it was cool, but nothing special. Just Teddy Long coming out and announcing the matches. I guess I'm just one that likes spending my money on some production value. To each his own though.

 

[MizfitPeep]

I've been to both over the years, more house shows than tapings. I tend to enjoy house shows a little more, maybe because I've been to more of those. The matches are longer, the wrestlers seem to have more fun & are more relaxed. The downside is you'll rarely see a title change, and you see some of the wrestlers who aren't quite ready for TV.
TV is a lot of fun too. You see all the stars & could see a new champion crowned and get caught up in the moment. (was there when David Arquette became WCW champ. It was exciting, but afterward, wtf? lol) A downside is sometimes it's hard to understand what the wrestlers are saying in interviews. And you don't get as much actual wrestling at your typical TV taping. I have yet to attend a PPV, but this year's WrestleMania will take care of that.

 

[WWEIsLife2]

I have been to 1 House Show which was in December 2007 and it was fun but I like the TV Tapings and PPVs a little more because of the atmopshere. I have been to numerous RAWs,Smackdowns,and PPVs (Royal Rumble 2002 & 2010,Armageddon 2004,Backlash 2007,and soon Wrestlemania 27). Plus u get the Lights,Pyro,Titantron,and most of the Superstars being there. Also at TV Tapings you get to see stuff that the TV audience doesn't get to see generally.