Wrestling’s Return During COVID-19
Will you be following NWA, MLW, ROH or NJPW?
In this edition of The Wrestling Estate roundtable, we discuss the return of NJPW, MLW, NWA and ROH during COVID-19.
When would you feel comfortable attending a live pro wrestling event?
Matthew Smith: After a COVID-19 scare in my family and with my wife being six months pregnant, I wouldn’t feel comfortable anytime soon. I’m glad that they are slowly allowing people to get back out there and if my situation was different, I would have no problem going, but I care about my wife more than attending a wrestling event.
Juan Bautista: If there is a vaccine for COVID-19, then everybody will feel comfortable knowing that we’ve got a handle on it. If there is no vaccine, it would depend where the event is. I wouldn’t feel comfortable since I’m in Georgia cause cities and counties can make their own decisions while the number of cases keeps going up.
David Gibb: When I think of the height of the ceilings and the filth level of the curtains and stale air smell in the venues indies generally run up here, I have to say a hard no. I don’t think I’d be able to relax during a TV taping either, even with a sparse crowd, knowing how many people were in the building in terms of concessions, security, production professionals, etc.
Steven Jackson: It’s really hard to say. Here in the U.K., I don’t feel comfortable leaving the house in my district. But, then again, we cannot be prisoners in our own homes. I’d like to say by the start of 2021 I’d like to go to shows again.
Chad Gelfand: I would go to an arena show after a vaccine is made. For an outdoor show, as long as there’s social distancing, limited capacity and strict mask enforcement, I wouldn’t have too much of an issue.
John Corrigan: I already attended Synergy’s GSI in July. I thought I’d hate wearing a mask, but it was actually a great time. I’ll also be attending the 24th annual Super 8 on Sept. 19.
Jack Goodwillie: I would. This goes for any business really, but if a wrestling company is doing all it can do to open doors in a safe manner that’ll allow it to at least gain enough revenue to keep itself alive, then why not? We all have our reasons and underlying conditions, but I respect the hustle especially after having heard some of the horror stories small businesses have had to endure over the last six months.
If MLW stopped airing its weekly episodes on YouTube as part of its Restart, would you still follow the promotion?
Smith: I mainly follow through Twitter, so yes.
Bautista: MLW has handled its social media well enough that I don’t think it will affect it that much.
Gibb: Probably not. I’ve watched MLW on YouTube since Fusion began, and I don’t have access to beIN Sports.
Jackson: I’d still follow MLW where I could. MLW is a great product and when you like a great product, you will find a way to watch. It would be a shame if the shows were taken off YouTube, but I’m sure there will be alternatives.
Gelfand: I don’t really follow MLW, but if there’s enough buzz for the Restart, the company may actually gain new viewers due to people curious about the new direction.
Corrigan: I would be crestfallen. I love MLW and the easy accessibility is one of its best aspects. If I have to subscribe to some service, then I won’t be watching.
Goodwillie: I would. I can’t say I’m a weekly viewer of MLW content, but I will occasionally pop in and watch some matches and follow the product loosely. The reality is YouTube is great for convenience, but there are always means to watch the wrestling shows you want to watch in 2020. Not that I condone all of those means!
Will you be following Ring of Honor when it returns or has the lack of new content during the pandemic completely turned you off?
Smith: The drop off for me with Ring of Honor started a long time ago. I watched mainly to see the Bullet Club, and once they left, my interest fell off. Not to say there aren’t amazing wrestlers there, but with so much content right now, ROH will have to do something to grab me back in.
Bautista: ROH will have to do something spectacular. It has the least amount of excitement surrounding it than any other promotion right now. I’m more excited about GCW than ROH.
Gibb: I haven’t watched Ring of Honor for more than a decade and will continue not to watch it upon its return.
Jackson: If you read my article “Speaking Out As A Disgusted Fan,” you know that my issues with Ring of Honor stem deeper than just a lack of new content. Until I know everything has been ironed out behind the scenes, I really can’t watch the show. I am excited for the Pure Title Tournament, but I’m keeping disciplined the best I can not to watch it.
Gelfand: ROH’s buzz has been dwindling for the past few years, and the lack of new content has definitely hurt it. Hopefully, the company has come up with some fresh and innovative feuds, ideas and storylines to get some buzz again.
Corrigan: I’ve never followed ROH’s TV show and only check out the promotion when it comes to Philly. But I will check out the return episode since it’s getting so much love.
Goodwillie: Actually, the lack of content during the pandemic hasn’t turned me off, partially because I was never really “turned on” by the product in the first place. Some of the allegations included in #SpeakingOut included people of power in Ring of Honor, so it wasn’t a bad idea to wait until the dust settled. All that said, as hard as I have been on Ring of Honor in recent years, the return of the Pure Championship and an accompanying tournament is an excellent idea. I happened to catch ROH’s first episode back and I was thoroughly impressed by the presentation, which is miles better than anything it has done in years. There’s room for an entirely sport-based product in this space. AEW incorporates elements of this, but you can’t push a character like Orange Cassidy and call yourself a completely sports-oriented show. AEW is the new sports-entertainment and WWE is just entertainment, which leaves Ring of Honor, Impact Wrestling and Major League Wrestling to fight for the scraps in North America. One way to get your piece of the pie is to just stand out, and while it’s early, Ring of Honor has definitely done that.
A Brickhouse vs A Queen!
— NWA (@nwa) September 14, 2020
Only one can be the winner!
See it live on 9/15 for the debut of Prime Time Live.https://t.co/tzKDFj7p8K@kamillebrick@Heatherisme@unitedwrestling@FiteTV pic.twitter.com/8rl2QflH2F
Will you be watching NWA’s weekly pay-per-views on FITE TV for $7.99 each?
Smith: Even though the price is so low, I am a hard pass on this one. With football being back, fantasy leagues and sports betting, I need my $8.
Bautista: It will be dependent on how intrigued I am. The business model is heading in the right direction. There is still life in the PPV market.
Gibb: Certainly not all of them, but I could see myself purchasing the right show, as long as no racists wrote it.
Jackson: It is quite steep to pay $7.99 per episode. But I’ve seen a lot of the talent involved grow through the UWN and NWA system, so I’m really excited to see what they will bring to PrimeTime Live and which talents will shine!
Gelfand: I will not. There’s so much wrestling right now that paying $7.99 every week to keep up with NWA’s content doesn’t seem appealing, especially with so many of its stars (Ricky Starks, Eddie Kingston, Thunder Rosa) getting shine on AEW already.
Corrigan: No way. As much as I enjoyed NWA Powerrr, I wouldn’t have paid anything to watch. Regarding the first episode of this experiment, I was intrigued by Kamille vs. Heather Monroe, who I had never seen before. She cut a great promo and I’ll definitely follow her now. On the other hand, I couldn’t care less about Mike Bennett challenging for the title. Right now, the only way to get me to pay is if Tim Storm fights Nick Aldis again.
Goodwillie: It’s all a matter of time investment. I can’t possibly watch all this new content, even if I want to. I like Billy Corgan and support the NWA’s mission. If I’m idle during the show, I will happily check out the pay-per-view. But the NWA has some questions to answer about what it wants to be in the current space. Like ROH, NWA had to oust a prominent figure in David Lagana, and with Nick Aldis shouldering some of the creative load, I expect the product to naturally look a little bit different when it returns. Maybe that’s enough intrigue for the common wrestling fan? I do know that $7.99 is a more than ideal price point for what I expect to be a solid show at worst.
Will you be following NJPW’s G1 Climax?
Smith: No doubt.
Bautista: Yes. NJPW has gotten hot and I don’t expect the typical cool off period that leads up to Wrestle Kingdom.
Gibb: Casually. The G1 is always loaded with great matches, but to enjoy it at the highest level, you need to have been tracking each wrestler’s development and journey throughout the year. This year, that’ s a little different for everyone.
Jackson: I always follow the G1 Climax and although NJPW has not been as firmly on my radar in recent weeks, the G1 is essential viewing for me.
Gelfand: I’ll watch the matches with the most buzz around them, but I’ll fill in the blanks by listening to John Pollock of POST Wrestling’s recaps of the shows.
Corrigan: Zero interest. Still haven’t hopped on the NJPW bandwagon.
Goodwillie: Loosely. The G1 involves a lot of matches that happen really fast, and again, there is a lot of content seemingly coming back at the same time. I will typically follow it loosely online, reading the results just as you’d read the box scores in the next-day paper. Then, if there’s a match or two that sticks out that I’d like to see, I’ll go to NJPW World and check it out. It’s always compelling because big things are certainly in store for the winner, but it’s a big ask to watch the whole thing in its entirety.
About Author
