As 2007 looms close ahead, it’s time to play know-it-all and throw out suggestions on how to improve professional wrestling’s “Big Three” promotions in North America (although it’d probably be more accurate saying “Big One and two closest competitors”).

World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) 2006, like 2005 was a year of mixed success.  While the WWE kept their revenue coming in, they did so by strip-mining their foreign market and increasing the cost and frequency of PPV’s.  Barring a catastrophe like a massive sexual harassment suit or a shareholder revolt, the WWE will continue to make money.  However there’s still plenty that could and should be done to bring the WWE back to the glory days of the late 90’s.

1.     Don’t get rid of the brand split-as much as some fans complain about the brand split, the positives still outweigh the negatives.  New stars such as Johnny Nitro, Ken Kennedy, and Carlito are being created on both shows (whether or not they’re successful over the long haul remains to be seen) and each show has established a distinctive identity to the point where crossovers between shows mean something.   Even ECW, despite questionable booking moves, ECW is serving its purpose as a developmental territory that bridges the gap between Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) and SmackDown! and RAW.

Given the shortcuts taken by the WWE over the last few lean years such

as mining their global market and running way too many PPV’s, the brand split is really the last thing separating the WWE from organized chaos and

total collapse. Keeping the brands separate is one of the only

disciplined moves they’ve kept and   giving it up would be a sign of total

surrender on their part.  If the WWE wants to show the fans (and more

importantly, their investors) that they’re serious about keeping the company competitive, they won’t give upon the brand split.  The only scenario that would justify an end to the brand split would be the cancellation of either RAW or SmackDown!

2.     Put the brakes on the recent trend of having wrestlers work two or three times a night.  Why is it that when the WWE writers find a novel idea that works, they turn it into a cliché?  Whether it’s the evil authority figure, handicap matches, or the latest trend of wrestlers working two or even three times on one show, WWE creative (this year’s Oxymoron of the Year winner) just doesn’t know the meaning of the word moderation. 

3.     Reduce the number of PPV’s-the WWE increased its PPV revenue in 2006 by two means-an increase in PPV prices to $39.95 and the addition of several new PPV’s.  In the short run, that’s helped their business but in the long run, it’s going to kill it as PPV’s become less and less important to the fans.  If this trend continues, PPV’s will soon become a weekly event with price tags of $49.94 to cover the dwindling buy rates.  Someone needs to advise Vince McMahon on the law of diminishing returns.

4.     Continue tapping its deep tape library-the WWE continued to acquire the tape libraries of defunct promotions in 2006, purchasing libraries from both Championship Wrestling from Florida and World Class Championship Wrestling.  The recent WWE Home Video release the Spectacular Legacy of the AWA demonstrated that the WWE can produce a feature on one of its former rivals without burying them.  It’s time to capitalize on fans’ thirst for old school wrestling and produce more DVD’s like the AWA product as well as more documentaries like the well-received Brian Pillman: Loose Cannon, Born to Controversy: the Roddy Piper Story, and the History of the WWE Championship.  Not only is the WWE’s home video division a money-maker but it’s something the WWE knows how to do well.  Barring weekly DVD releases, this is an excellent way for the WWE to increase its revenue without cannibalizing itself as it’s doing with its overindulgence in PPV’s. 

Total Nonstop Action (TNA): 2006 was a good year for TNA with Kurt Angle joining the company, Spike TV awarding Impact a prime-time spot, and TNA PPV buy rates at an all-time high.  Still, the company has a lot to do before they can themselves a true competitor to the WWE.

1.     Establish a unique identity and stick to it-TNA’s biggest problem is that it’s a company with an ever-changing identity.  To many fans, the X Division is what sets them apart from the WWE.  So what has TNA done in the last six months?  They’ve turned the X Division into a comedy act with Kevin Nash mocking their talents.  While some of Nash’s stuff has been funny; it’s done little to showcase the talents of the X Division or create any new stars.  Worse yet is TNA’s recent hiring of Vince Russo.  While Russo’s booking has been subdued compared to previous runs, it’s still diluted the elements that made TNA different and blurred the differences between it and the WWE.  It’s obvious to everyone but TNA management that there’s a large group of former fans who would love to watch something besides the WWE.  Unfortunately TNA seems to be making the same mistake that WCW did in the early 90’s; copying the worst elements of their competitor the WWF without taking in any of the things that made it successful.

2.     Ditch the authority figure gimmick-Jim Cornette as TNA’s “authority figure” has been a bust.  With the exception of SmackDown’s Teddy Long babyface authority figures have always been a flop.  So far, Cornette’s run in TNA has seen him portrayed as weak and ineffective, something that’s fine for a heel authority figure but death for a babyface (and while we’re at it, the whole authority figure gimmick in general has been so overdone that it desperately needs a rest).  A better use for Cornette would be to put him in the announce booth.  He’d be a great complement to Don West and Mike Tenay and his outspoken announcing style would fit in well with TNA’s current campaign against the WWE.

3.     Hire some more jobbers-I enjoy a Norman Smiley squash match as much as the next guy but even the Wiggle gets old after a while.  There are plenty of talented up and comers who would kill to get an appearance on TNA whether they’re from ROH, CZW, or any of the many indie promotions across the country.  The next time Samoa Joe has to kill someone, think of hiring some fresh meat.  If I see one more Joe/Lethal match on Impact, I’ll switch the channel.

4.     Don’t go Diva crazy.  One of the things that differentiates the TNA Knockouts from many of the WWE Divas is that they’re not all over the place, and they usually have some on-air talents besides being easy on the eyes.  Still, the real stars of TNA have enough trouble getting exposure without having to compete with a bevy of beauties.

5.     Take it easy on the house shows- TNA is smart in wanting to increase its revenue stream (Panda Energy can’t keep sliding it money forever) but it has to figure in the costs involved in running house shows.  One of the biggest caveats in business is to avoid overexpansion.  Given all the progress TNA has made in the last year, they don’t want to blow it all.

6.     Advertise-there are so many lapsed wrestling fans out there and yet so many still seem unaware of TNA’s existence.  Sure, some fans have checked the product out and decided to pass but it seems like there are a lot more out there who just don’t know about the show.  In addition to hiring big name talent, TNA needs to promote their product aggressively on television, the Internet, and print media.  Now that Impact has a prime-time spot, it’s time to draw in the fans who used to watch RAW, Nitro, and ECW.

Ring of Honor (ROH)

ROH’s unique business plan has really come into its own over the last two years.  Not only is the company reportedly making money through the sales of its DVD’s but it continues to attract the most talented workers in the world to compete in its ring.  ROH seems to be clicking on all cylinders but there’s always room for improvement (as well as nit-picking by the Internet Wrestling Community).  While they don’t seem to have any ambition of running a business as large as the WWE, there are some moves that could still help them overall.

1.     Consider a subscription service for DVD’s:  ROH has some really loyal fans and it’s obvious given the company’s rise over the last five years.  Now it’s time to rewarding these fans by offering monthly subscriptions to their shows.  Instead of picking and choosing which DVD’s to buy every month, fans could follow the product in its entirety by paying a flat fee for all the shows run each month.  This incentive might also bring in the fans who don’t equate the concept of ordering ROH tapes as being the same as ordering a PPV from the WWE or TNA.

2.     Bring in some sponsors-I’m really surprised that ROH hasn’t considered corporate sponsorship given the fact that their audience is the type of demographic craved by advertisers.  With ROH getting sponsors, they might be able to tune up their production values, increase advertising, or offer better pay for their workers; each of which can lead to their bringing in more fans. 

3.     Buy a real steel cage-It may sound petty but ROH’s steel cage looks like a bunch of room dividers clipped together.  If I had to rank it, I'd put it as one step above a white picket fence  While the Cage of Death Match at their Death Before Dishonor show featured some decent brawling, the cage looked about one step above a white picket fence. Don’t go to the trouble of running a gimmick match unless you’re willing to invest the money in the equipment associated with it.