Could any old billionaire own a successful wrestling company?

[Crayo]

If some billionaire wanted his own wrestling federation, and had seemingly unlimited amounts of money, how far could he get it? It's a market that only has one real competition with a lot of flaws, and it's a market that can make you a lot of money; WWE is proof of that. With that much money you would have no issues with stealing WWE talent as you can pay them equal amounts (or more) and promise better booking. You won't have any issues having a decent venue, and could easily afford marketing costs. You would have all the wealth WWE has and more.

Of course this is hypothetical, but it's fun to think about.

 

[Lockard 23]

It's basically WCW and Ted Turner all over again.

But WWE is a corporate empire themselves now and one of the main reasons they went public was to avoid situations like this. They now have all the funds of being able to compete with someone like a Ted Turner. WWF was also going through a rough period at the time because of the steroid scandal and trial hurting the WWF's image so that played into their shrinking fan base as well. That isn't the case currently.

Isn't Bob Carter a billionaire?

 

[Senhor Perfect]

Absolutely yes, but only if they could secure a national TV deal, and hire the right wrestling people to put on a decent show with coherent storylines.

 

[seabs]

I honestly doubt anyone could challenge the WWE, there is no Hogan to sign this time. The WWE itself is the big draw now not one man.

 

[Stopspot]

There are a lot of factors, some of which have been already touched upon.

But any old billionaire can buy a wrestling company and make it a success. New Japan was doing very bad around 2005 after a disastrous storyline involving bringing in real MMA fighters to invade the company and face the wrestlers in both scripted matches and shoots (long story short, the mma guys were booked to win the scripted matches and only one or two of the wrestlers managed to win shoot fights, making the NJPW roster look like crap). But they were bought up by their current owner and his company in 2007 and they have since then turned around and arguably become the second biggest promotion in the world (Maybe CMLL can compete with them but I don't follow lucha).

So it can be done. But I'm unsure on if it can be done on the American market considering how big of a foothold WWE has in the states. But I could definitely see it be done in Europe if someone had the balls and vision to.

 

[Crayo]

It's basically WCW and Ted Turner all over again.

But WWE is a corporate empire themselves now and one of the main reasons they went public was to avoid situations like this. They now have all the funds of being able to compete with someone like a Ted Turner. WWF was also going through a rough period at the time because of the steroid scandal and trial hurting the WWF's image so that played into their shrinking fan base as well. That isn't the case currently.

Isn't Bob Carter a billionaire?

I'm talking about a billionaire who is willing to invest incredible amounts into it, unlike Carter.

 

[Lacky]

If I was a billionaire and we're talking Bill Gates rich, I would absolutely blow Vince McMahon out of the water just to basically say "Fuck you, yeah I can do that" I'd invest millions and I mean MILLIONS. I'd make WWE look like a shit stain. I'd have global around the world PPV's and sign the best talent available.

 

[Lockard 23]

If I was a billionaire and we're talking Bill Gates rich, I would absolutely blow Vince McMahon out of the water just to basically say "Fuck you, yeah I can do that" I'd invest millions and I mean MILLIONS. I'd make WWE look like a shit stain. I'd have global around the world PPV's and sign the best talent available.

You can invest millions and millions and millions into getting all the talent you want, but that's not gonna make people tune in. Despite the fact that a billionaire was funding WCW since 1988, they didn't really get a big bump in profit until Hogan came in 1994 (and even that was short lived) and didn't witness a HUGE bump in business until the NWO caught fire, and later Goldberg. They were still being funded by Turner when people tuned out in droves because the people writing the show suddenly lost their minds and started booking the show as if they had become monkey-with-severe-head-trauma Blue.

Turner buying them out did save them and kept them afloat for the next several years (Crockett was surely about to go bankrupt) but it didn't make people automatically start watching the show.

At the end of the day, a billionaire pouring his money into it means nothing if the people writing and booking the show don't produce a show that people find interesting creatively.

 

[Lacky]

You can invest millions and millions and millions into getting all the talent you want, but that's not gonna make people tune in. Despite the fact that a billionaire was funding WCW since 1988, they didn't really get a big bump in profit until Hogan came in 1994 (and even that was short lived) and didn't witness a HUGE bump in business until the NWO caught fire, and later Goldberg. They were still being funded by Turner when people tuned out in droves because the people writing the show suddenly lost their minds and started booking the show as if they had become monkey-with-severe-head-trauma Blue.

Turner buying them out did save them and kept them afloat for the next several years (Crockett was surely about to go bankrupt) but it didn't make people automatically start watching the show.

At the end of the day, a billionaire pouring his money into it means nothing if the people writing and booking the show don't produce a show that people find interesting creatively.

Great post, I was also going to add about hiring people who can write and produce a good show. Hell I was even going to name someone like Heyman. But I couldn't be bothered typing it. Brilliant points made though.

 

[Crayo]

Whilst I like the relevant similarity of Turner and this thread, society has moved on, and so has television. If you offered double the wages the wrestlers get in WWE, and hired good minds like Heyman and Colter for wrestling stories, and could get yourself on a decent network and forked out for advertisements during WWE's time slot, it would be easier than you think to get viewers. Wrestlers do draw, and they do get people to tune in, but not as much as they'd want ofc.

WWE would then have to spend extra money on their top stars' wages as they would know moving over to this new brand gives them an easier life, and a richer life. It wouldn't be shocking for big stars to move over to this new federation who wouldn't tour as much, and wouldn't demand as much media. Those big stars coming over sends a lot of fans your way.

 

[Stopspot]

Competing with WWE on the American market will be difficult due to how engraved it is in American pop culture that WWE = Wrestling. I think I touched a little on it in my previous post that if there was a billionaire willing to invest and who wasn't afraid to take chances he could easily compete with Vince on the international market. A big company touring Europe would be interesting to see. With WWE only making sporadic appearances each year and no big established promotions it would be easier to break in on the European market if big interest could be drummed up.

 

[Farooq]

I think it would depend on which billionaire, which TV network, which wrestlers/writers are involved and stuff like that. That would have a good impact at the beginning, but then you would have to keep the show good, no bullshit booking. Because even with all the credibility, of the people, if the show doesn't stay good for a while to keep a big solid fanbase, it could just slowly dissolve and die, or just stay minor.