Storyline shows in the UK, can they work?

[andrew "the ref" coyne]

Yes, though obviously depends on the promotion, their promotional style, access to talent etc. it would be pointless for a promotion like LDN (large number of venues, rotating pool of wrestlers), but it worked wonders when I was with old school FWA.

[alex shane's selling ability]

Yes, though obviously depends on the promotion, their promotional style, access to talent etc. it would be pointless for a promotion like LDN (large number of venues, rotating pool of wrestlers), but it worked wonders when I was with old school FWA.

 

It depends what you class as old school FWA, i'd say that one of the reasons the company ended up in the position it did was the reliance on imports to draw and fact that people didn't care about storylines. The biggest crowds the company drew were purely down to the international workers brought in and when these were reduced and storylines were given more focus then crowds dwindled.

[andrew "the ref" coyne]

Yes, though obviously depends on the promotion, their promotional style, access to talent etc. it would be pointless for a promotion like LDN (large number of venues, rotating pool of wrestlers), but it worked wonders when I was with old school FWA.

 

It depends what you class as old school FWA, i'd say that one of the reasons the company ended up in the position it did was the reliance on imports to draw and fact that people didn't care about storylines. The biggest crowds the company drew were purely down to the international workers brought in and when these were reduced and storylines were given more focus then crowds dwindled.

 

I think some of those points are arguable, but you certainly do bring up fair points.

 

By old school I mean anything up to British Uprising 3. As somebody who worked for the FWA, there was a certain magic captured and I'm glad I got to be a part of it. After BU3 I, personally, felt the magic start to go, but that might also have something to do with my role within the company and other backstage politics that was going on at the time.

 

For many of the long term fans, many of them were engrossed in the storylines. Many of the guys had some great emotional investment in them and was certainly part of the companies rise. The Family, Ulf Hermann, Alex Shane, Doug Wiliams, jack Xavier, Hade Vanson, Burchill etc all benefited from long term booking.

[britishwrestlinglegends]

NGW are driven by story lines & they do not travel very far, So the customers tend to follow the promotion & the characters involved. I spoke to one of the owners about this very subject & he had financial proof that booking draws better than matches. Obviously every promotion is different, But it does work very well for NGW & as a fan it is enjoyable to get behind the angles/characters, whether you truly buy into it or not.

[Polish Dad]

It basically boils down to the idea that it's horrible for a full-time touring promotion, but great for a regular, one/two venue-based product.

[simonworden]

I have always thought to myself if I ran a wrestling promotion that I would want to do storylines, have previously thought about the screen and recap idea, I also think a little information in the programme helps people as well. A storyline in one venue however much things happen outside it should still make sense just in that venue town I think.

 

I also think you should try and tell a night long storyline if possible nothing spectacular, A promo challenge, bit of interference then those involved main event something like that.

 

Premier promotions recently did well having a storyline running over a year in a feud between Dan Walsh and Kris Kay in Bournemouth, both became the biggest face and heel in the town from it and the shows they fought on were busier.

 

I can understand as a promoter why you don't bother especially if it isn't needed to draw a good crowed, it can simply become a headache and if someone pulls out then things can go up in the air. Trying to make the plots more complicated has actually ruined shows for me before.

[aaron]

FWA seemed to struggle with storylines and TV whilst running Morecombe and Enfield.

 

Well, seemed to me like it did. Having only watched the Enfield shows I felt I was missing something.... and then IPW filled the gap for me so no need to watch "half a promotion" further away.

[Jetta's G-string]

Does a touring company have to take the storylines to every venue tho? im sure the promoter wont mind me bringing his name into it, but Ravenhill couild continue to do his normal shows, but lets say keep a monthly venue in cardiff. So all the stroylines just happen there. He could have the best of both worlds.

[King Pitcos]

Does a touring company have to take the storylines to every venue tho? im sure the promoter wont mind me bringing his name into it, but Ravenhill couild continue to do his normal shows, but lets say keep a monthly venue in cardiff. So all the stroylines just happen there. He could have the best of both worlds.

 

Or the best of neither. If all the storylines are run in Cardiff, what show is he putting on at Barry Island? (I don't know where his shows are, I'm being hypothetical.) NothingOnThisCardMattersLmaoMania? Punters at non-Cardiff venues know that they're getting his second-rate, meaningless shows. And punters in Cardiff won't necessarily multiply by ten just because he plays a video of how the blinded wrestler's son hit him in the balls with a stick three months back.

[Jetta's G-string]

Does a touring company have to take the storylines to every venue tho? im sure the promoter wont mind me bringing his name into it, but Ravenhill couild continue to do his normal shows, but lets say keep a monthly venue in cardiff. So all the stroylines just happen there. He could have the best of both worlds.

 

Or the best of neither. If all the storylines are run in Cardiff, what show is he putting on at Barry Island? (I don't know where his shows are, I'm being hypothetical.) NothingOnThisCardMattersLmaoMania? Punters at non-Cardiff venues know that they're getting his second-rate, meaningless shows. And punters in Cardiff won't necessarily multiply by ten just because he plays a video of how the blinded wrestler's son hit him in the balls with a stick three months back.

surely the fans in the touring towns wont need to know about the storylines, they just out for a fun evening of wrestling

[Your Fight Site]

I think I

[PW-AJ]

EDW, that run purely from one venue in Shrewsbury, do a great job of using long-running storylines, aided by their YouTube show and Facebook page.

 

The old FWA also had easy to follow, yet interesting storylines that made shows seem more important. The new FWA was the complete opposite, with the ridiculously convoluted and off-putting mess that was the Agenda-Resistance storyline.

[Herne's Son]

FWA did a great job when they were reguarly running the Walthamstow Assembly hall but then I heard Alex Shane said they outgrew that venue or something, and they started to go further up North, it's a shame because at it's peak I think the FWA may have been able to draw sellouts monthly at York Hall.

 

FWA did a great job when they were reguarly running the Walthamstow Assembly hall but then I heard Alex Shane said they outgrew that venue or something, and they started to go further up North, it's a shame because at it's peak I think the FWA may have been able to draw sellouts monthly at York Hall.