uklaw Posted March 21, 2018 Share Posted March 21, 2018 I’m a tad disappointed. I thought they’d at least dip into the ‘Salisbury Poisoning’ reserve as a reason for the cancellation... Anyway, I n my opinion, the TV deal and terms (if to be believed are live every week) as well as the channel itself doesn’t justify a self-respecting company putting their finances and reputation on the line. For all that’s been said about the promoter, PCW has a pretty stable set-up, and didn’t they already turn down FreeSports? Or they were passed over for 5Star? As for IPW, though they have more frequent shows, could it be argued that their choice of venues don’t exact scream ‘broadcast television’? That, and the slapdash storytelling would give us a 2018  version of ‘U.K. Wrestling Experience’ (remember that show?), albeit with better commentators and production. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fightnation Posted March 21, 2018 Share Posted March 21, 2018 2 hours ago, uklaw said: I’m a tad disappointed. I thought they’d at least dip into the ‘Salisbury Poisoning’ reserve as a reason for the cancellation... Anyway, I n my opinion, the TV deal and terms (if to be believed are live every week) as well as the channel itself doesn’t justify a self-respecting company putting their finances and reputation on the line. For all that’s been said about the promoter, PCW has a pretty stable set-up, and didn’t they already turn down FreeSports? Or they were passed over for 5Star? As for IPW, though they have more frequent shows, could it be argued that their choice of venues don’t exact scream ‘broadcast television’? That, and the slapdash storytelling would give us a 2018  version of ‘U.K. Wrestling Experience’ (remember that show?), albeit with better commentators and production. Slapdash....ouch! ;-) In all seriousness everyone is entitled to an opinion on our product but we do try to run a consistent narrative at the venues we run. It won't appeal to all and we totally respect that. We run some smaller venues like MK and Manchester (which I've just got back from) which I wouldn't say are for broadcast television but our Rochester venue and the venue we ran on Sunday, The Clapham Grand in London certainly wouldn't look out of place. The truth is would we want to run weekly television? As it stands absolutely not unless it was financially feasible. Our focus is on trying to put on the best shows, operating in a realistic budget to put on the best production we can within our means and continue to grow our fan base and reach. Since my takeover last Summer I have seen the reach, growth and interaction with IPW rise. We know we won't be everyone's cup of tea however audience size is growing and whilst it may be gradual (we won't be hiring arenas for a Freesports deal tomorrow) we are happy to be pushing forward rather than stagnating. I have been vocal about my opinion on 5 Star and whilst I don't like to see people out of work I have no sympathy for a man who used a situation that affected many personally as a reason for the original show cancellations last year. I hope some of you can give IPW a chance and whilst we aren't rushing to Freesports looking for that weekly 3 hour slot we are always open for our product to be seen by as many as possible. I wonder if we sold more tickets tonight at the Frog & Bucket in Manchester than were sold for the arena on Thursday???? Billy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosler28 Posted March 21, 2018 Share Posted March 21, 2018 I think in todays world you dont need tv to be a successful wrestling promotion. You can make a profit from doing regular shows using local guys and building up a fanbase. Then if needs be you can sell merch and dvds online. 5 star were playing wwe. Wwe have been going for 50 yrs or more. Bet they didnt start with arenas. Theyd have built up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Carbomb Posted March 21, 2018 Paid Members Share Posted March 21, 2018 1 hour ago, Rosler28 said: I think in todays world you dont need tv to be a successful wrestling promotion. You can make a profit from doing regular shows using local guys and building up a fanbase. Then if needs be you can sell merch and dvds online. 5 star were playing wwe. Wwe have been going for 50 yrs or more. Bet they didnt start with arenas. Theyd have built up. The rest I agree with, but the bold bit - that's out of step with the rest of your post. We now live in an era where relatively successful indies can have an OnDemand service now, as ICW have shown - the internet has now made it possible for enthusiasts to follow a promotion they're engaged with even when a show isn't in their neighbourhood. Nowadays, if you're the type of fan who will go to the trouble of buying DVDs online, you'll probably also be happy to get the OD service. Not to mention the cultural shift of recent years: DVDs, whilst not completely obsolete, are widely being disregarded in favour of online streaming services now, both from the influence of the mainstream companies like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, and from WWE leading the way for wrestling fans, so any promotion with a modicum of success would be wise to set up an OD service ASAP, to draw in the fans who like a promotion but simply can't be bothered with buying or playing DVDs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members BomberPat Posted March 21, 2018 Paid Members Share Posted March 21, 2018 The sooner we get beyond the dated BritWres obsession with "get British Wrestling back on the telly at all costs!" the better, in my opinion. PROGRESS, ICW, Fight Club Pro, Pro Wrestling EVE, and plenty of others, have gone from strength to strength in recent years, and at least three of those promotions are, this year, running their biggest ever shows. They've done all that without telly, they've done it through building up a loyal fanbase, a strong brand, and allowing fans to follow the shows online. Unless a TV network is going to invest money, crew and resources into the production side of things, most promotions would be mental to sign up for a weekly live TV show. That's a huge undertaking that the vast majority of companies simply aren't equipped to do - and the better promotions know that. Why rely on the whims of a TV network, when OnDemand streaming services can allow you far more control over your product, and allow your fans more control over how and when they want to watch it?  What annoys me about all this is the sheer bloody inevitability of it. Go back to the first pages of this thread, and to the first show, and tell me that nobody saw this coming. They ran an overambitious arena tour, couldn't deliver, cancelled at short notice, then came back having clearly learned absolutely nothing from their mistakes, ran another overambitious arena tour, couldn't deliver, and cancelled at short notice. All the while having made every single mistake that people smarter and more experienced, or just who had been paying attention, had said they would make along the way. If all of us could see that, then why couldn't they? It's because they were either naïve enough to think that they could pull it off, or big-headed enough to ignore the criticism or think that it didn't matter, and neither are a positive trait when it comes to running a promotion. And the bloke's clearly not an idiot - he managed to hustle his way into getting serious financial backing, into getting his video games developed, and getting the promotion up and running and booking shows in the first place. But imagine what could have been done with that amount of cash, with that level of investment, if it hadn't been given to a promoter who just wanted to play at being WWE and book all his favourites? If he'd decided he would promote his game by talking to, and working with, experienced, knowledgeable promoters already working in the UK, and had secured the funding to support them, or cross-promote shows with them. The scene is full of promoters that could have done something genuinely brilliant with the kind of money Five Star had available to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Carbomb Posted March 21, 2018 Paid Members Share Posted March 21, 2018 Hear, bloody hear, Pat. I just hope, but somehow doubt, that we won't keep having to have the same stupid debate that inevitably arises from people who refuse to learn from history when yet another one of these shitehawk companies show up. On ‎11‎/‎02‎/‎2018 at 12:27 PM, Carbomb said: Sure, if 5 Star turns out to defy our expectations and end up being one of the premier wrestling companies in this country, great: that's one more option we have, and something to appreciate. But things aren't same as back in the early 2000s: we have a lot more choice now, and no company is owed our enthusiasm and fandom just because they're British and put on wrestling, they've got to earn that. And, quite frankly, history is not on their side; long-time fans of the British wrestling scene have been bitten too many times, and they're understandably more than twice shy. It's on 5 Star to prove they're not another shit-show, using a model that has been known to end up in a shit-show. I didn't post this for no reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knightmare Posted March 21, 2018 Share Posted March 21, 2018 i for one is sad over the demise of 5 star wrestling another opportunity gone for british wrestling on TV. I really hope another chance comes and if it does people who know what they are doing get the job and the same old faces stay away and give fresh faces the chance to pull it off. We have had a few chances over the last few years there wont be many more if any Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Egg Shen Posted March 21, 2018 Paid Members Share Posted March 21, 2018 who was the money man dumb enough to plough his cheese into this thing anyway? it must have been one hell of a sales pitch to get him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members BomberPat Posted March 21, 2018 Paid Members Share Posted March 21, 2018 2 minutes ago, Egg Shen said: who was the money man dumb enough to plough his cheese into this thing anyway? it must have been one hell of a sales pitch to get him. Jason Noble, of Nobles Casinos/Amusements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheffbag Posted March 21, 2018 Share Posted March 21, 2018 Jason will be ok, i'll be topping his profits up when I'm next in Scarborough Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Kaz Hayashi Posted March 21, 2018 Paid Members Share Posted March 21, 2018 2 hours ago, knightmare said: i for one is sad over the demise of 5 star wrestling another opportunity gone for british wrestling on TV. I really hope another chance comes and if it does people who know what they are doing get the job and the same old faces stay away and give fresh faces the chance to pull it off. We have had a few chances over the last few years there wont be many more if any The thing is though Ricky, as Pat and Carbs mention above, the fact that actual quality promotions are offering fans the chance to watch online is absolutely key here. It’s cost effective, manageable, and the vast majority of their target audience live online. Im a big fan of ambition, I’m a big fan of going for it, I’m also a fan of common sense and strategy. Unfortunately, 5* lacked the latter of those qualities. I think it’s in the interest of U.K.  promotions and clued up fans to promote and praise any of the companies who are offering tickets to their shows to fans who have been let down. That’s where the focus should be, getting rid of any potential sour taste and quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim R-T-C Posted March 21, 2018 Share Posted March 21, 2018 9 hours ago, BomberPat said: The sooner we get beyond the dated BritWres obsession with "get British Wrestling back on the telly at all costs!" the better, in my opinion. PROGRESS, ICW, Fight Club Pro, Pro Wrestling EVE, and plenty of others, have gone from strength to strength in recent years, and at least three of those promotions are, this year, running their biggest ever shows. They've done all that without telly, they've done it through building up a loyal fanbase, a strong brand, and allowing fans to follow the shows online. Thing is, I thought we had, I think most people thought that. With on-demand services so accessible and Youtube making a great entry platform for new promotions (say what you want about WCPW but they sold 2000 tickets for shows just from buzz on YT), the idea of a TV deal being important seemed long forgotten. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Lion_of_the_Midlands Posted March 21, 2018 Paid Members Share Posted March 21, 2018 TV isn't even important to TV anymore. Most TV companies now plug their own version of catch up/on demand alongside the actual programming. Look how often these days someone like Sky makes all of the episodes of a new programme available as soon as they air the first one. The ship has sailed on trying to get British Wrestling back on TV, if ITV can't make it happen with WOS then right now no one can.  Even WWE doesn't care about TV. They care about network subscription and YouTube views. When the leader in the field has moved on then British Wrestling has to do the same.  5 Star was never going to work, and I don't even feel sorry for the wrestlers. They did what wrestlers do in any situation when they see that the promoter is in over his head, ride the gravy train until it comes off the rails. 5 Star were just Bowler with money and ambition. There was always a queue of wrestlers willing to work for Bowler and they all knew he couldn't fill a WMC in Leeds. Plenty of guys were willing to take 5 Star's money even though they knew they couldn't fill those big arena's. It's just part of the carney nature of the business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim R-T-C Posted March 21, 2018 Share Posted March 21, 2018 3 hours ago, Lion_of_the_Midlands said: 5 Star was never going to work, and I don't even feel sorry for the wrestlers. They did what wrestlers do in any situation when they see that the promoter is in over his head, ride the gravy train until it comes off the rails. 5 Star were just Bowler with money and ambition. There was always a queue of wrestlers willing to work for Bowler and they all knew he couldn't fill a WMC in Leeds. Plenty of guys were willing to take 5 Star's money even though they knew they couldn't fill those big arena's. It's just part of the carney nature of the business. They got to work with Rey Mysterio, RVD and John Morrison among others in matches that will probably show up on Youtube, get some networking and filled a Thursday night booking. The fans who went seemed to have a good time. The people who lost out are those with pre-booked tickets who might struggle to get their money back, them I feel sorry for, many were probably completely unaware of the company's precarious position. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TildeGuy~! Posted March 21, 2018 Share Posted March 21, 2018 They’ve shut up shop 2 days before a show, imagine the poor people who’ll probably turn up at the arena tomorrow unaware of what’s going on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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