Welcome to another edition of the pro wrestling post.
Shawn Michaels deal with Eyeblack
Former WWE superstar Shawn Michaels has signed an endorsement deal with Eyeblack. The company produces under-eye eyeblack with phrases and logo. Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch is also sponsored by Eyeblack.
The deal according to the press release allows Eyeblack to produce and sell product with Michaels’ trademark catchphrases which include Showstopper, Mr. HOF and Mr. Hall of Fame. It will also produce custom designs on camouflauge eyeblack for Michaels’ Outdoor Channel show, “MacMillan River Adventures.”
Payout Take: A nice quid pro quo for Michaels. A portion of the deal was for use of Michaels trademarked phrases. It is a nice product placement for Michaels’ hunting show. But, in general, just what real purpose do the eyeblack strips have? Couldn’t you wear sunglasses to keep the sun out of your eyes?
TNA moves up an hour earlier on Spike TV
TNA will move up an hour to 8pm ET (5pm PT) starting May 31st. According to the press release, it’s “predicated on the fact that there are more available viewers in the 8:00-10:00pm timeslot with less sports competition in the 8pm hour.”
TNA is not doing too bad in the ratings right now. This past week it averaged 1.4 million viewers with a 0.99 rating which was up from the previous week. Bear in mind, the ratings are much better than either Bellator or TUF Live.
Payout Take: Acknowledging the competition and moving it to a slot where it may get move viewers is a good move by TNA and Spike TV. The move likely is gearing up for this fall when the NFL will have more games on Thursday nights throughout the fall. It could also mean sliding in Bellator at 10pm in 2013 with TNA as a solid lead-in and moving it off of Friday nights.
WWE to live stream PPV show on Facebook and YouTube Channel
Without its network, the WWE is utilizing its other social media to promote this Sunday’s PPV which features Brock Lesnar. Earlier this year, the WWE used its YouTube channel to promote Wrestlemania this past year and returns to it to feature a match. Cageside Seats reports that the live pre-show will appear on its Facebook, WWE.com and YouTube channel. The additional free match should draw viewers to one of the outlets and perhaps draw additional buys.
Payout Take: The move helps market Lesnar’s return to WWE PPV and serves as a monitor as to how well visited its social media, especially its YouTube channel is visited. The WWE has produced original content for the channel and it may be a default place for the WWE while it waits for its Network to hit.
” But, in general, just what real purpose do the eyeblack strips have? Couldn’t you wear sunglasses to keep the sun out of your eyes?”
The Mythbusters tested the eye black thing that baseball players always use. They come to the conclusion if i remember correctly that the dark color under the eye obsorbs reflective light. Light you are not looking directly at or something like that. I think they also said wear a baseball cap make it even more effective. So as a hunter the stuff would be effective for looking for animals and aiming your weapon. But for Fake Wrestling it is useless.
Bellator at 10 p.m. on a Thursday? Rebney was talking a few weeks ago about going to a three hour broadcast next year so they could have more main card fights. That would seem impossible with a 10 p.m. start on a weekday.
The NFL might retain most of its viewers when Monday or Thursday games go to midnight, but Bellator? I can’t imagine any but the hardcore audience staying up past 11 p.m. to watch the rest of their card, which would mean chasing the same small group who already watch them.
Next year will be their third full year on live TV. If the only change they make to their business plan is switching to a channel that’s in more homes and is shown in high def, I’m not optimistic about seeing any real growth from them in terms of relevancy.
They might want to consider going to a once a month broadcast, or maybe once every three weeks, giving the fighters more than one month between fights in the tournament, and making each card seem more important than it does when it’s a weekly deal. They could do a three hour blockbuster every 3 to 4 weeks, stacked with tournament and/or title fights. They would feel more like “don’t miss” events.
I’m surprised it took WWE this long to copy the UFC free prelim match concept. Seems an obvious and inexpensive way to boost PPV buys.
That said, I watched the Wrestlemania free match and WWE did a surprisingly poor job. I’m sure they’ll learn.
I do not agree: http://atlanta.cbslocal.com/2015/03/27/squared-circle-six-pack-wrestlemania-31-preview/
Best regards, Irmgard