What Would It Take To Form a True No. 2 Company To Rival WWE

[WrestlingPower]

On the original topic, I agree with above thoughts that wrestling isn't really "needed" or something Americans are really craving or looking for. I don't want to debate what level of a "dying industry" this might be but I propose to uncouple the 2 topics in the title of the thread. To be a #2 company does not inherently mean wanting to rival or overtake Vince, does it? There's just no need. I'm not even sure the fanbase as it was in 2002 was necessarily looking for that much less what fanbase is left in 2012. I would think that establishing a viable (but extremely distant) #2 would be your best chance and then if WWE falls apart post-Vince, you automatically close the gap.

 

I think the thing we've all come to realize though is that it's really hard to break even without a good backer. I don't think you could run a profitable national wrestling company just off the wrestling shows & the revenue streams themselves because of the money needed for advertising, marketing, and getting/maintaining a TV deal. Even with all that said, to me the time is ripe for someone to come along as competition for TNA or to scoop up the pieces should Panda decide to dump it, just so you aren't starting from nothing. To me there needs to be more alternatives at the level of TNA and/or ROH. To me it's that mid-level of promotion that is most in danger of failing & fading away. A world of nothing but WWE & thousands of low level indies that only run a handful of markets with nothing much in between is a very real possibility in the next 5 years. It comes back to no one with the desire to do it knows how and/or has access to the people with money & vice versa.

 

Sorry if I didn't actually go anywhere with this as far as answering the desired question but to me a more realistic discussion would be what lessons could be learned if a new #2/3 level promotion came along that would give them more of a chance of success if the current options failed. I'm not sure I 100% buy into Meltzer's theory that all but the top level group in a genre are doomed to failure. I think we need more #2/#3 level options to spread the wealth around & generate more dollars at that level and the combination of multiple promotions at that level would be somewhat competition to WWE rather than one company by itself.