RADICAN'S TAKE RADICAN: How would ROH fare against WWE and TNA on national cable television? Mar 15, 2008 - 12:26:01 PM

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ROH has done just about all they can in terms of marketing their product without having a television deal. They've used the internet as a tool to promote their product, made the move to PPV to try to attract new DVD buyers, and shortly they will release their first two DVDs as part of a national distribution deal.
 
ROH's biggest problem in terms of attracting new customers, besides not having television, is that they don't have any recognizable stars to market to the public. Nobody, outside of hardcore wrestling fans, knows about the Briscoes, Bryan Danielson, Nigel McGuinness, and Austin Aries. The biggest names appearing in ROH right now that most wrestling fans would recognize are Joey Matthews (Mercury in WWE), Brent Albright (Gunner Scott in WWE), and Tammy Sytch (Sunny in WWE). Another name ROH could push if they choose to use him again in the future is Daniel Puder of WWE's "Tough Enough," who applied a submission hold on Kurt Angle when taking part in one of the challenges on the now defunct program.
 
ROH could certainly push those "bigger" names on fliers they pass out in the markets they run and online when those wrestlers are scheduled to appear, but they lack a true star with prior television exposure that would draw interest from mainstream wrestling fans. On the other hand, the way ROH currently markets their product; they aren't looking for those fans anyway.
 
The question of what would happen if ROH did get a TV deal now lingers in the air after ROH owner Cary Silkin's told Between the Ropes this week that is something they hope to achieve. Any TV deal they would get on cable would likely be on a smaller network. At least by making the move to television, ROH could then present its product to its largest audience ever and find those fans they've been looking to convert once they've been exposed to the product.
 
I believe ROH is and always will be a niche product. If ROH changed its identity and went "mainstream" by making the move to television and loading their roster with stars, the company would fall flat on its face. The best move ROH could make would be to take their current roster with them to television and add some bigger names that would fit in with ROH's in-ring style if their television deal added enough revenue into the budget.
 
ROH could then use television to build towards its PPVs, assuming they renew their current deal once it expires in May. ROH could still run the same number of events, but use certain dates for TV tapings and still utilizing others for DVD and PPV releases.
 
The move to television would be beneficial to ROH in numerous ways, but the most important thing ROH would be able to do is market its DVDs on television, which it currently isn't allowed to do on PPV. Wrestling fans would be able to watch the product for free and not even have to invest the $15 currently required on most cable providers to view a PPV.
 
ROH would also be able to more effectively promote its live events, instead of merely mentioning the markets they run in as they've been doing on PPV. The possibility of hooking new fans in the markets would increase greatly with television exposure.
 
Make no mistake about it, going to TV would change ROH's business model, but they could make that jump and still maintain their identity with the right deal. ROH booker Gabe Sapolsky would have to change the way he books to fit the weekly format, the production values would have to be sharper, and the talent would have to adjust to working a different style to fit within the constraints of network television.
 
If the right deal comes along for Silkin, it will be worth the risk as long as ROH doesn't have to give up who they are. With TNA and WWE always on the prowl for talent, ROH would get swallowed up if they tried to amp up and compete with the big two, but if ROH was simply using television as a tool to market their wrestlers and promote DVD sales and PPVs, it could be beneficial.
 
ROH obviously wants to grow as a company, but the pieces have to fit or the company could suffer a fatal blow by trying to be too big. Sapolsky was along for the ride in ECW, so he knows better than anyone what happens when a company is too big to be small and too small to be big.
 
Have any thoughts on ROH making the move to TV? Feel free to email me here.

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