By Jon Cudo, PWTorch specialist

TRUE - IMPACT'S TRYOUT FORMAT IS A WINNER

I have yet to see TNA's new Open Fight Night concept, but it should be a huge positive for Impact Wrestling.

Negatives first: It will give TV time to relative unknowns who may not be ready for prime time.

Positives: There are a lot. These relative unknowns could be the future stars of tomorrow and Impact gets a leg up on finding that next star. This is a classic sports story of a young up-and-comer getting a chance. Fans know that young guys may not be ready, but they will be interested to see if they can spot the next star. It gives TNA an influx of new talent and fresh match-ups. Guys can be used as enhancement talent for established stars in a context that matters, yet doesn't damage or minimize any rostered talent. Young talent gets exposed and tested with the lightened expectations of being a "tryout."

Impact creates new story possibilities, like the upset win, veteran bully, and the longer arc story of a young wrestler fighting to get over the hump and break into the big leagues. It also is a fresh concept and one that doesn't seem derivative of a worn WWE idea.

Like anything, the devil is in the details and how Impact executes the idea will determine its success

FALSE - THE LESSON OF WRESTLEMANIA IS TO BUILD AROUND STARS

I believe the lesson of a reported 1.3 million buys for WrestleMania 28 is not that other wrestling groups like ROH need to build around stars. WWE built their biggest grossing event on the backs of stars like Triple H, Undertaker, The Rock, and John Cena, but that was no different than building the previous 12 PPVs on their schedule around a combination of stars, none of which drew half as many buys. The correct lesson to be drawn is that WWE has created the mega-event WrestleMania that has more brand value than any other event.

I believe ROH cannot and should not follow WWE by trying to build a PPV around stars. As I have noted in the past, ROH is more like a minor league baseball team. The business is best suited to be built as a brand than to focus on stars. Like minor league baseball teams, the danger of building a star at the expense of the roster and brand is the fact they can't hold those stars. Successful minor league teams use to stars to enhance their brand. Star power by a player must augment the overall value, since a great player doesn't stay long. Fans know and love players, but know what they are watching includes the eventual graduation of the star.

If ROH foolishly looks at WrestleMania's success and sees it as a result of focusing on Superstars, they will have learned nothing and I believe it would damage their business if they try to follow.

If ROH looks at WrestleMania and works to culminate their yearly PPV and promotion efforts around one mega-event that is "must-see" to their fans and reaches out to additional fans, they may have learned a valuable lesson. If they look at it and decide to push Kevin Steen as a centerpiece superstar...then I believe they will be wasting their time and money.

TO BE DETERMINED - INTERNATIONAL REVENUE CARRIES THE DAY

I was shocked at the 1.3 million buys figure for WrestleMania. Drooping ratings and a flat PPV lead-in Raw show lowered my expectations for WrestleMania.

The next number that will help complete the picture will be the number of international buys. That number has helped buoy PPV numbers recently and it remains to be determined if that trend
continued on April 1 to help drive the record numbers for WrestleMania 28.

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Jon Cudo is the newest PWTorch specialist, presenting the "True-False-TBD" format. Jon has worked in the sports entertainment industry for over 20 years, including major league sports teams and Nike. He has been a life-long pro wrestling fan and has attended WWE, WCW, and ROH events in person, including backstage access at multiple events. He grew up in Minnesota and now lives in Cleveland. He runs his own business, www.GameOps.com, a website designed to connect sports teams and event producers with ideas and tools that will enhance the entertainment value for fans attending their events.

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