RADICAN’S TAKE: WWE proposes offering independent wrestling content on a higher priced tier on the Network, but is this good for the indies?

WWE sent a survey to their Fan Council email list asking if they approved of a proposed WWE Network pricing plan with different tiers of access, features, and pricing. (Catch up on details in Wade Keller’s news report and analysis earlier today here.)

The proposed fourth and most expensive tier priced at $14.99 included access to “Independent Wrestling content such as TNA and Ring and Honor” (which most people don’t consider independent companies, but that’s neither here nor there). The issue here is that WWE is considering adding a higher priced tier with independent wrestling content. 

The fourth tier has some other options, but the main draw in the survey was indy programming. It’s no secret things have heated up big time between WWE and WWN recently. WWE has signed a lot of WWN talent since they entered an unofficial working relationship last year. WWN talent such as Tony Nese and Drew Gulak are now appearing in the Cruiserweight Division on Raw and are still advertised for appearances on upcoming EVOLVE shows. 

I was told a long time ago WWE talent would eventually be allowed to wrestle on EVOLVE shows, but there was a lot of red tape to work around. Both companies have come to a place where talent can go back and forth between working EVOVLE events and Raw.

The unofficial working relationship between WWN and WWE appears to be just the tip of the iceberg in terms of WWE’s plans to work with independent companies. Looking at just WWN, the working relationship has benefitted both sides. On the surface, nothing has stuck out to suggest that WWE is compromising EVOLVE creatively, as outside of a flat EVOLVE Championship reign from Timothy Thatcher, the company has been cranking on all cylinders for the most part. EVOLVE has benefited tremendously from the WWE exposure. They went from running in front of between 75-100 fans to regularly drawing lively crowds of 300-500 or more. A lot of that is directly attributed to the exposure WWE has given them and the knowledge that tomorrow’s WWE stars may be working in EVOLVE today.

WWE is clearly interested in the TNA library at this point and, given ROH’s inclusion in the survey, it wouldn’t surprise me if they made an offer for ROH’s library. That would give a lot of hardcore fans a reason to subscribe to the WWE Network, especially since ROH hasn’t monetized their back catalogue effectively since Sinclair took over. You can’t even access a lot of the content from ROH’s formative years as of this writing with a ringside membership at ROHWrestling.com. In fact, you can’t access anything right now except for a small amount of VOD’s on sale from 2015 and all of the shows from 2016. I don’t see TNA’s library having a lot of value to WWE in terms of drawing in a lot of subscribers willing to pay an extra $5 per month to watch old shows.

My initial feelings about WWE opening the door for independent programming on the network were negative. WWE owns a virtual monopoly over wrestling right now. No company can challenge them for visibility. It’s disheartening to see WWE sign amazing talent after amazing talent without any competition threatening them. I have talked to a couple of different people that would be impacted by their companies moving under the WWE umbrella in some way.

The big positive about any independent group moving under the WWE umbrella would be exposure. It’s not far-fetched to believe WWE would want live programming from the indy promotion on the Network if this proposed tier becomes a reality.  The exposure would increase attendance for any independent company and regular checks from WWE would likely give promoters a lot of confidence to focus on the creative end of their company without having to worry where the money for their next show is coming from. EVOLVE has benefitted from their talent and footage appearing on WWE.com and the CWC over the summer. The question, though, is how much control would WWE want over these companies from a creative and talent standpoint.

If WWE works with different indy companies and gives them exposure while cycling talent through, this proposed tier is an option that could greatly benefit both WWE and indies. Triple H has done a brilliant job making himself a babyface to hardcore fans, who no longer resent when he takes an indie darling to the main roster. 

I’m still not convinced this is a good thing for wrestling just based on what has happened between WWN and WWE. What would happen to these companies if WWE pulled the plug and working relationships fell apart? Would longtime indy companies have to close their doors?

There are many questions left to be answered as to how the arrangement between WWE and indy companies would work. My feeling is WWE would want some form of control over the talent appearing on the WWE Network and I don’t think that’s good for wrestling. If WWE comes to terms with several high-profile indies, this could be the beginning of WWE having control over all prospects from their earliest years of the business and deciding their ultimate fate.

The best case scenario would be WWE working with indy companies in a way where they aren’t totally compromised by appearing on the WWE Network. If WWE doesn’t have a lot of leverage over the companies they work with and the talent, this proposed forth tier could be a big win for both sides. 

(Sean Radican has been a PWTorch columnist for over 15 years, starting as a PWTorch.com Smackdown TV reviewer. He is now among the top reporters on the U.S. indy wrestling scene, with regular contributions to the PWTorch Newsletter in addition to PWTorch.co. Email Sean at pwtorchsean@gmail.com. Like the Radican Wrestling Community on Facebook. Follow Sean on Twitter @seanradican)