House Shows/Dark Matches/Injuries?

[BigCrippyZ]

Is WWE doing more or fewer house shows and dark matches currently compared to the late 90's early 2000's. Obviously they didn't have the concussion concerns, etc., that they have now, but I don't recall there being as many wrestlers sidelined due to injuries during that time period. The other option is that wrestlers just worked through the injuries.

If they're working the same or more house shows nowadays, do you think decreasing the chances for injuries is a good reason to decrease the number of house shows WWE does? Obviously, they need to tour some for financial reasons, but if it improved the product, would it be worth it?

Personally, I say yes.

[Bad News Gertner]

Here's why they don't.

Raw is on Monday, Main Event Wednesday, Thursday is Superstars and Friday in Smackdown.

That's four nights a week where the wrestlers are wrestling. You can't run a house show on a Thursday when the wrestlers are already wrestling on Superstars. Can't be two places at once.

Common sense.

[CWK]

You do realize they pre tape Superstars and Main Event matches prior to Raw and Smackdown right?

Smackdown is pre taped on Tuesdays for a Friday airing. I have been to a couple of house shows on a Friday night where Wrestlers that are on the tv taping of smackdown are in the arena wrestling the house show. WWE doesn't care. Matches being pre taped has been common knowledge for years

[CWK]

Also they wrestle everyday of the week usually on an overseas tour doing house shows each day

[Lock Jaw]

http://gifsoup.com/view5/2767087/cm-punk-fishing-o.gif

[CWK]

Is WWE doing more or fewer house shows and dark matches currently compared to the late 90's early 2000's. Obviously they didn't have the concussion concerns, etc., that they have now, but I don't recall there being as many wrestlers sidelined due to injuries during that time period. The other option is that wrestlers just worked through the injuries.

If they're working the same or more house shows nowadays, do you think decreasing the chances for injuries is a good reason to decrease the number of house shows WWE does? Obviously, they need to tour some for financial reasons, but if it improved the product, would it be worth it?

Personally, I say yes.

Whether it would be worth it or not is debatable. WWE would never reduce the number of house shows. If anything they would increase them and run more especially since the roster is getting bigger. House shows are the WWE's bread and butter because they don't have the expensive production costs and stuff like that, so it's a highly profitable for them because all they have to do is transport a small set and a ring for a house show and pay maybe 10 or 20 thousand for the rent of the building, and when they make 200 thousand or more on tickets plus merchandise sales so they make tons and running more shows makes sense financially which is what they care about

[Juan]

I'm pretty sure they DID have a bunch of guys with concussions/injuries back in the day, but most guys worked through. It's only since the Benoit thing that they started taking concussions more seriously

[Bad News Gertner]

You do realize they pre tape Superstars and Main Event matches prior to Raw and Smackdown right?

Smackdown is pre taped on Tuesdays for a Friday airing. I have been to a couple of house shows on a Friday night where Wrestlers that are on the tv taping of smackdown are in the arena wrestling the house show. WWE doesn't care. Matches being pre taped has been common knowledge for years

No they don't. I watch Smackdown every Friday night, and it's called Friday Night Smackdown. Watched Main Event tonight. Pretty cool that they get so many friends on a Wednesday in the arena when there's only 4 matches tops.

[Mongo Lloyd]

house shows are usually fri-sun. raw and smack down are on Mon and Tues. wed and Thurs are "off" days. I'm pretty sure that's how it is, anyway

[CSL]

they work less house shows nowadays, guys used to be on the road for 30+ days sometimes, which is unheard of now. The loop now is Thursday/Friday through Monday for RAW guys and Friday/Saturday through Tuesday for Smackdown guys although the brand split is pretty much dead

[Emperor Smeat]

No real need to have as many house shows as they did in the 90s and 80s considering the WWE has more tv hours and revenue streams than they did in the past.

Wrestlers also have a lot more opportunities to get paid without needing to be crammed into house shows than in the past.

[parkmania]

they work less house shows nowadays, guys used to be on the road for 30+ days sometimes, which is unheard of now. The loop now is Thursday/Friday through Monday for RAW guys and Friday/Saturday through Tuesday for Smackdown guys although the brand split is pretty much dead

Yet more proof that the brand split ending is a bad thing - If the guys being built up on Raw are the same guys being built up on Smackdown, when there's two house shows the same day which one gets the "popular" guys?