What would happen to Professional Wrestling if WWE went under?
 

I've been hearing that Vince has said that he's "willing to go into debt" to get the WWE Network off the ground. This is a scary thing to me and could be what sends WWE down the shitter pretty fast. I've been someone who believed that WWE couldn't go down within the next 5-10 years, but if they put that much into the network and it fails it could be the end for WWE relatively fast.

That's one thing that can be discussed here, but the main topic is what would happen hypothetically if WWE went under?

What would happen to pro wrestling? WWE tends to dictate how the rest of the business is going in the US. Would the entire industry collapse on itself? Would someone step up and maybe buy out WWE? Would it go back to some semblance of the territories where there are smaller, mid-sized feds? Would TNA be able to sustain itself?

Discuss this hypothetical situation.

Pro wrestling would die..

somebody with a lot of money or backed by somebody with a lot of money would start a wrestling company, sign a lot of the top guys and get themselves a TV deal. And Jeff Jarrett would forever have this expression on his face:

http://www.firetank.com/smashwrestli...effjarrett.jpg

Really wish someone woulda stopped Jarrett before he went out to the ring and told him those sunglasses weren't cool.

TNA would be the top company....

<font color=goldenrod>Pretty certain WWE would get bought out and the show would go on.</font>

Corporate Bailout.

TNA would be the top compant and it would kill the wrestling business within the first year.....

Probably hard to continue wrestling in the POST NUCLEAR APOCALYPSE world.

I guess a win by default is still a win :-\


I think it would just kinda be like that 01- 03 period where there will be alot of little wrestling promotions and eventually it will become 2 major promotions again (and a third)

WWF winning the Monday Night Wars was really by default, sooo...

The two sweetest words in the English language.

god that belt is sexy..that has to be my fav belt from wcw

Well, I'm pretty sure Punk, Bourne/Sydal, Danielson, Tyler Black/Seth Rollins, and a few others would head back to the non-TNA indy scene, and I'm guessing some other big name WWE guys would avoid WWE too, due to politics. So some indy fed may get a huge boost, and end up competing with TNA.

It'd be hilarious and depressing if it got to the point where Dixie used her Panda money to buy out WWE

As much as I hate to say it, that would be the end. At least that would be the end in North America. CMLL and AAA would keep it alive in mexico and the southern states. But ROH, PWG, and Chikiara are niches at best. Indy wrestling is not going well right now beisdes those 3, and lets be honest, those are altneritves. As much as I loved CZW back in the early 2000's. Thats the truth. TNA is a WWE cast off. WWE is so strong that those that couldn't make it, or did really good in the indes can make it there. Or even though there washed up, make money.

Thats why John Cena is good for wrestling. Because he makes it money. Even though Rey is a shell of his former self he makes money. Those tiny little local shows at least make money for there wrestling program at there high school.

If we end up with out WWE then everything ends. Wrestling (and MMA) is dead in Japan, if the WWE dies, then all that would left is mexico. Besides America thats the last place where its still strong, and apart of the culture.

The problem is that Vince is getting old. And i'm not sure that Trips, and Steph can keep things going. Pro Wrestling is getting close to one of the darkest times its had.

There isn't another ECW that can save things.

HHH will divorce steph and start chasing Dixie

Wrestling has been around forever, the big one going down won't kill it. Not even in the US. TNA, ROH, etc. will keep running regardless. Casuals who watch WWE exclusively are bound to get their fix elsewhere, which will cause attendance to go up all over the place most likely. Networks like USA are also likely to try to replace RAW once another #1 emerges. WWE going down stands to benefit the rest of the industry more than it'd kill it. There'd be a lot of fans and potential money up for grabs

Companies die, wrestling won't

Winner by default is three words? :p

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In a weird way I wouldn't mind seeing this happen. And then I would laugh when TNA still wouldn't be able to draw.

All of WWE's top talent (except Punk) would try to find movie deals, MMA deals and any other non wrestling jobs they could find and fail at, while Punk would start his own company with as much of the mid-card talent he could round up. Eventually, all of the Cena's and Orton's would try to come back to Wrestling, but would have burnt too many bridges with Punk. They would all head to TNA, where they would be booked so poorly that they would all eventually quit and write books about how the business screwed them over.

I'd probably shrug and replace my Monday Night Raw viewing with porn and the rest would be insignificant to me.

Vince isn't that stupid. He would pull out of the channel to save the WWE.

I guarantee somebody said this circa 1990.

2 hours of porn? you maniac

Plus overrun.

Hasney would be severely chaffed if the WWE went under

If it comes to it, Hasney can come to me for advice. :y:

I honestly think that a network (Spike, USA, VS, etc.) would invest in a wrestling company and promote it as their own.

ROH would finally take over and their 500 pound fans would explode with glee/

:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

Yup, there will probably be wrestling forever, even if it's just in some twat's backyard, but it won't last "forever" in any meaningful sense.

Though it is completely adorable you think killing the only truly mainstream venue of wrestling would lead to mainstream fans going elsewhere, rather than simply going away.

And honestly, I don't see USA scrambling for a replacement unless they can get some guarantee of comparable ratings. That's unlikely from a new program, even one with a history. It'd be easier to run syndicated shows, especially even Raw is no longer the dominant force it once was.

WWE going down would be the effective death knell of pro wrestling in America. Sure, it would survive in some form, but not in this form. And doubtfully on TV.

Won't happen.

OCW will take it's rightful place as the #1 company.

I agree with that logic. I highly doubt the industry will die.

I think the business would survive a few years without WWE, but not particularly long. Most wrestlers don't really have long and lucrative careers, and I'd have to imagine the big brass ring for the vast majority of them is to wrestle on national TV and pay-per-view for WWE, since that's where they'd be getting the most exposure and best pay. If the dream job is suddenly taken away, then where's the incentive for new wrestlers to start?