AEW - SUMMER 2019

[RIPPA]

15 minutes ago, Ace said:

In SoCal, it's probably hard to find the appropriate arena. We've got places that'll hold 6000 or 20+ but not in between.

Wouldn't they just run the Cow Palace?

[matt925]

3 minutes ago, RIPPA said:

Wouldn't they just run the Cow Palace?

Cow palace is Northern California and it is really outdated and dingy looking. Wwe stopped running there 15 years ago. 

In SoCal I bet they run Toyota arena in Ontario. That was the scene of the raw “invasion”. 

[Jiji]

That's a really smart strategy. Maybe one year they'll come to the Pacific Northwest. 

As for SoCal proper, there is Long Beach Arena, Toyota Arena (Ontario), Bakersfield Centennial Garden, Anaheim Convention Center, and Pechanga Arena (San Diego) in the approximate size they're going for according to wiki, so they have some options. I imagine they'd probably do up a PPV at a bigger arena than initially settling for a smaller, less prestigious arena to start in LA.

[Niners Fan in CT]

What?  On one hand it's awesome that they are coming to Boston,  I might try to get tickets but I thought for sure they'd do the garden.  There's no question in my mind that they would sell out the garden first trip through.  

[RIPPA]

15 minutes ago, matt925 said:

Cow palace is Northern California and it is really outdated and dingy looking. Wwe stopped running there 15 years ago. 

In SoCal I bet they run Toyota arena in Ontario. That was the scene of the raw “invasion”. 

As someone who has only seen California on the map - where is the generally accepted cutoff for North/South?

[matt925]

4 minutes ago, RIPPA said:

As someone who has only seen California on the map - where is the generally accepted cutoff for North/South?

Monterrey is probably the bottom of Northern California, and maybe San Luis Obispo is the start of Southern California? And then you have Central Valley. 

[Wyld Samurai]

1 minute ago, matt925 said:

Monterrey is probably the bottom of Northern California, and maybe San Luis Obispo is the start of Southern California? And then you have Central Valley. 

California is basically split into 3. North, which runs from the Oregon border down to about Monterrey. Central Coast is Paso Robles down to Santa Barbara. SoCal is Ventura to San Diego. 

Santa Barbara is basically SoCal in terms of their demeanor... but they hate hearing that.

[Craig H]

That's a really smart strategy to base their live events off of where they performed the best streaming wise.

[Elsalvajeloco]

27 minutes ago, Oyaji said:

That's a really smart strategy. Maybe one year they'll come to the Pacific Northwest. 

As for SoCal proper, there is Long Beach Arena, Toyota Arena (Ontario), Bakersfield Centennial Garden, Anaheim Convention Center, and Pechanga Arena (San Diego) in the approximate size they're going for according to wiki, so they have some options. I imagine they'd probably do up a PPV at a bigger arena than initially settling for a smaller, less prestigious arena to start in LA.

The Microsoft Theater is 7,100. Whenever PBC or Top Rank have done a show there, it looks great on TV. It's also not old like the Long Beach Arena or the old San Diego Sports Arena. 

 

[grilledcheese]

28 minutes ago, RIPPA said:

As someone who has only seen California on the map - where is the generally accepted cutoff for North/South?

Delano, CA is the North / South cutoff as it pertains to gang affiliation. Above Delano is Nuestra Familia, below is La Eme.

The best answer is typically the southernmost 10 counties in the state. Monterey, Kings, Tulare and Inyo Counties all have flat southern borders, making it pretty easy to draw a line across the state:

Spoiler

I am Northern California born and raised, and grew up in San Jose, which is pretty goddamn close to the geographic midpoint of the state, but realistically is nowhere near what is considered to be Southern California.

[Dewar]

2 hours ago, AxB said:

If we're playing the 'Guess the location of the first PPV after TV starts' game, I'm betting on Winnipeg.

They don't have a Canadian television deal yet. Jericho draws here, Omega does not. So unless they run a Jericho title match on top, I don't think running here is a very good idea. 

[ChesterCopperpot]

Maple Leafs Gardens would be too small at 4,000.

Coca Cola Coliseum were WWE do their house shows now would be fine for them at 8,000.

[AxB]

Jericho and Omega are 1-1 against each other. I'm predicting the rubber match (for the title) will be in their home town, on PPV, early next year.

[Pete]

2 hours ago, Craig H said:

That's a really smart strategy to base their live events off of where they performed the best streaming wise.

It's basically a modernized way of how roller derby used to pick their touring dates in the 60s-70s, based on the cities that sent the most fan mail. Smart stuff.

It'll be interesting to see where they might run NYC if/when they want to try a smaller arena than MSG... not a whole lot of options. Go big or go home.

[HarryArchieGus]

1 hour ago, Dewar said:

They don't have a Canadian television deal yet. Jericho draws here, Omega does not. So unless they run a Jericho title match on top, I don't think running here is a very good idea. 

You could say Omega as of yet is unproven, but I don’t think it’s quite accurate to suggest he isn’t a draw.  I’m betting all Canadian markets would be great for this company.  The Omega doc got a lot of attention here and it’s only a matter a time before hes a household name coast to coast.  

[John from Cincinnati]

8 minutes ago, HarryArchieGus said:

The Omega doc got a lot of attention here

This feels like an exaggeration. 

[Bustronaut]

3 minutes ago, West Newbury Bad Boy said:

This feels like an exaggeration. 

It's just reality turned up to 11, brutha!

[John from Cincinnati]

Really though, it aired here and there was probably some light promotion that caught your eye if you have TSN on all the time. Beyond that, I don't recall the Omega doc getting "a lot of attention." 

Which isn't to say he can't or won't be a big deal. But him getting an hour doc that replayed maybe once or twice tops isn't the height of stardom. 

Edited August 6, 2019 by West Newbury Bad Boy

[matt925]

I think it was the Chris van vliet interview with the bucks where they specifically mentioned running ppvs in the U.K. and Canada, but that didn’t seem like a first year thing. Tony Khan has said their plan is to start touring in the United States and then eventually expand to the world. 

[John from Cincinnati]

Also, even though two top guys are from Winnipeg, I tend to assume that most acts would rather hit the big markets first. Unless the streaming numbers are bananas there or it makes some other sort of business sense, I expect them to run Toronto, Montreal, or Vancouver for their first Canadian show. 

[Elsalvajeloco]

52 minutes ago, Pete said:

It's basically a modernized way of how roller derby used to pick their touring dates in the 60s-70s, based on the cities that sent the most fan mail. Smart stuff.

It'll be interesting to see where they might run NYC if/when they want to try a smaller arena than MSG... not a whole lot of options. Go big or go home.

The UFC was doing that for years (who was buying the PPVs and the TV ratings for certain markets hence why Meltzer always brings that up for every TV card once the #s come in) before they decided to have a card every week from completely different (many times, random) locations.

For NYC or any other area where the options are limited, the options seem to be shitty looking college arena or oversized basketball arena where there is a chance you probably have to heavily paper and give away freebies to make it look halfway decent. With the former, I am not even sure how that would work out since I don't follow what venues the WWE regularly goes to for house shows. With AEW, I am not sure if the people that operate or rent out the venue want to take the chance of having people roll around in tacks or some other crazy shit. There is a good possibility they won't even have that option in those particular places.

[Dewar]

24 minutes ago, HarryArchieGus said:

You could say Omega as of yet is unproven, but I don’t think it’s quite accurate to suggest he isn’t a draw.  I’m betting all Canadian markets would be great for this company.  The Omega doc got a lot of attention here and it’s only a matter a time before hes a household name coast to coast.  

He still works once or twice a year for his home promotion in Winnipeg.  They draw the same 150 people they used to draw when we went to watch him over a decade ago. His name value is his own hometown is very low. Kenny knows this, so any Winnipeg show would almost certainly have to be headlined by Jericho. 

[Web Conn]

I have a feeling and it's based on nothing but my gut that AEW will run a PPV Thanksgiving weekend, November 30th is a Saturday in the Mid-Atlantic region maybe the Greensboro Coliseum as like a send up to the original Starrcade. I say that Only because Cody is one of the EVP's.

[Guest The Magnificent 7]

Grilledcheese wins poster of the day for getting Monterey right. Monterrey is in Mexico. 

[Marty Sugar]

1 hour ago, Dewar said:

He still works once or twice a year for his home promotion in Winnipeg.  They draw the same 150 people they used to draw when we went to watch him over a decade ago. His name value is his own hometown is very low. Kenny knows this, so any Winnipeg show would almost certainly have to be headlined by Jericho. 

Thank you. A lot of these indie guys are not the draw anyone believes them to be; instead, they get booked to shows that promoters already know will be big. For example, Funnybone and Damien 666 headlined a Vancouver show that had already sold out before they were even announced. Same with TJP or Matt Riddle working a Commodore Ballrom: those shows were already sold out or would've sold out anyway. I feel AEW is currently drawing big houses because of the "we are not the WWE" vibe they are putting out, and less who is actually on the roster. Aside from the Bucks and Jericho (maybe Cody to be generous), nobody on the roster is an arena-filling name in North America.