Competition is what made WWE great in the 90s, and it can make the business great again. If there’s anything to the rumors, Steve Cook is happy. Can it be true? Is true competition on the way???

Has there ever been a better time for somebody to start up a wrestling promotion?

There certainly hasn’t been in this century. We all know about the depression that hit the wrestling business after WCW & ECW closed their doors in 2001. Plenty of people tried to take their place. We all thought “Surely, WWE could use some competition!”. We were technically right, as Vince McMahon has always produced better wrestling when he was competing with somebody. Whether it was the territories in the 80s or WCW in the 90s, McMahon-owned wrestling companies are always better viewing when they have a target to eliminate.

We know that people have tried to be that target. Impact Wrestling is the product of people that just refused to give up the fight, no matter how badly it went. Ring of Honor hung on by a thread for years before being bought by a gigantic broadcasting corporation. New Japan Pro Wrestling had a good enough rebirth in their home country that now they’re looking to expand over here. There’s also been Lucha Underground, which as far as I can tell has always been nothing other than a TV show for El Rey Network. Which is fine for what it is, except when it keeps its performers from working other places. AAA always says they’re going to run shows in the United States, but never does. MLW has had a couple of goes at it.

And of course there’s been all the rumored start-ups over the years. Billy Corgan started out with Resistance Pro, then was with TNA/Impact Wrestling for a minute before buying the NWA brand. Remember the Wrestling Retribution Project? I bet Jeff Katz still owes some of you money for funding his pipe dream.

Unfortunately, most of these brands have been tainted over the years thanks to bad timing, offering the wrong product, or blatant stupidity. I don’t think the Impact Wrestling brand will ever get a great foothold on television thanks to years of incompetence from Dixie Carter & the people surrounding her. Don Callis & Anthem are trying, but I think that ship has sailed. Considering that Pop TV has moved their show later into Thursday evening, even though the show is more watchable now than it’s been in a long time, I think I’m right.

Ring of Honor is owned by the Sinclair Broadcasting Group, which will always limit their show to those stations, and the stations they can buy. There’s also the matter of their booking being subservient to the next promotion I’ll mention here. New Japan will always face the limitations that their name presents. There’s a certain portion of this country that will never buy into a promotion named New Japan Pro Wrestling. The smarks love it, but the good ol’ boys in flyover country will never buy in.

WWE is ripe for the picking right now. They’ve never been more successful financially, but you can see the seeds of discontent taking bloom. The Saudi Arabia situation has blown up earlier than most people figured it would. WWE’s creative team has been focused on pushing part-time and retired wrestlers over the folks regularly working the circuit. As the Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch program shows, they’re disconnected on what makes a face & a heel in 2018. As I drunkenly asked on my most recent podcast, what is going on with this company?

For most of this century, North American wrestling fans have had little option but to watch what WWE is producing. That is increasingly not the case. Online streaming services like powerslam.tv & many others have taken off. We know about ROH’s coverage on Sinclair stations & New Japan’s streaming site & AXS TV time slot. The Young Bucks & Cody found an audience with their YouTube channels & the All In show. There is an ever-increasing wrestling audience out there looking for a product without McMahon involvement.

I know I am. That’s why when I read the news about the latest rumored #2 promotion, I got really excited. The people allegedly involved ticked all the boxes I think need to be covered for a potential #2.

Chris Jericho

This is a gentleman that has managed to stay relevant wherever he’s gone in three different decades. He got over in Mexico, Japan & America before signing with WCW. Jericho got over there despite WCW’s best intentions. He had a early hiccup in WWE due to some people not wanting him to get over, but he eventually became one of that company’s most reliable acts. The man knows what fans want to see.

As he’s gotten older, he’s evolved into something more believable. As a longtime wrestling fan himself, he knows what we expect from somebody his age. He continually evolves ahead of the curve. Jericho also knows that his name has value. He doesn’t need to appear unless he’s truly interested in what he’s doing, and when he does appear it’ll draw some eyes.

Any start-up fed with Chris Jericho involved will draw some interest. He said recently that Vince McMahon was one of his biggest mentors. Would it really be shocking if Jericho decided to go up against Vince, figuring that Vince would respect him for it?

Jim Ross

Good ol’ JR spends a lot of time on his podcast talking about what he’d like to see in the business. He calls New Japan shows on AXS TV. To be honest, New Japan doesn’t really match what he would like to see in the business. Ross is an old school kind of guy, but he’s also smart enough to go with the times & what draws. It’s not like everything in the Attitude Era was something he would endorse 100%.

Much like Jericho, Ross’s endorsement carries some weight with a certain fan. As much as some complain about JR calling New Japan & mispronouncing names or whatever, there’s a reason AXS TV was happy to have him on board. The man knows the wrestling business. He’s been around forever, and he knows what draws and what doesn’t. He wouldn’t be a full-timer at this point in his life, and likely wouldn’t want the responsibility he had back in the day with WWE, but he would be a valuable voice.

Shahid Khan

You know what’s even more important than having people involved that know wrestling? Having an endless supply of money. Sinclair Broadcasting has tons of money and could outbid Vince McMahon for anybody they wanted, but they don’t give ROH that big a budget. TNA/Impact Wrestling’s backers over the years have never been on the same financial level with Vince. Competing with WWE’s money isn’t something that any promotion has been able to do.

Shahid Khan just might. He’s worth over twice as much money as Vince is & is more than willing to spend it on sports & entertainment. Khan owns the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars & Fulham FC of the English Premier League. He has a son, Tony, that’s a big wrestling fan. We all know how parents like to buy their kids wrestling companies in order to keep them busy. This may or may not be connected to Khan pulling out of a deal to buy Wembley Stadium last week.

Good for business…even if it isn’t a thing

A wrestling company with Khan money & Jericho/Ross name value behind it would immediately be a player for any free agents looking to maximize their profits. Cody Rhodes & the Young Bucks are names mentioned in the article. Which is great for them because it increases their value to WWE. New Japan & anybody else interested. Whether this thing is actually a thing or not, it’ll serve its purpose to the Elite & others.

Mind you, I’m not saying this is going to happen. I have no idea. I would really love it to happen, for the sake of having interesting things to write & talk about. As much wrestling as there is to keep track of these days, we can always use more. Especially a new player with the backing & power behind it to truly be a big deal.

Here’s hoping that where there’s smoke, there’s fire.