Wrestling Observer Newsletter Update

World Championship Wrestling held a press-conference this week to announce some major business deals. It is becoming the case that when WCW announces a press conference, you can expect some pretty big news. The last time they held a conference they announced the principal owners of the company as well as the purchase of the WCW video library from Vince McMahon. This press conference was no different.

Lenny Leonard was the first person out. He spoke about the SuperBrawl iPPV and said that preliminary estimates point to it being the biggest iPPV in GFL history. Lenny then introduced the three principal owners of WCW: Scott Coker, Jim Ross, and Brock Lesnar. This was the first public appearance of all three owners at one time, as Lesnar wished to remain anonymous before his UFC-departure.

Scott talked about how WCW has been very successful on all fronts for where they're at in the company's lifespan. He said that they've seen growth in all areas from live attendance (they sell out each show, so I'm not sure there's actual growth there), iPPV buyrates, and Underground viewers (the word is they're hovering 800,000 unique vistors for each episode - which is pretty damn good all things considered). He talked about the success of the FOX special and how that has opened the door for potential business down the line. He said that business is strong and continues to grow. He then made the announcement that beginning this week, Underground's initial airing would be on Fridays from here on out. He didn't really explain any reason for why.

Next up, Jim Ross spoke about the success of their iPPV business. He says the most recent iPPV did the biggest number in GFL history, but he didn't reveal what the number is. He said that streaming video is the future and WCW wants to make sure they get in on it as soon as possible. He said that since the very beginning WCW has worked very close with GFL and that it has been a positive relationship for both companies, but SuperBrawl will be the last iPPV produced in conjunction with GFL. He said the next iPPV, The Great American Bash, would be produced completely in house.

Next up, Brock Lesnar talked. A funny note was that at one point someone yelled "ONE MORE MATCH" and he grinned. Brock talked at length about how physical sports have always meant a lot to him. He said that you won't find any more physical a sport than World Championship Wrestling. He then talked about the Internet streaming business and how he really wants to push the limit with what they can do. He said to that end, from now on the final Underground of each month will be a special live edition of the show.

They then went into a Q&A session, with Jim Ross doing the answering.

The first question was, "Why are you moving iPPV in-house and how much are you willing to spend to do it?" Ross answered that they're putting a lot of money into this operation because they want to be the standard-bearers for Internet broadcast. He said no expenses are being spared and they won't be half-assing it. He promised that streams would be much, much better than they were with GFL and "other competing entities." He said the primary reason for taking it in-house was to maximize the profits, particularly given how successful the last iPPV. Someone followed up with, "Did GFL's ROH iPPVs have anything to do with decision?" Ross responded that he would be lying if he said it didn't.

The next question was, "When will WCW do shows outside of Atlanta?" Ross answered that live events are great source of money when it comes to promoting pro wrestling and it's something they're very seriously looking into. He said that he knows that WCW can't be chained to Atlanta forever and that they need to visit some other areas that have history with the WCW-name. He said that he foresees WCW doing at least two events on the road before the end of the year.

The next question was, "Will WCW be coming to TV on FOX anytime soon?" Ross responded that there are plans for another FOX special in the Fall. He said the first special did a strong enough rating to warrant another shot, possibly in a different time-slot. He said that there have been tentative, steady discussions about possibly bringing WCW to Fuel or FX, which are two FOX-family stations. He said that TV in this day and age is a different beast than it used to be, and wrestling is a harder sell to a television network than ever before. He said he felt positive about the discussions that have been had with FOX and that pro-wrestling and UFC tend to work well, and if you put them together you're bound to see some success.

Finally, Scott Coker returned to the podium to make a big announcement. He said that since the beginning of the year he's been working on a project that he thinks will have a huge effect on WCW business. He said in June, a WCW video app was going to be unleashed on X-Box Live. He said it will function the same way as the only WCW Legacy service and that fans will be able to stream old and new footage alike on their X-Box 360. He said the pricing scheme will remain the same. He said that in addition to the pay service, fans will be able to stream Underground each week for free from their X-Box 360 - which will finally give fans an opportunity to see WCW action on their TV! He said there are tentative plans to stream their iPPVs on X-Box Live as well.

Lenny then thanked everyone for attending and ended the press conference.