Wrestling Forum banner

Legitimate Indy draws

3K views 27 replies 12 participants last post by  FITZ 
#1 ·
Thought it would be fun to compile a list of genuine draws knocking about the Indy circuit. These are guys that sell tickets and shift gimmicks.

I'll start the list with Jim cornette, he's controversial outspoken nature makes him a must see attraction for q and a sessions. He's certain to draw the smart crowd and the nostalgia crowd. Case and point, the recent NWA parade of champions sold 350 tickets for their show. With a further 200 tickets for a q and a/meet and greet with jim himself. That indicates more then half the people in the audience came to see him. I know your going to say 200 isn't a big crowd. But when you think of it as an upsold product and factor in the relative cheap costs of hosting such an event, it's making good side money for the promoter. The promoter made around 12,000-15,000 on tickets for both the shows and James and estimates reckon he cleared between £2000-5000 in profit. Ask any promoter who has booked Jim they'll say he's worth the money each and every time.

2) Jim Duggan, Jim still manages to draw house of 1000+ and despite been limited in the ring these Days the crowd still pops like mad for him. He also shifts a lot of gimmicks, autographs, photos, meets and greets and works relatively cheap, garaunteeing a return on the investment. He also has the legacy of a hall of farmer and still gets the odd appearance with the WWE keeping his name value out there. Draws the nostalgia crowd and kids
 
See less See more
#2 ·
Not sure about Duggan. I've seen him a couple times on indy shows and they're usually ones that are in high schools but are done as "not for profit" shows so they get the venue for free and get a ton of free advertisement at the school so they end up filled with families. I don't not if that's really Hacksaw drawing in the house.

Bryan Danielson after his release for the neck-tie choking was a crazy draw. I think a Chikara show went from having like 100 tickets sold to selling out. Gabe got a huge boost in ticket sales whenever he booked him as well. The ticket sales just exploded wherever he was announced to be wrestling at.

With guys that are currently out there I'm not sure. From what I've seen anyone that has been with WWE for a decent amount of time does a pretty decent job of getting more people to show up. My tiny local indy company had an average crowd of about 100 and they doubled for the show they booked Tito Santana in.

If we're talking about guys that sell a lot of tickets with minimal time in the WWE I think I would say Colt Cabana. On whatever tiny show he wrestles at he seems to be really over and the man is a merchandising machine and a name that a lot of people know. He also seems to do well when he's the only selling point for things. Thursday will be episode 300 of his podcast, he spends a month in Scotland every year doing his comedy shows, and he does comedy shows in the US as well. He has guests and everything at these shows but Colt is the only name you know you're going to get at all of these things. When you advertise only yourself and people show up then you're the draw and that's what Colt does. I don't see why this also wouldn't translate into having him on wrestling cards.
 
#3 ·
Colt is like cornette in the fact he brings a mini media circus with him, due to the podcast and therefore wrestling news websites picking up on it.

Trevor Murdoch draws well in his home terrority and is cheap to book at around 500 dollars and he's given back to the folks who gave him his start as well. He helps train the youngsters at dory funks school and also has his own school. Outside his home territory not so much the draw. But for those promotions he's wrestling for he does well at the gate.

Honky Tonk man is said to do well with meet and greets and autograph sessions. He draws the nostalgia crowd and kids love the whacky gimmick.

Surprisingly raven doesn't draw that well these days, think at one time he was giving TNA there highest buy rates, but he's regularly main eventing cards struggling to get over 100 on the gate nowadays. Not many of the ecw guys are draws as it happens unless you book a few of them and load the card with an ecw theme. But that concept has been hammered to death and I don't think there is an appetite for it for these Days in the same way there was, the brand has been tainted by the final years of the WWE produced version. That said, I think a UK based ecw reunion could draw, it's just real expensive to fly all those guys in.
 
#6 · (Edited)
I don't think they do too many shows outside of New Japan, PWG, and ROH. I don't know how often they do small time shows where they have to be the main draw.

PWG sells out every single show. I mean they have Mystery Vortex where they literally announce no matches or names and they still sell out.

You might be right about them. I just don't know. I know if they were announced for some random local show that I didn't plan on going to I would probably change my mind and buy a ticket if they were announced.
 
#18 ·
A lot of promoters are happy to just break even, those that do grow and become profitable have all there top talent stolen and end up having to bring in names to draw this brings higher expenditure and of those guys don't do the favours it's then hard to build up your next homegrown stars and the promotions popularity dwindles.

In fact most promotions hit a cieling when it comes to popularity and once they've peaked they naturally go into a downward spiral whilst they rebuild and it's very rare there able to eclipse that first peak. Wrestling fans are quite fickle and will move from product to product in order to see the best wrestling at that time. I imagine it's hell to be a promoter.

Then you have to factor it in stuff like once you hit that peak other promoters will start to run your area and it only takes one shitarse to come in and your territory is ruined. Especially when there is a lot of third parties who can be burned whilst promoting wrestling. You know guys who do graphics and printing, hire the rings, the building management, the local media, the wrestlers and there agents, sponsors and of course the fans

Logistically on paper promoting a show sound easy in reality you have a lot of masters to please.

One of the things promoters should be doing is offering the guys a bonus for having the match or the night. It gives the workers a reason to work to there best rather then phoning it in. Which on most upstarts and spot shows they would especially your big names,

With good match quality, you'll create a buzz and a respect from your audience and it gives you a base to build on.
 
#26 ·
I live in the UK so can't be totally sure on the US indy scene but judging by some of the matches he has had over the last 6 months or so I would say Pentagon Jr is a legitimate draw on the independent circuit, He's been wrestling in England, Japan, the US and Mexico and people seem to love him wherever.
 
#27 ·
Add another one for Pentagon Jr, dudes everywhere.
 
#28 ·
Yeah I think a good amount of the Lucha Underground guys might apply to this now. They're fresh faces to see at indy shows. For whatever reason Mexican wrestling hasn't been featured all that prominently in US indy promotions (aside from places right on the border I would assume) and I think LU is making that change a little bit.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top