Pro Wrestling is real...entertainment

This weekend is the Super Bowl of professional wrestling.  I know, I know. There's the Final Four but that big game is next week. WrestleMania is the biggest show on earth each year where all the grudges, fights, verbal confrontations and name calling come together for retribution in the pro wrestling arena.

When it hit Seattle and I was asked to help promote it, I have to admit I scratched my head a bit. When I was a kid, pro wrestling was a Saturday afternoon TV staple. Widely assumed to be completely "rigged" and contested by a group of vacant-headed ex-semi-pro athletes with very loud voices.

Then came Vince McMahon.  The World Wrestling Federation (WWF), that lost in the showdown with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and became World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), is a true entertainment phenomena.  It's Las Vegas on-wheels and the events reach 13 million viewers each week on television and 15 million a month on their website and mobile app.

Seattle was the first stop after the name change and the "branding" machine was hard at work. So I decided I would "take a breakfast meeting" with my now-good-friend, Mr. WrestleMania, Bob Collins. Formerly a big-time circus guy, Bob made WrestleMania all that it has become over the years. It turns out we had quite a bit in common in our work histories and he had me at the ham-and-cheese omelet. I signed up for the ride on the spot and what a ride it was.

To say that I was impressed with every aspect of the show is a huge understatement.  the organization was tight as a drum.  No room for error.  It was a dream to work with Bob and the marketing team. They attack a market like my friends at Cirque du Soleil. Head-on, all the way and they don't let go until they leave town.

News conferences and special events are more fun than the White House but no less orchestrated.  No shortcuts and first class all the way. The on-the-ground team spent weeks in Seattle prepping.  We had a sponsor-summit that closed the deal for several prominent local businesses on the spot.  It was easy for them to see the benefit of the audience for this amazing event.

And then...the superstars showed up. Two good weeks for promotion took them everywhere. The Rock was in town, along with Stone Cold Steve Austin and Vince McMahon himself. All of the athletes were just that...trained, polished, college-educated, courteous, well-spoken and engaging.  The love affair with their fan base is amazing.  It's everywhere.  Even my doctor knew the standings going into WrestleMania weekend. And I think the Space Needle actually swayed when the Rock and McMahon came in and sat down for lunch in Sky City restaurant. They were deluged.

I took local favorites Bradshaw and Ivory (Seattle's own Lisa Moretti) across the border to Vancouver for a couple of days of interviews.  the border guards asked them both for their autographs and Canucks were shouting their names across Georgia Street in downtown Van.

And kids, these wrestlers love them.  We brought them to the Space Needle to talk.  They went to schools and hospitals. community is never overlooked.  Last year, WWE raised $1 million on its own for Susan G. Komen to fight breast cancer.

The event itself was frankly a blur. WWE takes pride in selling out any stadium they go to, no matter what the size.  The commemorative plaque on my wall says 54,097 in Safeco. A record.  They were pushing to reach 50,000.

Of course, the outcomes are pre-arranged. It's a story they are telling and the season is long and all the pieces must be in place along the way. But what I learned was that how the wrestlers get to the outcomes is pretty much up to them. And there is nothing fake about the action. Slapping, smacking, punching, kicking, gouging and slamming are all real. And though the blood isn't intentional, it does appear every once in a while. I rode the stadium truck back to the dressing rooms with Hulk Hogan and he had a very real cut under his eye that would have made Rocky Balboa proud.

The success of WrestleMania is astounding. The live gate exceeds $3million.  The pay-per-view income is about $20 million for each single WrestleMania event. The mechandise sales bring in over $20 million annually.

And don't think for a minute that they wouldn't use social media to its fullest. They currently have 90 million Facebook friends, 40 million Twitter followers and they received 1.5 billion views from their You Tube posts last year.

This is sports entertainment at its best.  Last year, WWE  produced 248 live events in North America, reaching 1.5 million fans at an average ticket price of $45. And that's before television and all their other revenue streams. What an amazing business.  Was I impressed to get a look inside?  You bet, I was. Thanks,Bob Collins.  You're a master.



Posted on Friday, April 5, 2013