#5 – Top Notch Production
Perception is reality. WWE has the best wrestling production in the world – they didn't become a billion dollar company via production, but the correlation is still there. TNA has very solid production, and they have over a million viewers on a big network every week. So long as they keep the young male demographic up, they aren't going anywhere. If you watch New Japan Pro Wrestling, their production is fantastic, and they come away looking like a top tier promotion (which they are).
Ring of Honor is a great wrestling company with a ton of fans, but their production – while better than every indie company out there – still "feels" like an indie company. I've talked with a few guys internally and I know they are working to ramp up production for their debut on live PPV next month, so hopefully they are able to develop a new image so people don't think "indie" when they hear the words "ROH".
And that's going to be important with Global Force Wrestling when they actually debut. They don't need two million viewers on television their first night, and they don't need a packed house with 10,000 screaming fans. But they need to be able to take 800 or 1,000 people and make them LOOK and SOUND like a packed arena. TNA often does a good job of this. GFW must come out of the gate looking, feeling, sounding, smelling and tasting like a "real" wrestling company. First impressions are absolutely key. They have one night – the night of their first televised show – to set the stage for what fans think of their product going forward. Will they be an indie show, or will they be the real deal?
