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So, we are three weeks into the WSX MTV and I'm actually getting into the show. I mean, I can definitely do without the explosions every week, but when you accept them for what they are, it doesn't take that much away. They are 10 seconds of camp. It would be nice to see some longer matches. Jack Evans vs. Matt Sydal deserved more than three and a half minutes, but hey, they have 20 total so better to get 20 minutes of something different than nothing (or the same thing we get from all the other promotions).
That said, looking at the recent ratings decline and the fact they yanked the next episode, I fear that MTV may give up before they give the show a chance to get going. That's a shame if that's truly the case.
It was kind of insane for MTV to put WSX up against ECW in the first place. Regardless of ECW's show itself (and the fact that it's a shadow of what ECW should be), it's still a WWE brand and that means awareness since WWE can plug it into their machine. Looking at WSX, unless you are an internet wrestling fan or an MTV viewer, you probably don't even realize the show is on the air. It's out there in a vacuum somewhere.
When TNA, of all things, was moving to Monday nights, I saw commercials during RAW and during other shows on SpikeTV. I have never seen a Wrestling Society X commercial during any other wrestling show. I don't watch a lot of MTV, but I have read on message boards that apparently they are not running many commercials for the show. I certainly have never seen any advertising for the show in other forms of media.
At least when they were doing the Friday premieres people were able to watch the show Friday and then watch ECW on Tuesday if they preferred. I can completely see the logic in eliminating the Friday night sneak previews, especially since the shows ended up on places like YouTube and Megaupload before the Tuesday night showing.
So, since I had read that the newest (final?) episode would not preview this past Friday, I watched on Tuesday night. I flipped back and forth between ECW and WSX. I didn¹t even bother to set my TiVo since I knew I would catch the repeat sometime during the week and tape the show then. Except, when I went to look for the next airing, I couldn¹t find one. I read that some of the repeats were going to be eliminated and that others may be older episodes, but according to my TiVo guide, there is not one repeat all week. Does that make any sense at all, especially on a network that replays shows to death?
So, now MTV is giving viewers an option of watching WSX on Tuesday at 10:30 or not watching it at all. This may not be such an issue if Wrestling Society X aired on any other network. Fans don't expect to see RAW or ECW or even TNA repeated multiple times throughout the week. But, even people who don¹t normally watch MTV know that every MTV show repeats like a hundred times. How do they expect people to even find the show, let alone know that this is the only show on their network, probably in the history of the network, that will
only play once per week. Yes, they play the show on the MTV website, but who wants to watch it there. I want to see it on my TV and tape the shows!
I just don't understand the hot and cold of all of this from MTV. Didn't WSX claim to have like 2 million viewers it's first week because of all the replays? Doesn't that mean, logically, that overall, more people watched WSX than TNA or ECW that week, at least on paper? I don¹t know how the MTV/WSX deal works, but you would think that someone would realize that when WWE is making more money off of DVDs, international tours, video games, and other merchandise than they are off of TV, that MTV would realize that their strategy is a big mistake. Even if the MTV doesn't stand to make money from WSX's merchandise and other pro wrestling products like PPVs or live events, they still have a show on their hands that I definitely think can become something special.
Could it be their new Jackass or VivaLa Bam? I don't know for sure, but think about those shows and then look at WSX. We've got crazy people doing crazy stunts. Same formula, different setting. That should be enough for some of their viewers to tune in. But, if they¹re only airing it once a week and not advertising that fact, how are people going to know? I mention to friends that there's wrestling on MTV and the reaction from all of them is, "Since when?"
I think that competition is good and I like the fact that Vince McMahon's version of ECW seems motivated by WSX to provide a better product. I like the in-ring style of WSX and think that longer versions of their matches would be even better and hope that TNA is taking note so they can repair the X-Division.
I guess my bottom line is that I hope MTV and WSX can figure out how to get the ratings up so that I can continue to enjoy the show and it¹s obvious positive impact on the other wrestling TV shows. Was Wrestling Society X perfect? God no, but it was something different and fun and I'd hate to see it stamped out before it had the chance to find an audience.
