WWE Returning to Dublin April 2005

NCIRL

This is my first post here anyway WWE are confirmed for a April 2005 show in Dublin. Shane McMahon said this in an Irish Independent interview which can be read over the net.

I dont know whether this is RAW or SMACKDOWN but WWE are COMING back to Dublin in 6 months which is only good news.

The good thing is this is WrestleMania time and WWE is usually hot around that time of year so the show is bound to be good.

WWEs UK tour earlier this month had loads of personal apperences in Belfast,Cardiff,London,Shefield.
So Dublin is bound to have say Y2J & Trish or Kurt Angle & Torrie apper in Easons or Smyths or something which is great as this show will be in conjunction with the TV Tapings they are doing in UK again

So if anyone has anymore WWE LIVE IN DUBLIN 2005! news post it here All we are waiting for is the offical announcement probably in Dec or Jan then the countdown is on.

WWE LIVE IN DUBLIN APRIL 2005 wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
(sorry for being so exited i missed the Tour of Defiance in May cause i was Oz so cant wait to experience WWE , Dublin style)

Ph3n0m

NCIRL wrote:

This is my first post here anyway WWE are confirmed for a April 2005 show in Dublin. Shane McMahon said this in an Irish Independent interview which can be read over the net.

Then provide a link to this interview

shinzon

hmm

I cant see any mention on the irish independant site of an interview with shane mcmahon let alone a return date for wwe to the point, so if youve got a link post it if not then please do not spam the board with purile nonsense


Shin

NCIRL

Ok lads here you go : this is the extract and the link http://unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=184&si=1274347&issue_id=11590

you might have to register with the site for free before you can view it.




THERE are very few businesses out there, where the chairman regularly gets whacked over the head with a chair. But World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is a pretty unique company, providing a hugely popular mix of fighting and soap opera to millions of viewers around the world.

The near-$1bn valued firm is run by a family that left County Clare over 100 years ago. Part of the act, which has the biggest pay-per-view audience in the world, sees chairman Vince McMahon take a beating.

It's obviously a gimmick chair, says I, rather unwisely.

"Bring over the gimmick chair and use it on his gimmick head," roars Vince's son Shane - the heir apparent to the family business. "Will I hit him with it?" he asks.

Eh . . . no thanks.

For the record, the gimmick chair is no gimmick. It weighs a blooming ton. Getting skulled with a chair isn't the only hardship Vince McMahon has to put up with. "Probably the most famous move, was me jumping from one end of the ring to another and landing in a trash can in front of my father, who I was wrestling at the time," adds Shane.

Sitting in Manchester's MEN arena several hours before WWE's very slick televised SMACKDOWN show (everything in wrestling is in capital letters) starts, McMahon reveals that the wrestling circus is coming back to Ireland. "We'll be returning to this market place in April. We'll come back every six months. We'll be back in Dublin in April," he says. The last time Wrestlemania hit the Point Depot, tickets sold out in six minutes flat.

Rejigging the international business is a key part of McMahon's strategy to grow the business, which has seen revenue slide noticeably since 2001. The company had sales of about $374m last year, with profits of about $48m. Despite the spandex and face paint, WWE is a deadly serious business.

TV is the key. WWE has TV deals with 130 countries worldwide. "Once you get TV in there, then people get to know the stars and you can start to bring in the tours and the licensing," he says, as another wrestler is splatted onto the canvas behind us. Young grapplers are practising for the fight-fest later that night.

WWE's business is split into two parts with the live events and TV division being the biggest money spinner, trailed by licensing and merchandising operations. TV pays per view; rights and ads chipped in about $47m in the last quarter, with live events contributing $18m. "We do just under 300 live events in a year," says the 34-year-old former wrestler.

The live events, which provide the material for TV, have seen flat audience figures in the US so there's increased effort on building up the fanbase overseas.

TV is the most profitable part of the company. WWE is now the biggest pay-per-view provider in the world. "In the last 20 years we've turned out about $1.7bn to the cable industry," he adds. WWE's latest pay-per-view offering, Wrestlemania 20, was sold to one million people worldwide, generating over $40m in cash. This year WWE has 14 pay-per-view events planned.

McMahon says the TV rights market is going "very well". It's a fickle and extremely volatile sector but WWE is somewhat insulated. "We're not just a sport," says McMahon. "We're also entertainment, so there's a mix."

The licensing and merchandising side of the WWE includes a hugely successful line of video games, DVDs and action figures. This added about $16m in sales in the last quarter. Books are also huge for WWE. And they're not just for bashing people over the head with. WWE has had six books in the top 20 of the New York Times bestseller list, ranging from cookery books written by wrestling commentators to autobiographies. The wrestling organisation is also moving into movie production.

WWE's demographic "sweet-spot" is a wide 12-34 age group. That night at the event, the MEN arena is filled with 14,000 screaming, pumped-up fans. While there are plenty of families and kids, the predominant grouping seems to be single white males. Most of them are wearing black nu-metal T-shirts and looking as if they spent too much time by themselves in their bedrooms.

The fat skin-head kids beside me spend the rest of the fight chanting, whooping and punching the air, as the The Undertaker, JLB and other fighters bash each other up, amid blaring rock music, fireworks and a lot of dry ice.

McMahon is no stranger to the ring, having fought under the stage name "Shane-O-Mac". Being the boss's son must have guaranteed that he wouldn't get any rough treatment from the other wrestlers. "I lost pretty much every match," he jokes. In fact, McMahon's CV has him as European Champion and Hardcore Champion. He leaps up into the ring. It's quite bouncy. For a second it seems as if he's going to do something funny like picking me up and slamdunking me into the canvas. It's a tense moment. Instead he shows me how to bounce off the ropes (always lift your arm or you'll fly right through the gap). The canvas is splattered with blood stains. People do actually get hurt in wrestling.

While you wouldn't want to be too much of a smart arse in front of McMahon in case he breaks you in half, it's hard to ignore the fact that revenues at the company have fallen dramatically since 2001.

"One of the things we did, at the peak of our business, was to split our two brands because we saw this coming a long time ago," he says. RAW and SMACKDOWN are WWE's two branded shows. The demise of Ted Turner's rival WCW wrestling operation left WWE all on its ownio. "We thought we could be our own competition and that's why we did the brand separation."

Er . . . how's it going?

"It's just starting to go now. We had to take a few steps back to move forward."

While RAW and SMACKDOWN are building up steam, McMahon admits that WWE may launch other brands. "There's always that potential but we want to get these ones really strong first. Then we'll look at it." WWE has also looked at other sports. A joint venture with TV firm NBC to produce an American football "soap opera" with similar character development and storylines to wrestling was scuppered when NBC pulled out. "We're an entertainment company, so we're always looking for opportunities that fit our operations," he says. "We're not just limited to wrestling." McMahon feels that WWE could make a real stab at boxing, although the time isn't quite right.

Boxing would be a return to their roots for the McMahon family. Shane is the fourth generation McMahon to be involved in the business, which traces its roots back to the Eighties when his great grandfather Jess McMahon left County Clare for the New World. Jess became a boxing promoter, who saw an opening in wrestling. Over the last 100 odd years the company has built itself into the dominant force in the . . . er, sport.

The creation of WWE wrestler Hulk Hogan as a TV icon in the Eighties saw WWE really become mainstream as the hulkster appeared everywhere from The A-Team to the back of cereal packets. The business was nearly flattened following a massive falling out with media mogul Ted Turner, which led to a lengthy court case. Victory in the courts saw the end of serious competition for WWE, which consolidated its position as the major player in the industry by floating on the NY stock exchange in 1999.

It was also to lead to the uncovering of one of the longest-running secrets in sport. As part of the listing process, WWE was forced to fess up that the fights weren't actually real. It's just a soap opera with top-class acrobatics. "You have to go back to what my grandfather did. And it was 'real' . . . which it never has been . . . ever. But what these guys do in the ring is real. You wouldn't believe the abuse that these guys put themselves through." The blood on the canvas didn't come from a bottle. Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks must be spinning in their graves.

Nick Webb

Magnolia_Fan

Yeah read that alright...pretty bad ass, can't wait...I'm gonna try for ringside again but guarantee all the dubs get them again...ejits
P.S reporter knew about as much about wrestling as I do about anal retentative journalists

TOPDAWG

Thats the berries. That'll be class if they do come back,it would show that were finally gettin the recognition over here that we truly deserve after all our years of being "armchair supporters." (cant help it if i find the premiership more entertaining GIMMICK ) that interviewer sounded like a right f*ckin muppet tho.

Skud

the only reason they come over here is in america the house shows weren't selling. They can get at least 30k ppl here alone for a taping of sd or raw atm cause so many ppl over here have been deprived for so long. What they'd pay for coming over they'd prob make up on merchandise alone, hopefully they'll have a better selection this time and we might even see sd down south... Was reported on tbr tonight also...

NCIRL

Just heard a very strong rumour of a very very reliable source that WWE RAW & SMACKDOWN will be bringing there flagship TV shows to the Odyssey Arena in Belfast,Northern Ireland in April he says this is 90% confirmed all i can say to that is wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

a RAW or SD! house show in Dublin then a more than likely 2 taping just 2 hours up the road from Dublin wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Lets show WWE what we are made of.

gimmick

Well, looks like its Smackdown! for Dublin on Thursday April 21st.

Raw doesnt seem to be calling to Ireland at all this year

oneofakind32

I recone Smackdown should be better then Raw for house shows since house shows dont concintrate as much on storylines which seems to be smackdown's main stumbling block at this point.
I would much prefer to see Paul Londan V Billy Kidman then Kane Vs. Gene Snitsky and with WEE set to sing more Cruiser Weights it should be a good show up untill intermision at least. Pitty I have to do my F*cking Leaving Cert

D-FENS

Anyone hear when the tickets go on sale ?

Nothing on Ticketmaster yet anyway...

Gonzo

omg an actual smackdown show in dublin!!!!this is fantastic news:)

Mossy Monk

bout ****ing time they made trips to the Republic of Ireland regularly

Stalfos

alright, smackdown in ireland but is it the actual show with stories and the like or is it a normal house show?

shinzon

Well, looks like its Smackdown! for Dublin on Thursday April 21st.

from that info just looks like a normal house show

shin

Mossy Monk

Smackdown! is taped on Tuesdays is it not?

Jonny Arson

Mossy Monk wrote:

Smackdown! is taped on Tuesdays is it not?

Yes tis.

D-FENS

Zane from MTV2 wrote:

Yes tis.

Exactly why Dublin on Thursday 21st will be a house show , not televised.

Plus SM is being broadcast from England the following Tuesday 26th, doubtfull they would show too in a row outside the states.

And apart from that, the Point, if that's where it's going to be, is ok for seeing WWE live, but it would look farily c**p on tv. They don't even have room for a proper ramp or the Titantrons.

Magnolia_Fan

The Point sucks...not enough of the seat are elevated. MSG was perfect for it but then again they have a computer program that organises all their seating patterns and have had WWF(E) more than twice. bunch of kids standing on their seats p!ssed me off big time especially considering I had to travel 8 hours for that one night and got shafted by all the dubs who have immediate access to tickets.

Cactus Col

sat upstairs at the point, it was great view, wouldn't sit downstairs for all the tea in china,

D-FENS

Magnolia_Fan wrote:

I had to travel 8 hours for that one night and got shafted by all the dubs who have immediate access to tickets.

How do people from Dublin have immediete access to tickets exactly ?

savemejebus

bleedin smackdown, the only wrestling event where i'd prefer to be on the bottom floor and not able to see the crap in the ring. Spend your money on the IWW show, it will be much better imo

Ph3n0m

D-FENS wrote:

How do people from Dublin have immediete access to tickets exactly ?

some people (no matter where they live) get early access because they know people who work in ticketmaster.

while others, like me have to take their chances - which I did for Smackdown in Belfast and got 4 rows from ringside

Cactus Col

go into ticketmaster the day before and ask them to hold onto a ticket for you, if they're cool then you're cool, give them a fiver tip when you get it, or a box of roses.

When do tickets go on sale for this April date?

Coney Island

Smackdown is crap :mad: ...was hoping for RAW

pingu_girl

lucky me french orals 19-22 of april heres hoping ill be first or second day unlikley with a surname begining with k any bod with a surname beginging with an a , b or c fancy gettin married real soon?

Jonny Arson

pingu_girl wrote:

lucky me french orals 19-22 of april heres hoping ill be first or second day unlikley with a surname begining with k any bod with a surname beginging with an a , b or c fancy gettin married real soon?

Get studying for those frickin' French orals now!!! You could be recruited by la Resistance at any stage of your life!!!

Mr.Nice Guy

Zane from MTV2 wrote:

Get studying for those frickin' French orals now!!! You could be recruited by la Resistance at any stage of your life!!!

The most important thing she needs to know:N'est pas peur-Don't be afraid!

savemejebus

maybe "n'aie pas peur" would be more helpful

pingu_girl

meanies!