Analyzing the Significance of WWE Live Events

In an age when so much emphasis is on the televised wrestling product, it is no wonder that fans have disregarded WWE live events. Without cameras to document the action, the action that unfolds before the thousands of fans in attendance is somehow deemed meaningless or inconsequential to the company.

That cannot be further from the truth.

The live-event experience is an invaluable one for fans, performers and management alike.

On any given night, characters are molded into the finished product the audience will eventually enjoy on Monday and Tuesday nights. At live events, there is more creative freedom to incorporate inventive and even humorous spots into matches than in the structured television setting. Finally, the atmosphere allows Superstars who do not benefit from TV time to perform in longer matches in front of an excited and rabid fanbase.

The Energy

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A palpable energy accompanies live events that the televised experience cannot match.

The matches that take place on that night are for the eyes of those fans only. That makes those in the audience feel so much more important.

With live events often occurring in arenas too small to host an episode of Raw or SmackDown or a pay-per-view, the settings are more intimate. More importantly, the events allow the wrestlers to interact with fans in a way that constraints of television tapings do not.

Whether erupting for John Cena or booing Kevin Owens out of the building, the fans greet the Superstars with the eagerness and electricity befitting their stature.

The results are unique to that show; the opportunity exists for people to see NXT stars compete in their first official WWE matches, and fans witness a side of their favorite Superstars they had never seen before. All of that combines for a fun night out for any fan and an energetic environment for the performers to ply their craft in.

Effect on Performers

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For many of WWE's midcard performers, live events provide them the chance to experiment with character development.

The Damien Mizdow character that captivated the audience was perfected on the live-event circuit. It was worked on, molded and perfected in front of a crowd of fans who responded in such a way that it gave both the performer and management enough confidence to increase the role of the character on television.

Live events allow wrestlers to try new things in the ring that they may not have attempted before. Neville or Apollo Crews may test out a high-risk, athletic maneuver that he will begin using on television shortly thereafter.

In some cases, the event may serve as a dress rehearsal for a major pay-per-view event.

On August 25, 2007, Cena battled Randy Orton in the main event of a live event in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Just 24 hours later, they would compete for the WWE Championship in the marquee match of SummerSlam.

Little did the fans in Chocolate Town, U.S.A. know it at the time, but the action they witnessed would be a move-for-move preview of the match that the WWE Universe would experience one night later.

Live events provide Superstars the last chance to work out any kinks that may exist in their chemistry or to perfect a match outline important to the success of a show further down the card.

Benefits to Management

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It is not uncommon for attentive onlookers to spot Arn Anderson, Finlay, Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury watching intently as top Superstars do battle in intense in-ring action. They are studying each match, picking apart every move and sequence, and recognizing the strengths and weaknesses of the men and women they are in charge of reporting on.

This allows high-ranking officials to gain a better understanding of talent that is excelling away from the bright lights and big stages of Raw and SmackDown. They can recognize consistency and reward those stars for their hard work and dedication to their craft.

It also allows for creative experimentation. It is not unheard of for Curtis Axel and Damien Sandow to test out a Mega Powers team in front of 2,000 fans and then appear on the next episode of Raw paying homage to Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage.

Without that trial run on a smaller scale, more acts would be thrown out in front of television cameras with the near guarantee they would fail. It wastes time, damages prospective acts and leads to a loss in faith of the performer by those in power.

International Expansion

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Because of time-zone restrictions, Raw and SmackDown cannot take place in China, Japan, the United Kingdom, India or Russia without being prerecorded. Thus, the only events the company can produce in most of those countries are non-televised shows.

Those events allow those markets, which are key to the global success of the brand and its revolutionary WWE Network, to witness live sports entertainment and the top stars in the industry.

Those shows allow fans to come as close to the Superstars as they ever will and give them the opportunity to witness Orton and Bray Wyatt settle their differences inside the squared circle.

Without those shows, the live experience would be foreign to those fans and potentially hinder the company's ability to expand beyond television deals.