WWE vs. the World: The Opportunity the WWE Is Missing

While researching for a project I am currently working on, I happened upon an interesting piece of information:

In India, one of the WWE's key international markets and perhaps the sole reason they retain the services of The Great Khali—other than his breathtaking promos and crisp technical execution in the ring—there is only one school for professional wrestling in the entire country. 

It's the ever-so creative and cleverly titled "Indian Pro Wrestling" school.

You can visit the website at www.indianprowrestling.com. 

And if you love the sound of Batista's theme music being repeated over and over again while someone inexplicably keeps saying "Heath" then that's the site for you! 

But be careful, I think the site design causes seizures in children under the age of four.

Now, in looking this up, I've heard some crazy tales about their fees—which I can't speak to the veracity of—that they charge somewhere in the range of $40,000 to attend classes.  So apparently, enrollment comes with guaranteed title shots at both WrestleMania 28 and 29. 

There's also a second school that appears to be on the horizon, called "TJSMFW Wrestling" for "Tiger Jeet Singh Monster Factory Wrestling...Wrestling."  I guess they really wanted you to know it's about wrestling? But, they only have a Facebook page and a link to a downed website.  

It's apparently supposed to be linked to "ICW India," India's first professional wrestling promotion.  But that, too, only has a Facebook page that hasn't been active in months and a link to a dead website.  I guess the global recession has been hard on old Tiger Jeet Singh, just like the rest of us. 

What I'm basically getting at, is that there are one billion Indians in India.  And the only foundation in place to capitalize on future generations of "Great Khalis" (please, be more talented) is a pretty bootleg operation with 14 "superstars," the biggest of which is Tiger Rapta.  And you can't find Tiger Rapta on Wikipedia.  And if you can't find someone on Wikipedia, there's a pretty good chance that not only are they not a "superstar," there's a good chance they don't even exist. 

So with virtually zero competition in a marketplace of 1.1 billion people, why hasn't the WWE invested in creating a school there?  

This prompted the question: Does the WWE have any school or developmental territory anywhere internationally that they utilize like FCW in the United States?

While they have offices in Japan, China, Turkey, Singapore and the United Kingdom, they have no wrestling schools or affiliated promotions that train wrestlers internationally.

Why?

The WWE should have schools in every single country they are popular in.  Not only is it a good financial investment, as every aspiring professional wrestler from around the world will flock to these schools and pay premium money to attend it because of its official connection to the WWE, but it's a solid investment in finding the international superstars of tomorrow. 

The next Rocky Maivia doesn't have to come from Miami, Florida.  He can come from Perth, Australia or Shanghai, China. You don't have to hope that a rival promotion like ROH, AAA or NJPW produces someone you can use.  You can make stars yourself. 

But, while this viewpoint is important, it's not the biggest mistake that the WWE is making.

Many people don't stop to realize it, but did you know that already over half of the WWE's main rosters on Raw and SmackDown come from FCW or the WWE's old farming system OVW? 

John Cena, Alberto Del Rio, Wade Barrett, Sheamus, Randy Orton and John Morrison are just some of the names that came from Ohio Valley Wrestling or Florida Championship Wrestling.  (Although, Alberto Del Rio was already a seasoned pro from his days in Mexico; he just needed time to adjust to the WWE style.)

So, the big question—and in turn, the big mistake—is: Why isn't the WWE establishing the exact same systems in other countries?

Now, I don't mean establishing schools and developmental territories, and then bringing the best wrestlers to the United States from around the world.  There's simply not enough room for them. 

I mean, why isn't the WWE creating semi-autonomous regions where different branches have their own developmental systems, their own shows and their own stars?  

Think of Simon Cowell for a moment.  He had a smash hit in the United Kingdom known as The X-Factor.  It's a talent show, for those who may not know.  He replicated a similar format here in America. It's known as American Idol.  

So, here we have a mogul who had a successful entertainment formula that he duplicated on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean to double his success and double his earnings. 

Why isn't the WWE doing the same thing? 

Instead of bringing in a smattering of international stars to America, and then touring the world, why isn't the WWE building franchises uniquely geared to the various regions in which they are popular? 

Using India as the example again, why is there only one rudimentary organization there, that may or may not be fleecing its students, when you can build a school there yourself, attract quality Indian athletes with the WWE name, train them according to your vision and then use those graduates to create an Indian version of Raw and SmackDown directly in India? 

Why not do the same in Japan, Singapore, Australia, Turkey, Mexico, Canada, the United Kingdom, Russia, France, Germany, South Africa and Italy? 

Give each country their own schools, their own shows and their own stars. 

Vince McMahon initially built the WWF by branching out and consuming almost every single wrestling promotion in America. He took the best that each region had to offer and made a national empire, with international reach.  

But the biggest mistake that I feel the WWE is making, is that it is stopping at that point—stopping at a corporation with offices in certain key countries to secure their interests in the region, as opposed to taking over the region completely for themselves. 

Yes, they have international offices, and they broadcast the American product to a global marketplace.  But how much more poignant would WWE programming be if they marketed Chinese stars to the people of China? 

How much more popular would they be in India if they didn't just market two Indian stars in The Great Khali and Jinder Mahal in the midst of a cast of foreigners, but gave the Indian people an entire cast of Indians to cheer or boo? 

By creating fully functional bases of operations that dominate key international regions, that are wholly self-sufficient from their American counterpart, you ensure that the WWE brand becomes stronger, and that the legacy of the company will last longer. 

Obviously, there will be obstacles.  The primary obstacle of course being the need for a significant financial investment. 

An entire host of tasks will need to be done—securing TV time slots in each country and finding the right personnel for each region. 

The WWE will have to learn and navigate different governmental rules, regulations and restrictions and be able to gauge where there is and isn't a market for a regional program. 

They will have to determine whether or not they can start their own promotion in a country, or whether it would be more beneficial to work vicariously through a local promotion so they can operate more freely and avoid restrictions that foreign-based businesses face. 

Most dauntingly, perhaps, is the fact that it will take time to build each region.  It will take years of investment in turning green rookies with big dreams into veteran superstars and small curious crowds into a large fan following.  It will take millions of dollars for each market to be established. 

Lastly, there will be rivalries and companies to compete with in more popular pro wrestling markets like Mexico and Japan.

It would certainly not be an easy task.  But it would only be slightly different and more difficult from what Vince McMahon has already done here in the United States.

Embarking on this endeavor could produce an empire vastly superior to the current WWE brand.  A WWE that boasts viewership of its product in myriad countries, but a WWE that lives and dies by a single talent roster, executive and creative team, headquartered in America. 

By diversifying their international offerings, even when one market is sluggish—like the American market is now—the French and African shows could be booming because of a fresh idea that's working there.  Still bringing in significant capital for the overall company. 

By having creative teams all over the world, you'll have a better chance of transferring great ideas that can improve the product worldwide.

By having multiple international rosters, you can swap superstars as it benefits the business, you can run invasion angles—you could even have a "World War" situation where all of the WWE territories go to battle with each other.

In addition to that, you reduce the strain on your American wrestlers, as they no longer have to travel abroad so much. 

I would imagine you would also save a fortune by no longer having to transport all of the equipment necessary for a global tour around the world, all being financed by one entity. 

Instead, you could have regional tours performed in every country you have established a branch, all funded by their own capital, generated by the business they do in their own regions. 

Instead of a handful of international dates every year or two in a particular country, you could be generating regular house show earnings as you run more dates with the established branch on location. 

Not to mention that having multiple tours going all over the world simultaneously, as opposed to one global tour, would generate far more revenue once you've recouped your tour expenses at the gates and through merchandise sales. 

But most importantly, you can put on international super shows that could potentially dwarf WrestleMania in size. 

Imagine 20 years from now, eight successful regional operations in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Mexico, Australia, Germany, Hong Kong and Japan, pooling all of their resources and fanbases to put on a Mega-WrestleMania, one-million strong in an outdoor setting? 

The possibilities are endless. 

The risks and the work would be monumental in size.  But the rewards are priceless if successful. 

This obviously isn't something that can be built overnight.  It's something that would take long-term planning.  Establishing a successful "WWE UK" first, before moving on to "WWE Japan," so to speak.

Each would probably take years to build and become a successful and thriving market, each facing challenges that average fans on the outside could only speculate on and could never comprehend from an executive's perspective. 

However, I do believe that this should be the ultimate goal that the WWE sets for it's long-term future.  Not "American-based, with a global reach," but a "Multinational Empire."  To settle for where they are now, even though they are already a global company, is not truly grasping the ultimate opportunity that is available to them. 

But, what do I know?

I just write freelance articles on a sports site.