Paul Heyman Says WWE, UFC, and Boxing Will Compete for Cash in 2009

Sports Entertainment's noted genius television writer and producer Paul Heyman has posted his picks for the 2008 "Paulie Awards," in which the former ECW owner and WWE Smackdown Head Writer discusses his choices for those who could or can influence a consumer's choice as to where to spend their available sports entertainment money.

Heyman points out that in the shrinking global economy, 2009 will see WWE, UFC, and Pro Boxing compete for the almighty elusive dollar, and the competition will prove to be fierce. 

Key excerpt: 

The Impact Player Paulie Award: Brock Lesnar

Nobody made an impact this year quite like my former "client" in WWE, the current UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar.

UFC president Dana White marketed Lesnar as the fake sport outsider coming into the very real world of ultimate fighting. The results of their marketing? Lesnar was the single biggest revenue-grossing attraction on pay-per-view this year.

Despite getting caught by Frank Mir on Super Bowl weekend, Lesnar punched a hole in Heath Herring's face, and won the UFC title from the legendary Randy Couture.

Indeed, "The Next Big Thing" has arrived, and he's waiting for his next huge pay-per-view main event in the Brocktagon!  

Heyman also gave his take on the UK Sun's "Golden Robe" Awards, which included a category entitled "Best Non-WWE performer."

Key excerpt:

The "Industry Snapshot" Paulie Award: TNA Is An Asterisk

I enjoyed reading The Sun Awards this year, because there was a category which, by its very existence, demonstrates the enormous opportunity that TNA Wrestling continues to squander. It was a simple list of nominees called "Best Non-WWE Wrestler."

I just can't pass this one up. Isn't it funny how there's a need for a category that actually specifies an award to given to someone outside of WWE? What does that tell TNA? It should tell them the simple fact the direction they're going in is not paying off, because TNA is not only seen as a distant second tier promotion, but the lack of branding continues to hamper the chances that present themselves to the independently-funded organization.

A tremendous talent roster that anyone would salivate to develop, a network that actually wants to help, and a vast audience of former WWE fans who are simply looking for an alternative.

And the best TNA can continuously come up with is..."WWE Lite."

It's a shame when a promotion spends big money for Kurt Angle and Sting and Mick Foley and Booker T and stops itself from recouping that investment.

The most marketable idea for Petey Williams is to be Little Poppa Pump? How many knockoffs can one promotion do (Jay Lethal as Randy Savage, So Cal Val as Elizabeth, Shark Boy as Stone Cold)?

Team 3D lose every night, which they understand how to do and stay on top, and yet no wrestling fan walks around saying "Wow, The Motor City Machine Guns muist be the best tag team in the world."

Here's a really easy question for you: Why not? Why don't wrestling fans walk around saying it? Because TNA doesn't take the time to capitalise on their own storytelling to persuade the audience that's the case!

TNA is so hell bent on trying to present a WWE-style product that it loses its own audience, which just aches to be given a reason to brag "we're better," or "we're cooler," or simply "we're different."

Until Dixie Carter and TNA management wake up and play to the potential audience that's out there, their big claim to fame will be "we're number two."

Sounds good, in a crowded field.

But lousy in a two-promotion-runoff.

 You can read the entire blog here:

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/heyman/article2083736.ece