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http://www.tcpalm.com/tcp/sports/article/0,1651,TCP_1154_2792203,00.html

By ALEX MARVEZ
April 8, 2004

World Wrestling Entertainment has reason to flex its muscles after
promoting what will probably be the biggest money-generating show in
grappling history.

WWE has announced that last month's Wrestlemania XX pay-per-view show
generated 825,000 orders at $49.95 apiece, which translates to a gross
of $41.2 million. When the final number of orders is tabulated and
combined with other revenue generated in live attendance and
merchandise, Wrestlemania XX is expected to top the $46.5 million
produced by Wrestlemania XVII in 2001 headlined by Steve Austin vs.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

The number of pay-per-view orders for Wrestlemania XX may come close
to doubling the amount generated the previous year by Wrestlemania XIX
but WWE's television ratings have shown only a nominal increase in
that span.

That seems to indicate WWE did an excellent job pitching Wrestlemania
XX to its core audience but has failed to re-capture the interest of
casual fans who have abandoned the product in recent years.

It appears many of those former viewers are over the age of 35, as
evidenced by a recently released ESPN Sports Poll that asked whether
participants were wrestling fans. In surveying conducted throughout
2003, the percentages of those who answered positively decreased as
the age demographic increased.

The highest percentage of fans was between the ages of 12 and 17 (49.7
percent) followed by ages 18 to 24 (42) and 25 to 34 (30.8). Those
demographics were also the only ones to register in double-digit
percentages among those participants describing themselves as avid
fans.

WWE could try to regain some older fans through nostalgia. In what may
be a precursor to an all-wrestling channel, WWE is planning to
introduce a video-on-demand service that would release 20 hours of
older content each month on pay-per-view. WWE owns more than 75,000
hours of its own footage combined with the video libraries of defunct
promotions like World Championship Wrestling, Extreme Championship
Wrestling and the American Wrestling Association.

X . . . X . . . X

The ESPN survey also revealed the racial diversity of today's
wrestling audience. The percentage of African-Americans (45.9),
Hispanics (38.5) and Asians (28.4) who described themselves as
wrestling fans was higher than those categorized by ESPN as "white"
(20.1).

WWE's recent booking seems influenced by those numbers judging by the
stronger pushes given to more ethnically diverse characters who were
mired in mid-card roles. Shelton Benjamin has scored consecutive
victories over Paul "Triple H" Levesque on the past two Monday Night
Raw telecasts (9 p.m. EDT, Spike TV), while Booker T is being given
the chance to challenge Eddie Guerrero, who in February became the
WWE's first Hispanic world champion since Pedro Morales in 1973.

X . . . X . . . X

National Wrestling Alliance/Total Nonstop Action is hoping to secure a
television deal with Fox Sports Net that would provide some
much-needed mainstream exposure. NWA/TNA is generating enough revenue
on its weekly Wednesday night pay-per-view shows that the promotion
signed a contract extension with In Demand through 2005. The bad news
is that the unbearable Vince Russo is once again involved in the
matchmaking process and has made himself a major focus of NWA/TNA
telecasts ... WWE recently released Terri Boatwright and Sean O'Haire
from their contracts. O'Haire never fulfilled the superstar potential
he flashed three years ago while working in WCW.

X . . . X . . . X

Q: What is Diamond Dallas Page doing?

- David Barnett, Columbus, Ind.

A: Page (real name Page Falkinburg) continues to pursue an acting
career after quitting WWE in 2002 because of serious neck problems.
Page, though, announced he will be coming out of retirement to work
select independent dates after reaching an injury insurance settlement
with Lloyd's of London.

In a recent e-mail, Page said he would only be wrestling against Erik
Watts because "we know how to take care of each other and it will be a
lot of fun."


--- Internet Rex 2.29