WWE Does Some Huge Numbers, WCW, Backstage News

Source: The Wrestling Observer Newsletter (F4WOnline.com)

» More cable systems in Mexico will be adding WWE PPV events following how well WrestleMania 25 did recently. Many WWE PPV events have been airing for years on regular television in Mexico and when a move was made in some markets to make the shows pay only it didn’t work as well since people weren’t culturally used to purchasing wrestling events with most big cards airing for free on TV. The WWE product is said to be very popular in Mexico right now, with further evidence being that all four WWE events in Mexico this week were sold out. This was considered to be very good news as Mexico has been considered to largely be a walk-up business.

» WWE’s tour of Mexico last week was a huge success as all four shows were sold out. 5/27 at Arena Monterrey drew 14,000 paying $500,000, 5/28 at Arena Monterrey drew a sellout 14,000 paying $500,000, 5/29 in Querétaro drew 13,000 with more than 1,000 fans turned away, and 5/30 in Mexico City drew 20,000 fans paying $650,000. In a separate note, Saturday night’s SmackDown/ECW house show in Chattanooga, Tennessee drew 5,000 paying $130,000.

» To follow up on an earlier report this month regarding the WWE production of the “Rise and Fall of WCW” DVD, while Eric Bischoff, former WCW Executive Bill Shaw and Ted Turner all turned down interviews, those who did take part in interviews include Jim Crockett, David Crockett, Dr. Harvey Schiller, Kevin Sullivan and Bill Goldberg.

» WWE is scheduled to hold a tryout camp looking for Japanese talent. The tryout is scheduled for this July and has been coordinated by WWE’s John Laurinaitis, although Laurinaitis will not be attending as he is running the project by phone through WWE Japan staff members. The company does have at least one Japanese talent in the Florida Championship Wrestling developmental territory, Naofumi Yamamoto (being billed as Yoshitatsu), who signed in February 2008 after leaving New Japan Pro Wrestling.

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