Is Independent Wrestling The Next Untapped Sports Opportunity?
Hint - We Think So!
At Disruptive Play, we are constantly evaluating the sports media ecosystem for opportunities to connect dots that others can’t see yet.
How do we do it ?
We look across categories of sports from Top Tier Sports to Emerging and Nascent Sports. We look at a variety of paths and permutations to understand opportunities for scale through social first storytelling and greatest audience reach (e.g., By Vertical, By Interest groups, By fan profile, By geography)
We then run this through our proprietary rubric to target undervalued opportunities [Click HERE to learn more] by prioritizing global, social-media-first appeal, potential to scale IP rapidly and strong Business fundamentals.
What’s an example?
“We believe that Independent Wrestling, yes, that Wrestling represents a massive white-space opportunity both as a sport and as a business. “
Wrestling is Easy to Understand
Universal Appeal: Combines physical combat and theatrical elements, making it enjoyable without needing in-depth knowledge.
Simple Rules: Straightforward rules make it accessible to new viewers.
Visual Storytelling: Action and expressions in the ring tell a story that transcends language barriers.
It has High Stakes Competitions
Intense Rivalries: Deep, personal rivalries add heightened drama and anticipation.
Title Matches: Championship titles at stake add excitement, with potential for new champions at any event.
Unpredictable Outcomes: Surprises fans with unexpected twists.
Pay-Per-View Spectacles: Major events like WrestleMania offer high-stakes, must-see matches that draw massive audiences.
There are Unlimited and Compelling Storytelling Angles
Creative Freedom: Scripted nature allows for innovative and diverse storylines.
Dream Match-Ups: Ability to craft any desired match-up, providing fans with fantasy battles.
Gimmick Matches: Special match types like steel cage or ladder matches offer unique experiences.
Long-Term Story Arcs: Ongoing narratives span months or years, allowing for deep character development and fan investment.
Recurring, High Volume Content
Year-Round Programming:  Wrestling is storyline driven and engages with loyal fans on a recurring, systemic basis. Multiple indy wrestling promotions bundled together would create regular weekly tune-in programming opportunities that could not previously be rationalized as stand-alone entities.
Broad Market Appeal
Global Reach: Enjoys a diverse, worldwide fan base, transcending cultural and geographical boundaries.
Crossover Appeal: Wrestling's blend of sports and entertainment leads to successful crossovers in mainstream media, with wrestlers becoming cultural icons in movies, TV shows, and more.
Multi-Generational Appeal: Appeals to fans of all ages, creating a unique environment where different generations share a common interest.
Social-First Fan Base
Outsized Social Presence: WWE has over 1.5B social media followers across platforms
Community Driven: Attracts a young, tech-savvy audience, highly active on social media. Fans form a passionate community, sharing experiences and connecting over events and wrestlers.
Athletes as Creators: Wrestlers often rise to become widely recognized figures, demonstrating the sport's ability to create stars with broad market appeal.
Extended and Amplified Social Engagement: Interaction between wrestlers and fans online creates a continuous narrative beyond the event connecting a global audience
DISRUPTIVE PLAY - We Believe There is a Clear Path to Creating A More Formidable Independent Competitor to Larger Organizations Like WWE And AEW
SO HOW DO YOU CREATE THIS ? … Well that’s for us to build and you to find out soon… But here are some of the questions we’re thinking about
Is Market Dominance by Major Players really an Opportunity vs Obstacle ?
How can you solve financial sustainability issues of smaller promotions?
How does Independence from Broadcast Constraints help you?
Can you deliver New Models and Economies of Scale Social-First, Ubiqitous Distribution?