neonHyde
Nothing More, Nothing Less.
ALBANY, NY - 2009 really got going this morning for Just Wrestling fans in and around New York state as details of the next tour were released to press agencies in the northeastern United States. The big and apparently divisive news was that soft drink Snapple has become the lead sponsor of the cult promotion and will have a "moderate" presence at all the shows on the forthcoming tour. The more exciting news for wrestling fans was the announcement of the format of the tour.
After the success of two tours in and around New York state in late 2008 and a Holiday Supershow just before Christmas, booker Tim Shipley is looking to capitalise on the acclaim for his new promotion by shaking things up in 2009. The third tour will be based around a Lethal Lottery tournament, for which Shipley has promised "big stars and old Just Wrestling favourites". The Lethal Lottery itself will be conducted by live web chat prior to the beginning of the tour, and will pair wrestlers together at random before entering them into the brackets of a tag team tournament. Shipley confirmed that the Lethal Lottery matches will be the focus of all five shows, though "there will still be something for everyone and you'll be seeing plenty of action with the Just Wrestling Championship too". The Lethal Lottery tournament will culminate in a grand final at the last show of the tour, the winners of which will become the holders of the brand new Just Wrestling Tag Team Trophy.
Wrestlers won't be stuck with their tag partners the whole time - there'll still be plenty of regular matches, "including some grudges that need settling", Shipley confirmed. Max Danger, the current Just Wrestling Champion, is set to defend his title on the first show of the tour against Aaron Nothings, and will have to face the fury of Brock Shepherd, whose prosthetic arm he shockingly stole at the end of the Holiday Supershow at the Rose Hill Gymnasium. Shipley refused to announce any of the other wrestlers signed up for the tour, but insisted he would continue to be able to attract the big-name stars that have studded Just Wrestling events to date. The Illustrious Face-Eater is hotly tipped to return.
Shipley also announced that the Just Wrestling production facilities had been upgraded. As well as the new ring that was purchased in time for the Holiday Supershow, Shipley revealed that a large video screen will be used on the tour. The screen will sit above the entrance way and allow the live audience to see interviews, altercations and other action from the "backstage" part of each venue. The screen will officially be known as "Snapplevision", a concession to the new sponsors. The soft drink Snapple will be promoted heavily throughout the tour as part of a sponsorship deal which even sees each show billed as "Snapple presents: Lethal Tuesdays, with Just Wrestling superstars". This has already caused problems for some fans, who reported confusion as to whether the events were what they were looking for when attempting to buy tickets for the tour over the Internet after they went on sale this afternoon. The sponsorship deal is only provisional, with brand response being monitored throughout the tour before any decision will be made over whether the deal can span future tours also. Rumours that Snapple's parent company Dr Pepper Snapple Group will demand exclusivity over drinks sold in the venues remain unsubstantiated.
In a break with previous tours, all the shows will be on Tuesdays. Shipley admitted that this decision had been taken partly in order for local television networks to better assess the marketability of the product for future tours, and partly because, astonishingly, "a number of problems with workers have been around them getting their days of the week mixed up." Insert raised eyebrows here.
After the success of two tours in and around New York state in late 2008 and a Holiday Supershow just before Christmas, booker Tim Shipley is looking to capitalise on the acclaim for his new promotion by shaking things up in 2009. The third tour will be based around a Lethal Lottery tournament, for which Shipley has promised "big stars and old Just Wrestling favourites". The Lethal Lottery itself will be conducted by live web chat prior to the beginning of the tour, and will pair wrestlers together at random before entering them into the brackets of a tag team tournament. Shipley confirmed that the Lethal Lottery matches will be the focus of all five shows, though "there will still be something for everyone and you'll be seeing plenty of action with the Just Wrestling Championship too". The Lethal Lottery tournament will culminate in a grand final at the last show of the tour, the winners of which will become the holders of the brand new Just Wrestling Tag Team Trophy.
Wrestlers won't be stuck with their tag partners the whole time - there'll still be plenty of regular matches, "including some grudges that need settling", Shipley confirmed. Max Danger, the current Just Wrestling Champion, is set to defend his title on the first show of the tour against Aaron Nothings, and will have to face the fury of Brock Shepherd, whose prosthetic arm he shockingly stole at the end of the Holiday Supershow at the Rose Hill Gymnasium. Shipley refused to announce any of the other wrestlers signed up for the tour, but insisted he would continue to be able to attract the big-name stars that have studded Just Wrestling events to date. The Illustrious Face-Eater is hotly tipped to return.
Shipley also announced that the Just Wrestling production facilities had been upgraded. As well as the new ring that was purchased in time for the Holiday Supershow, Shipley revealed that a large video screen will be used on the tour. The screen will sit above the entrance way and allow the live audience to see interviews, altercations and other action from the "backstage" part of each venue. The screen will officially be known as "Snapplevision", a concession to the new sponsors. The soft drink Snapple will be promoted heavily throughout the tour as part of a sponsorship deal which even sees each show billed as "Snapple presents: Lethal Tuesdays, with Just Wrestling superstars". This has already caused problems for some fans, who reported confusion as to whether the events were what they were looking for when attempting to buy tickets for the tour over the Internet after they went on sale this afternoon. The sponsorship deal is only provisional, with brand response being monitored throughout the tour before any decision will be made over whether the deal can span future tours also. Rumours that Snapple's parent company Dr Pepper Snapple Group will demand exclusivity over drinks sold in the venues remain unsubstantiated.
In a break with previous tours, all the shows will be on Tuesdays. Shipley admitted that this decision had been taken partly in order for local television networks to better assess the marketability of the product for future tours, and partly because, astonishingly, "a number of problems with workers have been around them getting their days of the week mixed up." Insert raised eyebrows here.