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Wrestling themed cruises are not a new idea. Back in the 1990s, WCW had its moderately successful Bruise Cruise, wherein vacationers could rub shoulders with some of the top talents of the day.
There are a lot of things setting Chris Jericho's Rock N Wrestling Rager apart, however. One will be the addition of rock bands like Slipknot and Fozzy.
Another important difference; This cruise will have wrestling matches. At first many die-hard wrestling fans were skeptical, but now the card seems to be shaping up to be almost as loaded as All In. If the cruise succeeds and becomes an annual affair, as is Jericho's stated intention, it could have ramifications for all of sports entertainment.
Will Jericho's big gamble pay off? If it does, it could impact all of sports entertainment. Here are seven reasons the Rock n Wrestling Rager may change the industry.
1. Upper tier entertainment venue
Cruises do not come cheap, and while Jericho is offering many payment options it doesn't change the fact that this event is being aimed at people who are at least moderately affluent.
With wrestling often being considered a 'common man's' entertainment, this could change the target demographic that promotions aim for in their productions. Much like MLB and the NFL have developed luxury elements, pro wrestling events could follow suit with their own luxury skyboxes.
2. More than just wrestling
The fact that the Jericho cruise is offering entertainment beyond just wrestling could be a game changer for the industry.
With bands like Slipknot--who, quite frankly, look like a wrestling stable from the 1980s--and 1980s theme nights, Jericho is hedging his bets to hook more than just wrestling fans for the cruise. This could lead to other entertainment team-ups between wrestling promotions and acts in other genres.
3. Inter-promotional warfare
One of the things fans complained about All In was that they wanted greater representation by Impact wrestling.
The Jericho cruise will deliver on that front, with a huge ten man tag match between Bullet Club and the team of Brian Cage, Johnny Nitro/Mundo/Morrison/Impact, Sami Callihan, and LAX.
Between Cody, the Bucks, Cage, and Callihan, you have five of the most sought-after talents in the business today sharing a ring. This match's allure could change the way promotions feel about doing business with each other.
4. A strong legends presence
While everyone loves the thrill of current stars, there's something special about getting to meet the myths and legends of the past.
Ricky Steamboat, Jim Ross, and Diamond Dallas Page will all be attending the cruise. These men represent a lot of wrestling fan's childhood memories and add to the allure of the event.
Wrestling promotions usually do pay homage to legends, but the Rock and Wrestling Rager could lead them to begin booking more A-list talent like Steamboat and Ross.
5. The Sea of Honor Tournament
Ring of Honor has decided to go all in--no pun intended--on the Rock N Wrestling Rager. They are presenting their inaugural Sea of Honor tournament, featuring nearly every major star on their roster.
It appears as if the wrestling part of the equation is going to be stacked with action. Fans can expect at least fourteen action-packed matches. The fact that the wrestling portion of the cruise is filled with elite talent means that the promotions will feel the pressure to bring their A-game if they choose to pursue similar events to the cruise.
6. Jericho could become a full-time promoter
Chris Jericho is a renaissance man, capable of wearing many hats. He is a musical producer, a wrestler, musician, and sports entertainer.
Given his ambitions, it's not out of the question that he may look into starting his own wrestling promotion. With his creative mindset and deep wrestling knowledge base, he could carve out a significant market share for himself if he wished to.
7. The WWE could decide to get involved in inter-promotional events.
Currently, the WWE actually does work with ROH and Impact to some degree. Often this co-operation is to allow footage from those promotions to be shown on WWE television. This occurred with Kevin Owens and Roderick Strong, who both had video packages featuring ROH content.
However, joint events or their wrestlers performing against or alongside those of other promotions have been strictly off the table. However, with the success of All In and the intriguing possibilities of the cruise, the WWE may finally decide to play ball.
There you have it; Seven ways the Rock n Wrestling Rager cruise could impact the sports entertainment business. Please leave your comments below and thanks for reading!
