World Wrestling Entertainment
The “multimedia sports entertainment” brand explodes in Japan

Victoria gets a grip

©2008 World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved

Fans of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) are in for a treat on September 7 when some of the organization’s biggest stars arrive in Japan for an epic pay-per-view party called Summer Slam. WWE has gained a huge local following despite the fact that it’s not, strictly speaking, a sport. “We call ourselves multimedia sports entertainment,” says Ed Wells, vice president and general manager of WWE Japan. “All our programming is storyline-based with wrestling at the heart of it. Our competition around the world is not other pro wrestling leagues—it’s Hollywood [TV shows] like 24, Lost and Heroes.”

WWE has three brands—Raw, Smackdown and ECW (Extreme Championship Wrestling)—each with its own characters, such as divas Maria and Victoria, John Cena, Dave Batista and Triple H. “Raw is the premier brand, while Smackdown and ECW each have very popular stars,” Wells says. “Every four or five weeks, we have a special pay-per-view event. Our regular viewers follow the story which climaxes at the event. That’s when you see stars coming together from the three brands.”

In Japan, Raw, ECW and Smackdown are shown on J Sports ESPN, 1, 2 and Plus every day. “We never have an off season; we’re on 365 days a year,” says Wells. “There is a bit of a delay from the US because of subtitling, but we’re working on minimizing that. Subtitles are outsourced, and I can tell you there are a lot of fans who put their hand up to do it.”

Each year, WWE holds four major events in the US—Royal Rumble, Wrestlemania, Summer Slam and Survivor. “That’s when we do something special for our fans in Japan,” says Wells. “In February, we had Royal Rumble Japan Tour at Budokan and Ariake Coliseum. In May, diva Torrie Wilson came for Wrestlemania. We did a viewing party with a giant screen and sold tickets for fans to watch it; the event sold out immediately.”

WWE’s popularity results from making the effort to bring its stars and local fans together. “One of the most important things in marketing a brand is creating a connection between that brand and viewers. We make these events interactive; it’s not just sitting back and watching a show. The stars love Japan. The biggest challenge is their schedules. They are so in demand, and we have a global operation.”

Next up is the Summer Slam Tokyo viewing party for 500 fans, which will feature such WWE stars as Victoria, whose signature move is the “Widow’s Peak,” and Maria, whose skills extend from kickboxing and dancing to working on cars and displaying her vroom-vroom curves on the cover of April’s Playboy. Prize giveaways include WWE official merchandise and other not-for-sale items, and one fan will win a trip to Wrestlemania 25 in Houston next April.

Maria strikes a pose

Click pic to enlarge.

Who is likely to attend the event, which costs ¥3,500? “Men aged 20-40 are currently our core demographic in Japan, although we have a lot of children and female fans,” says Wells. “The divas are charismatic, glamorous and powerful ladies who appeal to young women around the world, including Japan.”

In addition to the TV programming, WWE operates websites and has a movie division. “We are moving more into the entertainment world,” says Wells. “We need to attract new fans and give people a reason to try us out. I have no doubt that if they watch our content, they are going to get hooked. It is also important to do events around the country, because not all of our fans can come to Tokyo. Our web and mobile sites are very important for us to interact with fans. They are very vocal and know exactly what they want.”

The Summer Slam Tokyo viewing party takes place on September 7 at Stellar Ball Shinagawa Prince Hotel. See sports listings for details.

Chris Betros is the editor of Japan Today (www.japantoday.com).


Summer Slam Tokyo Viewing Party Ticket Giveaway

WWE Japan is offering Metropolis readers two pairs of tickets to the Summer Slam Tokyo Viewing Party. To apply, send an email with your name, address and telephone number to infojapan@wwe.com by Wednesday, September 3. Winners will be contacted on September 4. For further information, see www.wwe.co.jp or http://m.wwe.co.jp (mobile), or call 03-5456-6053.