4. Weapon Usage Increases The Size Of The WWE's Potential Consumer Base
Matches that exclusively feature weapon play (Hardcore, Death Matches, etc.) have a certain niche audience, to put it mildly. There are those that prefer matches emphasizing technical know-how with grapplers trading and countering moves. Some prefer hard hitting Puroresu from Japan, while others enjoy spot-heavy matches along the lines of the X-Division, Cruiserweight, Lucha Libre, variety. For reasons that a just and loving God could never possibly explain, there are those that enjoy Divas and Knockouts matches. So while there certainly is the existence of an all-around performer who can amazingly blend styles, we know that those wrestlers are few and far between. By not having matches that place value on weapons, the WWE is not presenting an appealing product to a certain part of the professional wrestling audience. Yes, it's unrealistic to think a promotion can appeal to EVERY wrestling fan. But from a business standpoint, it would be considered borderline incompetent to simply ignore a potential consumer base. And think of the numerous product tie-ins. I'm not advocating selling obvious Consumer Reports recalls like "Baby's 1st Ladder Match" crib accessory playset (complete with Shelton Benjamin's dignity). But what about barbed wire baseball bats made of foam or steel chair shaped pillows? If you can get it past the U.S. Consumer Safety Commission, I say slap a WWE logo on that bad boy and let's sell, sell, sell! I know a distributor based out of Thailand.