JBL believes WWE expanding further into Japan is not hypothetical.
Speaking on Something To Wrestle With, JBL discussed WWE’s current relationship with AAA and said the company’s approach to Lucha Libre could serve as a blueprint for future international expansion.
I don’t think it’s a world that’s hypothetical.
I think it’s a world that’s in the future.
I don’t think it’s a matter of if, it’s a matter of when.
JBL said Vince McMahon had talked about a similar global structure years ago.
Vince talked about this in the mid-90s about what he wanted to do and how he wanted to take over the world and have different, he didn’t call it developmental centers, but different territories basically on different continents.
JBL said he believes WWE will eventually do that in Japan.
I think that’s what they’ll do in Japan.
I have no inside information on this.
I just know what Vince had talked about.
JBL said the strategy would make sense for WWE.
This is basically the blueprint.
You’ve got UFC, the same thing.
They’ve got different wrestlers from all over the world.
It makes sense to go and almost have different fights in different countries.
JBL said WWE could create an NXT-type system or territory in Japan.
Same with WWE.
Set you up NXT type or set you up a territory in Japan.
JBL said WWE’s AAA relationship could also give talent a place to refresh characters away from North American television.
Triple A, now all of a sudden you can send these guys that may have gotten a little long in the tooth on North American television down to AAA for a while, rejuvenate themselves, work on a different character, send them to Japan.
JBL said international territories could eventually work with each other.
Same thing, work on a different character, have a rivalry between Japan and Triple A.
There’s so much you can do, but to do that, you have to be there and have a presence.
JBL said he believes WWE will build that presence in multiple places.
I think WWE is going to build that.
They’re going to have one in Japan.
I think they’ll have one certainly in the UK, probably in England.
You’ve already got the infrastructure there, one probably in Europe and hopefully one in South America.
JBL said one key is making sure WWE does not simply create an American WWE product in another country.
That was the one thing that I was concerned about with Triple A when they came down there because I’ve worked in Mexico since the early 90s, was that they would leave the cultural and the heritage the same and not make a WWE product there.
JBL said WWE has handled AAA the right way.
Instead, they’ve done exactly what they should have done.
JBL said he has been able to sit in on some creative discussions involving AAA.
I’ve been privy to be able to be in some creative meetings when we’re discussing shows, you know, leading up to it.
JBL praised Jeremy Borash and Undertaker for preserving the Lucha Libre identity.
That’s one thing that Jeremy and Undertaker are very good about is they want to make sure and maintain the Lucha Libre heritage.
JBL said that should be WWE’s model elsewhere.
That is a perfect blueprint to go everywhere else.
JBL said history shows why WWE cannot simply take over a territory and make it feel like WWE.
Vince brought WWE television in the mid-80s down to Atlanta.
They didn’t want it then.
They still wanted their southern wrestling which was different and you learned a lesson from that.
JBL also cited WWE’s version of ECW as another lesson.
WWE took over ECW.
You made it WWE and ECW light.
It didn’t work.
And I think you’ve learned from history.
JBL said AAA is the template for how WWE should handle future expansion.
I think what is going on in Triple A is a perfect template for anywhere you go.
If you go to Japan, it’s going to become a Japanese promotion that also is co-opted by WWE.
JBL said that is different from WWE touring internationally.
It’s not going to be WWE simply in Japan, which when WWE tours, they want to see the WWE product.
That’s one thing we learned about touring at least was they want to see the WWE product, what they see on television.
JBL said a true territory is different.
But when it’s their territory, that’s different.
And I think Triple A is a perfect template for that.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article, please credit Something To Wrestle With, with a h/t to Wrestling Headlines for the transcription.
