MCW Boss Rohan Herbstreit – Discussing the growth of MCW
In late November, the head honcho of Melbourne City Wrestling joined the fellows from the On the Turnbuckle Podcast ahead of the final MCW event of 2024.
Is it a big risk moving to the Pavillion?
RH – It is. Well, it was never guaranteed that it was gonna sell well and I think that was sort of the biggest step, could you get into a bigger venue to start with? could you actually fill it?
It’s always hard going from a 500 – 600-seater to a much bigger, there is not an intermediate venue, because there is no 800-seater.
RH – No and the whole thing has always been, if you have an audience that goes to one venue, they’re not guaranteed to go to another venue because they get to know that venue you are at. So, one of the big things was, would we be able to get people to go to another venue that is bigger? That was the risk, and it was a big risk because it’s not another 100 people, it’s another 600 -700 people. It’s almost double, so it’s a big risk.
What is it about Tuckman that allowed him to connect so quickly with the crowd in Melbourne?
RH – I think we’ve actually got a crowd that we’ve spent about 5 years cultivating knowing that they know the show. So, the more we understand the crowd, the better the crowd becomes. Look at Lucas Fantasia, he’s never been on a show before, never wrestled in Melbourne. He came out and got one of the best reactions and I think that is probably a testament to the people that are attending, as in the crowd, and I think that helps because everyone’s really working together to create a product that’s suitable for all people, all ages, all demographics.
Wrestler’s telling the same stories across different companies
RH – I think so, I think it’s social media and it’s very powerful on how you use it. I think that’s where people need to improve from a wrestling point of view like the actual wrestlers understanding how they can tell a story online. I don’t think that’s quite got through for a lot of people yet because if you’re an independent wrestler who’s got a storyline, you don’t necessarily have the backing of a company that can say ok, I’m gonna storyboard, or map out what six months of content looks like. They are probably going to grab their phone and go to their car in a work break.
What does the future hold for MCW?
RH – I think, again we talked about venues a lot and I feel like that’s key to take that next step. It’s important to get to a bigger venue, I think this is where the Pavillion could work and be that venue. Obviously other people run events there and that’s fine. World Series has done a pretty good job at building that up and running there. They’ve got a lot of boxing and other stuff. I feel like, if everything goes well in a few weeks, I feel like it could be a step. But it’s up to everybody. It’s up to the performers, the wrestlers to life and promote and do their bit, it’s up to the fans to support it, and if they want to see shows at the venue, they need to come out and support it.
If you want to hear the whole thing, then make sure to check out the On the Turnbuckle Podcast over on Spotify
Hello, I’m Scott aka RAZ. I’ve been an avid wrestling fan for over 30 years and have dabbled in both the world or pro wrestling and music. Previously commentated for Iron Fist Pro in South Australia, I now focus on more of the mainstream wrestling and run a few shows on YouTube where I breakdown the most recent happenings. Glad to be part of the team here at PWdownunder.com.
