CALDWELL'S TAKE CALDWELL: Mayweather vs. Big Show angle thin on mainstream coverage Feb 19, 2008 - 4:32:34 PM

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By James Caldwell, Torch columnist

In 1998, it was Mike Tyson. In 2008, it's Floyd Mayweather.

Although not on the level of WWE brokering a deal for Mike Tyson's WrestleMania 14 involvement with Steve Austin that started WWE's streak of amazing business, WWE bringing in Floyd Mayweather for a WrestleMania match against Big Show is a significant coup.

How significant remains to be seen.

Mayweather is arguably boxing's top star right now. He brings instant attention to WWE, at a time when the company is about to take the WrestleMania hype into over-drive. And, the angle with Big Show at the No Way PPV will probably be remembered by viewers more than anything else on the PPV.

The issue, though, is that mainstream attention has been lacking. WWE sent out the press release immediately after the PPV on Sunday night to encourage TV and Internet news outlets to push the video clips of Mayweather's four-punch combo on Big Show. But, subsequent coverage was slim.

A few news outlets published stories online, specifically boxing websites, but the AP didn't pick up the story. The New York Daily News had a report, but TV broadcasts weren't jumping on the story. WWE was actually getting more press on Tuesday for Lindsay Lohan making a backstage appearance on Raw than Mayweather's confrontations against Big Show.

People weren't talking about the angle on Monday morning, which could be blamed on NBA All-Star game reaction or the continued fascination with big name baseball players admitting to HGH use. After all, New York Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte had a press conference on Monday to re-admit to his HGH use, which the media ate up with a wooden spoon.

How much of a concern should there be, though? To me, it seems like the current attitude is wait-and-see. There's inherent skepticism in anything WWE does involving celebrities. Floyd Mayweather accepted a match against Big Show on Monday night, but it was in the context of a pro wrestling TV show where everything is scripted, and nothing is official.

When general pro wrestling matches and angles change on a second's notice, the question becomes what does Mayweather accepting Big Show's challenge for a fight at Mania actually mean? Boxing match? Wrestling match? Tag match? Arm-wrestling contest? Is it merely a storyline ploy, or is there something tangible that Mayweather actually accepted last night? It wasn't clear.

Until WWE sends out that press release officially announcing a monetary deal is in place for Big Show and Floyd Mayweather to have a match at Mania (which could come any time now), mainstream interest is going to be light.

Mania is more than a month away, though. There is time to build up interest in Mayweather's involvement in WWE's signature event, but the other issue is how much crossover interest they drum up for a match involving Mayweather and Big Show.

Last year, WWE broke wrestling PPV records in Detroit for WrestleMania 23 behind the Donald Trump angle. They had $5.38 million in ticket sales and approximately $32.6 million in PPV revenue. They tried to create a star in Bobby Lashley. They involved Steve Austin. They had a pay-off of Vince McMahon getting his head shaved.

This year, WWE will have a celebrity who can actually step inside the ring and have a compelling match. On the surface, that seems like a no-brainer upgrade in celebrity talent to be involved in a mega-gimmick match. But, is it?

Donald Trump was in the middle of a hot feud with Rosie O'Donnell when WWE brought him in for several TV angles involving Vince McMahon. In the 24-hour news cycle, Trump was staying in the news cycle for 25 hours. He had name value that WWE could capitalize on to drum up more than the usual share of interest in WrestleMania.

What about Mayweather? He's boxing's top fighter, but his re-match against De la Hoya isn't until September. There isn't a groundswell of interest in whatever Mayweather is up to these days, even though this is a significant story involving the top fighter in boxing.

Measuring Mayweather's impact on business will be an important story to follow. Wrestling fans are ordering 'Mania because it's Mania. Sports fans who generally don't watch wrestling are going to be intrigued, but are they willing to spend money on wrestling? It should at least also force boxing fans to entertain the thought of ordering a wrestling PPV.

The next few weeks will be very interesting and very telling, as we'll be able to gauge the level of mainstream interest in Mayweather appearing on a WWE-produced event. It could simply be a matter of a delay in news outlets really running with the story, due to WWE's ambiguousness on what's actually official here.

Or, even worse and of much concern, is that this is a sign that WWE has worn out its welcome with mega-gimmick matches as a cry for mainstream attention.

The start of the angle was brilliant, though. No Way Out featured an intense confrontation, complete with a four-punch combo from Floyd Mayweather that broke Big Show's nose. The effectiveness of the follow-up on Raw is up for debate. And the crowd reactions on Raw could determine how WWE plays up this angle going forward.

In Vegas on Sunday night, he was clearly the babyface. It was one-part "shock pop" for a celebrity jumping the guardrail to get involved in a wrestling angle, and one-part Mayweather defending Rey Mysterio from Big Show.

Things were different on Monday night in Anaheim, where he was booed early and often. Some fans have pointed out that Southern California is De la Hoya country. There's also something to Mayweather giving off the vibe of being a heel because of the punch-and-run tactics on Sunday night and his posse shadowing every move. And, there's the Brock-in-UFC factor of Mayweather being perceived as an outsider coming into a pro wrestling world.

Whatever the factors are, WWE has a decision to make. Do they keep things the way they are and let the fans in each market between now and Orlando decide who to cheer and who to boo? Or, do they tweak the presentation to ensure that Mayweather is the clear babyface?

Rey Mysterio is expected to remain involved in the angle, despite impending biceps surgery that could put him out until Summerslam. The level of involvement from Rey will be a significant factor in evaluating WWE's decision-making on how to present the angle.

If Rey is floating in the background, as was the case on Raw, then WWE is content to let it ride with the arena fans setting the tone for how Mayweather is presented to the TV audience. If Rey is heavily involved, we'll know WWE wants it to be clear that Mayweather is the good guy against Big Show's over-aggressive tactics.

At this stage of the game, we're only two episodes into the Mayweather vs. Big Show program, leaving plenty of questions yet to be answered.

Can WWE convince mainstream sports media and fans to care about the angle? Will WWE draw more business out of a Mayweather vs. Big Show match that is significantly above what they would already be getting for Mania? Is the investment of finances and TV time for Mayweather going to make a significant enough difference in PPV business to justify the deal?

The key to all of these questions starts with the first question. If mainstream sports and entertainment media isn't covering the angle, then why should mainstream sports fans care enough about a WWE product to spend $50-plus on a PPV?

If there isn't a groundswell of sports media coverage between now and Mania, this angle could turn out to be a very expensive undercard special attraction match.

If the mainstream coverage picks up, and WWE actually solidifies the exact nature of Mayweather's involvement in the PPV, then it could be a significant financial gain for WWE.

WWE has laid the foundation with a strong PPV angle and decent-to-good follow-up on Raw. How the media responds from here will reveal a lot about WWE's place in the sports culture and pop culture, and a little bit about boxing's, too.

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