Hey Scott,
Why doesn't the WWE ever run PPVs outside of North America? Is it basically just a matter of the time difference? It seems to me -- with past examples such as SummerSlam '92 in London and the 2002 Global Warning Tour show in Melbourne, Australia -- that running a PPV every few years outside of the normal North American loop would really freshen things up. Those two shows had massive crowds in large stadiums, and I imagine WWE could easily run a stadium show every now-and-then that would really be a strong opportunity for the WWE brand. They haven't even done a UK-only PPV in over a decade and those crowds were usually extremely hot, fun audiences despite the fact that most of those UK-only PPV cards were garbage.
If it IS mainly because of the time difference, what about running a PPV every few years in Mexico or Puerto Rico where the time zones largely line up with those in the normal PPV stomping grounds of the U.S. and Canada? That first New Year's Revolution show (I believe it was 2005?) took place in San Juan, Puerto Rico and I remember it being an incredible crowd that was into the show all night. There were really unique touches during that show like the crowd counting along in Spanish. With these dead stretches between WrestleMania and SummerSlam, I feel like the company is throwing away opportunities to at least bring a different atmosphere to the PPVs that usually take place during this time.
I mean, I can understand the issue with the time difference when it comes to live PPVs that are held in the UK or Australia, but the only possible issue I can see with running another PPV in Puerto Rico is that it might make for a difficult turnaround for Raw the next night -- and even then, I can't imagine that the logistics are much more difficult than what they've faced in the past. Any insight?
​Yeah, it is absolutely the time difference for international shows. They still have it in their head that a taped show means people will see SPOILERS and then not buy it. This is of course a meaningless distinction in the post-Network world, but there it is.
As for shows in Mexico, they no longer have Alberto Del Rio under contract and thus can't make him World champion for those tours. So you can see their problem. ​