Continuing on the topic of integrating web3 into the professional wrestling industry heading into 2026, I open up the conversation as to which ways you believe can change the industry like social media did.
Here are a few topics for consideration:
- Decentralized social media / blogging platforms such as HIVE (Peakd, etc.) and others like Mastodon and Farcaster (formerly Warpcast). How ownership of one's assets and no centralized authority at the social media company level (unlike FB, IG, Reddit, etc.) can change how fans interact and have a sense of "ownership" on new forms of social media
- Token gated communities: Private websites accessed only through specific NFT smart contract ID's. Farcaster's groups come into play here.
- Airdrops from the promotions and/or wrestlers themselves to loyal fans who prove high degrees of engagement. Could the larger promotions create brand new "value" via a token (without negatively impacting the balance sheet or legal concerns) with which to use to reward high-engagement activity in web3 platforms?
- New forms of digital collectibles, verified on the blockchain with NFT or other ownership verification?
- Using augmented reality in ways like the "Andre The Giant" example from earlier this month: @ecwwebsite/question-about-augmented-reality-for-pro-wrestling-fans
- Pinning fans' memories in virtual worlds & metaverses tied to specific real world locations which then could be shared via traditional social media or the new web3 social platforms
- Creation of VR content to generate video games where fans can insert themselves
- Integrating real world high emotion topics (war, political disagreements, geographic rivalries, generational values not in alignment, etc.) into new storylines. AI videos could be made on these high emotion topics to help "sell" the upcoming matches based around these high emotion topics in order to generate big-money anticipation of a match (thus making the match profitable for the wrestlers, managers, promotion, and others involved with the companies)
- Staking, DeFi, or other aspects of web3 to make it profitable to be a pro wrestling fan
- Getting loyal fans to interact with their favorite wrestlers in the metaverse to help support a "promo" which then would be aired on TV or at least shared via the company's official social media outlets
- Fan-created merchandise, worn by the wrestlers, could help generate sales and profits for everyone (the wrestler, the promotion, and the fan who created the design) via smart contract payments
- Testing new designs for merchandise using Augmented Reality "face tracking" software. That way the designs, voted on via surveys in the blockchain, can help the wrestlers & the promotions narrow down which designs are likely to sell once made into physical merchandise. This is because no wrestler wants to see his passionate design fail to sell, and the company has no desire to hold onto merchandise which didn't sell - thus generating losses for both parties
I am open to any other topic which is web3 related which can help pro wrestling increase its popularity and engage fans in new ways with high degrees of emotion - both for active companies as well as for the "nostalgia" side of the industry. Thanks.