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THREE WAYS TO MAKE PRO WRESTLING BETTING MORE EXCITING

Bookmakers have always had a tentative relationship with pro wrestling. You can obviously see why sportsbooks would be reluctant to take bets on scripted sports events, but it is something that has been growing in recent years. A good pro wrestling bookmaker will now take bets on most PPVS, covering not only WWE, but AEW and NJP too. Indeed, when you think about it, other popular betting events like the Oscars are have ‘predetermined’ outcomes, so it’s not as if pro wrestling is alone here. 

However, there are criticisms or, rather, improvements that we could suggest that would make the nascent pro wrestling betting industry more exciting. It’s not that the betting industry has got it wrong, it’s just there are some fun possibilities to explore. Here are three such suggestions: 

Bring in Live Betting

In all sports, live betting online has become an integral part of the experience. The technology is now there to update the markets in real time, and to react to events happening in front of our eyes. Live betting would only work with certain types of events, but it would be cool, for example, to have betting options for an event like the Royal Rumble. Bookies have quick bet options, which could allow for markets like next entrant or next elimination. It would certainly add some much-needed excitement to those boring parts in the middle of a typical Rumble match. These days, live betting operators can facilitate point by point bets on tennis, so there is no reason this couldn’t be applied to events like Royal Rumble, Elimination Chamber or Survivor Series matches. 

Let Fans Dictate the Spread

Despite the outcome of pro wrestling matches being dictated by the whims of the writers and, ultimately, people like Vince McMahon, there are genuinely matches where we are left guessing right up until the final seconds. We might know, for example, that Becky Lynch goes over Natalya at SummerSlam, and the odds reflect that, but something like John Moxley vs Kenny Omega at AEW All Out is much harder to call, shown in the odds of 19/20 for Moxley and 3/4 for Omega (888sport). But what if fans could create spreads to move the odds? Again, the technology is there to allow sportsbooks to do this smartly and safely, and it would allow fans to get better odds if they have some insights. Consider how the money poured in for Roman Reigns, who was widely expected to beat Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 34; if that market had been a spread (where the odds are dictated by the money), then astute fans could have cashed in on Lesnar. 

More “Returns” Markets 

There is currently a betting market for CM Punk making an appearance at AEW All Out, with the Best in the World priced at 13/10 to appear at the event and 13/25 not to appear. These betting markets are few and far between, however, and it would be fun to have some more available. You might be a wrestling purist, but it’s undeniable that the pop from a crowd when a shock return occurs is still one of the most spine-tingling experiences in the sport. Like everything in pro wrestling, these markets would have to be micromanaged by the sportsbook, but there is scope to do something fun. What would the odds have been for a Hardy Boyz return at WrestleMania 33, which shocked the majority of fans? What about WWE stars jumping ship and appearing on AEW in a similar vein to Kevin Nash and Scott Hall arriving in WCW in the mid-90s? There is a lot to play with here, and it could make a fun betting experience for fans. 

 

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