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Prinze of the Ring
by Sophia Banay
Aug 4 2008
Aug 4 2008
WWE signs Freddie Prinze Jr. Didn't he used to be an actor?
In the brawl for the hearts and wallets of young male fans, ultimate fighting has boxing and wrestling on the ropes. Read More
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Freddie Prinze Jr. apparently likes a bloody, sweaty smackdown as much as the next teen heartthrob.
The thirtysomething actor, better known for winning tender hearts in romantic comedies than breaking heads on a wrestling mat, will join the creative team of
World Wrestling Entertainment, the company announced last week.
No title, start date, or specific responsibilities for Prinze were available, but a press release did mention that Prinze—who is married to Sarah Michelle Gellar, another teen favorite from her stint on Buffy the Vampire Slayer—is a "long-time fan" of WWE.
It's unclear how that—or Prinze's puppy-dog eyes, which starred in chick flicks like She's All That and Head Over Heels—will help him help WWE. The company is facing increased competition in the extreme sports and fighting programming category, both from established players like mixed martial arts company Ultimate Fighting Championship, and upstarts like the International Fight League.
Still, the addition may actually make some sense.
Prinze has "a high profile and is part of the core 12 to 34-year-old male demographic" that constitutes WWE's main audience, says Brad Adgate, senior vice president at media planning and buying agency Horizon Media.
"A lot of people are gunning for WWE because of the size and scope of its viewers. It probably makes sense to energize the brand," with an addition like this. Plus, Adgate predicts, the actor will have insights into the show's fan base.
Raw, WWE's live Monday night slugfest, still consistently averages 5 million viewers a week for USA, where it is broadcast. ECW, or Extreme Championship Wrestling, airs on the SciFi channel and was down in the ratings before a WWE draft earlier this summer. But Friday Night Smackdown faces an uncertain future when it moves this fall from the CW, where it had 4 million viewers, to Fox's obscure MyNetworkTV.
The three shows did prove valuable in the writers' strike-afflicted winter and spring. But with competitors swinging from the sidelines, WWE thinks it has found something that will set it apart.
"Having someone like Freddie on the WWE creative team brings a different set of experiences to the table," says Chris McCumber, executive vice president of marketing, brand strategy, and digital at USA, which is, along with the SciFi channel, a cable property of NBC Universal.
"It is always good to have professionals with different expertise and backgrounds putting their minds together to create original material."
But to get Prinze fans really tuning in, it might work better to put the actor in the ring. Stage name? The Incredible Hunk.
The thirtysomething actor, better known for winning tender hearts in romantic comedies than breaking heads on a wrestling mat, will join the creative team of
World Wrestling Entertainment, the company announced last week. No title, start date, or specific responsibilities for Prinze were available, but a press release did mention that Prinze—who is married to Sarah Michelle Gellar, another teen favorite from her stint on Buffy the Vampire Slayer—is a "long-time fan" of WWE.
It's unclear how that—or Prinze's puppy-dog eyes, which starred in chick flicks like She's All That and Head Over Heels—will help him help WWE. The company is facing increased competition in the extreme sports and fighting programming category, both from established players like mixed martial arts company Ultimate Fighting Championship, and upstarts like the International Fight League.
Still, the addition may actually make some sense.
Prinze has "a high profile and is part of the core 12 to 34-year-old male demographic" that constitutes WWE's main audience, says Brad Adgate, senior vice president at media planning and buying agency Horizon Media.
"A lot of people are gunning for WWE because of the size and scope of its viewers. It probably makes sense to energize the brand," with an addition like this. Plus, Adgate predicts, the actor will have insights into the show's fan base.
Raw, WWE's live Monday night slugfest, still consistently averages 5 million viewers a week for USA, where it is broadcast. ECW, or Extreme Championship Wrestling, airs on the SciFi channel and was down in the ratings before a WWE draft earlier this summer. But Friday Night Smackdown faces an uncertain future when it moves this fall from the CW, where it had 4 million viewers, to Fox's obscure MyNetworkTV.
The three shows did prove valuable in the writers' strike-afflicted winter and spring. But with competitors swinging from the sidelines, WWE thinks it has found something that will set it apart.
"Having someone like Freddie on the WWE creative team brings a different set of experiences to the table," says Chris McCumber, executive vice president of marketing, brand strategy, and digital at USA, which is, along with the SciFi channel, a cable property of NBC Universal.
"It is always good to have professionals with different expertise and backgrounds putting their minds together to create original material."
But to get Prinze fans really tuning in, it might work better to put the actor in the ring. Stage name? The Incredible Hunk.
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