History Main / BShow

** Wrestling/{{WWE}} had ''Raw'' as an A show and ''Smackdown'' as its B-Show, but Smackdown grew in ratings to the point it eclipsed Raw and became a separate A show with its own B show, ''Velocity'', to match Raw's ''Heat''. ''WWE NXT'' served as a kind of B-show to both after ''Heat'', ''Velocity'' and ''WWECW'' were taken off air, its emphasis on talent straight out of developmental and/or the independent circuit (the "Rookies" are competing for a shot on an A-Show). More to the point is Wrestling/WWESuperstars, a show which started on WGN but now airs online, which features either three or four matches taped before ''RAW'' and ''Wrestling/WWESmackDown'' (originally it featured a match each from the ''RAW'', ''Smackdown'', and ''ECW'' brands).
** As of April 2014, the hierarchy goes something like: RAW (A-Show; it's three hours long and it's where all the major story lines are set up and moved forward), Smackdown (B-Show; it's an hour shorter than RAW and often fills up that time with recaps of events on RAW), Main Event and Superstars (both C-Shows that run just one hour and are only available online or via the WWE Network, mostly featuring low-card talent rarely seen on RAW or SD). NXT doesn't really fit into it at all, as it's so disconnected from the primary WWE product.
** As of TheNewTwenties, ''RAW'' and ''Smackdown'' serve as the A-Shows, with ''Main Event'' as the B-Show, showing recaps from ''Raw'' and ''Smackdown'' in-between wrestling matches with mid-card talent and rookies.
** [[Wrestling/{{WWENXT}} NXT]] has ''NXT LVL UP'', which also doubles as a replacement for ''205 Live'', which is meant to get developmental talent not quite ready for wrestling on the main show TV time and experience.

** ''WCW Thunder'' counted as a [=B Show=] too by virtue of the fact that all of the top-card wrestlers- which ''Nitro'''s angles would revolve around- ''refused'' to appear on it. That, and ''Thunder'' was so poorly produced that it's hard to believe that WCW cared about it at all.[[note]]Most of them didn't care because ''Thunder'' was forced on them by the Turner brass, over the loud objections of Wrestling/EricBischoff and several others. Bischoff felt that an extra 2 hour show would just oversaturate the market and burn out the bookers, and he was right on both counts[[/note]]

* ''Wrestling/{{TNA}} Xplosion'', which is syndicated in a handful of markets. It in fact predates TNA's A show, ''iMPACT''. Xplosion was created when TNA was running weekly pay per views and existed mainly as an advertisement for them. ''iMPACT'' started as the weekly program with the move to monthly pay per view, with Xplosion still around but not even broadcast in the USA anymore.

* Wrestling/AllEliteWrestling has ''AEW Rampage'', a one hour show that airs on Fridays, and is typically taped after and treated as an extension of the A Show ''AEW Dynamite''.
** AEW formerly had two more B-shows in ''AEW Dark'' and ''AEW Dark: Elevation'' that were shown on Website/YouTube. Both these shows were cancelled in May 2023 after AEW was given a third cable show called ''Collision'' on Saturday nights. This wasn't intended to be a B-show[[note]]It was intended to be Wrestling/RingOfHonor (which AEW owner Tony Khan purchased in March 2022), but Creator/WarnerBrosDiscovery had no interest in airing a wrestling company that just went belly up, regardless of who the current owner was. ROH now has a streaming show on their own website that is for all purposes a ''third'' AEW B show[[/note]], more like a soft roster split to keep [[HostilityOnTheSet certain wrestlers as far away from each other as possible]], but after a hot start ''Collision'' ratings fell to about the same level as ''Rampage'' (or about a third of what ''Dynamite'' does), firmly cementing it as another B show.
** Ring Of Honor functions as a ''B Promotion'' to AEW at times, primarily showcasing newer wrestlers and allowing lower-card wrestlers to get reps, as well as featuring more women's matches than either of the AEW shows.

* ''HEAT'' was Wrestling/{{WWE}}'s [=B Show=] of the 2000s. It's no longer aired on television, but was viewable on WWE.com for quite a while, until it was canceled completely. In the modern WWE, ''Superstars'' now fills this role. Long before ''HEAT'', the WWF aired ''Shotgun Saturday Night'', which was unique in that it was set up in incredibly intimate venues (and when we say "intimate venues", we mean places like bars and subway stations). Eventually this became prohibitive, however, and was replaced with a standard [=B Show=].

** Wrestling/{{WWE}} had ''Raw'' as an A show and ''Smackdown'' as its B-Show, but Smackdown grew in ratings to the point it eclipsed Raw and became a separate A show with its own B show, Velocity, to match Raw's Heat. ''WWE NXT'' served as a kind of B-show to both after Heat, Velocity and WWECW were taken off air, its emphasis on talent straight out of developmental and/or the independent circuit (the "Rookies" are competing for a shot on an A-Show). More to the point is Wrestling/WWESuperstars, a show which started on WGN but now airs online, which features either three or four matches taped before ''RAW'' and ''Wrestling/WWESmackDown'' (originally it featured a match each from the ''RAW'', ''Smackdown'', and ''ECW'' brands).
*** Oddly, ''Smackdown'' began to serve as a B-Show to ''NXT'' after a prolonged stay in the FridayNightDeathSlot. It's recorded at the same time and location as ''NXT'', which airs live. Though ''Smackdown'' had many more of the A-Show names on it, mostly to cling to the dreadfully small pool of ratings left, several A-Show talents appeared on ''NXT'' as mentors to new talent.
*** Lately ''Smackdown'' has featured very lengthy recaps from ''Raw'' with very few matches of its own. WWE has evolved into a clear hierarchy of A Show: ''Raw''; B Show: ''Smackdown'' (though less B show than most have historically been) and C Show: ''Main Event'' (which is on broadcast television on the minor [[Creator/IonTelevision Ion Network]])). NXT is now just the development promotion and isn't even available through the main WWE website, and ''Superstars'' only airs overseas.

** With the second brand extension, ''[=SmackDown=] Live'' is once again a second A-Show, one often considered by Smarks to be the better of the two due to having more focus on wrestling over storylines but now that [=SmackDown=] airs on FOX nowadays, it is now seen as the A-Show with RAW now seen as the B-Show these days.
** [[Wrestling/{{WWENXT}} NXT 2.0]] has ''NXT LVL UP'', which also doubles as a replacement for ''205 Live''.

The A Show is the show that draws -- or is supposed to draw -- the biggest ratings. The "A Show," then, will have most of the storyline developments (or the most dramatic therein) and have most of the championship title changes. Often, the biggest star of the A Show will be booked as the champion, holding the most prestigious title, and many times the best matches of a given calendar year happen at these events.

In contrast, a B Show is a very different experience from an A Show. Whereas the A Show, being the flagship, may have big, dramatic, SoapOpera-esque "story lines" with twists and turns aplenty in order to hook the viewer, a B Show has few angles going on at any one time, and what angles do appear are much simpler and largely character-driven. Instead, you'll simply see a few matches- some {{Squash Match}}es, and some memorable encounters from those trying to get noticed- with video packages in-between recapping the latest angles from the A Show. They're considered something of a loss-leader in the wrestling world, put on largely so that the wrestlers can keep themselves sharp and the promoters can watch carefully to single out wrestlers with potential, rather than with any eye to ratings and revenue. While some promotions such as Wrestling/{{CMLL}} and Wrestling/{{AAA}} run actual B Shows outside of their main venues and some promotions have entire "B Markets", fans in the USA are used to organizations like WWE taping their "B Shows" at the beginning of an A Show, to minimize the costs involved.

** AEW formerly had two more B-shows in ''AEW Dark'' and ''AEW Dark: Elevation'' that were shown on Website/YouTube. Both these shows were cancelled in May 2023 after AEW was given a third cable show called ''Collision'' on Saturday nights. This isn't exactly a B-show[[note]]Though it being on Saturday isn't promising, especially now that they'll be going head to head with a WWE PPV once a month[[/note]], more like a soft roster split to keep [[HostilityOnTheSet certain wrestlers as far away from each other as possible]].

*** Lately ''Smackdown'' has featured very lengthy recaps from ''Raw'' with very few matches of its own. WWE has evolved into a clear hierarchy of A Show: ''Raw''; B Show: ''Smackdown'' (though less B show than most have historically been) and C Show: ''Main Event'' (which is on broadcast television on the minor Creator/{{Ion}} Network)). NXT is now just the development promotion and isn't even available through the main WWE website, and ''Superstars'' only airs overseas.

** ''WCW Thunder'' counted as a [=B Show=] too by virtue of the fact that all of the top-card wrestlers- which ''Nitro'''s angles would revolve around- ''refused'' to appear on it. That, and ''Thunder'' was so poorly produced that it's hard to believe that WCW cared about it at all.

** With the second brand extension, ''[=SmackDown=] Live'' is once again a second A-Show, one often considered by Smarks to be the better of the two due to having more focus on wrestling over storylines but now that SmackDown airs on FOX nowadays, it is now seen as the A-Show with RAW now seen as the B-Show these days.

* Wrestling/AllEliteWrestling have ''AEW Dark'', which [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin as the name implies]] is dedicated to dark matches that didn't make the cut for their A Show, ''AEW Dynamite''. Whereas ''Dynamite'' airs on television, ''Dark'' is uploaded to watch for free on Website/YouTube.

* Wrestling/AllEliteWrestling have ''AEW Dark'', which [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin as the name implies]] is dedicated to dark matches that didn't make the cut for their AShow, ''AEW Dynamite''. Whereas ''Dynamite'' airs on television, ''Dark'' is uploaded to watch for free on Website/YouTube.

ProfessionalWrestling federations tend to end up with more wrestlers than they know what to do with. They tend to sign people simply so that the competition can't, snatch up hot young talents in hopes of figuring out how to put them in the show later, or hire guys as a favor to somebody in the office. Naturally, the average wrestling fed can't squeeze all these guys onto their main "A Show", so they eventually put together a B Show.

A B Show is a very different experience from an A Show. Whereas the A Show, being the flagship, may have big, dramatic, SoapOpera-esque "story lines" with twists and turns aplenty in order to hook the viewer, a B Show has few angles going on at any one time, and what angles do appear are much simpler and largely character-driven. Instead, you'll simply see a few matches- some {{Squash Match}}es, and some memorable encounters from those trying to get noticed- with video packages in-between recapping the latest angles from the A Show. They're considered something of a loss-leader in the wrestling world, put on largely so that the wrestlers can keep themselves sharp and the promoters can watch carefully to single out wrestlers with potential, rather than with any eye to ratings and revenue. While some promotions such as Wrestling/{{CMLL}} and Wrestling/{{AAA}} run actual B Shows outside of their main venues and some promotions have entire "B Markets", fans in the USA are used to organizations like WWE taping their "B Shows" at the beginning of an A Show, to minimize the costs involved.

A B Show is a very different experience from an A Show. Whereas the A Show, being the flagship, may have big, dramatic, SoapOpera-esque "story lines" with twists and turns aplenty in order to hook the viewer, a B Show has few angles going on at any one time, and what angles do appear are much simpler and largely character-driven. Instead, you'll simply see a few matches- some {{Squash Match}}es, and some memorable encounters from those trying to get noticed- with video packages in-between recapping the latest angles from the A Show. They're considered something of a loss-leader in the wrestling world, put on largely so that the wrestlers can keep themselves sharp and the promoters can watch carefully to single out wrestlers with potential, rather than with any eye to ratings and revenue. While some promotions such as Wrestling/{{CMLL}} and Wrestling/{{AAA}} run actual B Shows outside of their main venues and some promotions have entire "[[UpToEleven B Markets]]", fans in the USA are used to organizations like WWE taping their "B Shows" at the beginning of an A Show, to minimize the costs involved.

** With the second brand extension, ''[=SmackDown=] Live'' is once again a second A-Show, one often considered by Smarks to be the better of the two due to having more focus on wrestling over storylines.

That is to say with larger organizations with large rosters, there are often two events going on on a single evening. While the A-Show (which may or may not be a live event or television taping) is going on in one city, the B Show will be taking place in another city sometimes hundreds of miles away. The B-Show, then, is comprised of younger wrestlers, often up-and-coming stars who are currently middle- and lower-level talent in a wrestling promotion, although well-known wrestlers making a comeback, finishing a career or making a special appearance will often participate, as will local wrestlers who compete for local or regional organizations.[[note]] Often, the local wrestlers will be put in the role of jobber, although they could also be matched against a lower-level talent to provide a good-quality match.[[/note]] These shows are not always taped, although it's always been said the cameras may sometimes be rolling, either to capture an unexpected title change, development or -- most importantly -- to use as an evaluation tool for the wrestlers. Almost always, a championship match -- usually for a secondary or tag team title –- will be contested as the "main event," although this has also included battle royals and special "{{gimmick matches}}" pitting a wrestlers in the promotion's current No. 2 or 3 feud, and sometimes the flagship title is contested between the champion and a challenger who normally may not receive this opportunity on an A-Show. These shows often have a unique experience and flow to them, and very often B-Show wrestlers are able to develop their skills enough to be promoted to the A-Show. So, in many ways, the wrestling at a B-Show is often very good, if not excellent, and the same goes for C-Shows (for organizations that sometimes have a third group of wrestlers who compete at yet another event).

A B Show is a very different experience from an A Show. Whereas the A Show, being the flagship, may have big, dramatic, SoapOpera-esque "story lines" with twists, turns, and {{Shocking Swerve}}s aplenty in order to hook the viewer, a B Show has few angles going on at any one time, and what angles do appear are much simpler and largely character-driven. Instead, you'll simply see a few matches- some {{Squash Match}}es, and some memorable encounters from those trying to get noticed- with video packages in-between recapping the latest angles from the A Show. They're considered something of a loss-leader in the wrestling world, put on largely so that the wrestlers can keep themselves sharp and the promoters can watch carefully to single out wrestlers with potential, rather than with any eye to ratings and revenue. While some promotions such as Wrestling/{{CMLL}} and Wrestling/{{AAA}} run actual B Shows outside of their main venues and some promotions have entire "[[UpToEleven B Markets]]", fans in the USA are used to organizations like WWE taping their "B Shows" at the beginning of an A Show, to minimize the costs involved.

Not to be confused with Wrestling/TheBigShow... unless you're looking for a {{Dope Slap}} by his GiantHandsOfDoom.

* Pro Wrestling Sem is a cross between B show and {{spinoff}} for/of Wrestling/ProWrestlingNOAH. Inspired by Wrestling/MitsuharuMisawa's trip to German based westside Xtreme wrestling, it mostly featured younger wrestlers competing against each other on teams headed by Naomichi Marufuji and Wrestling/{{KENTA|Kobayashi}}. It mostly lost purpose and stopped happening after KENTA left.

* Wrestling/{{CZW}}'s ''[[RivalDojos Dojo Wars]]'' is a cross between a B show and an outright {{spinoff}}. It primarily features students from the CZW\Wrestling/{{WSU}} dojo competing with each other or fighting wrestlers from other schools.

** Wrestling/{{WWE}} had ''Raw'' as an A show and ''Smackdown'' as its B-Show, but Smackdown grew in ratings to the point it eclipsed Raw and became a separate A show with its own B show, Velocity, to match Raw's Heat. ''WWE NXT'' served as a kind of B-show to both after Heat, Velocity and WWECW were taken off air, its emphasis on talent straight out of developmental and or the independent circuit (the "Rookies" are competing for a shot on an A-Show). More to the point is Wrestling/WWESuperstars, a show which started on WGN but now airs online, which features either three or four matches taped before ''RAW'' and ''Wrestling/WWESmackDown'' (originally it featured a match each from the ''RAW'', ''Smackdown'', and ''ECW'' brands).

** As of April 2014, the hierarchy goes something like: RAW (A-Show; it's three hours long and it's where all the major story lines are set up and moved forward), Smackdown (B-Show; it's an hour shorter than RAW and often fills up that time with recaps of events on RAW.), Main Event and Superstars (both C-Shows that run just one hour and are only available online or via the WWE Network. They mostly feature low-card talent rarely seen on RAW or SD). NXT doesn't really fit into it at all, as it's so disconnected from the primary WWE product.

*** Thunder came about because of an aborted arc: the plan with Starcade 97 was to have the Wrestling/{{n|ewWorldorder}}Wo win control over Nitro and that WCW would be forced to retreat to the newly created Thunder. It bombed though when the company tested out the idea of "nWo Nitro" right before a PPV and it was a giant clusterfuck of bad ratings, largely because they made the move to remodel the set ON THE AIR, causing about 40 minutes of said remodeling to drive away viewers in droves (and the few who stuck through it turned to Raw during the three-four 20 minute circle jerk sessions involving Hulk Hogan).