WNT, WPA and 2026

... Matchroom had created several big pool events over the years - the World Pool Masters (1993), the Mosconi Cup (1994) and the World Cup of Pool (2006). But that seemed to be the extent of its ambition.

Then … MR decided to expand. Barry Hearn always had a dream of creating a global pro sport out of billiards. It’s a true passion of his.

At the same time, though, he must have realized pro pool was stagnating. Something had to be done to make sure the Mosconi would not just survive, but thrive. It was a crown jewel of Matchroom.

The first step was obtaining the rights to the US Open, which MR acquired in 2018. Two years later, MR bought the rights to the World Pool Championship. The next step was to create the Premier League of Pool in 2021.

The biggest decision came in 2022. Matchroom decided to create the World Nine Ball tour.

Not officially - that would come a year later. Yet 2022 was when Matchroom started up the UK and European opens. Hanoi would follow a year later in 2023 ...

TBC
 
jbart65 said:
... The relative downfall of the sport is what paved the way for Matchroom. It thought it saw an opportunity it could take and exploit.
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The first real open tournament Matchroom ran was the newly-purchased US Open Nine Ball in April, 2019 at The Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. That was about the same time that the Mosconi Cup started making money.

Matchroom did run the World Pool Championship five times times around 2000, but the entries were all invited.
Edit: that was in Cardiff, Wales. Then, Matchroom ran it four more times in Asia, through 2007.
 
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... The creation of the WNT was obviously a pivotal event. Matchroom gained momentum, most of the top players in the world joined the tour and the company tried to flex its muscles.

It soon became quite clear MR had little further use for the WPA. It came to view the association as a roadblock to its plans after the WPA would not agree to the WNT’s ranking system for 9 ball. They tussled over MR’s desire to tinker with the official rules.

Matchroom also saw the slow-moving WPA as a leach on any potential earnings in a sport whose profits were quite thin. The WPA did basically nothing and wanted a cut of the action even though Matchroom took all the financial risk. Or so MR seemed to think.

The falling out between Matchroom and Predator happened even before the dispute with the WPA. Predator was actually an original sponsor of the newly created PLP in 2021, and it had been a partner of Matchroom going back more than a decade.

The 2021 PLP famously created a lot of friction over the required wearing of Predator sponsor decals on the shirts of players backed by other cuemakers. SVB, Gorst and Woodward dropped out of the event.

The friction between MR and Predator probably started then, but only got worse from there. The reasons are not entirely clear ...

TBC
 
jbart65 said:
... Matchroom had created several big pool events over the years - the World Pool Masters (1993), the Mosconi Cup (1994) and the World Cup of Pool (2006). But that seemed to be the extent of its ambition.

Then … MR decided to expand. Barry Hearn always had a dream of creating a global pro sport out of billiards. It’s a true passion of his.

At the same time, though, he must have realized pro pool was stagnating. Something had to be done to make sure the Mosconi would not just survive, but thrive. It was a crown jewel of Matchroom.

The first step was obtaining the rights to the US Open, which MR acquired in 2018. Two years later, MR bought the rights to the World Pool Championship. The next step was to create the Premier League of Pool in 2021.
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This is not accurate. Matchroom obtained the rights to the World 9ball in 2000 and produced it in Cardiff, Wales from 2000-03. In fact, the 2002 World 9ball final, in which Strickland beat Bustamante 17-15 is on the short list of the most memorable pool matches ever played. Yes, the level was higher than what we would get a few years later with Wu Jiaqing and Po Cheng Kuo.

Sadly, after 2003, the event was lost and it moved to Asia where it remained until 2021. Matchroom reacquired the World 9ball in 2021 and has produced it ever since.

As you note, Matchroom's acquisition of the US Open 9ball in 2018 was the launching point for Matchroom's re-entry into big field pool tournaments and it led to the eventual formation of the WNT.
 
sjm said:
This is not accurate. Matchroom obtained the rights to the World 9ball in 2000 and produced it in Cardiff, Wales from 2000-03. In fact, the 2002 World 9ball final, in which Strickland beat Bustamante 17-15 is on the short list of the most memorable pool matches ever played. Yes, the level was higher than what we would get a few years later with Wu Jiaqing and Po Cheng Kuo.

Sadly, after 2003, the event was lost and it moved to Asia where it remained until 2021. Matchroom reacquired the World 9ball in 2021 and has produced it ever since.

As you note, Matchroom's acquisition of the US Open 9ball in 2018 was the launching point for Matchroom's re-entry into big field pool tournaments and it led to the eventual formation of the WNT.
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Matchroom did not buy the long term rights (in perpetuity) to the WPC in 2000, as it did in 2020. So I viewed the 2000-2007 period (corrected) as a one-off well before the company committed to a global tour 20 years later. Going into detail about that interlude didn’t seem necessary to me, but thanks for adding your insight.
 
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I don't see the diluted fields (compared to a few years ago) being an issue. The fields are strong, new players are coming through, and there are more and more elite players - the game is way stronger at all levels. It won't be long before the "diluted" fields are stronger than the fields of a few years ago when all the "top" (according to someone's list) were all repeatedly at the same events.

The US golf tour has always been stronger than it would have been if the European/World/whatever it's called now tour didn't exist.

Pool is booming globally in terms of strength, exposure and participation.
 
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jbart65 said:
Panozzo said Shane Van Boening doesn’t like Europe and probably won’t go to the UK Open. He also suggested other top U.S. players might not go, either.
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SVB was never the keenest of travellers. Now that he has a World Championship in the bag and has probably made enough money from the game to see life out, I'm not surprised if that reluctance to travel has kicked back in.
 
Swighey said:
SVB was never the keenest of travellers. Now that he has a World Championship in the bag and has probably made enough money from the game to see life out, I'm not surprised if that reluctance to travel has kicked back in.
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Can't blame him, he's accomplished almost everything except the World 10Ball title. He's 40+ and BCA HOF'er, and has said in some interviews that he maybe has 5-10 years left in pro pool. He would much rather spend his time fishing. There's nothing left for him to prove, he makes a decent living and has been one of the smart ones to invest his money instead of gambling it away. I love to see pro pool players retire comfortably. A rarity in our sport. His farewell tour will be one for the ages.
 
jbart65 said:
... Take the U.S. Open. The winner, Earl Strickland, got $50,000 in 2000. The top prize remained $50,000 - or less - for almost a quarter century until MR raised it to $100,000 in 2024. ...
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Yes, Strickland, in 2000, was the first U.S. Open winner to receive $50k. For the next 17 years it fell back to $30k or $40k except for 2012 (one of SVB's wins), when it was just $25k, and 2016. The $50k returned for the 5 events from 2019-2024. Then Yapp was first winner to get the big increase to $100k, in 2025 (not '24).
 
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There are too many overlapping events causing the top players to scatter all over resulting in a lot of un interesting one sided matches that are too boring to watch.
Basically as viewers we can skip to the semifinals of the events.

There is already a format that works great, it’s the pro snooker tour and it simply should be copied.
 
jbart65 said:
In the long run, I've begun to question whether the WNT survives.

All the new events being put on by Matchroom and Predator are great for the players, but I am not sure the stingy economics of pool can support both entities as things now stand.

TV revenue is pitiful. Dittos for subscription revenue. The same coterie of sponsors largely supports Predator and the WNT. And almost all are associated directly with the game (Simonis, Aramith, Diamond, Rasson, Cuetec, etc)

Neither side is bringing in lots of new sponsors not already tied to the game. So the two entities are drawing money from the same small pool.

In virtually every other major sport, one entity dominates or rules supreme. Can pool really be different?

Predator arguably is in better position now. Its prize money now often tops Matchroom events, aside from the US Open and WPC, and it supports a broader spectrum of the sport: 8, 9 and 10 ball, women’s pool, mixed events and team events.

The stepped-up competition from Predator has weakened the fields of WNT events and taken away part of the story MR sells to sponsors and advertisers.

Two years ago, MR seemed convinced it could sideline the WPA and Predator and become the new kingpin of the sport. That’s no longer the case.

I don’t know how the WNT and MR succeed, but I think it’s clear their strategy has to evolve. Recognizing the staying power of Predator and working actively to coordinate schedules would certainly be a good place to start.

The sport can’t reach bigger and bigger heights so long as Matchroom and Predator are at odds.
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I gotta admit i dont even buy the yearly WNT subscription. I can watch after, sometimes during, on all the you tube videos that follow every event. Dont have time to watch as they happen during the week anyway.

They are making money for sure....but without bigger TV deals, it isn't the kind of money Mstchroom is used to or what they envisioned.
 
skor said:
There are too many overlapping events causing the top players to scatter all over resulting in a lot of un interesting one sided matches that are too boring to watch.
Basically as viewers we can skip to the semifinals of the events.

There is already a format that works great, it’s the pro snooker tour and it simply should be copied.
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That’s what Barry is working towards but it takes time and money. I love the direction matchroom has pool going.
 
SBC said:
They are making money for sure....but without bigger TV deals, it isn't the kind of money Mstchroom is used to or what they envisioned.
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trob said:
That’s what Barry is working towards but it takes time and money. I love the direction matchroom has pool going.
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what is a big tv deal in 2026?

feels like broadcast tv is on its way out and streaming services are the future
 
skogstokig said:
wasn't it until 2007? the had it in taiwan and manila a couple of years after cardiff. so eight years?
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You are correct. MR ran it from 2000 to 2007. The event wasn’t held in 2008-2009.

When I did my research earlier in the year, it was hard to find lots of good information on the history of pool tournaments. I knew Matchroom was involved with the WPC in the early 2000s but I couldn’t tell exactly how long. One reason I didn’t mention it before.

This week I’ve been using a more powerful subscription AI to recheck certain things. It’s turned up a lot more info, but I’ve had to verify it. I checked this matter again last night after sjm’s comments.
 
jbart65 said:
As skogstokig said, it's all about access. He got it from MR a few years ago, then he got cuff off. Around the time, Predator cozied up to him with access to top tour promotors.

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Bingo....
Though I do like the events the guys stream and I can tolerate the idiocy.
 
jbart65 said:
You are correct. MR ran it from 2000 to 2007. The event wasn’t held in 2008-2009.

When I did my research earlier in the year, it was hard to find lots of good information on the history of pool tournaments. I knew Matchroom was involved with the WPC in the early 2000s but I couldn’t tell exactly how long. One reason I didn’t mention it before.

This week I’ve been using a more powerful subscription AI to recheck certain things. It’s turned up a lot more info, but I’ve had to verify it. I checked this matter again last night after sjm’s comments.
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the manila WC's were brilliant. if you can tolerate the lower resolution i recommend watching.

i think the stock market crash made them pull out. by the time they bought the snooker tour in 2010 things were looking a little brighter. and that tour went from a handful events to dozens of stops, to the point where players have complained and now can pick and choose.
 
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