Wrestlesphere spoke to Josh Shernoff about the Premier Streaming Network, Starrcast, and how their relationship could open the door for a new shared wrestling universe.
Josh Shernoff is the Vice President of Premier Streaming Network (PSN), a growing platform which an increasing amount of independent wrestling promotions are choosing as a home for their content. Josh is also known as a host and creator of the International Academy of Web Television award-winning show “So Says Shernoff”, a satirical wrestling news show.
In addition to his hosting and managerial responsibilities, Josh has also dabbled in production duties for live pre-shows of AEW, Ring of Honor, NJPW, as well as various podcasts, including, The Apter Chat, Mind of the Meanie, and That Was Extreme.
Now, as one of the creative minds behind PSN, Josh and the team will be hosting this year’s Starrcast VI as the wrestling convention returns to Chicago this September. The partnership between PSN and Starrcast is an exciting one, allowing multiple independent wrestling promotions to not just choose PSN as a home, but to share the same platform as Starrcast.
Josh Shernoff will also be the host of Starrcast VI.
Premier Wrestling Network to host Starrcast VI
Starrcast VI will feature engaging stage shows with some of wrestlings biggest stars past and present. Including many top AEW stars and it will stream exclusively on Premier Streaming Network.
Speaking about PSN’s relationship with Starrcast, Josh told us, “Our focus [at PSN] is on the independent content creator, someone who doesn’t have this massive machine behind them, whether it’s an independent film, or a wrestling promotion.”
“Obviously, Conrad Thompson has all of these connections now, but the genesis of Starrcast is from All In, which was a bunch of guys betting on themselves, putting their money in and asking for help from various places. So from the beginning, Starrcast was all about these people who said we’re going to do this independent of the machine.”
“In some regard, Starrcast has gone on to become a machine in and of itself, it still falls into exactly what we love at Premier. Not to speak for Conrad, but I think he saw what we were doing, that connection between what he does and what we do, and the growth of Premier, and saw it as an opportunity for us to work together.”
Starrcast VI will return to Chicago.
A new Premier World Championship
Josh plans to unveil a new Premier Streaming Network Wrestling Championship belt (one for the men and one for the women) at Starrcast VI, a title that will be shared by all PSN promotions, not replacing their own world championships, but existing as an additional title that can pop up anywhere and serve as connecting tissue between every promotion under Premier’s banner.
Josh told us, “Last year we promoted the Wrestling Showcase event which now is the Premier Wrestling Showcase which will showcase all the top promotions on our network. That event takes place a week later on September 9th. We’re planning to build up to that at Starrcast with the belt reveal of the PSN World Championship.”
“We are debuting a Premier World Championship for the men and a Premier World Championship for the women. The men’s match will be Matt Cardona vs. Colt Cabana, and the women’s match will be Rachael Ellering vs. Steph De Lander. What we’re doing is kind of creating the territory system but for the digital age.”
“So whoever becomes champion, they can defend that championship on any promotion that airs on Premier. This creates more booking opportunities for talent and gives more opportunities for all these other promotions that are on our network. Now, hopefully you’ve got other people watching PSN who are now going to want to watch more shows because the Premier title is on the line. A rising tide lifts all ships.”
A Premier Wrestling shared universe
We asked Josh if this would create an PSN shared universe, where different promotions run their own content and storylines, but are all linked by their connection to the Premier Championship, allowing for shared, overarching, storylines and dream matches between wrestlers from usually separate companies. Essentially, could the Premier Championship act as a thread running through each promotion?
Josh said, “Yes absolutely, that’s really the idea. We don’t just want to give independent content creators a place, we want to give them a place to thrive. Nothing would make me happier than to have somebody have us as a launching pad for their success, be it a promoter, a wrestler, a podcaster, whatever that might be, we want to give them that platform and then we want to help elevate them as best as we can.”
The Premier Wrestling Showcase will feature talent from across the network.
What can viewers at home expect from Starrcast?
We asked Josh what advantages will those who order Starrcast through PSN be offered, and how will it compare to those who go to the event in person? We were keen to know what advantages existing PSN subscribers would be given when it comes to the Starrcast and the Premier Wrestling Showcase.
“People are going to tune into Starrcast because it’s an established brand and we have these big names attached, but hey if you order Starrcast, we’re giving you two months of Premier+ for free. And if you are a Premier+ member already then check your email, because you will have been given a discount code for Starrcast. We want to make sure everyone is taken care of.”
“The live Premier Wrestling Showcase event will be included in Premier+, so if you sign up to the service you will get that show for free. You can buy it on pay-per-view if you want, but the idea is to encourage huge wrestling fans who want to watch Starrcast to come check out [the rest of] Premier.”
Options when ordering Starrcast & the Premier Showcase
This means that fans can also choose to sign up to Premier+ just to watch the Showcase event, even if they choose not to purchase Starrcast itself, after all, some fans will have more interest in the wrestling than the stage shows. However, Josh told us the cheapest way to watch all of Starrcast, as well as a preview of what to expect.
“Ordering the weekend bundle is cheaper than just getting the individual days. If I’ve learned anything from the last five Starrcasts, it’s that every single day has something that’s worth the price of the entire weekend. If you order, you will get every single stage show, streaming live, as if you were there. I’ll also host interviews with various guests, it’s going to be a fun atmosphere, who knows what they’re going to say! That’s a little extra bonus for the fans at home.”
“It’s exciting to have all these people who are interested in being part of our network. We just celebrated six months of its existence, so to say we’re just getting started is as literal a definition as I can possibly give, and Starrcast is a massive part of that.”
Starrcast VI, will be available exclusively on Premier Streaming Network (PSN) from September 1st through September 3rd 2023.
The Premier Streaming Network Wrestling Showcase will air live one week later on September 9th 2023
