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Thought this was an interesting article. Value of WWE has gone down by $500 million in the past 2 years. Think it's interesting how people still buy the WWE company line that they are still wildly successful. Although it's really an indication of the failure of non-wrestling projects than the PG era having a terrible effect.
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/Freefall-of-WWE-stock-costs-McMahons-500M-3743680.php
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Yup. That's why he's a millionaire who should be a billionaire.
2 parts that i found very interesting:
ReplyDelete1) the new launch date is Q1 2013, so it's at least a year late. That's not good.
2) Meltzer chimes in saying they want to charge $10-18 per MONTH for the channel, which is more than I even pay for HBO. Wtf is going to pay that? Even with the B-show PPVs on the Network, I can't see people lining up to do that.
Well, it was only a matter of time. The stock has been falling for seemingly forever now, although I'm surprised the losses have been as much as they have over the last two years -- I imagine most of it is in the last year. People will point to the WrestleMania numbers and the economy and say "it's doing well, considering x..." but I'm not so sure. At least as far as live events and PPV which are both still huge drivers of revenue, it appears they have evolved into quite a weird little situation -- where one show is responsible for SO much of the pie.
ReplyDeleteImagine if she wins...
ReplyDeleteFunny how the other day some guy told me that John Cena would make WWE more money then Rock and Austin just for his longevity.
ReplyDeleteIm worried about the future now. As much as WWE is frustrating me I know if they go under wrestling on TV will be dead. Their network idea is becoming something Im genuinely worried about due to their inability to competently fill 3 hours.
$18 a month? For real?!
ReplyDeleteThey've lost their fucking minds.
Like, for real. They're insane. Why would I pay twice the price of Netflix to get wrestling by itself? Madness.
You're right though, they'll try to sell it as "But you'll save on PPV's!" I guess because we're all supposed to pretend it's not 2012 and they're not competing with FREE.
C'mon Dixie. Get it together. Crush these crazy people.
As the article states, it's not the PG era causing the stock to drop. I fully believe WWE can put on an entertaining show even within the PG era. Last night's Raw was solid IMO, but I know Scott and others bashed it. It's consistency in Raw ratings and entertainment values that will help the stock. Launching this WWE Network can help I'm sure, but paying that much for the channel is just not realistic unless the channel gives the PPV for free.
ReplyDeleteIt seems more feasible to partner with a company like Viacom or NBA Universal and get a WWE Network on basic/plus cable instead of premium. WWE currently already has a rerun deal with NBC Universal to air Raw and Smackdown on Saturday nights on NBC Universal channel, so they should look into having a consistent block of time weekdays so people know where to go for that content, build up ratings, and help advertising. That'll help their stock (at the current price) instead of waiting longer for something that will probably never happen, and the stock prices completely tanks.
I think 10 is the highest I would go if it was going to be more like Classics on Demand. No way am I paying for it if it's just going to be shitty reality shows and eps of Superstars.
ReplyDeleteI think this Tout thing will get the company out of its doldrums.
ReplyDeleteThe Network idea is so, so bad.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny because the one time they actually *should* branch out into things outside of wrestling they seem to be refusing to. Buy a network and build around wrestling the same way Spike did with UFC and you might have a shot. Buy a ton of old Cops episodes and rights to stuff like Die Hard or whatever and run a "Network for People With Dicks" and maybe they could make some money.
Instead, for the first time ever, they seem to be trying to stick to wrestling and only wrestling.
They're really starting to seem like ECW in their last years. Everything *looks* fine on the outside and it *seems* like everything is successful but there's this weird undercurrent of failure just below the surface.
These are mind boggling numbers:
ReplyDelete"Since McMahon's first run two years ago, WWE's stock price has plunged from $18.64 to $7.86 per share."That's a 57% loss! Seriously, wtf?
I'm definitely superstitious and then putting "then, now, forever" on the opener of their shows was a bad idea in my book.
ReplyDeleteLet's just be real here, wrestling turned to shit when The Rock and Steve Austin walked out the door and neither are ever coming back for a substantial amount of time. With that and the fact that I couldn't care less about the current product... fuck it. If it goes under, it goes under.
ReplyDeleteDixie?
ReplyDeleteThe article doesn't state that the PG era isn't causing the drop. It says the WWE's CFO dismisses that claim. That isn't the same thing.
ReplyDeleteLinda.
ReplyDelete*shivers*
Eh, I don't think the show would change much at this point.
ReplyDeleteThat's the fear actually.
ReplyDeleteThat it won't change at all.
For at least six years.
I agree with this, and to add to your point; NBC Universal is owned by Comcast. If they go in with them than they have distribution with a pretty big cable company. Which could than lead to other companies following suit.
ReplyDeleteI just think Vince has got it in his head that he is going to do this by himself because he doesn't want to split the profits with anybody.
Good point.
ReplyDeleteI truly think, the only way things would change would be with true competition. If TNA keep things going and start making real money, maybe in 5 years they can be somewhere within a realistic shot at being competitive.
Yeah, I imagine if the WWE ever does go under that it will be awfully hard for wrestling to break onto TV again for a long time. There are so many expensive barriers to entry at this point, given the expectations people have for the production quality. It makes you wonder what would happen to the tape library as well -- if they ceased making new stuff, how valuable is the old stuff to them?
ReplyDelete"If he dies, he dies."
ReplyDeleteRealistically, it's not like WRESTLING will die...
That's not a bad idea -- they could probably do it on the cheap and pace themselves as far as developing quality first run material for their network. If they are intent on launching a network without emphasis on classic footage, it's going to be a lot of crap.They would at least appeal to a broader audience that way and ride out the wave of tepid interest towards wrestling. The wrestling audience is certainly not in an upswing right now -- so why come out with a network to capture a shrinking marketplace?
ReplyDelete+1 for the Ivan Drago quote.
ReplyDeleteNever mind all that. Did Linda have some sort of plastic surgery or something? She doesn't look half as dour as she used to.
ReplyDeleteIt'll be interesting to see what happens with TNA.
ReplyDeleteObviously the WWE got ahead of the game on one level by aggressively and successfully wedging themselves into pop culture with the Rock and Wrestling stuff and all that and on another level -- by raiding all the best talent from around the country.
TNA has yet to show they have a guy like Vince or a big idea to make a big leap in terms of notoriety like that in one swoop, but perhaps if they remain a slow and steady presence they will put themselves into a position for something like that to be successful, should they have someone with that kind of ambition on their payroll in the future.
Talent is another story though -- although they seem to do a good job with homegrown guys thus far.
The return of the ice cream bars would definitely help boost the stock. And why stop there? Why not add more wrestling-based desserts? Hey, with the nostalgia kick going on right now, they can add legends-themed treats as well.
ReplyDeleteMy fingers are crossed for Bad News Brownies.
I totally agree with this. Spike TV got Monday Night Raw and the Ultimate Fighter, then built their network around James Bond movies, Star Wars, MXC and the UFC after WWE went back to USA and that network was actually relevant for the first time ever.
ReplyDeleteI think WWE could do the same thing except aim a little bit lower in age. Think about what G4TV is doing right now. Almost nothing on that channel is video game related anymore. Funny that you mention Cops because they actually ARE showing Cops reruns on that channel (2 hour block starts one hour from right now). WWE could have their wrestling shows and the reality shows they want to produce and supplement that with cartoons, old episodes of Saved by the Bell, Fresh Prince, the Wonder Years, Boy Meets World. All the stuff that kids and teens would be into and the older people who have nostalgia for those kinds of shows might conceivably watch also.
She's running for office. She's probably had a professional acting coach trying to teach her to look alive, warm and with feeling.
ReplyDeleteSometimes these things take and sometimes they don't. Al Gore had a guy working with him for literally 12 years and he only got the hang of it after his political career was completely over.
To be fair the last time we saw her she was in a catatonic state...
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the WWE would ever consider this idea to cut costs and just create their very own arena where they can hold TV shows, house shows, and all second tier pay per views. They could call it the Vince McMahon Arena and place it somewhere near their hometown of Connecticut.
ReplyDeleteIt would save them a lot of money having to go on the road, rent arenas, paying a production crew, truck drivers, carrying expensive equipment.
Plus having their own arena they could treat and sell it to the fans the way a sports team treats their arena with with having season ticket plans, luxury boxes, etc.
12 hours re-runs of No Holds Barred.
ReplyDeleteI miss MXC. Guy Le Douche ftw.
ReplyDeleteI think Vince is trying out his buddy Trump's "use the bankruptcy laws to your advantage" strategy.
ReplyDeleteTNA's idea of mainstream seems to be wedging their talent in with country music stars.
ReplyDeleteAnd seriously, fuck country music.
I agree with you, brother, but it fucking sells tickets.
ReplyDeleteCountry music, as homogenized as it has become, sells.
It's fucked. It's 100% true.
Vince' s reaction?
ReplyDelete"Stay the course!"
Everyone else's reaction?
"Get that band from the Titanic movie! This ship is sinking!"
I hear you, and it baffles me to no end. I live in Philly, and when some random country music star comes here, EVERYONE and their mother seems to go to these shows, while I sit at my place and wonder if maybe I haven't killed enough brain cells yet.
ReplyDeleteYeah but they tell stories.
ReplyDeleteThis is a pretty good idea. Not only could they do what you described, but they could rent it out for boxing, MMA, concerts, etc... when they're not using it to bring in revenue.
ReplyDeleteI don't think most kids would be caught dead watching Saved By The Bell, Fresh Prince, Or The Wonderyears, I think what you just pitched there was Nick @ Nite with wrestling on it.
ReplyDeletenow that I think about it though....
Vince would book a show in a 500 seat venue every week if it came to that. The WWE will... not... dah!
ReplyDeleteif i ever smoked weed (again) i would totally want to watch that show.
ReplyDeleteBUT DO THEY MAKE SENSE!??!?!
ReplyDelete****ATTENTION, ATTENTION!!!*****
ReplyDeleteATTITUDE ERA MARK!!!
****ATTENTION, ATTENTION!!!*****
Well the rating for raw dropped 25% in one week, doing a 3.1. First hour did a 2.7 so not that much lower than the average. Still they are gonna be in the mid 2's when mnf starts
ReplyDeleteSo 1994 again? Well, by 90s standards, that year sucked. Now how would it compare to today?
ReplyDeleteAccording to Vince, THEY DONT HAVE TO MAKE SENSE! IF I CANT REMEMBER SOMETHING FROM LAST WEEK, HOW WILL THOSE MORONS OUT THERE REMEMBER IT???
ReplyDeleteArenas are really expensive to construct and operate. Look at cities who build new arenas, it can take decades before the arena itself turns a profit.
ReplyDeletePlus, there is no way WWE has the demand in one area to operate like that. TNA fills a small arena each week but they let fans in for free.
They have no fucking clue what they are doing when they stray fromwrestling. WBF, XFL, their embarrassingly bad movie division, social media, Tout, running a network, and politics.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to the of product, more kids watched during the attitude era for a reason. They like edgier stuff than calling someone poopy pants.
Yeah, I imagine you'll get about another 10% drop over the next week and then pivot around whatever that average is with the occasional uptick. I assume they make up the difference in ad revenue or something, but when looking at strictly rating numbers, I don't think it's going to help their rating in the longrun. That first hour benefited WCW in their dark days, because the WWF was so hot, so they first hour usually buoyed the rest of the rating and drug it up a few 10ths. In this scenario, I think people will come to view the first hour as the throwaway hour and predominantly watch the other two -- it's up to them to change that perception for sure.
ReplyDeleteOh man, if I had millions of dollars I'd love to be in on that tape library auction if the WWE went under.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny, because if you only watched WCW television and PPVs towards the end and never read a dirtsheet, you'd likely be aware that there were problems but not that they were about to go belly-up. Then, one day, Vince shows up on Nitro.
ReplyDeleteIf and when WWE implodes, I think it's going to take lot of people by surprise, even though the signs have been evident for a long time.
That is actually a VERY smart take.
ReplyDeleteToo true on the kids statement.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny, on the 1997 Raw's I'm watching (yes, I say that a lot), you'll see parents and their kids in Austin 3:16 shirts in the front row, you'll see random kids in the crowd with Austin 3:16 shirts.
I can't imagine that kids the same age about 12 years later think someone like John Cena is "cool" compared to someone like Austin. It's such a stunning contrast. What exactly makes John Cena someone to like outside of the whole tired "he's a model citizen who would never say a bad word, as long as you don't watch anything that he did before 2005".
Al Gore also hired a feminist to teach him how to be a man.
ReplyDeleteI love that Al Gore doll from The Simpsons.
ReplyDelete"You are listening to me talk."
He might be a mark...but he's right.
ReplyDeleteWatching MXC while high must be fun as hell.
ReplyDeleteA new Omni. I love it.
ReplyDeleteHE'S RIGHT, YOU KNOW.
ReplyDeleteTHANK GOD SOMEONE OTHER THAN ME BELIEVES IN IT.
ReplyDeleteYeah I sort of wish I could go back through the Monday Night Wars unaided -- I ruined 90% of th surprises with spoilers or gossip.
ReplyDeleteDID YOU KNOW: WWE Raw was more popular than any other broadcast event besides the Olympics? #NoHoldsBarred
ReplyDeleteI'm sure John Cena is selling enough t-shirts and wrist bands to keep the company afloat for years to come.
ReplyDeleteThe company being on the verge of bankruptcy would probably be a good thing. As long as they're making money and in their comfort zone they have no reason to shake things up. Which is probably why CM Punk went from on the verge of shaking up the entire company last year like Austin in 1997, to just another WWE Endorsed Good Guy, to now the bad guy again. They like things the way they like them and they'll stick with it until Triple H has built himself into the biggest legend in the history of a company on the verge of going out of business. But it's not their fault - wrestlings just been in a down cycle for the last 10 years.
DID YOU KNOW: Alberto Del Rio has defeated Santino all four times they've faced each other? #OutOfGoodIdeas
ReplyDeleteDID YOU KNOW: John Cena and the Big Show have sports entertained 13 times? The Big Show has won only four. #Only13?
ReplyDeleteCena as a whole is a callback to the 1980s. It's just puzzling to see the WWE go in that direction. I was still a young fan during the Attitude Era and my parents didn't ban me from watching, although my dad nearly pulled the plug after the whole Mark Henry-transvestite angle. I do know that my dad refused to let me go to a house show in 1998 because of raunchy reports of girls taking their tops off for DX and such. Still, my parents bought the toys, video games, renewed my WWF magazine subscription, bought me tapes, etc. so it wasn't like the company wasn't getting money from my household during the Attitude Era, despite me being 12.
ReplyDeleteStop doing that. It's making me sad. #depressedaboutwrestling
ReplyDelete"Sports entertained"... that's both funny and awful at the same time.
ReplyDeleteDon't you mean, "I'M RIGHT."
ReplyDeleteThat tape library is a license to print money and will probably keep them afloat for a long time if everything else went to shit.
ReplyDeleteI know i would watch it sober or drunk and be laughing my ass off.
ReplyDeleteIm sure if i was high it would be a wrap for me.
I know when i was a teenage Fuj, hitting the trees, I would laugh at any and everything.
Peopele don't pay $18 a month for HBO and you getsix channels for that and an on demand service. They charge that they'll get no subscribers.
ReplyDeleteWhy don't they find a partner in an existing network? Like a video game & a WWE network would be a perfect marriage.
Breaking: There will be a six-man tag involving mismatched partners on Smackdown.
ReplyDeletePartners who don't get along? Good guys and bad guys teaming together? How can that possibly work? That's some intriguing shit right there.
ReplyDeleteIf the Wild Card match at the 1995 Survivor Series taught us anything, it's that these matches are death.
ReplyDeleteHEY NUMBNUTS.
ReplyDeleteI'M GIVING SOMEONE ELSE CREDIT, FOR ONCE.
YOU'RE WELCOME.
THOSE WERE GOOD TIMES, HARRY.
ReplyDeleteHEY, HEY.
ReplyDeleteYOU CAN'T TALK TO MARKS LIKE THAT.
I pay $10 a month for four Epix HD channels and Epix's kick-ass on-demand service. No way in hell I would pay $18 or more a month for one WWE network without even so much as an on-demand service. For that price, they better get rid of the logo blurring and music editing.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure this has been suggested, but instead of a WWE Network I'd rather a Netflicks type of thing where I can just watch pay per views when I wanted to. Do they have anything like that? We didn't get WWE Classics here. I'm sure why the WWE Network won't work has been discussed already, but personally I assume they'll over-estimate how much people need their WWE and charge a ridiculously amount for it, and it'll be filled with their patented shitty original programming. I don't watch the current product when I can watch it for free most of the time, but I'd actually pay to be able to watch old Nitro/Raw and WCW pay per views on demand.
ReplyDeleteHe's completely on the money. That's when I tuned out.
ReplyDeleteI'd have to disagree with you on the Wild Card match. Not saying it was a classic, but it was a good match and the strange teams made for some interesting dynamics. You just need good characters and good booking to make it work.
ReplyDeleteWhich means that it would suck nowadays.
Okay, okay, I'll give you that. That match had characters and dynamics, but the crowd as a whole was on their hands for that match, unless a star player was in there.
ReplyDeleteFor example, any segment featuring Heel vs. Heel was met with silence. Why even test that water, you know? Unless you have some angle planned.
2004 featured one of the best dynamics of a Heel team, where each of the heels (who were despised, including Edge and Snitsky) was gunning for HHH's World Championship, so the crowd was frothing at the thought of these guys turning on HHH in the middle of the match.
When is she not?
ReplyDelete"Saved By The Bell" and "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" are timeless.
ReplyDeleteWM being their one big show each year is a totally self-fulfilling prophecy. When they give us shit like Punk/Cena/Show as the main-event of what is ostensibly their second-biggest show of the year, then of COURSE nobody is going to be interested in any of their other PPVs.
ReplyDeleteThe Owen-Bulldog matchup got a good reaction, especially with the left-handed handshake, so they could punch each other at the same time (love that spot, needs to be brought back). Other than that, I don't think they had heels working against each other much in the match.
ReplyDeleteI remember laughing my ass off for that handshake spot as a kid. I bet that was an Owen idea.
ReplyDeleteI'm a big mark for the Wild Card match. Shawn doesn't care that he superkicked Sid, Sid goes nuts by powerbombing Shawn after his elimination, Razor goes heel because he wants to win the match and fit in, Ahmed becomes a star virtually overnight in that match, Bulldog tries to save Yoko at the end and earns the ire of his teammates, etc.
Southeast PA is full of fake rednecks.
ReplyDeleteAlso, country today is not real country. Compare Hank Williams or Merle Haggard or even Johnny fucking Cash to what exists on country radio today. Not the same thing. Country music today is what One Direction is to rock music - a homogenized pop approximation of older influences.
*#depressedaboutsportzentertainment
ReplyDeleteIt's pretty well known that the WWF drew more kids in 1998-2001, than they do now. The WWE just draws a greater proportion of its audience from that demographic.
ReplyDeleteHAHAHAHAH.
ReplyDelete"Instead, for the first time ever, they seem to be trying to stick to wrestling and only wrestling"
ReplyDeletewhat are you talking about? there have been dozens of reports about reality shows etc. in development. *barf*
I'm not going to blame this on the PG Era in any way, shape, or form. We know and Vince knows that they can have a damn good product in this era but they don't know how to do it. For one thing, quit having your champions lose all the time. If the champions lose all the time, does it really elevate the wrestler that eventually beats him. If you want the U.S. Title to mean a damn thing, get it off of Santino. It pissed me off that Del Rio beat Santino again. Reason being is that they could have anyone else in Santino's role and it would have had the same effect. They have guys doing nothing. Why not use them for that role instead of a champion. A little part of me expected them to at least develop some of the lower card guys since they're going 3 hours but I don't think that's going to happen. They started so many pushes and stopped them and the wrestlers never recovered. Cena is so far ahead of everyone it isn't even funny. Orton could have probably been right up there with Cena but he messed up in 2006 and 2007 and took a long time to recover.
ReplyDeleteso...you want them to invest a half-billion to a billion dollars to build an arena in a market that already is adding Barclays Center this year?
ReplyDeleteAll of them involving wrestlers.
ReplyDeleteYou can do better. Try harder.
ReplyDeleteI just re-watched that wild card match (unfortunately, I couldn't find an online link), and the crowd was just fine as far as reaction goes. Certainly not Canadian Stampede, but I heard no crickets either.
ReplyDeleteThe only times when they were a little more subdued were when Sid was on offence (can you blame them?), and when Shawn was doing his extended Ricky Morton bit, as he needed to fit in one or two more hope spots. Otherwise, the crowd was with them.
And the sole heel vs. heel matchup was Owen-Bulldog. Otherwise, there was always a face in there.
Fair enough, there's too much on my mind that I can't recall everything. Maybe I was just a little surly about WWE at that point.
ReplyDeleteThat said, it wasn't even a mixed tag at last night's tapings. Won't give out spoilers, but there was a six-man tag with three defined faces and three defined heels.
I'm learning, Logan, that we're both massive Owen Hart marks.
ReplyDeleteThis is a good thing.
Understandable. Like Logan, I have a soft spot for that match. And for that era/period in general, which I feel has been a bit over-maligned.
ReplyDeleteAnd it's sad that they can't even think out of the box enough to try something different for a six-man on their secondary TV show.
Putz, is this the deal? You have nothing better do to that stalk me now? You have nothing more in your head than the same sentence that you repeat like a mongoloid? The beauty is this...I give you enough rope...and you take care of the rest.
ReplyDeleteAlmost the exact definition of putz. Ooooh, forgot, not very good with definitions.
Hey, Dan, here's two words that I know BOTH definitions of.
ReplyDeleteFUCK OFF.
So true. I'm fucking 20 years old and all of my friends started watching wrestling in the Attitude era when we were damn first, second, and third graders.
ReplyDeleteNot all country music is homogenized. Listen to some of the newer guys like Jamey Johnson, he has very old school style to him. Also some of Trace Adkins stuff and Josh Turner.
ReplyDeleteMag, don't think I'm negative. Honestly just often wonder why you would continue watching a product you don't like and often feel insulted by. Make it better? What planet are you on? Spectators have suggested ways to make the WWE better for over 20 years...and the owner of the company has told you, in no uncertain terms, to go fuck yourself. So why continue? Kinda a sociological question. Why stay in an abusive relationship?
ReplyDeleteFlamer? No...there's a reason I ask, and it's not to incite. There's a conversation there...and if you're not capable of it, fine, maybe someone is. I do have people that agree with me (not many) so what's your beef exactly?
Hey, here's on from Oxford:
verb1 harass or persecute (someone) with unwanted and obsessive attention:for five years she was stalked by a man who would taunt and threaten her
Sound about right?
Your pretty much spot on about the expectations. British wrestling could get about 8.5 million viewers between the mid 70's to late 80's but after the WWF arrived on the scene it just died out. I doubt any promoter in the UK could now create a show that would be palatable to the casual TV viewer, in the early 2000's The FWA and 1PW was as big as a companies could get in the UK these days (thanks to the dearly missed Wrestling Channel) but the former couldn't draw enough to survive and the other spent too much on bringing in overseas talent and became the archetypal crooked promoter until its debts, angry ripped off fans and burnt bridges from not paying performers caught up with them.
ReplyDelete