Money quote at the end: "I'm not convinced that handing it off to the next generation is the best move for maximizing shareholder value."
And I think that's the real root of all this "force Vince out" nonsense. Good article w/ more quotes from the Lemelson guy. He actually has good things to say about Vince.
Yeah, Meltzer has noted that there has long been some skittish investors who aren't thrilled with the idea of non-businessman HHH being groomed to take over the company. Kind of understandable, I guess.
They should let Heyman control the books.
ReplyDeleteCena would be mailing out his own merch by the end of year!
ReplyDeleteNon-businessman?
ReplyDeleteMore like THIS-BUSINESSMAN
Woah half of wwe fans earn less than 50k? No wonder they have a hard time getting sponsors. Then again when I was 9 years old I didn't make more than $500 a year or so in allowance money. Still you'd think with Steve Stennick making so much money it would bump up the average. Weird
ReplyDeleteSave us Shane McMahon, you are our only hope.
ReplyDeleteHow long before Vince creates a gimmick trolling the board of directors?
ReplyDeleteIf by books, you mean who wins and loses, then yes.
ReplyDeleteAdmit it, if Shane came back as on screen character and feuded with Steph and HHH over control of the company, it would be interesting as fuck. I'd watch Shane vs HHH at 31.
ReplyDeleteWhat? You wouldn't trust Heyman with your check book?
ReplyDeleteI mean, if HHH were being groomed to take over something like Target (Yeah, I know: that's Shane Douglas' job), I could see the problem. But, as we've all seen, running a wrestling company isn't the same as running any other company. You can always surround yourself with people who are good at finances, etc, but it isn't like wrestling bookers are available everywhere.
ReplyDeleteThese people dont realize that bringing in a so called business person to take over would be a disaster. Since putting people in charge with no knowledge of the wrestling business never works.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't trust Heyman with the change in my pocket!
ReplyDeleteYeah, that would be a good feud.
ReplyDeleteI agree that would be cool and all of Shane's matches have been cool one way or another but he's not coming back through that door.
ReplyDeleteOH MY GOD! Didn't I spend hours in a thread one night saying that HHH's lack of business credentials was going to hurt the company.
ReplyDeleteThey actually need him back to run the company. I wouldn't be surprised if Vince encouraged Shane to earn his stripes somewhere else so he could come back to the company as not just a wrestling guy.
ReplyDelete“Would I ever come back? I would never count it out because anything can happen in the WWE,” he says parroting one of the company’s slogans.
ReplyDeleteMcMahon is a little more subdued when asked if he would still like to run the company one day. “It’s in my blood,” he blurts before pausing to search for the proper response. “I would answer, if I feel it’s the right time and I could make a significant difference, I would consider it.”
Here comes the money....
ReplyDeleteWho is Steve Stennick actually?
ReplyDelete"It was Shane’s decision to go out on his own,” he says, “and it will be Shane’s decision to come back, if he wished to.”
ReplyDeleteSounds like Vince is leaving it up Shane.
500 bucks a year for a 9 year old sounds like a lot.
ReplyDeleteThey could always bring in a ceo to be a figure head and let Triple H be the real man in power.. Similar to when Linda was CEO.
ReplyDelete10 bucks a week for a little candy and a couple WWF tape rentals.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a disaster waiting to happen.
ReplyDeleteI'm assuming candy is code for meth.
ReplyDeleteThere it is.
ReplyDeleteI'd watch tho
I didn't buy drugs with my parents money until 4 or 5 years later. No meth though.
ReplyDeleteWhere did Vince's business credentials come from? Didn't he learn it all on the fly?
ReplyDeleteThere what is? The 4th place poster? In the immortal words of Shaq: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lQW-FWMcBo
ReplyDeleteI hate myself for typing this post but outside of Vince, Shane is ARGUABLY the 2nd most qualified person on the planet to run WWE. He grew up in the business, spent time on the branding end in high power positions, was a performer, and has grown amd sold a multimillion dollar business as CEO.
ReplyDeleteIf only he had married somebody with thighs as nice as Triple H's!
ReplyDeleteWhy not just have HHH or generic wrestling guy #2379 produce the show and handle the talent and then have a business guy as CEO?
ReplyDeleteDolph Ziggler on the WWE Hotline. Only 1.99 per minute!
ReplyDeleteThere is no such person!
ReplyDeleteThere is only one man for the job of running WWE. Tim White's Neck Fat.
ReplyDeletehttp://metalarcade.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Worst-WWE-Gimmicks-Tim-White-Lunchtime-Suicide.jpg
This! Also watching the HHH doc you see how much HHH has been taken under Vince's wing and shown the day to day operations.
ReplyDeleteI just can't see anyone but Vince running it. No idea how this will ultimately shake out.
ReplyDeleteTrips or Shane are maybes, and the only decent choices, but Vince McMahon invented and maintains the professional wrestling business as it exists today. Until I see it I don't think anyone else can do it.
Soooo. Vince= Vito Corleone, HHH= Michael Corleone and the shareholders are the heads of the five families? This isn't going to end well.
ReplyDeleteHere's the thing I don't understand people aren't talking about: the Lemelson guys DON'T want to help WWE. They're not going to invest in the company long-term. They're short-selling the company to drive the price down so they can buy up as much stock as possible at cheap then turn around and sell when it eventually goes back up and stabilizes. Anything they say can basically be ignored because they're not going to be around five years from now.
ReplyDeleteNo I'm pretty sure he went to business school.
ReplyDeleteThe next board meeting should have the CEO contract held high over the table, and a free-for-all between all the board members as they strive to grab the brass ring. When Stephanie is *just about* to reach it, the contract magically raises even higher, out of her reach.
ReplyDeleteThen a mysterious Hummer pulls up to the building, with the engine running, waiting for the NEW CEO, X-Pac.
BUT WHO IS DRIVING THE HUMMER?? IS IT THE SAME PERSON WHO RAISED THE CONTRACT? WE'RE OUT OF TIME!!
The stock price is Sonny at the toll both.
ReplyDeleteI bet that's what ends up happening. The question is would HHH and Steph just say fuck it and sell sell if they don't have complete absolute control?
ReplyDeleteWiki sez a business degree from East Carolina University.
ReplyDeleteWell... still more edumacation than Trips has.
So we keep talking about HHH and all but what's wrong with Stephanie as CEO with HHH handeling talent and creative?
ReplyDeleteBecause then Steph would be the CEO.
ReplyDeleteShane should've bought TNA years ago just for the hell of it.
ReplyDeleteI would venture a guess that Vince learned 90% of what he uses today from his father and just running the company.
ReplyDeleteI would agree with that as well, but we aren't stock market speculators.
ReplyDeleteAgain, why is that a bad thing? You want to rip on her for her decisions in creative? Fine, that's fair game. But she's been working close with her father since she was in her late teens/early 20's.
ReplyDeleteI just like ripping on Steph, maybe she'd make a great CEO.
ReplyDeleteShe could always start blowing the shareholders to keep them happy. I think HHH would be ok with that.
ReplyDeleteAnd the random cop who ducks to avoid the hail of gunfire is Dave Meltzer.
ReplyDeleteWomen have brains 1/3 the size of mens. That's just science
ReplyDeleteSo you're saying she'd be the perfect CEO?
ReplyDeleteOccasional weeks I'd forego the rentals and candy and use that $10 for a Power Rangers action figure.
ReplyDeleteDon't these people know anything? Triple H knows THIS BUSINESS!
ReplyDeleteAs others have said, why not Shane? I know he has other endeavors right now, but would be cool and would keep it in the family.
ReplyDeleteThat's only a money quote if there's a separate theory presented. Eventually, the company has to be handed off to the next generation, whoever it is at the helm.
ReplyDeleteIf not HHH, a lifetime performer, and Stephanie, a lifetime executive, then who?
Like I said elsewhere, if you wanna see the WWE die off quick, hand the company to someone with no wrestling experience and let them try to maximize the company's value in a market that is cold as shit when it comes to pro wrestling.
I don't think you understand business. The investors DO NOT want a wrestling person running the WWE company, which is now wrestling, movies, merchandise, a network, cartoons, etc. etc.
ReplyDeleteThey want a CEO in charge and then put someone like Triple H in charge of the wrestling business.
Y'all acting like the WWE is a wrestling company.
IT IS NOT A WRESTING COMPANY.
These investor types wouldn't know a wristlock from a wristwatch!
ReplyDeleteAnd to date, the only people agreeing are people with no executive business experience and a short-selling investment group who have no interest in the long term development of the business, just driving the stock up a bit by rattling sabers so they can cash out.
ReplyDeleteWho knows? You may end up being right long term, but don't crack that bottle of Cristal yet.
Maybe the real reason the company is losing money is because Vince is secretly funding an experiment to get himself put into a jar, Futurama style.
ReplyDeleteI think you're the one who lacks understanding of the situation. Those other divisions are already run by non-wrestling people and will continue to be once Vince is gone.
ReplyDeleteI know Vince is a micro-manager, but do you think he is involved in every single step of every toy, movie, etc. the company produces in it's various divisions?
Agreed. I learned a shit ton more working than I did earning my Bachelors in Business.
ReplyDeleteThere's a ton of CEOs who have completely failed at their job, taken their "golden parachute" on the way out, then immediately gotten hired as CEO for someone else (probably to fail there as well). It's not really a job based on meritocracy. I'd take my chances with HHH and Steph over someone who knows jack shit about wrestling.
ReplyDeleteWCW showed us what a non-wrestling boss gets you.
BigNasty96 is pretty fucking stupid. Just ignore him
ReplyDeleteI can see him doing that.
ReplyDeleteYou know how many times I've said that?
ReplyDeleteTJ: Are there any other Red Sox fans out there tonight? I need to be held. It's oh so lonely and cold.
ReplyDeleteWHo is Fredo in your example?
ReplyDeleteIt's her family's company. She'll be involved in some way for the rest of her life.
ReplyDeleteKevin Dunn.
ReplyDeleteWe'll always have last year's memories, compadre.
ReplyDeleteI haven't really seen anything that suggests that Shane would want the job.
ReplyDelete*sigh*
ReplyDeleteIt's ugly. The Blue Jays are also my Yankees, since this is tough for me.
ReplyDeleteIt's ok. It's ok! I know what you need to do! First throw away all your Red Sox paraphernalia. Then go out and buy some Yankees merchandise. Start watching Yankee games and rooting for them. Next move out of that shithole Boston and move to New York. If all that is too much for you become a Rays fan.
ReplyDeleteFredo has a good heart, but he is weak...and stupid, and stupid people are the most dangerous of all.
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping for an amazing Scott Keith "Godfather" rant like the King Lear rant at some point in the next decade.
Try being an Indians fan. Nice series against the Tigers, though.
ReplyDeleteVince Russo?
ReplyDeleteBut Triple H loves THIS BUSINESS. That's gotta count for something.
ReplyDeleteDefine irony: HHH spends his entire career politicking his way to the top of the company to the point where he's poised to be the guy in charge of everything. And suddenly, here come the shareholders to try and politic him right back out.
ReplyDeleteTriple H nose what he's doing.
ReplyDeleteTribe doing what the Sox couldn't even sniff.
ReplyDeleteI don't live in Boston, but I wish I lived in NY so I could wear my Sox gear. Also, there are probably more options for Jiu-Jitsu classes.
ReplyDeleteIt's ironic that I dislike the Jays, O's and Rays more than the Yankees. I would the Yanks take the division more than any of those teams. Especially the Rays, who I'm glad to see in the basement.
ReplyDeleteJR
ReplyDeleteJr
ReplyDeleteI absolutely would. I love Shane O'mac(minus that horrid run in 2009 when he nearly killed Orton's heel run dead by forgetting how to throw a punch) Always been a fan and would love to have him back.
ReplyDeleteSee, we're assuming that HHH is the "problem". Maybe Steph is the one they're wary of, since she'd be running the business side like her mother once did. And we don't know if Linda took Steph under her wing like Vince did with Hunter before she resigned (although I'd imagine she did).
ReplyDeleteHHH loves the business like Japanese wrestlers love clotheslines.
ReplyDeleteI picture JR as Tom the lawyer. Does everything but treated like shit by Michael.
ReplyDelete"Look at how they massacred my boy."
ReplyDeleteAnd Hulk Hogan loves delusional stories.
ReplyDeleteWait are you trying to say Jim Herd was a failure? You didn't like the Ding Dongs, Oz or the idea of Spartacus Flair?
ReplyDelete"I don't think you understand business."
ReplyDeleteSpeaking as a dude who is in this arena, I think Stan has a pretty astute read on what business (and running one, dealing with shareholders, etc.) is like.
Also check their site out they specialize in investing in "deep value and special situation investments". Aka short sales like you said. Just trolling the stock.
ReplyDeleteThat would have been fun.
ReplyDeleteI'd like it.
ReplyDeleteI would like to know who the investors would rather have running the company after Vince, as much as I dont care for Stephanie's creative ideas, I think HHH might be just fine running the show. He seems to have a vision of the future instead of Vince changing his mind every week. If big time investment people want "business" guys to take over then you'll see another Jim Herd in control of a promotion.
ReplyDeleteI'd give it a week.
ReplyDelete.....here comes the money.
ReplyDeleteTo this day, I love the idea of Spartacus Flair.
ReplyDeleteOutside of the troll, we have no clue, maybe Chan.
ReplyDeleteGet Trump to run it again.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could see a tape if Herd presenting that idea to Flair. Also the mental image of Flair coming out and saying "I am Spartacus!!!" Is hilarious.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure someone can cover Flair's bar tab for an evening and get him to do it.
ReplyDeleteStephanie. She don't seem too bright.
ReplyDeleteThat may very well be worth the $10,000
ReplyDeleteI at least respect the Yankees and their fans. A lot of Blue Jay fans know nothing about baseball other than the Blue Jays were awesome in the 90's, lost for 20 years because the Red Sox and Yankees unfairly spent more money than they did, but in 2012 they came out with a new hat and now they're going to win the World Series.
ReplyDeleteOh man the Americans season finale is on tonight. I'm definitely excited to see what's up. Anyone else been following the show? Its awesome
ReplyDeleteShane was originally the guy that was going to inherit the company, but there were some rumors that he kept screwing up.
ReplyDeleteSounds like the life of Vince Russo.
ReplyDeleteIt was a nice hat, though, wasn't it?
ReplyDeleteI could so easily be a dick and spoil it right now.
ReplyDeleteWhat are the odds that an investor takeover leads to TV-14 again? After all, investors realize 2/3 of the audience is adult, and investors like money.
ReplyDeleteWhich investors exactly are going to take over? And how exactly is that going to happen? I don't pretend to be an expert on this kind of stuff, but it seems Vince cannot be removed by the voters, when he has the voting power.
ReplyDeleteMONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY dollar dollar.
ReplyDeleteHHH booking the wrestling portion of company is the same as being CEO of the entire WWE media empire. That's what they're worried about. Most know two fucks about the creative end of things.
ReplyDeleteSounds like America.
ReplyDeleteHahahahahahaha. No. Those divisions will all continue to exist. What you just explained is exactly the fear of the shareholders. They don't want WWE to become a wrestling company again. That's too narrow a revenue stream. They want to ensure the next person who runs the company doesn't go in that direction, which someone like Triple H potentially could. Vince's vision of a multimedia conglomerate came true but to the extent that it's future may be somewhat out of his control.
ReplyDeleteZero.
ReplyDeletei for one approve of getting our news from saturday night live
ReplyDeleteas long as it's chevy chase, dan akroyd, and that ignorant slut, jane
Thats kind of my point, Jim Herd didnt book WCW, but when you put a CEO that knows nothing about wrestling in place the product can go to shit.
ReplyDeleteThe Red Sox are coming off a season when literally every break went their way and they won the World Series. Quit your whining over a slow two month-start to this year.
ReplyDeleteI'd trust HHH more than Vince at this point. I doubt with HHH incharge we will get a WBF or XFL every decade, he'll stick to that thing he is good at , buryi.... I mean wrestling.
ReplyDelete