Monthly News Thread (May 2018)

[M.C.G. 31]

When it finally comes out the WWE is fudging their numbers, I won't be shocked one bit. Attendance is down, they offer so many absurd free WWE Network subscriptions just to keep active subscribers, tv ratings go lower and lower each day, etc.

I understand a big TV deal can get them to a safe spot, but I just don't buy it's all rainbows and sunshine when there are so many glaring weaknesses right in front. In the last year of WWE Network subs, I paid for 4 months, got 6 months for 1.98 (two 99 cent offers), and was unsubscribed for 2 months. I'm not even trying to rip the WWE off. 9.99 is so stinking cheap it's hard not to subscribe. But if that's my story, I cannot imagine others. My investment of $41.94 has to be similar to a lot of other users. Similar to lower attendance each and every night. Those have to take a chunk of change out of the absurd tv deals.

They legally can't fudge those numbers.

Also:

- Free network subscriptions are not to keep active subscribers, they're for new ones only. They have 1.6 million paying subs or around there, those that the free trial have lapsed and they stayed on.

- TV ratings have been up for over a year, just recently dipped below 3-million viewers this past Monday for Raw again.

TV rights fees are going to be up. It's not like when they expected them to be up in 2014 and they flatlined. The ratings have actually gone up and the UFC deal helps them out big time.

 

[Kimi]

Yeah. The important thing to remember with all this is that WWE make money right now. Attendance is down, but they still make money on house shows. The Network has a lot of free subscribers, but they still make money from it. The twists they use to make them look better than they are really don't change the fact that the money numbers are true and they can't lie about those.


The TV deal is where the majority of the money comes from, and with the current deal the WWE is very very healthy. It's expected that they'll get a new far bigger deal, and that bigger deal will be 100% profit. They don't need to do anything at all with the extra money they will get, it's pure profit and that gives them a massive cushion in the case of the business takes a massive nosedive. It's a dream situation for business.

 

[WingsMJN2965]

Lol, everybody's criticizing Cass. We all piss and moan about how the WWE has everybody on such a short leash. We all piss and moan about how nobody has the nuts to take a chance on themselves.

... And then we all rip into Cass for going off script and pouring on the heat. I don't even think that much of Cass, but I like him a lot more now that he's shown a sack.

Alvarez has told the story before. Early on The Rock would get murdered by Triple H on the mic, because Rock stuck to the script and Triple H would divert from it. When he went back and said something about it somebody, (Believe Michael Hayes, maybe Pat Patterson) more or less told him it's live TV and they can't stop you from saying something, but if you're gonna go off script it better be good.

Ironically, the WWE now hates giving the Rock a mic because they know he'll do whatever the hell he wants, but they continue to move heaven and earth to book him because he's over.

 

[Emperoreddy]

You are conflating shooting a line with going into business for yourself.

 

[WingsMJN2965]

You are conflating shooting a line with going into business for yourself.

Going into business for yourself implies that he was going off script to put himself over while burying another talent. He beat up a midget that'll never sell a ticket or a T-shirt.

 

[ColePens]

Going into business for yourself implies that he was going off script to put himself over while burying another talent. He beat up a midget that'll never sell a ticket or a T-shirt.

There's a big difference, though. Cass asked to do it, which is dumb, and was told no. IF he just did it, maybe they wouldn't have cared as much. And as many people said - a timed show w/o any run over is a lot more difficult to deal with.

I think you are trying to compare apples/oranges.

 

[GKJ]

Ridiculous thing to both get heat for and to suffer because of it.

 

[sabremike]

He forgot a piece of advice Sean Waltman always offers guys in WWE: It is better to ask for forgiveness than permission.

 

[WingsMJN2965]

Ridiculous thing to both get heat for and to suffer because of it.

As usual, if you get over to spite the company, they'll make sure they bury you six feet under.

... Which is one for too shallow for Cass, but you get the point.

 

[garnetpalmetto]

Charlotte got her front teeth knocked out in a match against Carmella in Germany the other night. She left the tour early to get them fixed (she was originally scheduled to leave the tour early to a participate in a fireside chat at Needham & Company's 2018 Emerging Technology Conference in New York City. Still no word on whether Charlotte will go in for surgery before or after MITB - either way she'll be out of action for a few weeks.

 

[M.C.G. 31]

Lol, everybody's criticizing Cass. We all piss and moan about how the WWE has everybody on such a short leash. We all piss and moan about how nobody has the nuts to take a chance on themselves.

... And then we all rip into Cass for going off script and pouring on the heat. I don't even think that much of Cass, but I like him a lot more now that he's shown a sack.

Alvarez has told the story before. Early on The Rock would get murdered by Triple H on the mic, because Rock stuck to the script and Triple H would divert from it. When he went back and said something about it somebody, (Believe Michael Hayes, maybe Pat Patterson) more or less told him it's live TV and they can't stop you from saying something, but if you're gonna go off script it better be good.

Ironically, the WWE now hates giving the Rock a mic because they know he'll do whatever the hell he wants, but they continue to move heaven and earth to book him because he's over.

lol wut

You literally compared one instance -- The Rock -- which you said yourself it was either Hayes or Patterson (an official for sure) that told him if he's going to improv, it better be good, aka, giving him the green light to take a chance. And on the other end, you're comparing it to Big Cass, who asked twice and was told "NO".

There's so much evidence of WWE giving reign to talent on the mic -- Elias has said he has freedom to improv on the mic. Rollins, Ambrose, Reigns, Cena, The New Day, The Usos, etc., they've all said they have freedom to improv on the mic. The difference is, what Cass did wasn't improv on the mic, it was going into business for himself after he was told "NO" on extending the beat down that was supposed to end after the big boot.

On another note, his first mistake was asking for permission. X-Pac and CM Punk have said it's better to ask for forgiveness than ask for permission. There's a difference between ADDING onto a segment by extending a beat down on a hard timed show that has to end at 10pm, and taking what's on your script and improving it by going off-script while still fitting the time constraints.

 

[Emperoreddy]

It wasn’t like it was some life changing clever angle. It was him just extending a beat down.

Also man Charlotte is getting beat up. First her boob, now her teeth.

 

[Deen]

I would love if The Rock came back and tore into Reigns like he did Cena. The problem with that is that Reigns can't carry a promo.

 

[sabremike]

People are saying that they were unable to get tickets for All In and it's telling them they are unavailable. This may end up the most gigantic success in pro wrestling since the first Mania.

 

[Kimi]

I couldn't get the site to load before, which was probably a good sign.

 

[Kimi]

On CM Punk, his thing with WWE is going to trial on 21st May. But he's got his UFC fight soon, so the date might be push back.

 

[WingsMJN2965]

People are saying that they were unable to get tickets for All In and it's telling them they are unavailable. This may end up the most gigantic success in pro wrestling since the first Mania.

I'd dial back your expectations. It's big, but it's not that big.

They need to do something big put it over the top. DB is almost certainly out, so a Punk appearance would be huge.

 

[Kimi]

Selling out instantly for a 10k seater for an "indy" show is a massive success and that stands on it's own no matter if the show ends up delivering or not.

 

[sabremike]

Think about this for a second: the biggest crowd in ECW history was 6k in 2000 in Mississauga (the only ECW show to ever take place in Canada), and that era was wrestling's peak in terms of popularity. What The Bucks and Cody just did is nothing short of mind blowing.

 

[Blitzkrug]

They somehow sold out that show with ****ing Magnus and Cody being the only announced match (Which even then sounds pretty boring)

Credit where it's due. This could be the start of something special albeit seeming to be unlikely.

 

[ColePens]

At this point in wrestling - you just have to root for all wrestling to succeed. The more opportunity in the indys/NJPW/TNA/etc the better.

All-In was a giant success already, IMO. Hopefully it's produced well and everyone wins.

 

[Disclose]

you dont need a card when you look at the talent.
mind blown. happy for them.

isnt NJPW having trouble selling the cow palace show?

 

[M.C.G. 31]

AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura official for MITB.

 

[AtlantaWhaler]

AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura official for MITB.

Jock on a pole match?

 

[Cor]

Nia Jax challenged Ronda Rousey to a match at MITB during a joint red carpet interview at an NBCUniversal event. It appears Rousey accepted (obviously), and both women said they can remain professional now, but once they get in the ring, all bets are off.

WWE hasn't confirmed the match at all, and neither Ronda, or Jax will be at RAW tonight