So, is the WWE headed for a reckoning?

[SCCB Was Told To Do Steroids]

Dec 2, 2014 11:57:12 GMT -5 MrElijah said:

Hell NJPW has It's own network out now.

WHAT?!?

<runs home to download, DMs Teej on Twitter to come over>

[Manute Bol]

The WWE is an institution and is embedded in pop culture and won't go anywhere for a long, long time.

However, what I do find intriguing is that CM Punk, Rey Mysterio, and Alberto Del Rio had such "less than amicable" departures this year. It seems like each man stood up for their beliefs/rights and paid the price with their jobs and, likely, their places in WWE history. I'd be very interested in what would happen in the unlikely event that more top level guys took such a stand against the work conditions/environment.

[PsychoGoatee]

Dec 2, 2014 14:13:39 GMT -5 @lovehater said:

Dec 2, 2014 14:04:56 GMT -5 PsychoGoatee said:

WWE is largely more entertaining and with more future potential than it's often had in the past 10 years. And the network is a good idea that has gotten off to a pretty solid start.

I agree there's a lot they need to seriously improve on, especially the health related stuff CM Punk mentioned. But I don't really think WWE is headed in a downward direction, and for me it sure is a better watch than it was in say 2009 to be honest.

You remind me of myself when I returned from a long hiatus after not watching for a good 5 years.

Now, 6 years later, my optimism is gone again.

There's better matches and up-and-comers than 2009 right now, but they've lost so much star power in those years and really haven't made anyone enough to replace them. That's the biggest problem, and from the booking and that Vince/Austin podcast it seems the big problem is that Vince doesn't believe in anyone.

Very true, good point there. I've loved catching up and I'm pretty optimistic at the moment. But for me I do think Seth for example is the best heel they've had since Edge in 2006, and Dean, of course Daniel Bryan, and Reigns to me are all pretty entertaining babyfaces to go with. And others too, Ziggler is on at the moment, etc. Maybe not the next Austin in the bunch (but who knows), but for me it feels like there's more potential going into this WrestleMania than there often has been.

[gr1990]

There is literally no one in the current landscape who could even begin to challenge WWE's status as the top promotion globally. I spend several hours every day watching and reading about wrestling and *I* don't have a clue about New Japan's wrestlers or storylines, never mind the casual Raw audience who probably don't even know it exists. No way would a Middle American audience embrace a product largely carried out in a foreign language anyway.

Sure, WWE could make some enormous financial or PR blunder that causes everything to come tumbling down, leaving us with a huge void at the top of the business, but the Network subscription shortfalls and the Punk and del Rio controversies are nowhere near severe enough for that when there's absolutely no competition to speak of. Unless someone with serious cash shows up and starts tempting established WWE talent away again, they're pretty much invulnerable as far as being 'overtaken' by any existing promotion in its current form. And while there's no competition, people will continue to persevere with WWE in large enough numbers for it to survive regardless of how stale and mediocre it is.

[Deleted]

Dec 2, 2014 14:22:07 GMT -5 PsychoGoatee said:

Dec 2, 2014 14:13:39 GMT -5 @lovehater said:

You remind me of myself when I returned from a long hiatus after not watching for a good 5 years.

Now, 6 years later, my optimism is gone again.

There's better matches and up-and-comers than 2009 right now, but they've lost so much star power in those years and really haven't made anyone enough to replace them. That's the biggest problem, and from the booking and that Vince/Austin podcast it seems the big problem is that Vince doesn't believe in anyone.

Very true, good point there. I've loved catching up and I'm pretty optimistic at the moment. But for me I do think Seth for example is the best heel they've had since Edge in 2006, and Dean, of course Daniel Bryan, and Reigns to me are all pretty entertaining babyfaces to go with. And others too, Ziggler is on at the moment, etc. Maybe not the next Austin in the bunch (but who knows), but for me it feels like there's more potential going into this WrestleMania than there often has been.

The whole process of getting invested in wrestlers that end up having the rug pulled out from them, and other inexplicable decisions, can really beat ya down as a fan. I love the art of pro wrestling, and WWE's got a lot of great talent, so I watch. But their product is a bummer sometimes.

Stay positive though, not trying to say you're wrong for feeling that way at all, just wanted to make that observation.

[Allie Kitsune]

Dec 2, 2014 14:13:02 GMT -5 @personman01 said:

If things bad (unprofitable) enough, the stockholders will vote Vince of the BoD, but that's a worst case scenario. Or best, depending on your POV.

Isn't the stock still classified in such a way that Vince still has the vast majority of the voting power?

I remember that the original distribution was such that Vince essentially had 92% of the voting power ("Class A"). Now, I know that Steph has sold off large portions of her stock, but supposedly, any stock the McMahons sell off immediately becomes "Class B" (and therefore, does not have the same amount of voting influence).

Or has that changed now?

[stealthamo]

Dec 2, 2014 13:09:10 GMT -5 Hypnosis said: