Reflecto
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The Sorceress' Knight
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Post by Reflecto on Dec 7, 2017 2:27:51 GMT -5
Several people have mentioned it taking another wrestling company stepping up and challenging WWE, but I don't think another wrestling company is ever going to be able to compete with WWE directly like that. What I DO think could happen to light a fire under WWE's ass, and we're already possibly seeing it on a small scale, is for the indie and international scene to continue to be profitable enough that wrestlers don't need the WWE. Stuff like Jericho working for NJPW, the Young Bucks having the top selling shirt at Hot Topic, and Cody's success could be influential enough for people to just not want to sign with WWE or try for themselves if they're already there. If you can make your own schedule, keep all of your merch money and not deal with shitty booking, bouncing around the indies could be appealing. And at a certain point, Vince won't just be able to toss a 6 figure contract at EVERYONE to convince them. This ties into the real probelm- if anything, the Young Bucks' success is the closest thing to light a fire under WWE's ass. The fact of the matter is, we've seen this decade just from TNA's failures and Lucha Underground's troubles the most telling fact about WWE's success: The secret of a top wrestling promotion is that IT'S NOT ABOUT THE WRESTLING. TNA's been bad for a long time, but the time when TNA nearly had a chance to compete with WWE was 2006-2010. It wasn't because TNA was good or bad in that time period, but rather that 2006-2010 was when TNA was marketed and merchandised the best in their existence. They had action figures, they had a video game, they had their shirts in Hot Topic, they were starting to get well-marketed during that period and get their merchandise into stores...and so, TNA nearly succeeded. When TNA ceased to have that merchandising and marketing? They fell to earth. The same goes for Lucha Underground. They had a television show that everyone loves when they watch it, but they're flailing right now and circling the drain because no matter how good the TV show is, they have NO CLUE on how to make that translate to merchandising, live events, or anything. They have a product people are begging to pay them money for, and they have no clue on how to give them ways to pay them that money. WWE, on the other hand, succeeded not because Vince McMahon is a booking genius, but rather because Vince McMahon is a marketing genius who knows how to book wrestling. WWE succeeded because Vince McMahon was able to market pro wrestling to families and merchandise it out the wazoo. The only time WWE had a competition was when WCW tried to merchandise it or market it, but finally decided to use WWE's merchandising against it. It's also why WWE has a chance to fail now- New Japan is on the verge of success not because of its good matches with good Meltzer ratings, but rather because the Hot Topic deal has led to New Japan starting to be well-merchandised. If anything can start the change, it's the fact that New Japan can make its inroads to WWE.
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Dean-o
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Post by Dean-o on Dec 7, 2017 12:11:45 GMT -5
Vince is just as much a fan as he is an owner, so I really wonder if he's satisfied with the product. For a guy that hates sneezing, I would think he'd be furious if he didn't feel the product was up to snuff. I also wonder what it'll be like a few years after Triple H really has control Look how overproduced the show is. It comes from a man who hates sneezing because he has no control over it.
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TWERKIN' MAGGLE
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Post by TWERKIN' MAGGLE on Dec 7, 2017 12:21:59 GMT -5
Nothing will change until the TV contract negotiations go down.
Imagine Vince curled up with his framed photo of Roman Reigns, crying because his crush isn't getting the job done.
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Dub H
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Post by Dub H on Dec 7, 2017 13:02:09 GMT -5
They insisted RAW remain 3 hours when WWE asked to cut it back down to 2. They constantly ask for Stephanie to be put front-and-center on RAW. Have any proof? Not gonna search now,work yadda yadda. But there was many reports and news reporting that
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Post by The Thread Barbi on Dec 7, 2017 13:07:52 GMT -5
Mark Zuckerberg or someone like that start a rival promotion and poach John Cena, Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar. They also sign the Rock on an exclusive appearance deal
Done.
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Post by flowercity on Dec 7, 2017 13:19:03 GMT -5
Isnt their stock is at an all time high? Or around that? As much as i do not enjoy the product, they are on a financial roll. Not if they don’t have any profit at the end of the year. Which was Madison’s point. But they do have profits. Third quarter profits exceeded Wall Street estimates by 6.8 million USD. The same quarter, profits exceeded the dividend payout for the first time ever. Profits are up across the board. Nothing is going to change in WWE because they are making a ton of money. Why should they change?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 7, 2017 13:31:24 GMT -5
Mark Zuckerberg or someone like that start a rival promotion and poach John Cena, Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar. They also sign the Rock on an exclusive appearance deal Done. LOL, I don't think I can even imagine Mark Zuckerberg as a heel on-screen character ala Bischoff.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 7, 2017 13:35:44 GMT -5
To answer the question, no.
Wrestling is a business, and as long as Vince is making money, he isn't going to change anything.
The best that can happen is if more fans buy in the Indy merch, like the Young Bucks shirts. As much as I hate the team and wished someone like Vader or Dr Death(RIP) would kick their asses - NWA style, they are pivotal in providing Vince McMahon a couple of nervous sweats and force him to change the product.
A wrestling company isn't going to cut it anymore.
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Post by This Player Hating Mothman on Dec 7, 2017 13:39:28 GMT -5
Not if they don’t have any profit at the end of the year. Which was Madison’s point. But they do have profits. Third quarter profits exceeded Wall Street estimates by 6.8 million USD. The same quarter, profits exceeded the dividend payout for the first time ever. Profits are up across the board. Nothing is going to change in WWE because they are making a ton of money. Why should they change? No but the issue is the profits in context. Nobody is saying they're losing money, but to get these record revenues, they're spending out the ass. Wall Street estimates were dismal for Q3 because Q2 had 214.6 million in revenue and took home a whole 5.1 million profit; that is a 2.3% profit margin. Q3 pulled 11.6% margins off 21.8 mil profit against 186.4 mil revenue. Better, but still not some "we're doing amazing and at an all-time high" shit. I can't find any breakdown for Q1 but Googling it did pull up a bunch of articles about how they paid out one whole cent per share in Q1, so f***ing clearly these are not hot, thriving profit margins. WWE has to spend all kinds of money to wring the narrow profit margins they're getting here and this is not "making a ton of money". Only reason they can throw around live event revenue being up, by their own admission, is a raise in ticket prices that more than offset the decline in attendance.
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AlexaBliss4Life
Unicron
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Post by AlexaBliss4Life on Dec 7, 2017 14:06:37 GMT -5
Not gonna search now,work yadda yadda. But there was many reports and news reporting that Ah, okay then.
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Post by Viking Hall on Dec 7, 2017 14:38:08 GMT -5
WWE is the huge blockbuster movie that gets made every year that gets panned by critics, complained about by hardcore fans and disowned by the actors once they've spent their paychecks from them. Despite this, every year the same movies make millions of dollars for the studios, spend weeks at the cinema and then make a fortune on home release too. This is then repeated year after year because the studios know that however shoddy the product, as long as it has the main components the fans want and enough material in the trailer to give them some hope they will still turn out to see it. Wrestling, or rather the WWE is the same, it has all the main components that fans want (even if they're executed badly) and will now and then give them enough hope that improvements in quality are on the way. Rinse and repeat.
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Post by angelofapocalypse on Dec 7, 2017 15:46:52 GMT -5
WWE business module is like this: Coca Cola will always have their Coca Cola while Pepsi has Pepsi. New drinks, they come and go because it doesn't live up to the "status quo." WWE and those two huge cola business have on thing in common: they're corporations. They'll always be around, no matter how good/bad their products are, they have what you call money to back them up. Finances.
Now, I'm not saying status quo is a good thing, but that's how it has always been among the world of buy/demand shtick and to me, I don't find anything attractive about it. If WWE wants to remain the way it is with its fair share of problem, then more power to them.
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Post by honsou on Dec 7, 2017 18:56:17 GMT -5
The truth of the matter is they haven't actually made a big enough mistake to actually "admit they have a problem". They have enough hardcore fans to keep profits up and would still easily be able cut cost due to still having a glut of talent that they feel are disposable. The only real risk they run into now is if NBC doesn't want to give them a good deal on their next TV contract and even then it wouldn't be devastating
Vince would have to make a big business/financial mistake to actually be in trouble, something like overreacting to a poor TV contract by taking WWE completely off TV and going network only. This is extremely unlikely but just an example. But even then with a mistake like this even the best booking in the world couldn't help them get back to where they once where
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 7, 2017 19:09:15 GMT -5
Apart from a colossal business collapse there really is nothing that will push them to admit their own wrongs whether that be from booking etc.
A company rising up to challenge them for their audience is really the only other thing that can make it happen but that would require a network with the same size coverage if not more to take a chance on a pro-wrestling program and right now that does not seem likely at all and that is a huge chunk of the reason IMO no other wrestling show can challenge them.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 7, 2017 19:38:10 GMT -5
People just need to stop watching. If the ratings are so low that the USA Network starts to talk about getting rid of them, they might try a different direction. As long as people are actually watching this shit they produce it won't change.
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andrew8798
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on 24/7 this month
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Post by andrew8798 on Dec 7, 2017 19:55:15 GMT -5
People also forget that USA needs WWE as much as WWE does
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Post by eJm on Dec 7, 2017 20:00:03 GMT -5
People also forget that USA needs WWE as much as WWE does Pretty much, yeah. The fact is, for these negotiations coming up, nowhere is going to accommodate WWE as well as USA and USA can’t have a hit to save their lives (even though Suits is strangely doing well internationally) with Raw basically being the thing keeping the lights on. So even if WWE gets a lesser offer than they want, which I think’ll happen due to ratings, USA can’t be too harsh or else WWE’ll leave and find somewhere else.
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Post by SHAKEMASTER TV9 is Don Knotts on Dec 7, 2017 20:13:52 GMT -5
It won't be at a Girl Scouts meeting that's for sure.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 7, 2017 20:16:18 GMT -5
People with a serious problem only seek help when they hit rock bottom.....so once the Rock tells them to eat his ass would be my estimation.
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