WWE Network... It's Here

[shoe]

I have no opinion of the E and C show because I only caught a tiny bit of it, but I have to say I'm totally fine with Network belt-tightening in regards to original content as long as it means more uploads of cost-free old school footage

I think they are realizing the original content they did isn't really cost effective . Sure it may get more views than say a MSG show from 73. It still isn't driving subscriptions. It's the ppv's, and how hot the current product is will drive subscriptions. It's not Swerved or even something as cool as the JBL show.

[Mad Dog]

I bet we would all be shocked if we saw how much money it cost to do those shows as well.

[Kronos]

Great match which Michaels totally misunderstood.

 

How do you mean?

[The Thread Killer]

Reddit: Vince obviously hates Edge and Christian's show because he can't control what they say!!!!

 

I know you're joking, but in reality Edge and Christian are pretty far off the WWE reservation at this point. On their podcast they make no bones about criticizing WWE if they feel it's warranted - they took great delight in mocking the Great Balls of Fire name, for example. They still have a lot of friends in WWE and are complimentary on occasion, but they don't usually just blindly praise the organization, or avoid criticizing it like some others do.

 

The weird thing is, I remember Edge giving a couple of interviews here in Toronto after the first season of their TV show wrapped. He talked about how much insider stuff they got away with joking about, and he said that he is pretty sure Vince never actually watched an entire episode of the show. He also mentioned that it was incredibly time consuming to write and act in, and he honestly didn't think there would be a second season, and at that time he himself was ambivalent about the idea.

 

Then a few months later, I saw/heard him talking about how they had assembled a writing team and were working on ideas for the second season. He has even joked with guests on the Podcast about being on the second season, and gave the impression at times that it was definitely a go. So if it is really cancelled, I would assume that it is for the same reason as Legends with JBL and Talking Smack, that the network is getting away from original programming. Which I hope means that there will be no second season of Holy Foley. Because if that show gets another season after Legends, Talking Smack and Unfiltered got cancelled - I shall be pissed.

 

UPDATED: Some sites are even reporting that half of the second season has already been filmed?!

 

As far as Christian goes, I am pretty sure he was in the same boat as Daniel Bryan. He was under contract and had several concussions, and the WWE basically told him that they were not going to allow him to wrestle, but he was still under contract until some time last year, I think. I don't know if Edge and Christian are under those so-called "Legends" deals, but as far as I know both of them are not under contract and are free to do what they want. Edge can't and won't wrestle again, nor does he apparently want to. Christian is a different story, I think he still wouldn't mind wrestling now and then. He's only 43 which isn't really all that old in wrestling years, depending. A Christian comeback could happen, just not in WWE. Hell, he and Jarrett are friends, I guess it is conceivable that he could end up in Global Force, although it's unlikely.

 

It's possible the only thing that kept Christian from wrestling elsewhere was his off and on relationship with WWE. If the show really is cancelled, we may yet see him wrestle.

[The Thread Killer]

 

Christian also posted pics of his wrestling boots on Twitter wondering if they still fit, so he might be contemplating a comeback.

How do you make a comeback when you were FORCED to retire in the first place? Unless he's gonna wrestle somewhere else and I don't get the sense he would want to go slum it in GFW or ROH, especially considering how unhappy he looked when he got inducted into TNA's Hall of Fame.

 

 

I thought he was pissed because WWE forced him to go there, in exchange for TNA allowing Ric Flair to go to the WWE Hall of Fame and be inducted as part of the Four Horsemen? Basically, I thought Dixie Carter made the deal with WWE that if they wanted Flair, they had to give her Christian - despite the fact Christian apparently had no interest in being there.

 

(Even more humorous was when Flair came out and said he didn't give a shit what Dixie Carter allowed or didn't allow - the Horsemen weren't getting inducted without him being there, and if she sued him for going, then she sued. We all know Naitch isn't afraid of a lawsuit.)

[sek69]

I got the impression Edge is on a legends deal and Christian was riding out his last regular contract.

[C.S.]

I didn't mind Holy Foley, even though it was obviously faker and more scripted than most reality shows, which is really saying something. But yeah, I'd be pissed if that came back after Legends With JBL, Stone Cold Podcast, etc. were cancelled. It's not coming back though. Mick already said it was an expensive show to make, and even though he felt they used their budget well, he didn't see a second season happening.

 

At least WWE also got rid of that planned R-Truth gameshow. Hopefully they realize crap like that is not what anyone wants out of the WWE Network.

[iamthedoctor]

Some of the Network edits are just odd and I don't know if its changed recently but why did they replace Voodoo Child with some crappy theme?

 

Real American would obviously be better suited for Hogan's 2002 run when he was in Red & Yellow. Even on the Hogan DVD that Backlash match they put Real American on it.

[sek69]

Rights issues. WCW likely paid a lot to the Jimi Hendrix estate for the rights for that and it's not worth it to WWE to pay for what to them is archival content.

[Flyin' Brian]

What's left? Portland? Southeast/Continental? Memphis if anyone can sort out the rights mess?

 

I'm curious as to whether there is maybe another collection Corgan could purchase to start his own library.

[The Thread Killer]

Rights issues. WCW likely paid a lot to the Jimi Hendrix estate for the rights for that and it's not worth it to WWE to pay for what to them is archival content.

 

Bischoff talked about that on his podcast, it was really interesting. He said that he got a really good deal from the Hendrix estate for using Voodoo Chile, but that if you were to try and use the same music now, it would cost millions because of all the different platforms that the song would be heard on - he basically said it would be impossible.

 

Of course, there was the way Paul Heyman got around that, he just used music without permission.

[sek69]

To be fair, that's what every promoter used to do, I doubt Vince paid to use "Sirius" for Ricky Steamboat back in the day, or that Crockett paid ZZ Top for "Sharp Dressed Man".

[El-P]

And this is why old bootlegged TV stuff >>> Network cleaned up stuff.

 

(who wants to watch Hollywood Hogan coming out to some generic bullshit theme or ECW without all the music that was part of the fun and identity ? or, for old fuckers, Kerry von Erich without Tom Sawyer and Fantastics without Sharp Dressed Man ?)

[sek69]

I mean, you're not wrong, but if losing the music is the price to pay to have a place I can watch it without worrying about some rando's YouTube account getting nuked then I can live with that.

 

I mean, the WCCW stuff isn't any less awesome for not being able to hear Tom Sawyer or Stranglehold.

[El-P]

I dunno (well, WCCW I don't care much for anyway, but the point stands).

 

Pro-wrestling is also an atmosphere as a whole to me. It's part of the deal. It's part of the memories too.

[Hawkeye12]

 

Rights issues. WCW likely paid a lot to the Jimi Hendrix estate for the rights for that and it's not worth it to WWE to pay for what to them is archival content.

 

Bischoff talked about that on his podcast, it was really interesting. He said that he got a really good deal from the Hendrix estate for using Voodoo Chile, but that if you were to try and use the same music now, it would cost millions because of all the different platforms that the song would be heard on - he basically said it would be impossible.

 

Of course, there was the way Paul Heyman got around that, he just used music without permission.

 

 

And it was also a deal IIRC where they couldn't play the whole song, just a certain segment of the song (keep in mind the whole song is 5:12), but they could play that part as much as they wanted without any problems.

[cowboy hats]

Would love to see more original programming that was wrestling-focused, like Monday Night War, Rivalries and Wrestlemania Rewind. Realize that's too much to expect; we're probably like 2.5 years (!!) since new episodes of any of those. But it would be nice.

[Kronos]

I am watching a 25 min docu about Randy, under the First Look section. I think it may be from the Macho Man DVD set, but I have never seen it.

 

I am learning a lot. The bit about why Randy chose his colors and wardrobe to make himself seem bigger than he was is fascinating. And also that he borrowed his Ooh Yeah and voice style from a Hawaiian wrestler.

[C.S.]

I am watching a 25 min docu about Randy, under the First Look section. I think it may be from the Macho Man DVD set, but I have never seen it.

 

I am learning a lot. The bit about why Randy chose his colors and wardrobe to make himself seem bigger than he was is fascinating. And also that he borrowed his Ooh Yeah and voice style from a Hawaiian wrestler.

 

Isn't the entire Randy Savage documentary on the Network though? I'm pretty sure I've seen it, and I don't have the DVD and never watch those First Look features.

[Kronos]

 

I am watching a 25 min docu about Randy, under the First Look section. I think it may be from the Macho Man DVD set, but I have never seen it.

 

I am learning a lot. The bit about why Randy chose his colors and wardrobe to make himself seem bigger than he was is fascinating. And also that he borrowed his Ooh Yeah and voice style from a Hawaiian wrestler.

 

Isn't the entire Randy Savage documentary on the Network though? I'm pretty sure I've seen it, and I don't have the DVD and never watch those First Look features.

 

 

I don't know. I was watching the Angle preview for the new DVD set, and it just kept playing First Look items.

[flyonthewall2983]

The whole thing is on there. I have no idea why they keep the "First Look" stuff after they upload the whole thing.

 

 

 

Rights issues. WCW likely paid a lot to the Jimi Hendrix estate for the rights for that and it's not worth it to WWE to pay for what to them is archival content.

 

Bischoff talked about that on his podcast, it was really interesting. He said that he got a really good deal from the Hendrix estate for using Voodoo Chile, but that if you were to try and use the same music now, it would cost millions because of all the different platforms that the song would be heard on - he basically said it would be impossible.

 

Of course, there was the way Paul Heyman got around that, he just used music without permission.

 

 

Hogan also used it in WWE during his 2002-3 run, I wonder if Vince got the same deal from the estate.

 

Agreed on how much it sucks how much of the music changed. I laughed out loud during the episode of Prichard's podcast covering WrestleMania 13 when he talked about how pissed off he was the Godwinn's didn't come out to Hillbilly Jim's music, it perfectly sums up how I feel.

 

It's cool when old shows pop up on YouTube with the original music intact. Seeing Hogan come out to "Eye Of The Tiger" really gets through just how over he was in 84 and 85.

[Johnny Sorrow]

That's why I always have hated Real American. Hogan coming out to Eye of the Tiger was awesome.

[The Thread Killer]

IIRC, Real American wasn't even meant to be Hogan's theme, it was meant for the U.S. Express, but after Windham left the WWF, they gave it to Hogan. THIS was on the same album as Real American, and was supposedly meant to be Hogan's new theme after Eye of the Tiger. It's kind of a pseudo-Rocky training montage music rip-off.

[pmo]

Good way to delineate between earth 1 Hogan and earth 2 Hogan

[Bix]

Jim Steinman wrote and produced that Hogan track, which he quickly recycled (as in the actual session tapes) for Bonnie Tyler: https://soundcloud.com/david-bixenspan/hulk-hogans-theme-bonnie-tyler-ravishing-a-comparison