Jump to content
Pro Wrestling Only

Royal Rumble 2015 Thread


Fantastic

Recommended Posts

It is huge news when a company as stable, popular and high revenue as WWE goes out of business. Rarely happens.

 

 

 

And if they ditch the Network then they are done as a company, they have tied their future into that service and there is no turning back.

 

Again, rubbish, 700,000 people bought Wrestlemania on PPV for $60 last year despite it being a sixth of the price on the Network, They could easily go back to a PPV model, although it might not be as profitable.

 

Sorry, but WWE is not 'done as a company' if X happens. They will be around for our lifetime in some form or another.

 

They have tied everything about their company to the Network. This isn't like 24/7 where it was just a service for certain sections of their fanbase. The Network is their end all and be all, so much so that they have turned their back on PPV. It can be, and should be, a very viable service. But, if the numbers are not there to support it then things are as gloomy as can be for them. They can't turn to live attendance, they can't turn to PPV, and they were shown in their last TV negotiations that they don't have much more room for upward growth in that medium. If the Network fails then where do they go? Become a TV only product in a medium that shows diminishing returns? Try to get back on PPV when they've been shown the door by certain PPV providers and have told their fans that PPV is a dying medium?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 491
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Worst Rumble match ever? Don't know if that's irrational anger or the truth. Bryan being eliminated that early was complete and utter bullshit, and Bray being thrown out like nothing after being in there for so long was pointless - not to mention all of the other dull eliminations that had no impact. Whoever laid out this Rumble must've been asleep. Reigns winning got completely shit on by the live crowd, and even Rock couldn't save the day. I've never seen someone so overprotected (Rock endorsement, Rusev elimination, Authority coming in for a heel reaction, etc.) and it meaning less than it did tonight. I feel genuinely bad for poor Roman, because if the WWE hadn't forced it and let him come into his own for another year, he would've been fine. Now it's just Lex Express 2.0.

 

Bubba was a fun surprise, but did R-Truth becoming D-Von strike anyone else as racist? "Oh, he's black too, so no one will be able to tell the difference." It was lame as hell and immediately cooled Bubba off as just another midcard act IMO. If he's only coming in for this one match, using silly nostalgia is fine. But if he's back for good, this was a shitty way to go about it.

 

The World Title match was a lot of fun - definitely an early MOTY contender. But I do think Brock over-relies on the German Suplex, which baffles me, because he's not Reigns - he knows more than five moves.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They have tied everything about their company to the Network. This isn't like 24/7 where it was just a service for certain sections of their fanbase. The Network is their end all and be all, so much so that they have turned their back on PPV. It can be, and should be, a very viable service. But, if the numbers are not there to support it then things are as gloomy as can be for them. They can't turn to live attendance, they can't turn to PPV,

 

Why can't they turn to live attendance? It really isn't massively down and can be improved.

 

 

and they were shown in their last TV negotiations that they don't have much more room for upward growth in that medium.

 

What? Annual domestic television revenue grew from $100 million a year to $150 million in their last negotiation. A 50% rise is a pretty damn healthy upward growth, even if it was below forecasts.

 

 

 

If the Network fails then where do they go?

 

Television revenue. Live show revenue. Merchandise revenue. PPV revenue. Home media/on demand revenue. International revenue. All the things that made them hundreds of millions of dollars before.

 

 

 

Become a TV only product in a medium that shows diminishing returns?

 

A $50 million annual increase is not 'diminishing returns'.

 

 

 

Try to get back on PPV when they've been shown the door by certain PPV providers and have told their fans that PPV is a dying medium?

 

The fans didn't listen. Wrestlemania did a huge number of traditional buys.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sitting here thinking about how they can salvage this mess....

 

Double turn Reigns and Lesnar (even though Brock is already getting cheered and Reigns is already getting booed) in the build to Mania with Heyman managing Reigns, and both of them sort of joining the authority, leaving Seth Rollins a forgotten man.

 

Reigns conquers Lesnar at Wrestlemania much to the chagrin of everyone in attendance, then Seth Rollins cashes in and takes the title catapulting himself into being one of the biggest babyfaces in the company.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Again, rubbish, 700,000 people bought Wrestlemania on PPV for $60 last year despite it being a sixth of the price on the Network,

 

 

There was an estimated 420,000 buys in North America (U.S.,Canada). Not sure of worldwide, but while still a really great number, the number of folks that actually bought the PPV for a price in that range is nowhere near 700K.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sitting here thinking about how they can salvage this mess....

 

Double turn Reigns and Lesnar (even though Brock is already getting cheered and Reigns is already getting booed) in the build to Mania with Heyman managing Reigns, and both of them sort of joining the authority, leaving Seth Rollins a forgotten man.

 

Reigns conquers Lesnar at Wrestlemania much to the chagrin of everyone in attendance, then Seth Rollins cashes in and takes the title catapulting himself into being one of the biggest babyfaces in the company.

 

This may be the best possible scenario.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It is huge news when a company as stable, popular and high revenue as WWE goes out of business. Rarely happens.

 

The only thing they necessarily lack is a lot of traditional assets that they could sell off if they got in trouble. Most of their assets are things only of interest to the wrestling business like tape libraries, memorabilia, equipment etc, and there is no real buyer for that.

 

And if they ditch the Network then they are done as a company, they have tied their future into that service and there is no turning back.

 

Again, rubbish, 700,000 people bought Wrestlemania on PPV for $60 last year despite it being a sixth of the price on the Network, They could easily go back to a PPV model, although it might not be as profitable.

 

Sorry, but WWE is not 'done as a company' if X happens. They will be around for our lifetime in some form or another.

That's because it's rare for it to happen over night. It pretty much doesn't happen unless someone was cooking the books. What does happen very often is that once huge companies slowly dwindle and either die or are so insignificant that their eventual death gets little more than a "huh." See Blockbuster, K-Mart, Sears, Polaroid, Blackberry (we're in the midst of that one), Pan Am, etc. What happens is that major companies fail to adapt and then get beaten out by someone else.

 

 

 

A $50 million annual increase is not 'diminishing returns'.

 

It is when you realize how much money live sports are getting.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sitting here thinking about how they can salvage this mess....

 

Double turn Reigns and Lesnar (even though Brock is already getting cheered and Reigns is already getting booed) in the build to Mania with Heyman managing Reigns, and both of them sort of joining the authority, leaving Seth Rollins a forgotten man.

 

Reigns conquers Lesnar at Wrestlemania much to the chagrin of everyone in attendance, then Seth Rollins cashes in and takes the title catapulting himself into being one of the biggest babyfaces in the company.

 

 

spot on. That should be the direction they go

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well I guess we still don't know what the gimmick to Fast Lane is. Presumably there's no Elimination Chamber match. I can't imagine Brock working that show. Maybe Bryan and Reigns have a babyface heart to heart and Reigns does the right thing and gives Bryan a shot at the WM Main Event shot because it's what "the people want" or something? No convoluted BS, just a straightforward approach.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well I guess we still don't know what the gimmick to Fast Lane is. Presumably there's no Elimination Chamber match. I can't imagine Brock working that show. Maybe Bryan and Reigns have a babyface heart to heart and Reigns does the right thing and gives Bryan a shot at the WM Main Event shot because it's what "the people want" or something? No convoluted BS, just a straightforward approach.

That's even worse and makes everyone look like a big pussy. Bryan lost fair and square, I'm pretty sure they did that on purpose. They wanted no possible out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well I guess we still don't know what the gimmick to Fast Lane is. Presumably there's no Elimination Chamber match. I can't imagine Brock working that show. Maybe Bryan and Reigns have a babyface heart to heart and Reigns does the right thing and gives Bryan a shot at the WM Main Event shot because it's what "the people want" or something? No convoluted BS, just a straightforward approach.

 

 

local advertising has Reigns v Big Show in a last man standing match

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Well I guess we still don't know what the gimmick to Fast Lane is. Presumably there's no Elimination Chamber match. I can't imagine Brock working that show. Maybe Bryan and Reigns have a babyface heart to heart and Reigns does the right thing and gives Bryan a shot at the WM Main Event shot because it's what "the people want" or something? No convoluted BS, just a straightforward approach.

 

 

local advertising has Reigns v Big Show in a last man standing match

 

 

It's great how just like last year Reigns gets a totally heatless, boring program before Wrestlemania. No one wanted to see Batista/ADR, it was boring on paper and in practice, and no one wants to see more Reigns/Big Show.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was there live and it was interesting to say the least. Most importantly, did the "We Want Rusev" chant translate to the TV? After Bryan's elimination I went all in on Rusev and it sucked they teased me again. What sucked the most personally for me is I was next to the one dude who hates Daniel Bryan. It was just insufferable. I just wanted to wallow in my damn misery. Once he did not shut up, it just caused everyone around to shit on Reigns even harder.

 

A couple people have pointed this out, but it is not like Reigns did anything interesting. It was almost like they were afraid to spotlight him because it would just get people angrier. If they actually had The Rock talk, I think that would have made it even worse.

 

Since, I traveled all the way from Boston from this,. I refuse to let elevator bring me down! DDP & Bubba Ray were awesome! I have become such a big DDP fan from the Austin podcast and rewatching 1998 WCW. Pumped to see him!

 

The pre-show tag was fun, but I thought it was just a good spotfest. I didn't feel a rhythm. When we were chanting "New Day Sucks" in rhythm with Xavier Woods that was hilarious.

 

I thought Ascension and Miz/Mizdow tag matches sucked. I am shocked people even liked the Usos/Miz&Mizdow. It was without struggle, urgency, no angle advancement, lets just run through their moveset. If I see Miz/Usos ever again, it will be too soon.

The divas match was really good like not good for divas it was straight up good. There was a great sense of struggle with Nattie and Paige earning their shine over the Bellas. The Bellas were worked a better heat segment than any Usos match in the past 5 months. Then instead of getting the hot tag, they go with crazy out of nowhere Nikki elbow to win. This may be the best women's match in WWE, I have ever seen.

 

The Triple Threat was so fucking exciting live. Brock is a damn beast. They told a great story and everything was just clicking. Cena was relentless and Rollins was picking his spots and Brock was just a beast. Brock catching Rollins off that springboard into a F5 was HOLY FUCKING SHIT! I thought they were going to burn us out with the false finishes, but they actually built to a great damn climax. One of the best matches I have ever seen live!

I don't want anyone to lose their job. I know it is best for Daniel Bryan to stay in WWE in terms of his income. That being said, purely out of self-interest, can WWE please release Daniel Bryan so we can get Bryan Danielson vs AJ Styles! C'mon, Vince you can still book a real dream match!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was there live and it was interesting to say the least. Most importantly, did the "We Want Rusev" chant translate to the TV?

 

It did. VERY VERY loudly. Did the crowd suddenly notice him hiding or was there just a moment of realization that he was never eliminated?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


×
×
  • Create New...