Anyone else worried about the future of WWE?

[WorldChampionJustin]

The biggest story going on right now, is the WWE stocks crashing, the biggest nosedive in a long time. This could be the end of WWE, if Network buys don't go up, and ratings and stock value doesn't go back up, it could be over. Is anyone else highly concerned about the possibility the end of the greatest wrestling company there has ever been?

 

[SoulTrain4]

No. That's ridiculous. Even if the network fails they didn't put that much money into it. The company is worth over $1 billion.

Setbacks happen when you try to expand.

 

[JBM]

I can't remember the exact statistics, but I believe WWE has the most watched weekly television program out there. They make a lot of people a lot of money. The stock collapse seems to be mostly related to the weak subscriptions to the WWE Network. Investors got worried.

Keep in mind that what WWE is doing could potentially revolutionize how the future of television works. It may very well be the the platform that the NFL, NBA, MLB, HBO, UFC, etc..etc.. build off of. Or, the WWE Network fails. WWE still has NBC, and PPV will always be there for them in one way or another.

Part of the reason we haven't seen anyone move to it's own network like this, is because of the risk involved. Vince had the stones to take that risk. I firmly believe that the Network will succeed well enough for the WWE to be that platform for others to follow. It may not reach the numbers he dreams of, but WWE will be fine.

Plus, when dealing as a public company, you have a lot more ups and downs then a private company because now you've got a lot more irons in the fire. Besides...wrestling is a business, and there is no other company anywhere near WWE's status in television, merchandising, and hollywood.

 

[JJ15776]

Facepalm. No. Just, so much no.

Let me put this in terms you can understand. You have $10,000 in the bank, and you make $40,000 a year. You decide to shell out $400 for the new XBox One, spend $50 each on a few games, only to realize you hate it and never play it.

Are you going to run to court to file for bankruptcy? Is this the end of your life as you know it, you'll never have money to spend on anything ever again? Would you just kill yourself, knowing you have no hope of ever leading a normal life again? Think about how asinine that sounds...and you get an idea of how ridiculous this thread sounds.

WWE is nowhere near the end. There is no scenario, plausible or otherwise, where the Network could be the end of WWE. Think about this. Even if the Network had 0 buys, the company would continue to make money as a whole. TV deals, ticket sales, merchandise...these things aren't going away. And if the Network isn't profitable - and it will be eventually - they'll makes the necessary changes so that it is profitable, whether that's taking the monthly PPVs off of it or whatever the case may be. But, again, it won't come to that. The WWE, as a whole, is extremely healthy. It baffles me that people read these financial report and, despite the fact that they have no idea what they're talking about or what these things mean, feel the need to make asinine reactions like this.

Seriously, I mean...I don't even know what to say to this.

Part of the reason we haven't seen anyone move to it's own network like this, is because of the risk involved. Vince had the stones to take that risk. I firmly believe that the Network will succeed well enough for the WWE to be that platform for others to follow. It may not reach the numbers he dreams of, but WWE will be fine.

Yep. The stones, but also the ability to absorb the loss. Among the many problems with this question, aside from the fact that it has no basis in reality, is the idea that the WWE could or would take a risk that could bankrupt the company for no reason whatsoever. WWE said they hoped the Network would be profitable within a year. (And it will be.) And we're supposed to believe they're on the verge of closing because it's not profitable after 3 months.

I just...wow, man, wow. Can you remember ever seeing a thread quite like this one? I don't think I can.

 

[whoopin' ass]

I don't see them going out of business. Even if the live product sucks like right now, they own a great chunk of wrestling's history in America so they could more than survive off of that. That's the main reason people want the network - not for the current stuff but for the older shows.

 

[TheICChampion]

Well, if they ever release the network to other countries they can easily get more buys.

 

[Jericho91]

I'm not worried at all. Not because I have faith in what Vince is doing, it's because I don't care if the future of the WWE is headed for a financial disaster. Let them even lose their business if they have to. Maybe that'll teach them a lesson to never produce a family friendly show or become a publically traded company ever again. Anything to make Vince realize that's he's not the genius that he boasts about to be. His prime is over. He USED TO BE the mastermind but now he's just falling apart. Losing 350 Million under 24 hours is just the 1st step. Only time will tell what's next before he starts to panic more excessively.

 

[WarroBODFan]

They'll be fine, and I think it's a little difficult to take stock and put too much credence towards the current numbers, considering the Network is available to US customers only right now. Without meaning to sound biased considering I'm from the UK, but this constant wait we've had has been frustrating, and I do feel the WWE has missed a trick by not allowing at least a few more countries access to the Network while the launch was still fresh in everyone's minds. Don't get me wrong, we're still hungry for the Network. But surely a good 9-10 months wait is slight overkill.

 

[OYDK]

. This could be the end of WWE

Do you know how many times I have heard this phrase uttered over the years? WWE is nowhere near finished by ANY stretch of the means. The wrestling industry has been basically monopolized by Vince Mcmahon and as long as there are wrestling fans out there, WWE will survive and thrive. No offense but this insinuation is really moronic.

 

[JoeyJoeJoe]

No, it's not the end of the WWE.

It just means that the WWE is not growing the way it thinks it is. And it may mean that the content of the product may change if you have a CEO known for having an itchy trigger finger and likes to second guess things a lot?

Does that sound like anyone you know?

 

[MrJay]

WWE isn't going anywhere. They were closer to going out of business in the mid 90's than they are now.

 

[Fenris]

The biggest story going on right now, is the WWE stocks crashing, the biggest nosedive in a long time. This could be the end of WWE, if Network buys don't go up, and ratings and stock value doesn't go back up, it could be over.

Let me take you on a quick journey through time.

1985-1992: The WWF is white hot with 20 million fans tuning in, selling out 20,000+ seat arenas nightly(sometimes TWO large arenas each night!) and doing great PPV numbers. They were huge, about three times bigger than they currently are.

1992-1993: The WWF gets nailed with a lawsuit over Steroids, at the same time Vince's Bodybuilding Company fails, America's hero Hulk Hogan comes clean about Steroid use and the WWF tanks.

1994-1996: The WWF is now in the toilet. Hogan, Andre, Warrior, Savage ect are all gone. Raw is being taped 2-4 weeks in advance in the ultra tiny Manhatten Center, which had a max capacity of around 1,400 seats at the time. House shows were being run in High School Gymnasiums and small event centers. The ratings were in the toilet, with about 1 million fans tuning in.

As you can see, their circumstances were FAR worse than they are now. The WWF/E Business Model is unchanged, and takes into account things happening. One helpful difference between then and now is back then Vince was worth about $30 million dollars. Even with a loss of $350 million from his bank account he is still worth over half a billion dollars. The WWE can weather whatever may come and will be fine.

Is anyone else highly concerned about the possibility the end of the greatest wrestling company there has ever been?

After two plus decades i've kinda accepted that Jim Crockett Promotions is dead and never coming back.

 

[Luten]

Personally, I'm quite happy that the WWE is feeling a little pressure. WWE is at its very BEST when backed in to a corner. We may not have quite the same level of excitment as we did when WCW were breathing down their neck, but if they've forced themselves to better their own product in order to get more Network subscribers, then so be it. In the meantime, sit back, relax and (try) to enjoy the show. Let the worries of backstage remain backstage, that's why those people have those jobs in the first place. It's their problem..

If you wish to help WWE out in the process, then keep tuning in, buy the network, or purchase the PPVs and STOP torrenting shows. And if you don't yet have the Network in your country then please, please just stop bitching about it. I'm from the UK myself, sometimes you just have to wait.

 

[kadroan]

No. That's ridiculous. Even if the network fails they didn't put that much money into it. The company is worth over $1 billion.

Setbacks happen when you try to expand.

Yeah I'm not worried about it at all. I'd expect something like this to happen especially with the transition from pay per views to special events.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

The big story ISN'T the loss... but that Venture Capital companies are breaking cover and pushing for change and thus it's out the bottle that they are not only part of the mix of ownership but substantial enough to make Vince call a conference call....

The stock damage will repair but the perception will take far longer... till this week even public, WWE was Vince's ship to steer, no one with any credibility or stroke EVER questioned it... now it's in question from guys who own enough stock, be it A or B or whatever to be taken seriously when they raise concerns. There were no emergency conference calls over Barry O and Mel Phillips, Vince's roid indictment or Montreal... Owen jsut about happened when the company went public...

WWE weathered those storms and Vince did cos he had FULL power and control, not 51% or x of A and y of B shares... he owned it all, it could be spun, kept in house as he saw fit... Now as a public company they are legally obliged to disclose ANYTHING that could materially affect their shareprice... Shane coming back? You'll hear about it in the Nasdaq first... Vince sqiurming under the pressure of "alien" investors or at worst "carpetbaggers"...you can dial in and listen to the conference call and hear him swear when the line drops...

It's a sea change alright but Vince will find the funds if he doesn't have them to take it private again... he mortgaged himself once for WWE, he'll do it again before he sees himself removed from the board by people who bought stock last year...