Are they really worth it?

[Max Headroom]

As we all know, there are a few part-timers kicking about the WWE today. We have RVD, Batista, Lesnar, Hogan, (maybe) Rock, etc. Now, aside from RVD, we all know these guys are getting the big cash (RVD probably is, too, just not so much in comparison to the rest. Ironic as he's the most active of the bunch I just named). Now, there is no debate in the fact that these guys draw. It's obvious they do. However, how much EXTRA do they really draw?

What I'm getting at here is quite simple: do these guys draw more, when they're around, than how much they're given to appear? Don't get me wrong, I love a good Lesnar match, and he adds a lot to a PPV, same goes for The Rock. It's also pretty cool seeing Hogan appear every here-and-there. But, chances are, I probably would have watched the given PPV (or Monday Night Raw) anyway. When I really get to thinking about it, as much as I love these guys being around, and as awesome as it is seeing them in a big-time match, are they really worth it?

Let's take Lesnar for instance. He is fighting Cena at SummerSlam. However, he is also getting paid in the millions (not sure exactly how much, but I know it's over a million). How many *EXTRA* people are going to buy the PPV? Let's say he draws 100,000 extra viewers. That means these 100,000 people would not be buying it if he was not there. Now, let's forget the Network & say everyone buys the PPV in the $50 PPV fashion. That's an extra $5,000,000. So yes, he would be worth it in this case. However, now we have the Network. Let's round it off and say it's $10 for half a year. Now they're only making an extra $1,000,000. An extra million dollars sounds awesome, but all of that & then-some is going towards the payment of having Lesnar around. Plus the cost of production & the cost of paying all the other employees.

Same with Batista. I'd be willing to bet he gets paid a hefty chunk of cash, but does he draw what he's worth? He won't gain that big number of extra fans like Lesnar does, I can say that much. What about Hogan? He doesn't wrestle, which greatly hinders his ability to draw (although I'm sure he still does to an extent).

I'm really on the fence with this one, so I'd like to hear your opinions. Do you think these guys generate more profit? Or do all the extra money they draw just simply go into their bank accounts & then-some? After they go to leave, will they have put a younger guy over to the extent that they, too, become a huge draw? Possibly, possibly not. It seems like a big gamble to me. What do you think?

 

[Zycho32]

When it comes to Part-Timers, it's not entirely about the money earned but also flirting with Mainstream Attention.

Think about it, Part-Timers come into two categories; either they are former Superstars whose claim to past fame resonates on some level with the Mainstream Audience (much like the Celebrity angle, in fact) or they are a rung or two down to help elevate the full-time talent (A guy like Chris Jericho, arguably, fits in like a Venn diagram in both categories). And as appealing as the idea of keeping your business firmly in hand with Full-Timers now and forever may seem, keep in mind that it was already done. It's only been in the past five years where part-time players started to emerge. (The Rock supposedly would've been back sooner than '11 had he been given such a contract. Maybe Brock Lesnar too.)

In short, Mainstream Attention via any means may be worth a little bloodletting in the ol' Vault. It's like buying Gasoline for your car; without gas you're just walking.

 

[CyberPunk]

I think you forgot to list Jericho in there.

Part timers have their value. They have the name value which can draw casual viewers (like Lesnar or Rock), and some past credentials which can draw more old fans (like RVD, Jericho, Hulk Hogan). Point is they do draw more than a name like Cesaro, Wyatt or Reigns draw at this time. Plus, having them around helps put some newer guys over (especially a Jericho or RVD).

Now when it comes to how much they're worth, it's difficult to judge their impact because we don't exactly know how much extra they're making and how much they exactly draw. Also, every name that you've taken had their contracts before WWE network became reality. It still remains to be seen how their future contracts would be structured.

When it comes to Batista, it's very obvious that his role in the Guardians got him the big money. Batista is being praised for his performance in this movie and seems like a lock for at least few more Guardians (and may be an Avengers movie somewhere) movies. The opportunity to cash in on his name would be around 1 year from now. I think that's why WWE went for a longer contract for him (2 years) when he might've done few more successful movies.

All in all, they are a good investment. Should they entirely rely on these part timers though? Absolutely not!

 

[THTRobtaylor]

It depends how you judge their contributions. There is no fixed scale as each is their own person.

Rock absolutely justifies his expenditure, he is in the top 5, possibly even top 3 movie stars in the world. He is arguably the most recognisable action actor of his generation and is insanely popular with casuals and the media. 7m a match sounds a lot but when he gets 3 times that per movie it isn't... more people will watch WWE knowing Rock is part of it who would never watch it otherwise.

Brock on the other hand is of limited value, he is known to wrestling fans and UFC fans only. He isn't a mainstream name with a profile outside of this arena. Add to this he is only offering very limited appearances or "bang for WWE's Buck" as he isn't drawing new fans in unless they happen to tune in on a rare occasion is on... It's why they gave him the Streak win... to try and generate that "must see" quality.

Hogan is between the two... he's not on much now compared to the past and to many of a certain generation IS wrestling...same for Flair...

When you come down to other "part times" it is literally case by case what they bring.

Jericho is proven and time served, as well as being a top hand...not a good one like RVD but a top draw worker who makes regular time for WWE, doesn't ask the earth and does bring in casuals from outside the business... for example Metal fans...

RVD not so much, he is a good hand but his deal is structured more around his love of the herb and it now being legal where he lives... he won't give it up but he'll do 4 months on 3 off so he can compromise. For that he's not getting pushed but WWE is getting a strong presence on the show who can put guys over well.

Batista is the one who has changed... That 2 year deal they signed him too suddenly looks like excellent business since GOTG came out and all the great reviews... He'll be back, back full time in theory and all those casuals who loved the movie and rated Drax will come and look at him in the WWE... some will stay fans, some will go but there are a whole bunch of kids who will want to see the guy who played Drax every week on TV. If the 2 year theory plays out, then he leaves pretty much in time to film GOTG too and sure by then he's likely in Rock territory... but of course where it gets interesting is if as expected, more big movie offers come in... he then becomes an uber part timer, but if the movies are of the level of Guardians then that's no bad thing for WWE... suddenly they don't quite need to bow to Dwayne quite as low each time they want him... but I doubt even Dave saw this coming in January...

The worst they have now is Taker... one match a year for several years was countered by the Streak...that's now gone. If Taker can't contribute more than one match a year then there is basically no value in his deal.

Bear in mind though to an extent most of the aging roster are now part timers. Big Show, Kane, Henry and Khali all take regular stints off to prolong their careers and more talents will do this as time goes on. They simply rotate them in and out... Kane goes to shoot a movie, then Show does, then Henry is off for a while... they've done it for about 6 years now.

 

[therockiswwf]

I think right now the big name part timers are actually more important than ever. The reason for that is the network. Before that, if the part timer was the reason you wanted to see the PPV, then you would just buy that one PPV. Now if that part timer draws you in, you will stick around for more than just one pay per view and if you're an old fan, it may draw you back in.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

When it comes to ppv buys or television ratings, generally speaking, the only part time guys or special attractions that've generated significant increases have been The Undertaker, The Rock and Brock Lesnar. Not to put down some of the other guys like Jericho or RVD but, in all honesty, neither of them have ever really been huge draws at any point in their careers. Hulk Hogan is no longer a draw and really hasn't been for a long time. His presence in TNA was a genuine factor for the first month or so, but their numbers went back down to normal and even with Hogan front & center, the numbers eventually started to slide. His touted appearance on Raw earlier this year for the first time in almost a decade didn't do anything to boost the show's numbers, as one may have expected.

I don't know how much The Rock & Lesnar have gotten the past few years. For Brock Lesnar, I wouldn't be surprised if it's somewhere in the neighborhood of what he was earning in his days as an MMA fighter, which was between $400,000 and $500,000 per fight. If you look at how Lesnar's deal is set up, it's similar to what you'd see in some MMA fighters or boxers in that he has usually 3 or 4 matches per year. Hell, a lot of boxers & MMA fighters don't fight more than once or twice a year. As for The Rock, considering how high profile he's been the past several years, I'd say it'd be somewhere in the low 7 figures. I remember reading that Floyd Mayweather, Jr. was paid $3,000,000 for his match with Big Show years back, so I'd say that The Rock has probably gotten at least that much the past few years.

When it comes to the likes of RVD and Chris Jericho, their names still have value because they're still in great shape and can still go in the ring. Their names don't have the sort of value as The Rock's, obviously, but they still have their uses when it comes to ultimately being able to deliver strong matches that elevate younger wrestlers. As a result, they won't be pulling in nearly as much as The Rock would when you consider The Rock's a major movie star.

As for Batista, IF he's genuinely through with WWE for now, I have a feeling it'll take a very, very sweet deal for him to even reconsider coming back. Guardians of the Galaxy is a major hit at the box office, it's already more than equaled it's $170,000,000 production budget in its first 4 days of release and it's the 3rd of 4 movies based on Marvel Comic books this year to score an 89% or more with critics on rottentomatoes.com. His performance as Drax has been very well received. Considering that a very, very healthy number of fans didn't seem to want Batista back in the first place, couple that with the fact that Guardians' success means that his movie career is taking off, it might be best for Batista's career and WWE financially if he didn't return.

 

[southrnbygrace]

If it were my money, I'd say get rid of ALL the part time personnel and allow the guys who actually bust their asses day in and day out, their just rewards. All the part time guys make me wanna do is turn off my TV.

But that's me personally. I don't care about seeing Rock or Batista. And I sure hell don't want to see Lesnar (or Heyman but he's fulltime unfortunately so he stays).