What more does Vince McMahon and WWE want?

[Chicago1989]

Alright, this is discussion that I wanted to bring up since I read an earlier report about Seth Rollins (Tyler Black) talking about how the WWE wants to "expand to other avenues" and all this other stuff. I keep hearing this kind of stuff from even Vince himself, saying he wants this and wants that.

But from a wrestling fan's perspective, I think he's got everything already. He's got the money, the notoriety, the mainstream fame and recognition, a stint in the film industry, and all that but he still wants more? I don't get it. I'm not curious about this like I'm a big WWE fan, because I'm not. But I just wonder, even for any company. If you got all the power and money, what more could you possibly get? Getting the word "Wrestling" isn't going to change anything. It'll make zero difference.

My question to you is this, where else could you possibly go to "expand your brand"? Food? Music? Animals? You tell me!!

 

[NegativeFeedback]

He wants to start a television channel which will probably include many shows that have little to nothing to do with wrestling. WWE Films is really sucking right now, and I think that if he really wants to expand his brand, he has to start a parent company for all of his numerous endeavors.

For example, the parent company would be called "Titan Global Entertainment, LLC". Its branches would include WWE (the wrestling organization), Attitude Films (a film company), Titan Studios (record label), etc. Branding everything with "WWE" on it starts an immediate connection with wrestling and until he notices that, he won't be able to leave wrestling behind.

 

[Calderownz]

That's the difference between someone that doesn't have a company and someone that does. You see things differently.

When you look like you have everything, you're just getting shown the things you still have to attain. From the outside, it may look like you have it all, but those on the inside can see the truth.

A television clannel. A better handle on the merchandise and the clothing. Higher grossing films. Better distribution. Better action figure deals. Expanding doesn't just mean new avenues. It means better ones.

If they cut losses and spend less while making the same or more, then they've expanding what they can do with the money in the future. So many ways that a company can continue to make profits and new profits.

 

[neildittmar]

Starting with No Holds Barred in the late 80's, Vince has been trying desperately to have his company seen as anything other than a professional wrestling organization. The horrific movie studio, later dubbed WWE Films is just one piece of evidence. The entire purpose of the XFL was to legitimize the McMahon Empire with something other than low-brow, lowest common denominator entertainment (read: pro-wrestling).

It's simply not enough for Vince and his company to be a success. He wants to be a "global phenomenon" in multiple avenues of entertainment. The "wrestling" part of the company is merely the catalyst to do other things. With the WWE money/talent, Vince would like to be successful in feature films. If he thought it was feasible, I'm sure Vince would attempt to start another professional sports organization. I'm really surprised that Vince hasn't really pushed WWE Books as something other than a venue for wrestler autobiographies. Come to think of it, maybe this is where he was hoping Mick Foley and his "non-wrestling" material would springboard that endeavor.

Vince wanting to take "wrestling" out of the WWE should come as a surprise to absolutely no one. Given the historical track record, I'm completely convinced that Vince would've abandoned wrestling a long time ago had one of the other ventures (films, sports, books, etc.) been more successful. At the very least, WWF/E would've been relegated as a second or third tier product underneath the "new media ventures" that came after it.

That's to say, if Vince could convert his wrestling audience to a more legitimate form of entertainment with the snap of his fingers, he'd do so in a heartbeat.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Yeah but see, the problem is that you don't own a company and Vince McMahon does. Like any businessman with the slightest shred of logic, Vince McMahon wants to make the WWE as big and profitable as he possibly can. He wants WWE to be more than a wrestling company, to be seen as more than that. That's nothing new. Vince has wanted to change what people thought of when they heard the term pro wrestling since he bought the company from his father almost 30 years ago. All you have to do is look at what Vince has accomplished or tried to accomplish in some cases and it's a goal that he's always had.

With growth can come increased revenues from merchendise deals, payment for programs like SmackDown & Raw, the WWE getting its own television network, films that take in more money & are seen by more than just WWE fans and, of course, an increase in the size of the WWE viewing audience.

From the point of view of a life long wrestling fan, I can definitely see the side of it in which someone asks how or why Vince could possibly want more. From a fan's perspective, it seems that he's got everything already. However, I'm also realistic and the truth of the matter is that Vince is a businessman. The reason why he's still around and the wrestling companies of his contemporaries, mostly, are reduced to little more than licensed properties that WWE owns is because Vince was simply better and more determined at what he did and what he wanted. Without growth, or at least an attempt at growth, there's stagnation. Besides, as CEO of a publicly traded company, Vince is obligated to do whatever he can to facilitate the growth of WWE.

 

[Karaoke Superstar]

Alright, this is discussion that I wanted to bring up since I read an earlier report about Seth Rollins (Tyler Black) talking about how the WWE wants to "expand to other avenues" and all this other stuff. I keep hearing this kind of stuff from even Vince himself, saying he wants this and wants that.

But from a wrestling fan's perspective, I think he's got everything already. He's got the money, the notoriety, the mainstream fame and recognition, a stint in the film industry, and all that but he still wants more? I don't get it. I'm not curious about this like I'm a big WWE fan, because I'm not. But I just wonder, even for any company. If you got all the power and money, what more could you possibly get? Getting the word "Wrestling" isn't going to change anything. It'll make zero difference.

My question to you is this, where else could you possibly go to "expand your brand"? Food? Music? Animals? You tell me!!

Everything. Music labels, sitcoms, reality shows etc. etc. He wants WWE to be an entertainment company that does wrestling and everything else.

 

[Chicago1989]

I understand where you guys are coming from. But I just feel that Vince has gotten enough success for his age. Then again, yeah, I don't know what it's it like to have enough as a businessman. It's just my opinion. For a reality show, there's Tough Enough. For music, they can get back on making albums like they used to back then. They already got clothing down too.

I do agree that there is no limit to what you can do. But you already got millions of viewers and loads of money off of profit. Isn't that enough for someone unless you're the risk-taking type? I just think Vince has done it all..

 

[TheMaskedNewton]

I agree with everything that Feedback said....WWE needs to create a holding company that will have ownership of WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment)...have a different name for the films company, a different name for the television channel company...and so on and so forth. There is no need to take out the term 'Wrestling' from the WWE!

 

[jacdnwarrior]

There are couple reasons why imo, he is doing this:
First:
He wants to increase the price of the purchasing price of WWE shares. He wants more investors buying WWE stock. If he can show that WWE is more than wrestling and has several profitable successful business operations, it will make more people willing to buy stock in his company which means more money and notoriety for him. Yes, he owns a film studio, and I believe a label. He owned a football league, a bodybuilding league but we all know how well those ventures went. I don't have a problem with him trying and failing, I mean failing at something is a part of the learning process, I just have a problem with him not committing himself longterm into a project (besides wrestling). His attempt with the film company is almost laughable. He makes films that are direct to video but you won't see them advertised on any other program other than his WWe programs. You need to branch out a little more than that if you own a film studio. The truth is this he can expand all he wants but his bread and butter is and will more than likely be wrestling.

Second:
He wants to be viewed as a legitamite form of entertainment. Wrestling still is looked down upon. And so is Vince to a large degree. The business doesn't get the respect it deserves in terms of the athleticism and the entertainment value involved in the product. If he were to branch out and be successful, he could give the people a way to see WWE as an entertainment conglomerate which has wrestling as one of its many successful operations.

 

[mral82]

He never really took the "Wrestling" outta the company he just decided to keep up w/ times. Did KFC take out the "Chicken", Did MLB take out the "Baseball", Did NFL take out the "Football", Did AOL take out the "Online", Did BK get rid of the "Burgers". All of these are examples of the times of long names are going out of style w/ the ERA of Texts and Technology. Vince knows that and everybody needs to realize this and quit complaining. WWE is a nationally Traded company and it's easier with 3 words then a long arsed name.

 

[ERorMACro]

What vince has done is closer to what MTV did than what anybody else did.
and yes KFC has taken "chicken" out..they're just KFC now, not Kentucky Fried Chicken.
WWE is just..WWE doesn't mean anything now.

I can see all this talk about Vince simply wanting to make more money and make his company as profitable as possible...and yeah sure makes sense...but it really sounds like people just blindly defending the 'E, or at the very least ignoring the fact that WWF/E has tried several times to expand and done so miserably.

this move is not a smart one because every attempt by Vince McMahon to branch out has flopped massively. WBF, XFL, Smackdown Records, WWF New York/WWE The World, WWE Films...all of these things were/are money drains and critically torn to shreds because they were all horrible, horrible creations.

Branching out is fine if you're good out at but Vince has already failed miserably at Bodybuilding, Football, music lables, restaurants and he's currently failing at movies, because he just doesn't understand what makes these industries work.

They didn't all fail because of the mainstream media "conspiring" against Vince...the media didn't ignore these things out of spite...they were ignored because they were bad and thus failed.

Expanding a company can be a great idea...but Vince and the WWF/E have tried enough and failed enough that it should be obvious that it just won't work.

 

[Davi323]

What vince has done is closer to what MTV did than what anybody else did.
and yes KFC has taken "chicken" out..they're just KFC now, not Kentucky Fried Chicken.

I think you missed the point of what was being said...Yes, KFC is only called KFC...but when you go eat there, what do you get? Burgers? Steak? No. You still get chicken. Everybody knows damn well that KFC is all about chicken. They took chicken out of their name, but they most certainly did not take chicken off of the menu. It doesn't matter if its called KFC or Kentucky Fried Chicken, they still make their money selling fried chicken. The WWE no longer referring to itself as World Wrestling Entertainment didn't take RAW or Smackdown off the air, did it? It's still predominantly a wrestling company, and everyone knows it. Its all about trying to appeal to a broader audience. Vince McMahon has more money than he knows what to do with, but does that mean that he shouldn't try to build the company to a point where his grandchildren are running it? He isn't doing it solely for his own enrichment, he is trying to ensure that the legacy of the WWWF, WWF, WWFE and WWE remains strong enough to be multi-generational even after he is gone.

Plus, as a publicly traded company, the WWE has a responsibility to grow, to make money for the shareholders who invested their money into the product.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Expanding into other avenues is actually a very smart move. It's a little thing called cross promotion, which means that more than one product benefits from the advertisement. The more WWE branches out and has wrestlers making appearances for other products or events, the more the word gets out on WWE. Say someone seens Orton at at event for another product and he says to watch him on Smackdown, then suddenly fans of the other product will now check out Smackdown because they thought Orton was cool. See what I mean? Simple business 101 lesson right there. Promoting more than one product together usually benefits all parties involved as long as it's done correctly. That's why WWE wants to expand as much as possible into other avenues.

 

[93178]

as Feedback pointed out, if Vince really wants to do all of these other things and not have people looking at everything he does outside of Wrestling to be compared/matched with his wrestling (or "sports entertainment" now) business he should go back to the old Titan Sports, Inc. name. Use that has the main company to run his other forms of entertainment he wants to bring out (like music, movies and his own TV channel) Then just have WWE (the wrestling show aspect) of his business just something else that is run under Titan Sports, Inc.

Ya, people will still know that Titan Sports, Inc. is linked with WWE, but atleast its easier to sell the other aspects of what he wants to do without having the "WWE" name in it.