WWE Doesn't Have Much Time Left

[ringthebell]

The WWE, the greatest wrestling company in the world. The invincible, giant empire, the house that the McMahon's built. They are going to be around forever, or so that's what many people think. Am I calling for the head of WWE? Absolutely not, because realistically, unless you have major access to the indy circuit or international wresling, you really don't have a choice, because TNA, well is TNA. The point is that WWE is simply running out of time, how you ask? They don't have any competition. Your right they don't have any competition, but their biggest competition, if any, is themselves. They are their own worst enemy.

I know I will get some compelling arguments about this, but here's the bottom line:

1. The WWE has a dwindling roster, and don't give me that you have to work the young talent bullshit. You may have to work the young talent, but not at this rate. Sheamus winning the Royal Rumble may have been a huge surprise, but once again, it wasn't what the fans wanted to see, they wanted Jericho. Once again, the WWE has screwed the fans. I don't want to see The Great Khali wrestling anymore, along with Justin Gabriel, David Otunga, and more of the youngsters at this point in time. They are boring as hell and I literally almost fall asleep during every episode of Raw and Smackdown. The biggest thing the WWE has done lately is bringing back Taker and bringing back HBK this coming week. The feuds are getting old, the characters are getting stale, and if the writing team doesn't get creative genius soon, the ratings will keep sinking to the bottom of the sea.

2. The WWE has to take a step back and look at the broadcasting situation. Jim Ross is still employed and is constantly blogging about how he wants to be back behind the table. If the WWE knew what a correct business decision was, they would put him back in the saddle. He can announce like no other and him and the king would be a whole hell of a lot more interesting than freaking Michael Cole. Also, bring back Joey Styles, he is a broadcasting genius, I miss it, bring it back.

3. The prices have to drop, yeah sure, the arenas may be packed show after show, but that is the illusion that they put on. I have read several personal blogs about being at a previous WWE Raw or Smackdown show and they blog constantly about all the empty seats and how they increase from show to show. I browsed the prices of the shows, and they are utterly ridiculous. Why in the hell am I going to pay over $100.00 to sit ringside with all these tacked on ticketmaster fees, when I can sit at home and watch front row on the tv. Come on WWE, pay back your fans for supplying the billions you have made over the years. Another price that has to drop is the PPV's, I know for a damn sure fact that it does not cost 54 dollars to put out a PPV in high definition, get your shit straight.

4. Last but not least, they have to get creative, the story lines have to explode, they don't have that "it" factor anymore and they better step it up, or the fans will eventually drop this product and it will be left in wrestling ruins. My God, create a faction that actually features big names so it will work, everyone hates Cena, turn him into a fan hating heel, tired of seeing all this baby face bullshit. Kane's current angle isn't evil enough, make him meaner than hell, ditch the PG shit, go rated freaking R.

Enough said.

 

[BaconBits]

You present some solid points, for sure, but you didn't really list reasons why the company will fail, other than the pricing, which I totally agree with.

You're pretty much asking for the Attitude Era back, and a whole crapload of fans agree with you. Thing is, that was like lightning in a bottle and no matter how much you (and me too, really) would love for the WWE to be that edgy and entertaining again, it's not likely to happen. The personalities simply aren't there and the target audience is much, much different.

 

[PlayTheGame]

The WWE, the greatest wrestling company in the world. The invincible, giant empire, the house that the McMahon's built. They are going to be around forever, or so that's what many people think. Am I calling for the head of WWE? Absolutely not, because realistically, unless you have major access to the indy circuit or international wresling, you really don't have a choice, because TNA, well is TNA. The point is that WWE is simply running out of time, how you ask? They don't have any competition. Your right they don't have any competition, but their biggest competition, if any, is themselves. They are their own worst enemy.

I know I will get some compelling arguments about this, but here's the bottom line:

1. The WWE has a dwindling roster, and don't give me that you have to work the young talent bullshit. You may have to work the young talent, but not at this rate. Sheamus winning the Royal Rumble may have been a huge surprise, but once again, it wasn't what the fans wanted to see, they wanted Jericho. Once again, the WWE has screwed the fans. I don't want to see The Great Khali wrestling anymore, along with Justin Gabriel, David Otunga, and more of the youngsters at this point in time. They are boring as hell and I literally almost fall asleep during every episode of Raw and Smackdown. The biggest thing the WWE has done lately is bringing back Taker and bringing back HBK this coming week. The feuds are getting old, the characters are getting stale, and if the writing team doesn't get creative genius soon, the ratings will keep sinking to the bottom of the sea.

2. The WWE has to take a step back and look at the broadcasting situation. Jim Ross is still employed and is constantly blogging about how he wants to be back behind the table. If the WWE knew what a correct business decision was, they would put him back in the saddle. He can announce like no other and him and the king would be a whole hell of a lot more interesting than freaking Michael Cole. Also, bring back Joey Styles, he is a broadcasting genius, I miss it, bring it back.

3. The prices have to drop, yeah sure, the arenas may be packed show after show, but that is the illusion that they put on. I have read several personal blogs about being at a previous WWE Raw or Smackdown show and they blog constantly about all the empty seats and how they increase from show to show. I browsed the prices of the shows, and they are utterly ridiculous. Why in the hell am I going to pay over $100.00 to sit ringside with all these tacked on ticketmaster fees, when I can sit at home and watch front row on the tv. Come on WWE, pay back your fans for supplying the billions you have made over the years. Another price that has to drop is the PPV's, I know for a damn sure fact that it does not cost 54 dollars to put out a PPV in high definition, get your shit straight.

4. Last but not least, they have to get creative, the story lines have to explode, they don't have that "it" factor anymore and they better step it up, or the fans will eventually drop this product and it will be left in wrestling ruins. My God, create a faction that actually features big names so it will work, everyone hates Cena, turn him into a fan hating heel, tired of seeing all this baby face bullshit. Kane's current angle isn't evil enough, make him meaner than hell, ditch the PG shit, go rated freaking R.

Enough said.

This is kind of a sensational topic. The WWE isn't going anywhere anytime soon. The product quality is down, sure, but they still make a lot of money. And the fact that they don't have any competition ISN'T hurting their business. I don't understand or agree with your point at all. Less competition means more stability for your company. More competition, less likely your company will be around. Pretty simple. Also, the WWE doesn't "owe" us fans anything... supply and demand, they charge for seats/PPV's, and we buy. Maybe not me or you, but if they felt they were overcharging and could do better by reducing the price, they would. But they don't. For a reason. Because it's working for them.

As for the rest of your post, it's pretty much just your personal opinion. You obviously hate the current product. Some would agree, some would disagree. But you don't have to watch. I agree with some of your points- JR being back would be great, making everything edgier would be exciting, Jericho winning the Rumble would have been nice, etc. etc. But it's just personal opinion. For example, some people absolutely loved Sheamus winning the Rumble. You or I may not agree with that, but everyone has their favorites. Everyone would probably agree that product quality isn't what it used to be, but it's not quite as bad as your making it out to be.

The WWE is doing fine business-wise. It won't be going anywhere anytime soon.

 

[#hamler]

1. The WWE has a dwindling roster, and don't give me that you have to work the young talent bullshit. You may have to work the young talent, but not at this rate. Sheamus winning the Royal Rumble may have been a huge surprise, but once again, it wasn't what the fans wanted to see, they wanted Jericho.

No, the IWC marks wanted Jericho. Where are your facts? If no one wanted Sheamus to win this year's Royal Rumble, he wouldn't be as over as he is. And he's over HUGE.

Once again, the WWE has screwed the fans. I don't want to see The Great Khali wrestling anymore,

He's over huge in India. He isn't Jinder Mahal with no fan base. Khali has a huge fan base in India. That's why he's kept around. If anything, that's good business.

along with Justin Gabriel,

Again, says you. You however, do not hold everyone's opinion.

David Otunga,

Another someone who's over currently. He's doing a great job.

and more of the youngsters at this point in time.

Again, says you.

They are boring as hell and I literally almost fall asleep during every episode of Raw and Smackdown. The biggest thing the WWE has done lately is bringing back Taker and bringing back HBK this coming week. The feuds are getting old, the characters are getting stale, and if the writing team doesn't get creative genius soon, the ratings will keep sinking to the bottom of the sea.

Wasn't Raw up the last few weeks? Just saying.

2. The WWE has to take a step back and look at the broadcasting situation. Jim Ross is still employed and is constantly blogging about how he wants to be back behind the table. If the WWE knew what a correct business decision was, they would put him back in the saddle. He can announce like no other and him and the king would be a whole hell of a lot more interesting than freaking Michael Cole. Also, bring back Joey Styles, he is a broadcasting genius, I miss it, bring it back.

I don't see how this has anything to do with the WWE not having much time left.

3. The prices have to drop, yeah sure, the arenas may be packed show after show, but that is the illusion that they put on. I have read several personal blogs about being at a previous WWE Raw or Smackdown show and they blog constantly about all the empty seats and how they increase from show to show. I browsed the prices of the shows, and they are utterly ridiculous. Why in the hell am I going to pay over $100.00 to sit ringside with all these tacked on ticketmaster fees, when I can sit at home and watch front row on the tv. Come on WWE, pay back your fans for supplying the billions you have made over the years. Another price that has to drop is the PPV's, I know for a damn sure fact that it does not cost 54 dollars to put out a PPV in high definition, get your shit straight.

Those types of prices aren't stopping anyone from filling up Madison Square Garden or Wrestlemania XXVIII.

4. Last but not least, they have to get creative, the story lines have to explode, they don't have that "it" factor anymore and they better step it up, or the fans will eventually drop this product and it will be left in wrestling ruins.

Again, says you.

My God, create a faction

No. We don't need anymore shitty factions.

that actually features big names so it will work, everyone hates Cena, turn him into a fan hating heel,

Cena's fine the way he is. He's over, more over than anyone on the roster. I wonder if you ever read these reports saying how over Cena is with the live crowds? Cena's character makes the WWE millions, why risk all of that just to please a handful of marks?

tired of seeing all this baby face bullshit.

I'm not. Whose opinion is more valuable?

Kane's current angle isn't evil enough, make him meaner than hell, ditch the PG shit, go rated freaking R.

No. Kane's already scary; you don't need a rated r gimmick to be scary. He's doing fine.

Enough said.

Everything you said is basically what YOU hate about the WWE. But since when does one person account for every fan? You don't. These aren't reasons the WWE is going under, these are reasons you don't like the product. You have no factual evidence and you completely failed here.

 

[Loveless]

If another WCW came along right now the WWE would be dead within 3 years. They short-term book, they disrespect the fans, they cut the throat of every upcoming talent in favour of the established stars and older "legends" (and I use that term loosely, HHH) and lastly RAW and Smackdown have simply become boring, they're nothing more than advertising instead of actually focusing on being entertaining themselves. The WWE only exists because there's no competition right now, that will change eventually and when it does they are fucked.

 

[Xpyred013]

Your points are valid. But i do not see WWE simply dying. Mainly because there is no one out there with the large amount of cash like WWE has; but this is what everyone said about WCW right?

In defense of the Attitude Era, i am not here to say i want to see chair shots every match, or women parading half naked or McMahon having people kiss his ass, or the word ass on TV at all. The thing that made the Attitude Era unique was that EVERYONE on the roster was used.

i see a lot of people here complain that stables suck. But if you go back to 1997, 1998, and 1999 everything wasn't necessarily a stable, but people weere part of something. Remember the JOB squad? Holly ended up going places but not all the way. He was still important despite being a joke for most of his career as sparky plug. And the Nation of Domination launched an ass load of careers. Everyone had an important part to play on every show and everyone was seen on every episode of Raw and Smackdown. They do not need anymore shows, or roster breaks or anything. What they need to do is cut down on garbage. Have a HEEL and a FACE announcer, but at least make the heel entertaining. Cole is a good heel, but he pisses everyone off for the wrong reasons. Someone recently said "how can we take a champion seriously if Cole shits on that character." and it's true. bring back 3 announcers. Ross calls the match, jawler would be the face and cole the heel. It always worked in the past.

Stop blaming wrestlers for shit sucking. Did Miz botch on monday by not stopping The Truth's fall? Maybe; but to blame the Mix for survivor series sucking? Please. I hate the Miz, he bores me BUT the story is what makes the show suck. People arent buying because it's pricey and if Cena kicked the crap out of everyone before the match on every raw...why the hell should anyone pay to see the PPV?

 

[James]

Another crybaby thread aboot the PG era it seems. Sit your ass back and shut your mouth. The same thing was happening in the Golden Age of WWE(late 80's-early 90's) and we are seeing at again, but as time goes by things will change. Just because 10% of the WWE fan base(the IWC) wants the Attitude Era back does not mean anything. Have you stopped the think that the Attitude Era was pg as well? If they went Rated R, who in the hell would allow their children to watch that? That's your damn problem and it is a good thing we don't have people like you and the rest of the neck beard nerds writing storylines for WWE because it would all be a bunch of Vince Russo bullshit.

 

[dwith]

I'm not really sure, but I think what your trying to implicate is that if WWE continues to be satisfied with their own boring product, that if another company with tons of money suddenly appears out of nowhere, and offers a superior product that WWE will fall.

I agree with some of your point's that you made, and from a rating's point of view your statement that removing MICHAEL COLE, and re-adding JR is true statistically speaking, and not a opinion.

Personally I hate MICHAEL COLE, not because he is a heel, he destroy's the integrity of every wrestler he puts down during his commentary.

Will WWE ever fall? I don't have that answer, I don't know if anyone does really, but it is probable. There have been more corporate companies closing in recent years than I have ever seen before. Never say never, even if it is the MCMAHON'S.

Vince think's he's totally dominate of any wrestling around, in my opinion he's only more dominate because they have more money. He is able to keep his production values high, and make it look bigger because of it. Regardless of the below average storylines, and intriguing character's.

I myself just out of spite of VINCE MCMAHON'S wrestling reign would like to see him take a little hit to his wallet, and make him lower his PPV prices, and live show's. i stopped buying PPV's when they went from 24.99 up to 49.99. i stopped going to show's when they stopped putting alot of their bigger names in the house show's and used alot of their midcard to fill it out, and ticket prices went from like 30.00 up to 50.00 or more.

 

[Headman]

It seems the OP doesn't remember the early to mid 90's when things were 10 times worse than they are now. The fact remains the WWE is making money. They're one of the few companies in America doing that at the moment. They're confident enough in their own product that they continue to expand into other areas, but we'll ignore that for the sake of the OP's argument based soley on "I don't like what they're doing right now. Wah!". There have been several times over the past 2 decades where people could come out of the woodworks claiming the WWE was coming to an end, only then it was a financial possibility. There is no need for compelling arguments when the OP is so very wrong.

 

[The A]

I agree that people need to stop thinking it was all about the attitude era. Looking back, it was only better because of a FEW stars, and without the internet being all huge, everything wasn't over analyzed and spoiled early. They are still one of the highest rated weekly shows and they are pretty consistent when it comes to ratings. I also agree that they aren't very creative but you have to admit that the roster now is a lot better than it was back then as far as in ring talent goes, and the matches in ring are a lot better too. There isn't much of a difference between TV14 and PG anyway. Unless you wanna see dudes in thongs and such, and saying cuzz words that are gonna be bleeped anyway

 

[closet_fan]

There are only 3 things I don't like about the product right now:

1. Price of PPVs. $55 for a pay per view is ridiculous. They are making money off it, but they could make a lot more if they dropped it to $35.

2. Too many PPVs. They don't really allow a lot of time between PPVs anymore. It seems once one is over, it's only 2-3 weeks before the next. They can eliminate a lot of them like Bragging Rights and Capital Punishment. They could save money by not putting so much effort into these, which in turn would allow them to drop the price of the other ones. But it's a moot point. Why should they bother lowering PPV pricing when people are still buying them?

3. Not allowing enough time for an angle to build. The last SLOW angle I can remember that was actually good was the HBK/Jericho fued. It was slow, methodical and kept me interested for weeks until it finally came to a head. They just don't do that anymore.

As for talent, it's there. Many of the younger guys are starting to peak my interest. I like Sheamus more now than when he was a heel. And Ziggler reminds me a lot like Flair.

 

[GrandSword]

I was going to say I disagree with everything the OP said but Hamily Guy already did, and for the same reasons I had, so Hamily Guy, Rep for you Champ!

Everything the OP said was his/her opinion, and before they even started their little rant they tried to be cool and talk down TNA... Was that to legitamsie their opinion, well all it did was show how ignorant they were.

 

[Tired0FthePeople]

I dont know what the point is supposed to be. WWE doesnt have to be as popular it was once was in order to 'survive.' There are television shows with far 'worse' ratings that are still on the air. Plus, wrestling will never be as popular as it once was much like magic. But again, it doesnt have to be. There are making more than enough money as a company to sustain. People get too caught up in trying to compare the ratings to how they once were. Ratings and buy rates can stay were they are now and the company will still stay afloat with no problems. TNA is staying afloat with their ratings and buyrates...wwe will be just fine. But again...pro wrestling is past its heyday. There are very few things in music and television that maintain the same level of popularity forever. The only program that probably has is pro football and the audience is 5 times broader.

 

[Paralyzer Z]

This is ridiculous, I was going to deconstruct your post but Hamler has already done so, thus I will take a different approach.

What I think the OP is trying to say is that WWE is moving too fast into the future that the fans will miss the Attitude Era. Of course his claims are fallacious obviously.

WWE is the biggest wrestling company in the world, they have so much money, a large fan base, and good media relations/exposure: what more could a wrestling company ask for. Whether the product is dwindling or decreasing in quality is based on opinion, however considering that the WWE universe seems to strongly respond to today's crop of talent it's pretty obvious the majority that matter believe otherwise. Numbers on price drops or anything like that can't really be compared to the past's, it's not WWE's fault but professional wrestling overall is less popular than before. For the audience and fans they cater to now I can say that they are doing a damn good job.

You are simply stating why yourself, and likely another obscure minority hate WWE, which is nothing terrible it's just opinion but to claim that they will fall soon is absurd.

 

[HorsemenNo4]

The company is nowhere near bankruptcy. The points you bring up are more fan complaints than anything. House shows still draw a considerable attendance. Merchandise continues to sell very well.
PPV prices are pretty expensive and the quality of the shows has been decreasing the past few years. That said, the company is still successful.
I don't think it's going to fold or fail anytime soon.

 

[a7xfan93]

DAMN!! Hamily Guy is the best!

To the thread, who are you to say the WWE "doesn't have much time left"? The ratings are doing just fine. The storylines (excluding the Big Show/Bryan) are getting exciting and worth tuning in the next week to see what happens.

The price is too much?? There are obviously different sports that charge a hell of a whole lot more than the WWE does. Think about the Superbowl, good tickets can be up to $2,000 for one person! Nah, that's not too much...whatever.

I'm going to stop typing now before i start rambling on and on, but one more thing needs to be said. This is a shit thread.

 

[streicher187]

It's simple - ALL the wrestlers are the same there are no over the top personalities that grab your attention.

They need to do one thing from the attitude era - let wrestlers be themselves. Stop scripting what they are supposed to say just give them a mic and let them go. The thing that made the 90's special was that a lot of the guys where believable - You believed Farooq and Bradshaw where bear drinkers who kicked ass and that Steve Austin was fighting authority. You believed that Mankind was nuts and put his life on the line every time he went out there.

Today you have Orton, Cena, Miz, Punk who are all the same - let some of the younger guys loose on the mic and if they fail they fail right now it's like watching a movie or a scripted tv show.

I think what they need more then anything is competition, the product in general is stale and until someone pushes them they will be happy cruising along the way they are going and getting their 3 ratings and low buy rates.

 

[pottery99]

Not to disrespect dude, youre talking about personal opinion, wwe isnt going anywhere. imma big fan of attitude era, back then they have huge amount of talents. PG era is nothing compare to AE talent wise. They had Rocky, Austin, Triple H, Mick Foley, Taker and the list goes on and on. Today you only have Cena and Orton as the megastar with Punk one step closer to it. AE upper Mid carder were huge, they had Jericho, Benoit, Edge, Kurt Angle, Eddie. Today we have Kofi, Ziggler, Cody, Truth and who are they compared to Eddie Jericho and benoit? They HAVE talents but theyre not as good as edge benoit etc.

Lamest argument ever, period.

 

[pottery99]

And yeah.. who the hell are when you were saying the fans didnt want Sheamus to win? Yess, It would be cool had Jericho won the RR but Sheamus is super over with the fans. WWE has screwed the fans again? I think you meant to say WWE has screwed yourself and the rest of the IWC whiner. The ratings was the highest last week since post WM night. You dont want to see Great Khali anymore? I dont too but he is huge in India its all about business. I dont even like Cena but he, Punk and Kane are doing a great job right now. and btw, Cena alone made 100 millions for WWE. WWE isnt going anywhere.

 

[nwh]

WWE isn't going to fail tomorrow but it isn't a rock solid company either. Their stock hasn't been doing great and lost about 50% of it's value from 2010 to now. The new network could bomb which would not be good. They still face no credible threat from another wrestling promotion. If that changes and somehow TNA, ROH, or some other company were to compete on the level of WWE (huge coffers, excellent marketing, and prime time on a huge network) they could be in trouble. I think competition is always good because it pushes innovation and excellence. Maybe WWE won't ever go away but there will be an effective cap on the growth of the company which could in turn affect the quality of the product.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

You're missing a crucial point... WWE is a publicly traded company. That means that it is run in the best interests of IT'S SHAREHOLDERS, rather than its fans. Just as any other sports franchise that is floated is.

The business model has not been about wrestling for 30 years. that model died with the territories. WWE has since 1982 been a merchandising company cum live action cartoon/soap opera. WWE calls wrestlers superstars, they do this because they are not there to wrestle, but to be merchandising opportunities for the business. The wrestling part of the business is actually one of the smallest, it simply drives the merchandising, much in the way that Disney has never really been about storytelling.

WWE is different to some of its competitors in that it has a year round live business model. People will pay top dollar to see the characters live, but on the whole it is still merch based... Disney On Ice tours a couple of times a year and make their money off of the souveniers but they are the same premise... WWE just does it all the time. RAW and Smackdown are not very different to the old Mickey Mouse Club in some ways.

WWE isn't going anywhere, if anything new technologies will make it expand into new areas. In 10 years, there probably won't be TV, just an online virtual fed that you book and control and pay $100-$200 dollars a year to access.

 

[yoshi_doce2006]

Let's be frank, I stopped watching the WWE regularly in 2006 after the last DX Angle. Other than that the only two really good storylines were the last Undertaker/HBK Wrestlemania angle and the CM Punk Angle, and when they had a chance to catch lightning in a bottle with Punk igniting a new Boss/Employee angle they screwed up the moment with Dolph Ziggler getting involved in the end Whenever the WWE has something good they find a way to screw it up.

The overall product the WWE pust out is subpar in comparison to the mid 80's, late 90's, and early 2000's (Through 2006). People would pay $55 for a PPV if it was going to be any good, people would pay $100 to see a live show if they thought the show would be worth it.

Hell I went to a WCW Live Event in 1998 and it was awesome with the main event being Harlem Heat vs Ric Flair and Curt Hennig. That match was a 20 minute tag team classic. The Cruiserweights had a triple threat match with Psychosis, Mysterio, and someone else that was off the chains. The WWE can't deal out that type of entertainment at it's shows and people know it. That show cost Dad $20 a ticket for great seats. Why am I, someone who wants to see great entertainment going to go to a WWE event for $100 that will give me sub-par to boring entertainment when I went to an event full of stars with awesome action for a fraction of the cost a decade ago.

Facts are simple, no big stars, not very entertaining, economy STILL in the toilet after 8 years of it being there, yet the WWE is stuck, acting like they are still as good as they were in 1999 and the economy is at 1998 levels.

As long as the economy is in the toilet, Vince still lives in a fantasy land of Attitude Era type price hikes, and the product he puts out is less entertaining than my cat crapping in the sink when she is mad at me, the WWE as a whole will continue to decline slowly, as will it's revenue streams. Is the WWE going anywhere anytime soon? No. Will we be seeing them spend the same amount of money to produce Wrestlemania 40 as they did Wrestlemania 26 if they don't get their act strait? Not a chance.

 

[relentless1]

I dont follow the product anymore really so all i have to go on is what the general consensus is on here and past experiences. i think the wwe is making some of the same mistakes wcw did, they are spreading themselves thin a little bit with the wwe studios and this wwe network coming up, the movies they make are by no means and if this new network fails they may be out of pocket a bit, if you check the companys yearly quotes, all revenue is down, i think that there is a slump in buisness and if they continue to spread thin and not do anything to enhance the product then yes they could be in trouble 10 years down the road

 

[Jackal960]

The WWE, the greatest wrestling company in the world. The invincible, giant empire, the house that the McMahon's built. They are going to be around forever, or so that's what many people think. Am I calling for the head of WWE? Absolutely not, because realistically, unless you have major access to the indy circuit or international wresling, you really don't have a choice, because TNA, well is TNA. The point is that WWE is simply running out of time, how you ask? They don't have any competition. Your right they don't have any competition, but their biggest competition, if any, is themselves. They are their own worst enemy.

I know I will get some compelling arguments about this, but here's the bottom line:

1. The WWE has a dwindling roster, and don't give me that you have to work the young talent bullshit. You may have to work the young talent, but not at this rate. Sheamus winning the Royal Rumble may have been a huge surprise, but once again, it wasn't what the fans wanted to see, they wanted Jericho. Once again, the WWE has screwed the fans. I don't want to see The Great Khali wrestling anymore, along with Justin Gabriel, David Otunga, and more of the youngsters at this point in time. They are boring as hell and I literally almost fall asleep during every episode of Raw and Smackdown. The biggest thing the WWE has done lately is bringing back Taker and bringing back HBK this coming week. The feuds are getting old, the characters are getting stale, and if the writing team doesn't get creative genius soon, the ratings will keep sinking to the bottom of the sea.

2. The WWE has to take a step back and look at the broadcasting situation. Jim Ross is still employed and is constantly blogging about how he wants to be back behind the table. If the WWE knew what a correct business decision was, they would put him back in the saddle. He can announce like no other and him and the king would be a whole hell of a lot more interesting than freaking Michael Cole. Also, bring back Joey Styles, he is a broadcasting genius, I miss it, bring it back.

3. The prices have to drop, yeah sure, the arenas may be packed show after show, but that is the illusion that they put on. I have read several personal blogs about being at a previous WWE Raw or Smackdown show and they blog constantly about all the empty seats and how they increase from show to show. I browsed the prices of the shows, and they are utterly ridiculous. Why in the hell am I going to pay over $100.00 to sit ringside with all these tacked on ticketmaster fees, when I can sit at home and watch front row on the tv. Come on WWE, pay back your fans for supplying the billions you have made over the years. Another price that has to drop is the PPV's, I know for a damn sure fact that it does not cost 54 dollars to put out a PPV in high definition, get your shit straight.

4. Last but not least, they have to get creative, the story lines have to explode, they don't have that "it" factor anymore and they better step it up, or the fans will eventually drop this product and it will be left in wrestling ruins. My God, create a faction that actually features big names so it will work, everyone hates Cena, turn him into a fan hating heel, tired of seeing all this baby face bullshit. Kane's current angle isn't evil enough, make him meaner than hell, ditch the PG shit, go rated freaking R.

Enough said.

All these points are just complaints about WWE, but NONE of them will make the company go down. You can't conclude that WWE doesn't have much time left because you are upset about the product.

You know why WCW went under? It wasn't because fingerpoke of doom, it was not because no young talents main-eventing, it wasn't because the number of viewers, no it wasn't Russo. It was simple because WCW was losing money. With all the crap going on, there were still over 4 million followers in 2000 (which is the same as the viwers of Raw today). But only one major difference, they were LOSING MONEY... As long as you make money, you can put on the world's most crap show in the world and keep that show for years. As much as you think WWE needs major improvements (honestly, I complain more than you do), there are still 4-5 million viewers watching Raw each week; WWE is selling merchandise, selling tickets, selling PPV's and most importantly STILL making money. As long as they are making money, it doesn't matter for them if the show has flaws, if the storylines are boring, if shit wrestlers are in the ring, if... you got the point. Because at the end, any company's goal IS to make money before anything else.

 

[Shotaro]

Is the WWE in a lull right now? Sure, wrestling isn't cool - the curtain got pulled back too far and it's ruined the whole thing for a LOT of people. Hell my Girlfriend had never watched wrestling and couldn't stop pointing out how fake it was. The secret is out and the whole business doesn't know how to deal with it.

The industry cannot go back to the late 90's and early 00's anymore. Too many deaths from drugs and the Benoit incident has meant that the "hardcore" style of wrestling just won't fly on national TV anymore and the only promotions doing anything "new" with hardcore matches is crap like CZW.

The WWE needs competition more than anything in the world right now. The best days of the industry came along when there were two major companies. It all started going downhill pretty much the SECOND WCW went out of business.

Compunding the issue the WWE developmental program just doesn't work, look at the guys who've come through it in the last few years. All except two that I can readily name (Wade Barrett and Dolph Ziggler) have come through and main evented a PPV in the last two-three years. The new guys in that time that have main-evented are either seasoned vets (Mark Henry/Christian) or came to the WWE after a looong long time in the indies (CM Punk/Daniel Bryan). The problem is that without the territories there for the WWE to pick from and no real competition to poach stars from (Jericho, Booker etc) they're dependant on self made guys coming good (The Miz) or second or third generation stars making it (Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes etc)

I agree with the reduction of ticket prices but the thing is I doubt the $2.4 million they had from INCOME from Vengeance probably only totalled to $1 million profit from the event itself and that's not factoring in pay for the talent. That's just crew, set, venue, TV equipment costs etc. Remember also that ONLY the US viewers get charged $54 for a PPV in the UK Wrestlemania is only £25 and a full half of the PPVs are not on PPV AT ALL. Vengeance was for all intents and purposes free on UK TV so the $2.4 income is probably significantly lower since there were fewer buys in the US than the rest of the world. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if WWE broke even on that event, or at best a small profit. Before you say anything about how the UK should be charged the same as the US, you need to realise that over here TNA has more viewers than WWE.

As for live events, the prices are ludicrous I agree. However, I doubt that if they knocked a third off ticket prices they would sell 1.5x as many tickets which they would need to sell to make as much money as they do now.

The WWE are stuck between a rock and a hard place. If they reduce their prices they will HAVE to reduce their production quality. If they reduce their production quality even LESS people will watch. The WWE will survive though, the mid-1990s was a rough period for wrestling and then all of a sudden guys who would NEVER have made it in the 80s became mega stars, then WCW started to win and they made a WCW reject and a stuck with a bad gimmick kid with a decent wrestling legacy into two of the most famous people on the planet. It can happen again, it's just that right now it's 1993. The next Hitman and HBK are both on the horizon.