Quote:
Originally Posted by DAMN iNATOR
Given WWE's history with NBCUniversal, I have my doubts USA Network will be willing to drop RAW anytime soon.
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Maybe not right now, but it would entirely depend on whether or not they were edged out of financial position. Right now Vince can kind of price himself, what with their being no alternative. But they have to subconsciously, maybe even consciously,
hate being under Vince's thumb. If some billionaire comes along with a profitable company that charges half-price for content, they'd drop Vince in a heartbeat. Especially if the alternative comes with the backing of a reputable business entity. Compound that with possible backlash due to WWE generally being scummy pieces of shit (hypocrisy, the Saudi situation, etc.) -- there's no way Vince gets offered a higher rights fee when that 3-year (I think it's 3 years with NBC Universal) deal comes up.
Obviously the story is still developing and it might even be complete bullshit -- AXS have no reason to deny the story if there's anything going on their end -- but a big-time promotion with a more humble asking price for television rights is something that would completely change the game on Vince. It would be devastating to Vince's bottom-line right now given how crucial these TV deals are to their profitability.
And it would incure his wrath. Jim Ross and Chris Jericho, if they are as involved as speculated, would have to be very content to never work again if they "betrayed" Vince this way (as I imagine he would see it, and we all know how petty he gets during a wrestling "war"). It would honestly probably be the safer promotional tactic for them/Khan to ask a higher price of TV stations -- or something closer to $80 million in rights fees per hour -- because then they're not pricing out Vince and rather benefiting, mutually, from the environment Vince has created. They can all make money -- yay. The actual transgression would be changing the asking price for content so Vince needs to adapt to them, and given the size and scope of WWE, would be mean they'd need to do some serious restructuring and downsizing.
Another completely awful move they could pull (well, brilliant, if you look at it from their "underdog" perspective), would be to treat talent as if they aren't independent contractors. If you give them benefits, etc., you completely change the way contracts are structured. When deals come up, you better believe talent are making sure Vince gives them the same sort of deal or they jump ship, or that shit finds its way out into the media and Vince and WWE are tyrants who don't treat their employees with as much respect as the babyfaces in the Khan camp.
Honestly, given the position WWE are in, it's actually a
wonderful time to take the fight to giant Vince. The television landscape is in a curious place, and the money that is just there for the taking given what TV needs and what WWE is locked into means you can shift around and play things very sneakily. More and more people seem to compare WWE to later stage WCW, and that comparison is very scary, because as soon as something "hotter" and more youthful comes along, they're going to start feeling the pressures from their financial commitments. I don't think they
can adapt to changes in the form. They've got five hours of network television a week they are committed to producing. Compare that to a more focused, say, two and it's night and day.
WWE once had demand for five hours of television a week. Well, not really, but they did for four. They used to have a product that demanded hours, and now they have hours that need a product. They're somewhat stuck with that model. They are far more vulnerable than people give them credit for. That's why pyro hasn't made a comeback with their fat Saudi checks. They're the most profitable they have ever been, for now -- but the housing market doesn't always keep going up. They are one major shift away from hemorrhaging all that pretty money. What happens if they have to take a hit from making $500 million a year on television money to only making $325 million a year off their television? It doesn't seem like much of a hit, because that's still a shit-ton of money, but what happens to their stock price? What comes out of the next negotiations if their ratings, for example, can't compete with a new promotion that can hold viewers because they aren't smashing five hours of content a week over people's heads, and is more compelling? What if they don't need to roll around in rights fee money because they are fine making a tiny margin of profit off that and are fine making the rest back on attendance and advertising, or other things WWE can't depend on, exactly, and they can't snap their fingers and fix?
Honestly, I've wanted someone to take the fight to WWE for so long, and I've never bought into the position that "no one can touch Vince now." Bullshit. All someone needs is enough money to get something off the ground and for it to be on television and it's a perfectly viable competitor. New companies pop up in entertainment fields all the time. There are changes in tastes and companies lose flavor, favor and consumers can dictate the market in a lot of cases. A good product with a good time slot on a good network can really slice into what Vince currently controls, and I'm not sure they can just "get good" anymore when it's such a stale product and they are so entrenched in bad habits. But if it does make wrestling good -- cool. WWE would benefit from those changes, and it's possible a rival promotion would too. Ultimately, the fans benefit.
Ah, fuck, I'm pipe-dreaming.