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WWE NETWORK IN THE ATTITUDE ERA, THE JARRETT-NORDHOLM DYNAMIC, PAYING ALL TALENT THE SAME AND MORE

By Dave Scherer on 2017-05-28 10:00:00

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If the WWE Network was available during the attitude era, would it have made it even bigger?

Interesting question and it’s hard to say.  On the one hand, I definitely think that they would have more subscribers than they do now because as the sell out streak showed, people couldn’t get enough of the product back then.  But on the other hand, I would have to go back and see what the PPV revenue was back then.  My hunch is that it would be greater than the net revenue brought in by more subscribers.  Of course it’s a moot point since high speed internet, which is needed for streaming, wasn’t around back then. 

Brie Bella wants to make a comeback to wrestling but I wonder if that will happen. To be Brie just oozes "diva" and this is something WWE is moving away from. IMO Nikki has always been strongest of the two but with her time winding down will Brie get a successful solo run?

It is definitely a lot harder now to be a female wrestler in WWE.  Brie was working a lot harder before she took time off.  Honestly, I just wonder how motivated she will be to leave her baby at home and come back to being on the road and taking bumps at age 33 (34 in November).  If she does come back and wants a singles run, she will have work really hard to make it happen.

While on holiday I used all my data signing up for elite and downloading no stinkin name podcast were you talked Vince and Ed.  Has Jeff Jarrett took Ed for a mug and is it Jeff pulling strings over broken gimmick and Ed just doing what he says due to Jeff’s experience? Is Jeff secretly making Ed look bad to get the opportunity to take Ed’s place and fully run Impact Wrestling?

I don’t think Jeff is trying to sandbag Ed Nordholm.  He clearly has influence over Ed and is being leaned on during Anthem’s ownership transition however.  As I wrote a few days ago, I really question a lot of the decisions that have been made by the company since the takeover.  I truly hope that they can set a better path for the company.  The business needs it. I also hope that there isn’t a “I will just get mine” attitude in play, as there was at the end of WCW.  That would be detrimental.

I’m replying to a recent question you answered regarding contract signings that don’t end in brawls. I’ve thought for a long time now that it would be great to do a stipulation where the two wrestlers are not allowed to touch before a PPV to really build the suspense and intrigue for the match. We haven’t sen this stipulation for ages. It could be done with a 2 superstars who haven’t wrestled in WWE (or ever) and they could have a couple of face-to-face confrontations in the ring where they’re tempted to fight but can’t. Obviously to do this you need 2 guys to hate each other, a prize worth fighting for and a punishment worth avoiding! What’re your thought on this?

When done well, an angle like that builds anticipation.  I usually like when talents don’t touch before a match, or at least not much, because it makes the bout more special.

After Jinder Mahal won the WWE Championship, I can't help but feel The Ryback (as Daniel Bryan calls him) had a point on equal base pay for WWE superstars. Mahal has been catapulted to the top of the card and been given an opportunity others would kill for, thus giving him the chance to make millions of dollars that superstars such as Health Slater or Curtis Axel for example, are highly unlikely to get. What’re your thoughts on this?

I get what Ryback was saying.  He feels that the company is the one that gives out the chances and the talent can’t book themselves.  With that said, I don’t feel all talents are equal.  To pay John Cena or Seth Rollins what they pay a comedy act, for example, just makes no sense to me. 

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