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I'm 46. My daughters are 15 & 11. My son is 17. All of us are lifelong WWE/WWF fans. I repeatedly read that my disappointment in the current product is likely due to the shift in direction to gearing solely to children and that I should get over my longing of days past (Attitude era). My son lost interest several years ago. My 15 year old lost interest in the last year or two. My 11 year old is the superfan holding out hope. For several years and still till this day she insists she's going to be a wrestler when she grown up. I see her WWE interest waning and her disappointment increasing. I see someone who TRIED to remain interested in a 7 HOUR EVENT. By the way, if Vince is trying to appeal to kids then what better way to do that then put on a 7 hour long event on a school night. Now THAT'S a sign of being out of touch. My sadness and realization came when I mentioned cutting the WWE network after Wrestlemania. This is a network we've had since DAY ONE. I had 100% consensus to go forward with the plan. This coming from a daughter that STILL wants to be a wrestler despite the WWE product that no longer captivates her. My household comprises exactly what you and others say is what the WWE cares about. He lost them. I'm saddened that a 34 year love in my house is coming to its final chapter. We need a readily accessible replacement and that's why I hold out hope that another promotion such as AEW can lock down a television deal so that we have something to look forward to and hopefully satiate our love. I don't truly have a question in this rant but more of a desperate plea from someone who HAS the demographic living in his house that supposedly WWE cares most about. In a way WWE destroyed my children's hope by offering a network with history that showed them what was and what could have been. Goodbye Vince, we'll miss you and we know you'll miss our Network money, live ticket money and consistent merch money.
Well said! One thing I want to add is that when I say you and I aren't the target demographic, I am not saying that Vince is doing a good job in reaching his target demographic. I don't think he is, at al all. I think that WWE could be doing even better business than they are doing, but when the boss says, "Look at the money I am getting for my TV" or "look at the stock price", what you and I think will not even register on his radar. And I agree, that is sad.
Do you know anyone that actually subscribed to the GFW app?
I may, but no one has ever told me that they have.
I understand the company is working on a TV deal, and close to finishing it. My question is this, do you think AEW is going to do live shows like WWE, or do you think it would be smarter to tape stuff like MLW and ROH do?
It will all depend on what kind of TV deal they get. If it’s a big money deal on a major network, there’s a greater chance of getting live shows. That is part of the draw, seeing things as they happen. If it’s a lower paying TV deal, I would expect taped shows since they are much cheaper to produce.
Also, do you see AEW having a 'home base' like the old TNA days? Could an upstart promotion like AEW really start out as a national touring brand recording weekly live shows on the road?
I think they need to try various arenas (but again, that would depend on them getting a big TV deal). As it stands now, they don’t have a home base to put shows on for, so it’s not like they have a built in audience ready to go.
Do you think the WWE and Vince are inadvertently setting themselves up to create legit competition again with AEW by the way they poorly book NXT call ups at times and certain performers in general? More and more performers are requesting their release, and if AEW gets a good TV deal it seems they could become a legit threat. I mean WCW did it with a TV deal and the ability to get guys from WWE to jump ship. I'm rooting for it to happen because I literally can't bare the main roster anymore. It's pretty much NXT or nothing for me these days.
Much like the question above, it depends on the kind of revenue that AEW can generate. TV rights fees are already, by far, the highest generator for WWE, and that will be even more true when the new TV deals start. AEW will need to generate a lot of money in order to generate a profit. If that happens, and AEW is in the black, yes I could see it giving talent another option. That would be a good thing. With that said, WWE has great TV deals in place for five years, starting in October, so they will be fine.
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