Want more wrestling news, rumors, and results? Be sure to visit PWInsider.com and PWInsiderXtra.com.
You can send us questions for the PWInsider.com Q&A by clicking here.
Question...... First I must preface by saying I was at the Smackdown taping last night and can't help but feel WWE pulled a bait and switch. Yes, I know cards are subject to change and often do (once saw Rick Steiner wrestle in 3 of the 6 matches on a house show card due to no shows)... but all of the local advertising for the past month or so and even the day of the show.... Said advertising being what prompted me purchasing tickets as my little one wanted to see Show and Bryan most of all..... featured Orton, Bryan, Show, HHH, Ziggler...... None of whom were on the show. I understand AJ not being there due to concussion. What ticked me off was when I read on your site last night that the crew was headed to Abu Dhabi.... and I assume the SmackDown no shows will be among them which is fine, just don't advertise them for a show knowing full well they won't be there because they're headed overseas....
There is no excuse for that. WWE knew who they were sending on the Abu Dhabi tour as they have advertised guys there. So if they advertised the same guys for the Smackdown taping, it's just wrong. Subject to change is one thing, as guys do get hurt or have personal situations. But that wasn't the case here. That kind of thing can hurt future sales in a city, for sure.
I know WWE wants to find a new Hispanic face of the WWE to sell merchandise to their Hispanic fans besides Mysterio. But with Del Rio failing epically and Los Matadores (in my opinion) are not going to sell at all. Why didn't WWE just swallow their pride in making home grown talent and let Sami Zayn be El Generico? I mean after all I feel Generico would truly be "best for business" from a merchandising standpoint.
There is a problem there, he is not Hispanic! He is of Syrian descent and will be marketable in the Middle East. Plus, WWE doesn't want to use a character they don't own.
In regards to the 90 day no competes that do allow a wrestler to negotiate with another company, say someone from WWE is released, negotiates with TNA and then TNA starts running promos about their debut before the end of the 90 days, are they or the wrestler in the wrong?
It would depend. If they did a generic silhouette with a "He's coming" graphic, probably not. If they marketed the person in question, and knew he had a non-compete, TNA would have an issue. If the wrestler didn't appear, he would probably be OK.
Could you further enlighten us on the shoot/Brawl For All?
It was a tournament that the WWF did back in 1998 where they let guys legitimately fight in matches. They were trying to cash in on the popularity of MMA at the time. It was a bad idea as it led to a lot of legitimate injuries. Bart Gunn won the tournament and the company never did another one.
What percentage of people who visit your website do not watch WWE any more but want to stay updated in case there is a reason to tune in. I stopped watching regularly for at least 5 years now but still check out your site in case I should tune back in.
I don't know what the actual percentage is because I have never polled our folks but I know there is a decent sized group that feels that way because I hear from them all the time. We really appreciate that they stay with us and support us when the product that WWE is delivering lets them down. But WWE should take heed of that. There are a lot of people out there that WANT to like their product, but WWE keeps pushing them away. It's crazy to me.
You can send us questions for the PWInsider.com Q&A by clicking here.
If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here!
Bang On Casino
