The Business of WWE

One thing that is refreshing to see in WWE is the fact that superstars have a greater amount of freedom when cutting promos on the mic. This started probably right after WrestleMania this year, so the credit for this cannot be taken by Paul Heyman.

As an example, Dolph Ziggler made a subtle remark about the performance of Goldberg during MizTV on the July 15 episode of Raw. This is very encouraging to see. Thankfully we are out of the era of totally scripted promos that feel completely forced and inauthentic (remember the 2015 Roman Reigns train wreck of a promo where he made a reference to Jack and the Beanstalk).

WWE is instead allowing superstars to call audibles in the middle of promos, much like Peyton Manning or Tom Brady at the line of scrimmage.

I have to sincerely apologize for my references to NXT Takeover and SummerSlam emanating from Brooklyn because that is absolutely wrong. Both events will be airing on the WWE Network on August 11 (2019) from Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. Brooklyn has been conditioned into me for the past four years, so my apologies.

WWE is reportedly producing an edgier product. By edgier, I mean the use of cuss words and the middle finger gesture. Bischoff and Heyman surely had something to do with this in an attempt to appeal to the younger male demographic, specifically teenagers.

The company seems to be reverting back to the strategy that worked brilliantly during the Attitude Era, because 18 – 34-year-old males were the primary demographic to which the company appealed. This strategy I imagine will work very successfully in the coming months. It will be exciting to watch it play out.

The executive changes within WWE could be the paradigm shift that the company desperately needs in terms of creative development. Let me put it more plainly, the addition of Eric Bischoff to run SmackDown Live as Executive Director as well as Paul Heyman being named to the same position for Monday Night Raw could give each show a creative overhaul which is badly needed, as well as hopefully increasing live event attendance.

Stomping Grounds only got about 4,500 people to attend the event, and Monday Night Raw the following night only had an attendance of about 3,500 (one of the lowest, if not the lowest, attendance for an episode of Raw since the shows premiere episode in 1993). This is why a superstar like The Undertaker is making an appearance at Extreme Roles. This may work in the short term, but will be a detriment to the product if this tactic is relied upon consistently simply because The Undertaker is noticeably slower than he has been in the past just due to the fact that he is getting older (54 years old and had a hip replacement).

Heyman and Bischoff intended to create a distinctively different feel to their respective shows. I have no idea what that means but I cannot wait to find out. This was a very bold move for WWE that should have major positive payoffs given that both men are responsible for some of the greatest storylines in the history of professional wrestling.

One possibility that is worth looking into is Ricochet being pushed as a main event superstar. His lack of size is not typical of a main eventer, but I have a feeling that his feud with AJ Styles will go a long way towards getting him over with the fans. Both men had similar roles years ago (Bischoff’s full-time run with the company ended in 2007, and Heyman ran SmackDown for a short time during that same era). These were on-screen roles, and while there are currently no plans for either man to have a storyline going with their respective roles, there is always the potential for it given how great both men are in front of the camera (I fully assume Heyman will still be Brock Lesnar’s advocate).

My suggestion to WWE in order to increase interest in the overall product and hopefully increase TV viewership as well is (no, it’s not the creation of another title) for Vince McMahon to trust in his superstars and empower them more by allowing them to appear on shows without a script and speak from the heart and allow their intuition to guide them as they are cutting promos.

Writers and the production team are still extremely valuable and will still be relied on, I am merely suggesting that superstars improvise more because they have a great feel for what the audience wants out of the product. WWE could start this experiment by having several superstars appear at Live Events and cut one unscripted promo. The company could determine who could be trusted with this creative freedom because obviously not everyone is suited for improving and some would probably try to use it for their own personal gain. My gut feeling is that some really could elevate both their careers and WWE’s Universe stature. It could yield unexpected gains for both the company as well as the superstars personally.

If executed well, this unscripted element would bring back a raw and unpredictable/authentic element to Monday Night Raw which the show is sorely lacking (a perfect example of this was displayed in the mid to late 1990s when Shawn Michaels announced he was leaving the company for a while due to injury and claimed that he had lost his smile. One could see on his face that this statement truly came from the heart and there was absolutely no way that could have been scripted).

This is what Mick Foley was absolutely right about when he made an appearance on Raw a few weeks ago; the way to correct it was not with a 24-7 Championship, however.

Kevin Owens and Kofi Kingston gave a very passionate build-up to their match at Money in the Bank for the WWE Championship. It’s definitely something to keep an eye on when discussing the possibility of Sami Zayn somehow getting involved in the match to help his best friend win the WWE Championship. I can’t predict if WWE will elect to do this are not.

• It’s a feasible scenario that Owens could walk out of Money in the Bank as WWE Champion and Zayn could walk out as Mr. Money in the Bank (talk about some interesting TV that would possibly improve ratings).
• That would be interesting for sure, however my pick to win the match is still Drew McIntyre.
• My pick to win the Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match is Ember Moon.
• Often in the past, the winners of the Money in the Bank ladder matches have been relatively quiet in the weeks leading up to the match, and these two have exhibited that quality.
• I fully assume that Vince McMahon likes to maintain an element of surprise when it comes to the winners.

Another potential alliance coming out of Money in the Bank that has money written all over it is Charlotte Flair as SmackDown Women’s Champion and Andrade as Mr. Money in the Bank. It also adds a completely new dynamic that these two are a couple in real life and they are engaged to be married. These two could become a true power couple in WWE, very similar to what Stephanie McMahon and Triple H were 20 years ago (it’s hard to believe it was that long ago). Charlotte may not be a McMahon, but the Flair name is still wrestling royalty. Vince McMahon also sees Andrade in a very favorable light, and how could he not with what he can do in the ring.

It is also reported, to the surprise of not very many, that Sheamus may look to end his in-ring career sooner rather than later. All one has to do to avoid being surprised by this is to look at his injury history. I am fully assuming that the decision would be to preserve his quality of life, with an ongoing spinal stenosis issue. To further add bodily insult to injury, he suffered a concussion at WrestleMania.

It’s a smart business decision for WWE to have Paige appear on the show Fair Game with Kristine Leahy on Fox Sports 1 (FS1) to introduce Fox fans to WWE superstars before SmackDown’s big move to Fox in October.

I am still waiting on a WWE superstar to appear on The Herd with Colin Cowherd, who is one of my own personal favorites because he is so authentic and that is what WWE specializes in. He will be able to connect with superstars in a profoundly human way. Someone like Seth Rollins or Roman Reigns who are extremely literate about sports should debut, as Colin will grill anyone who doesn’t know their stuff.

Rey Mysterio’s son Dominick, who is a trained wrestler, seems to have signed a contract with WWE. This is very exciting as it ensures that Rey’s lineage will continue to live on for quite some time considering how young Dominick is. He might be best suited starting out in NXT and getting fans acclimated to his style. We all had to realize, on some level, that he was not being used in the rivalry between his father and Samoa Joe for nothing.

It was reported this week that Daniel Bryan may have suffered from a concussion at WrestleMania, and this is very disconcerting news considering his history with head injuries which is well documented. It is also assumed that WWE will not hesitate to pull the plug on Bryan’s in-ring career if he suffers from a significant amount of these injuries. This is most likely the reason why WWE would not say anything regarding his injury because it was probably in the back of Vince McMahon’s mind that Bryan may have to take a hiatus to recuperate. Fortunately, it can’t be too serious because he is back pretty quickly and will presumably defend the SmackDown Tag Team Championships along with Rowan at Money in the Bank. Daniel Bryan’s health, however, never strays too far from my mind and he is always in my prayers.

Vince McMahon should also consider a Roman Reigns heel turn to boost TV ratings because the Wild Card Rule, while it may help, won’t do it alone. Vince has been extremely bullheaded about this since the start of Reigns’ singles push in June 2014. It might do something for Reigns similar to what it did for Stone Cold Steve Austin in ’96. Let’s face it – it probably would not work that well, but it will give fans a fresh take on his character. It would be a little bit shocking to see this after his recent triumph in his battle with leukemia, and this shock may be a good thing as it would spark a huge amount of interest in the product. It may get a similar reaction to Dean Ambrose’ heel turn on Seth Rollins on the same night as Reigns’ announcement of his illness returning. The work he did towards the beginning of his career as a heel (before the formation of The Shield) was surprisingly good stuff, and WWE should experiment a little more with that and see how far it can take them because the TV ratings cannot get that much worse, can they?

It’s time to make a few suggestions to Vince McMahon with post-WrestleMania time and the beginning of a new WWE year right around the corner. There is much less pressure and structure regarding booking and there is more freedom for storylines to fail because plans for the following year’s WrestleMania are not 100% set in stone. Some storylines will inevitably fail and be completely forgotten in contrary to the fact that fans think they will be completely relevant.

Superstars also get more time for matches because the mood is more lighthearted – there is no massive event imminently awaiting. This typically occurs twice during the year, once right after WrestleMania lasting until about early June, and once in the early fall between SummerSlam and Survivor Series. This time will also provide an opportunity for Lars Sullivan to make his debut. Advertisements for him began around the time of Survivor Series last year, but they stopped when he had a panic attack. If he is not ready, he should take as much time as he needs to get his mental health in order.

My last suggestion is one to grow the business of WWE even more. Vince McMahon should be making plans, which he may be doing already, to hold a WrestleMania on another continent within five or ten years, maybe somewhere in Europe. Considering how big of an influence the country of Japan has had on American sports entertainers, as nearly everyone who is a WWE superstar currently has wrestled at some point or another in Japan.

WWE has multiple superstars on the main roster who have been leaders of the Bullet Club (AJ Styles and Finn Balor). It may be very intriguing to hold a WrestleMania in the Tokyo Dome. WWE has such a global fanbase, they surely already have many fans in Japan.

Brock Lesnar may indeed retain the Universal Championship at WrestleMania and put Seth Rollins in a very similar position to the one Roman Reigns was in exactly one year ago. WWE will be hosting another show in Saudi Arabia in May, and they may look to add as much star power as possible.

Brock Lesnar is probably leveraging his relationship with Dana White and the UFC to garner more money out of WWE, as many people on the Internet have suggested. This is most likely the reason why he is frequently signing short-term deals:

1. To get as much money out of WWE as possible, and
2. To leverage the relationship with UFC to keep the Universal Championship around his waist.

It looks like Rob Gronkowski could end up in the WWE after all, as Mojo Rawley has publicly acknowledged the possibility, so Gronk could debut right after ‘Mania, likely bypassing NXT (this is purely speculation – I have nothing to back this up).

The Revival wants out of WWE, which is completely justified given that their booking has been rather lackluster since debuting on the main roster.

There have been hints given recently that the Raw and SmackDown women’s titles may be unified at ‘Mania, given that Charlotte Flair currently holds them both. Raw viewership was down this week, which is not a good sign at all given how close we are to WrestleMania. Viewership should be peaking right about now, so this may have to be addressed by Vince McMahon.

SmackDown Live viewership, however, made a big jump, presumably due to the situation surrounding Kofi Kingston and the WWE Championship, cited from Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com.