The pro wrestling post: TNA going live, RAW goes 3 hours and Brooke Hogan to TNA
May 18, 2012
Welcome to another edition of The pro wrestling post. This week we look at the changes going on with TNA and the WWE.
TNA going live – A lot of changes going on for TNA. First, news that it was moving up an hour starting May 31st, then the big King Mo signing and now TNA is going to be live throughout the summer.
Payout Take: Going live is supposed to promote the time change for TNA but it will be interesting if this will help or hurt the production value of the product. Despite RAW being live most of the time, I am not sure of its overall value in drawing ratings.
RAW going to 3 hours – Perhaps in an effort to trump TNA’s news of going live starting May 31st, the WWE announced that its anchor program, “Monday Night RAW,” is going to 3 hours starting with its 1,000 episode on July 23rd. The news was first reported via tweet through Jon Cena. Cena was rated the No. 1 most influential athlete on Twitter last month.
Payout Take: Good way of using social media to filter its news. I like how the WWE utilizes its social media so that the end user feels as though there is value for following the likes of John Cena. As far as going to 3 hours, I understand the RAW receives good ratings, but how much is too much for one night? WCW did this during the Monday Night Wars and at a certain point there’s too much filler during a three hour block.
Brooke Hogan signs with TNA and Ashley Flair signs with WWE – News came down that Brooke Hogan is following her dad’s footsteps by signing on with TNA. Although she will not be in the ring, she will be an executive with TNA and develop its female talent. Flair’s daughter has signed a developmental deal with the WWE where she will train as a wrestler according to Dave Metzler.
Payout Take: It sounds like Hogan will be in a Stephanie McMahon sort of role and will eventually become involved in some way with the story lines in front of the camera. On the other hand, Flair’s signing has many speculating that Ric Flair will return to the WWE. What these two signings show is that wrestling is the family business for so many wrestlers. Hogan’s signing will deliver more impact (no pun intended) to her organization sooner. Her aspirations to be a singer/actress have now translated into being a performer for TNA. For TNA, it’s another sign that it is making a major attempt to be competitive with the WWE.
King Mo Signs Unprecented Deal With Spike TV’s Bellator & TNA Wrestling
May 10, 2012
Former Strikeforce Light Heavy Weight Champion Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal announced today that he has signed a first-of-its-kind deal to simultaneously compete for Spike TV properties Bellator Fighting Championship (MMA) & TNA (Professioinal Wrestling).
In an unprecedented move, one of the biggest names in mixed martial arts, “King Mo” Lawal, has signed a deal to compete in Spike TV’s two major sports properties, Bellator Fighting Championships and TNA’s IMPACT Wrestling. “King Mo” will join the stars of TNA this summer and resume his mixed martial arts career next year when Bellator Fighting Championships moves to Spike TV from its current television home, MTV2. The deal was jointly announced today by Kevin Kay, President, Spike TV along with Bjorn Rebney, Chairman & CEO, Bellator Fighting Championships and Dixie Carter, President, TNA Entertainment.
“‘King Mo’ is an incredible athlete and a great addition to the Bellator family. He immediately adds prominence and star-power to our light heavyweight division,” said Rebney.
“‘King Mo’ is the perfect athlete for this type of alliance. He is the real deal in MMA, and his bold personality and world class wrestling accomplishments are unparalleled. I’m confident he will have a major impact in both sports,” stated Carter.
Lawal (10-1-1) launched his mixed martial arts career in 2008, and after four straight wins, he faced off against his toughest challenge, renowned fighter Mark Kerr. “King Mo” knocked out Kerr in the first round, and eight months later he defeated Gegard Mousasi in a Light Heavyweight world title fight. Lawal also holds an impressive KO victory against multiple Brazilian jiu-jitsu world championship winner Roger Gracie in September 2011.
“This deal is a dream come true for me,” Lawal said. “Bjorn and Dixie have given me the opportunity to engage in my two great loves, mixed martial arts and professional wrestling, at the same time. And, to have it all on Spike TV is really buttercream icing on a big ol’ cake – not that whipped cream stuff either!”
Lawal rose to grappling acclaim as a NCAA Division I All-American wrestler at Oklahoma State University in 2003 and a three-time U.S. National Champion (2005, 2006, and 2008) in the 84 kilogram division. In 2007, as a member of the US National team, he brought home a gold medal at the Pan American Games and a silver medal at the World Cup.
A native of Murfreesboro, Tenn., Lawal lives in San Jose, Calif. and trains with the prominent American Kickboxing Academy.
Payout Perspective:
There aren’t too many options for MMA fighters nowadays since Zuffa purchased Strikeforce last year. King Mo was one of those fighters that benefited from Strikeforce’s existence back when he was fighting for Sengoku in Japan and as a free agent, signed a flexible and favorable contract with the San Jose based promotion despite being courted by multiple promotions.
This time around, King Mo – who has had previous interest and has actually tried out for Professional Wrestling years ago – signs a simultaneous deal to compete for both Bellator and TNA. This is Spike TV’s pocket Aces, giving professional fighters another option to make a living within MMA in the sports and entertainment industry. Some who are purist MMA fans may cringe at the idea of MMA fighters also dabbling in Pro Wrestling, but this has been a constant in MMA for quite some time. From Dan Severn, to many Japanese fighters, to Josh Barnett, Pro Wrestling and MMA have gone hand-in-hand for quite some time. Plus, let’s not forget the UFC’s biggest PPV draw Brock Lesnar – who is now back with WWE – and Ken Shamrock who spiked up everyone’s interest in MMA when he signed with the UFC after competing in WWE.
The history has always been there and it has been a black eye to many that have wanted the sport to be legitimized by mainstream, but we are seeing something new here. Something innovative, if you want to call it. Spike TV is using both of their properties to not only cross-promote, but to embellish the partnership as an alliance and expand their audience. To not only grow Bellator and TNA as individual entities as a union, but to anchor the M18-34 flag on the Spike TV network. It’s innovative, it’s controversial, and its getting people’s attention. Its exactly what Spike TV want’s to do as it continues it’s preparations for the transfer of Bellator from MTV to Spike TV in 2013.
Jason Cruz:
This is a great move for all parties. Despite what MMA purists think about the move, TNA receives higher ratings (1.4 million viewer average) on Spike TV than TUF Live. This will help Lawal financially and as a brand. He’ll be unique and definitely receive some good storylines for the show. For TNA, it elevates its appeal as it tries to move on from the Hulk Hogans and Ric Flairs to a new generation of wrestlers. The pro wrestling company has been asked to retool its product by Spike TV and this is a step in that direction. It also helps that it is moving up in time slots on Thursday nights to avoid competition. As has been rumored, this could lead to Bellator moving to Thursday nights with TNA as a lead-in.
For Bellator, the addition of Lawal should bolster the brand when it makes its long awaited debut on Spike TV. The twittershpere is now speculating whether Rampage Jackson could jump to Bellator as well to create a Lawal-Rampage shootfight. It will be interesting to see whether we will see if Spike TV/Bellator/TNA adopts this strategy of signing fighters to do both (e.g. Josh Barnett).
The pro wrestling post: WWE earnings for Q1
May 8, 2012
On Thursday of last week, the WWE reported strong Q1 earnings despite a quarter which saw its stock plummet to an all-time low in April. The earnings beat analysts expectations of the company.
A synopsis of the performance via the Chicago Tribune:
During a conference call with analysts, executives of WWE cited improved revenues from live events and lower losses from its movie business as key drivers for this quarter’s success The good news was due in part that losses from its much maligned film division were only $1 million as compared to $3.6 million a year ago. It is implementing a new direction which it hopes will stop the bleeding of money.
Overall, its operating income increased 21% to $16 million. Some other notable earnings call notes:
- It spent $2.1 million this quarter on its WWE Network which has yet to announce when it will premiere. However, Vince McMahon indicated that the holdup is on the WWE’s side and an announcement is expected sometime within the next 3 months. McMahon expects it to launch this year and maintained that the WWE Network will be run 100% by the WWE.
- Its magazine publishing business was down 36% while its digital business was up 16% due in part to the content on its YouTube channel. Perhaps a sign of the times with print losing out to digital options.
- It noted its increase in social media and leveraging these opportunities. Notably, it has 62 million Facebook fans and 5 million twitter followers. In addition, its YouTube Channel is ramping up in viewership.
- WWE announced that its made ad revenue off of its YouTube channel and that Google (YouTube’s parent company) is now paying the WWE a licensing fee for its content.
- The WWE noted the success of its recent expansion into Russia and China. Its first show in Russia drew rave reviews and could be the harbinger of a new area of growth.
- Live event merchandise revenue increased 13% or $3.2 million due to its tour of Abu Dhabi and fan access events. However, North America ticket revenue decreased by 3% although there were four fewer events during the quarter.
- Internationally revenue was up due to the aforementioned Abu Dhabi tour yet was down in attendance due to tours in Central America. WWE cites the economic climate of Central America as the reason for its decline.
- The PPV business was flat as gains were essentially from PPV price points rather than from an increase in buys. This is interesting considering Vince McMahon’s statement at its annual stockholder meeting in which he said WWE’s have maintained while UFC PPV’s have “dropped like a rock.” The statement is more for impact at the stockholders meeting than it is the truth.
Payout Perspective:
A much brighter perspective in Q1 than last quarter. While the WWE stock saw its worst day in April it has surged forward. It appears that global expansion of the WWE product and its realignment message concerning its film division has painted a brighter picture for the year. Notably, its YouTube channel success seems to be a highlight to monitor as it continues forward. It will be interesting to see if its YouTube channel is a Plan B in case the WWE Network falls through due to lack of distribution. Of course, the WWE has dedicated a significant amount of capital and operating expenditure toward the network so my guess is that the WWE Network will launch.
The pro wrestling post: Eyeblack, WWE pre-PPV hype and Bellator to Thursdays on Spike?
April 28, 2012
Welcome to another edition of the pro wrestling post.
Shawn Michaels deal with Eyeblack
Former WWE superstar Shawn Michaels has signed an endorsement deal with Eyeblack. The company produces under-eye eyeblack with phrases and logo. Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch is also sponsored by Eyeblack.
The deal according to the press release allows Eyeblack to produce and sell product with Michaels’ trademark catchphrases which include Showstopper, Mr. HOF and Mr. Hall of Fame. It will also produce custom designs on camouflauge eyeblack for Michaels’ Outdoor Channel show, “MacMillan River Adventures.”
Payout Take: A nice quid pro quo for Michaels. A portion of the deal was for use of Michaels trademarked phrases. It is a nice product placement for Michaels’ hunting show. But, in general, just what real purpose do the eyeblack strips have? Couldn’t you wear sunglasses to keep the sun out of your eyes?
A sample of the Shawn Michaels EyeBlack collection
TNA moves up an hour earlier on Spike TV
TNA will move up an hour to 8pm ET (5pm PT) starting May 31st. According to the press release, it’s “predicated on the fact that there are more available viewers in the 8:00-10:00pm timeslot with less sports competition in the 8pm hour.”
TNA is not doing too bad in the ratings right now. This past week it averaged 1.4 million viewers with a 0.99 rating which was up from the previous week. Bear in mind, the ratings are much better than either Bellator or TUF Live.
Payout Take: Acknowledging the competition and moving it to a slot where it may get move viewers is a good move by TNA and Spike TV. The move likely is gearing up for this fall when the NFL will have more games on Thursday nights throughout the fall. It could also mean sliding in Bellator at 10pm in 2013 with TNA as a solid lead-in and moving it off of Friday nights.
WWE to live stream PPV show on Facebook and YouTube Channel
Without its network, the WWE is utilizing its other social media to promote this Sunday’s PPV which features Brock Lesnar. Earlier this year, the WWE used its YouTube channel to promote Wrestlemania this past year and returns to it to feature a match. Cageside Seats reports that the live pre-show will appear on its Facebook, WWE.com and YouTube channel. The additional free match should draw viewers to one of the outlets and perhaps draw additional buys.
Payout Take: The move helps market Lesnar’s return to WWE PPV and serves as a monitor as to how well visited its social media, especially its YouTube channel is visited. The WWE has produced original content for the channel and it may be a default place for the WWE while it waits for its Network to hit.
The pro wrestling post: WWE stock, Lesnar’s sponsors and TNA-Bellator working together?
April 21, 2012
Before we all sit down to watch one of the biggest hyped UFC fights of 2012, MMA Payout gives you the weekly pro wrestling post.
WWE stock plummets to 52 week low Thursday
Despite breaking records with its PPV buys for Wrestlemania 28, the WWE’s stock hit a 52 week low on Thursday. The depression in stock comes a couple weeks before it announces its first quarter results. WWE reports first quarter results May 3rd. The company is spending a lot of money right now as it attempts to build its WWE Network.
Payout Take: The 52 week low may be attributed to the high aspirations for its PPV buys. The WWE Network and its Film Division are the two culprits in the WWE empire that are losing money for the company. While the WWE is addressing the issues with its film unit, it is the expenses for the WWE Network that may be a ray of hope for the company in the future. Although it missed its original target date for its debut, if it can find distribution deals and a fan base and advertisers that will be willing to pay, the WWE may be onto something. But, that’s a big “if”.
Lesnar allowed to wear his sponsors in the WWE
Despite jumping to the WWE, Brock Lesnar is keeping his sponsors. According to Wrestling-Online.com, one of the clauses in his contract was that he could still wear his sponsors while in the WWE. Currently, the WWE characters are sponsorless. Jimmy Johns is one of the bigger sponsors Lesnar will be wearing to the ring. I don’t believe the WWE has an official sandwich maker for the company so there were no conflicts. It will be odd to see Lesnar in the ring wearing gear that he wore in the Octagon.
Payout Take: Not only does Lesnar get a $5 million contract from the WWE, he will still be paid by his UFC sponsors for wearing the gear. This is a bonus for his sponsors considering that he will be in front of a much bigger audience.
TNA to work with Bellator when it heads to SpikeTV
Despite renewing its contract with Spike TV, TNA wrestling is still retooling its product. News has surfaced that TNA heads Dixie Carter and Eric Bischoff have met with Spike TV execs to discuss the direction of the product. TNA has contacted Bellator about ways that each company can help one another once Bellator comes aboard to Spike in 2013.
Payout Take: This can benefit both companies…or, it could hurt each company. While both cater to the network’s target demographics, involving Bellator in TNA angles may disturb the Bellator product and blur the lines of real and sports entertainment. Spike execs, TNA and Bellator will have to be creative in collaborating on cross-promotion.
WWE reports WM 28 buys: 1.3 million
April 16, 2012
The WWE is reporting that the preliminary PPV buy rate for Wrestlemania 28 is 1.3 million buys worldwide. It also is reporting that global gross sales exceeded $67 million including the live event.
If I am reading the WWE’s release correctly, the gross sales includes the live gate which was originally reported as $8.9 million. The buy rate broke the 2007 WM which was 1.25 million buys according to F4WOnline. That Wrestlemania featured Donald Trump in a cameo role.
Broken down, the 1.3 million buys means about 700K domestic and 600K international.
Payout Perspective:
Is 1.3 million buys a disappointment? While there was an ESPN reporter that tweeted that the buy rate was closer to 2 million buys, we now know that was more speculation than reporting. The fact that the Rock was involved in the main event in his hometown and there was a year long run-up to this event makes 1.3 million somewhat of a disappointment. We shall see what this means for the WWE’s stock for the rest of this year. Last year, the company rode the financial wave of WM 27 so this could be a good sign for the company in its next earnings call.
The pro wresting post: WWE-Discovery team up, Wrestlemania buy rate and Hall arrested
April 15, 2012
Welcome to another edition of the pro wrestling post where he cover some business headlines from the world of pro wrestling.
WWE and “Deadliest Catch” team up for show premiere
The Discovery Channel’s “The Deadliest Catch” and the WWE have teamed up where WWE stars are promoting the show’s premiere. The debut promo occurred during the Wrestlemania PPV two weeks ago.
According to a Discovery Channel press release, “We could have just bought an ad, but to have an opportunity to bring these two brands together and really engage the fans with our content was really important to us,” said Discovery’s Chief Marketing Officer David Shackley.
Running through mid-April for the 100th episode of the popular Discovery show, WWE will post exclusive videos with WWE Superstars and Divas promoting Deadliest Catch, homepage takeovers, Facebook alerts from WWE talent and live events presence.
Payout Take: An interesting partner for the reality show although it’s likely that the demos crossover a bit.
Tito Ortiz to the WWE?
Cageside Seats via an interview with MMA Heat’s Karyn Bryant states that the Huntington Beach Bad Boy may be thinking of a run in the WWE after his MMA finale with Forrest Griffin this summer. As most know, Ortiz changed his nickname to “The People’s Champ.” Not sure if paperwork was actually filed to do this although I’m sure he consulted with Sean Combs aka Puff Daddy aka Diddy (j/k).
Payout Take: Ortiz actually participated as a ref with the TNA organization in 2005 so a run in pro wrestling is not out of the question. He definitely would have the persona and attitude for sports entertainment.
WWE Raw ratings drop slightly despite Lesnar’s second appearance
PW Torch reports that the April 9th edition of Raw ratings dropped by 10 percent as it received a 3.1 rating down from the preceding week’s 3.4. It averaged 4.29 million viewers for Lesnar’s second appearance back with the WWE as opposed to 5 million for the April 2nd edition of Raw.
Payout Take: Television by Numbers reports that Raw was second to “Pawn Stars” for highest rated cable show for April 9th. The WWE announcers promoted (and Lesnar used in his promo) his UFC background. He also delivered a real blow to John Cena which busted Cena’s face (not sure if it was scripted or not). Wonder if the transition from real to fake may actually be hard to do?
Wrestlemania 28 buy rate
The Wrestling Observer reports that the initial buy rate for the WWE’s biggest show of the year scored 1.1 million buys which is off from the ambitious prediction of 1.9 million. Last year, WM 27 scored 1,059,000 buys with the Rock playing a minor role at the show.
Payout Take: This could be seen as disappointing considering the year long build-up for The Rock vs. Cena matchup. It will be interesting to see what the WWE does with the build-up for Lesnar in the main event in New Jersey next year. Already, the WWE will have Lesnar in the arena more than The Rock which should help.
Hall arrested again
For those that watched the E:60 piece on Scott Hall late last year, you would think that he was trying to turn around his life of addiction. Looks like it has not. Hall was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence. TMZ reports that he had been “drinking for days.”
Payout Take: No real take hear except the fact that it’s a sad look at the many issues with pro wrestlers. Most of us grew up watching Razor Ramon and to see him deteriorate right before our eyes is depressing.
The pro wrestling post: Lesnar’s contract, Spike TV’s renews show and WWE Films’ mistake
April 7, 2012
MMA Payout provides your Easter weekend with some pro wrestling business headlines including Lesnar’s contract, Spike TV reups with TNA and the US Marines call in a favor.
Lesnar’s impact and contract
Finally…Brock Lesnar has returned back to the WWE. He made his appearance on Monday Night Raw the night after Wrestlemania. Although a brief cameo at the end of the program (where he F5’d Jon Cena), the Wrestlemania bump and the Lesnar rumors had RAW draw a 2.0 rating (according to TV By Numbers) for the second hour of Raw which was up from the prior week among adults 18-49. The programming ran up against CBS and the National Championship Title Game which is pretty good considering March Madness had been impacting MMA ratings.
As for Lesnar’s contract, it’s being reported that his 1 year deal is worth around 5 million dollars (via CageSide Seats). The deal runs through next year’s Wrestlemania which will be held at Met Life Stadium in New Jersey which we may presume Lesnar will be in the main event. Lesnar will not be on the road full time but will appear twice a month with more frequency running up to Wrestlemania.
Spike TV and TNA Wrestling agree to extension
TNA Wrestling has agreed to a multi-year extension with Spike TV. TNA’s “Impact Wrestling” show on Thursday nights has been drawing an average of 1.7 million viewers in 2012. Financial terms were not disclosed however there is speculation that TNA will be involved in additional projects with the network in addition to its weekly show. I was surprised to know that TNA is drawing so well. Its interesting compared to the TUF ratings from past seasons on the network.
Wrestler Randy Orton pulled from WWE film
The WWE has pulled Randy Orton from a starring role in its film studios’ ongoing feature film Marine 3. The “Marine” series put on by WWE Films is the longest running and most notable of its film franchises (which may explain why the WWE film division is in its current state). Orton, a real US Marine in the 1990s was dishonorably discharged from the Corps after two AWOLs and a disobyeing a command from a superior officer (h/t Cage Side Seats via TMZ Sports). The WWE indicated that it “demonstrated poor judgment” in casting Orton in the role even though it knew of his past.
One does not usually see the WWE concede fault but the fact is the WWE is a staunch supporter of the Armed Forces (as shown by its annual holiday shows in the Middle East) and the Marines rely on the support of the WWE as it can tap into the young male demo. Here, it made sense for the WWE to pull Orton off of the film as it would have heaped a lot of bad press on the WWE further impacting the issues the film division has right now.
Wrestlemania 28 gate: $8.9 million
April 2, 2012
Wrestlemania 28 set records yesterday with a record gate of $8.9 million. It also set records for the largest crowd at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, Florida with 78,363 attendees and the highest grossing live event in WWE history.
WWE stock is up slightly at $8.83 near the close of Monday’s trading.
Via WWE press release:
The previous Sun Life Stadium attendance record was 77,912 for the BCS National Championship in 2005. Its highest grossing entertainment event was U2 on June 29, 2011, grossing more than $7.5 million. WrestleMania XXVIII surpassed the 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania in Houston, which grossed $7.2 million. This marks the third consecutive year WrestleMania broke the gross entertainment event record of the host venue.
Payout Perspective:
While it is a press release from the WWE, if the attendance and gate are in the ballpark of the figures, the WWE’s annual event did not disappoint. The PPV buy rate should be good as well considering The Rock and the added promotion for the event. For a company that has suffered some setbacks (e.g. WWE Network) lately, its a needed boost. With the addition of Lesnar (and the subtraction of the Rock), the WWE will hope to continue the momentum from Sunday.
Additional numbers and news from the WWE:
- The Rock/Cena Countdown show, “Once in a Lifetime,” which first aired last Monday right before Raw on the USA Network scored 2.13 million viewers for a 1.47 rating according to Dave Metzler. The rating was low for the time slot but was twice as much as most UFC Countdown shows. This can be discounted slightly considering the uniqueness of the Rock/Cena show.
- The Atlantic had an interesting article pre-Wrestlemania asking the question of whether there would be blood in the HHH-Undertaker match. It’s an interesting read on the business versus entertainment decisions behind blood in the match. In the end, there was no blading (although HHH did bleed unintentionally).
- And the big news for UFC fans is that Brock Lesnar has signed with the WWE. Although he didn’t make his appearance last night, you may want to tune in tonight to see if Lesnar shows. His contract is rumored to be for one year with limited appearances but big money.
Is Brock Lesnar working Sunday?
March 31, 2012
Dave Metzler is reporting that Brock Lesnar has signed a one year deal with the WWE. The deal comes the night before Wrestlemania fueling speculation that the former UFC Heavyweight Champ may make an appearance in the WWE for Wrestlemania or the day after.
Previously, it was reported that since Lesnar announced his retirement with the UFC that he was free from any contractual obligation with the company. Lesnar’s return to the WWE can only help the company that’s looking to make a big splash with its biggest event of the year. Lesnar is in Miami, the site of Wrestlemania, and the rumors are flying about when/if Lesnar will make an appearance.
Payout Perspective:
Lesnar’s return to pro wrestling has been rumored since his run in with the Undertaker after losing his title to Cain Velasquez at UFC 121. For the WWE, it’s a risk considering Lesnar’s health. Even though the WWE is scripted, Lesnar still has to physically perform in the ring. But, Lesnar can be a big draw considering name recognition and his history of being a PPV draw. This should appeal to the WWE as it can only help its PPV buys as well as provide some buzz for building its network.
