Welcome to another edition of The Wrestling Post. We talk about Jerry Lawler’s new t-shirts, a new WWE partnership and the color Pink.
“Long Live the King” T-Shirts emerge after near tragedy
A week after a near tragedy on live television, WWE capitalized on the situation by selling Jerry Lawler T-shirts. Lawler suffered a heart attack at the announce table on Monday Night Raw. Fortunately, aid teams were on the spot and saved his life. Lawler was taken to the hospital and is now back home resting. He actually made an appearance on Raw this past week.
The WWE debuted new Lawler t-shirts on its web page. Michael Cole, Lawler’s announcing partner wore the shirt which read, “Long Live the King.” The shirt sells $25-30 according to the web site.
Payout Take: Is it poor taste for the WWE to take advantage of the situation or business savvy? If Lawler gets a portion of the shirt revenue, then I’m shirt the King is all for it. The WWE could have made a PR move here by announcing that portions of the shirt sales would be donated to charities assisting those with heart conditions (maybe tying in that sales go to “a Hart Foundation”).
WWE announces Hulu Plus Partnership
WWE announced a partnership with Hulu Plus which will allow fans to access WWE content the next day. Hulu Plus has more than 2 million paying subscribers who spend $7.99 a month to access its programming.
The multiyear deal allows subscribers of Hulu paid services the ability to watch WWE shows including “Monday Night Raw,” “Friday Night Smackdown,” “WWE Superstars,” and more. The partnership allows the WWE to monetize its library of programming online.
Payout Take: This deal allows the WWE to leverage its bulk of content for the internet. It gives the WWE another platform for its product and gets the WWE in front of “cord cutters,” individuals that have cancelled their television cable programming. It’s a good deal and shows that the WWE continues to embrace online users as its YouTube channel has been very successful.
WWE going Pink
The WWE announced a partnership with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure. John Cena will be wearing Pink branded gear which he will wear through the month of October. The WWE will donate 100 percent of its profits of sales of pink-branded gear to the breast cancer foundation.
Payout Take: Similar to what the NFL does in October, you will see Pink worn by the WWE’s most visible star. In addition, the WWE had pink ring ropes for Monday Night Raw. The foundation has made the color synonymous with its cause through its tie-ins with the NFL and now the WWE. It’s a noteworthy cause and this partnership should reach out to many women fans of the WWE.
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