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February Wrasslin' |OT| WrassleGAF. In 2016.

K

Kaladin

Member
Verendus said:
You didn't understand a word I said.

Lower viewership in the third hour isn't hurting them if their other metrics look good, and are either stable or improving. You are looking at viewership in isolation and focused on how that needs to be better while ignoring that it's a huge business that is balancing several avenues, and they will be taking into account the best balance for themselves financially.
Click to expand...

This whole narrative that ratings conversations are meaningless ignores one fact.

We are not discussing WWE as a whole.

We are discussing the flagship program Monday Night Raw. When you talk about how a TV show is fairing with it's audience, viewership is a huuuuge part of that.

This whole dismissal of ratings as a topic of discussion comes across as "I don't like that topic, let's find some way to shoot it down and change the narrative."
 
L

Lothar

Banned
Fox318 said:
Big Show is on a Live Austin Podcast next week?

Man lot of odd questions you could ask.

Like why did Austin beat him so quickly from coming over from WCW?
What in the fucking hell was Havoc 95 like being so young and green working with a fucking madman like Hogan?
Reaction to fans screaming for retirement?
Click to expand...

Big Show was already on Austin's podcast, you can listen to it. They seemed to both agree that the answer to the first question is that he wasn't very good when he first came over.
 
V

Verendus

Banned
Kaladin said:
This whole narrative that ratings conversations are meaningless ignores one fact.

We are not discussing WWE as a whole.

We are discussing the flagship program Monday Night Raw. When you talk about how a TV show is fairing with it's audience, viewership is a huuuuge part of that.

This whole dismissal of ratings as a topic of discussion comes across as "I don't like that topic, let's find some way to shoot it down and change the narrative."
Click to expand...
No, it doesn't. I just happen to be someone who likely knows a hell of a lot more about running a billion dollar corporation than you do, and am challenging the misguided drum beating some posters will do with data that's easily interpreted in a hundred different ways when it fits the agenda they have in that moment.

Monday Night Raw is a product of the WWE company, but they don't survive off that one program alone. The purpose of that show is multipart, and it effectively serves as one huge advertisement for their business. You're focusing on the trends of viewership in isolation, but either have no data or haven't searched for it when it comes to their online engagement, and now in addition, the numbers they're receiving with repeats and edited shows such as Hulu. All of this matters because it feeds back into it. The expanding presence of social media, the rise of online media sites, all of this is incredibly important. You can't just ignore that, and think only the live viewership matters. This is exactly why I said comparing and contrasting this data over several years while accounting for anomalies is necessary, since it's about as armchair as you can get by looking at a few ratings here and there, but not having any idea of all their engagement metrics for the business.

To keep this as simple as possible: if I'm losing viewership in the third hour, but I can see from my online data that it's not hurting me and eyes are still on the product, or that my attendance and gate numbers aren't taking as much of a hit or are even stable or improving, what exactly am I supposed to be afraid of here? Especially if there is indeed a benefit to having three hours (which clearly there is at least from a licensing or advertisment perspective). This is hypothetical of course, because it's not like I've cared enough to look at their financials, but neither has anyone else here. You look at one thing, and all of a sudden we have some business experts.

No one is saying ratings don't matter, and they obviously do, but simply looking at a three hour program, and seeing that the third hour is losing viewership, which means they should reduce the product to two hours is about a shallow of an argument one can make. If the financial benefits are good, and other metrics are fine, then the focus should be on improving the quality of the three hour product, not cutting it down to two hours because you happen to think that could help improve it. So could better booking in a three hour show.
 
S

slightconfuse

Banned
Zack Sabre jr has good taste

CazvJ_VXEAEHDwu.jpg
 
K

Kaladin

Member
Verendus said:
No, it doesn't. I just happen to be someone who likely knows a hell of a lot more about running a billion dollar corporation than you do, and am challenging the misguided drum beating some posters will do with data that's easily interpreted in a hundred different ways when it fits the agenda they have in that moment.

Monday Night Raw is a product of the WWE company, but they don't survive off that one program alone. The purpose of that show is multipart, and it effectively serves as one huge advertisement for their business. You're focusing on the trends of viewership in isolation, but either have no data or haven't searched for it when it comes to their online engagement, and now in addition, the numbers they're receiving with repeats and edited shows such as Hulu. All of this matters because it feeds back into it. The expanding presence of social media, the rise of online media sites, all of this is incredibly important. You can't just ignore that, and think only the live viewership matters. This is exactly why I said comparing and contrasting this data over several years while accounting for anomalies is necessary, since it's about as armchair as you can get by looking at a few ratings here and there, but not having any idea of all their engagement metrics for the business.

To keep this as simple as possible: if I'm losing viewership in the third hour, but I can see from my online data that it's not hurting me and eyes are still on the product, or that my attendance and gate numbers aren't taking as much of a hit or are even stable or improving, what exactly am I supposed to be afraid of here? Especially if there is indeed a benefit to having three hours (which clearly there is at least from a licensing or advertisment perspective). This is hypothetical of course, because it's not like I've cared enough to look at their financials, but neither has anyone else here. You look at one thing, and all of a sudden we have some business experts.

No one is saying ratings don't matter, and they obviously do, but simply looking at a three hour program, and seeing that the third hour is losing viewership, which means they should reduce the product to two hours is about a shallow of an argument one can make. If the financial benefits are good, and other metrics are fine, then the focus should be on improving the quality of the three hour product, not cutting it down to two hours because you happen to think that could help improve it. So could better booking in a three hour show.
Click to expand...

I'm not saying outside factors don't matter, but think about this set of numbers.

http://www.pwinsider.com/article/99...fore-the-best-part-of-the-show-aired.html?p=1

Ever since Raw went to 3 hours in 2012, most weeks the third hour has seen a drop in viewership. That is about 3.5 years of consistent data. 3.5 years.

Now, I would be right there with you that in isolation any night of Raw's ratings can be meaningless. But now we're talking 3.5 years of a trend. 3.5 years of nothing fixing the third hour drop for good. There are episodes here and there where people stayed tuned in, but it is few and far between.

When you have 3.5 years of data showing you that something is wrong with an aspect of your product, people don't look at other arms of their business doing well and say "Hey, look at that....we're doing fine!" Hell no. You're going to look at why this major product of yours in under-performing and has been for years and try to improve it.
 
V

Verendus

Banned
Kaladin said:
I'm not saying outside factors don't matter, but think about this set of numbers.

http://www.pwinsider.com/article/99...fore-the-best-part-of-the-show-aired.html?p=1

Ever since Raw went to 3 hours in 2012, most weeks the third hour has seen a drop in viewership. That is about 3.5 years of consistent data. 3.5 years.

Now, I would be right there with you that in isolation any night of Raw's ratings can be meaningless. But now we're talking 3.5 years of a trend. 3.5 years of nothing fixing the third hour drop for good. There are episodes here and there where people stayed tuned in, but it is few and far between.

When you have 3.5 years of data showing you that something is wrong with an aspect of your product, people don't look at other arms of their business doing well and say "Hey, look at that....we're doing fine!" Hell no. You're going to look at why this major product of yours in under-performing and has been for years and try to improve it.
Click to expand...
Maybe it's because those people see more benefit in having that third hour than not even with a drop. The thought is crazy, I know. It's almost as if there might be something there, but I'm just going to ignore it.
 
A

Angry Grimace

Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
Kaladin said:
I'm not saying outside factors don't matter, but think about this set of numbers.

http://www.pwinsider.com/article/99...fore-the-best-part-of-the-show-aired.html?p=1

Ever since Raw went to 3 hours in 2012, most weeks the third hour has seen a drop in viewership. That is about 3.5 years of consistent data. 3.5 years.

Now, I would be right there with you that in isolation any night of Raw's ratings can be meaningless. But now we're talking 3.5 years of a trend. 3.5 years of nothing fixing the third hour drop for good. There are episodes here and there where people stayed tuned in, but it is few and far between.

When you have 3.5 years of data showing you that something is wrong with an aspect of your product, people don't look at other arms of their business doing well and say "Hey, look at that....we're doing fine!" Hell no. You're going to look at why this major product of yours in under-performing and has been for years and try to improve it.
Click to expand...

His argument is that how meaningful that drop is to WWE isn't something we actually know.
 
K

Kaladin

Member
Verendus said:
Maybe it's because those people see more benefit in having that third hour than not even with a drop. The thought is crazy, I know. It's almost as if there might be something there, but I'm just going to ignore it.
Click to expand...

That brings up another point though. Even if the third hour is still beneficial, wouldn't you at least try something to increase viewership? Maybe change up the format or make all three hours different somehow. Give people a reason to see it live and make that third hour even more valuable.
 
A

Angry Grimace

Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
Kaladin said:
That brings up another point though. Even if the third hour is still beneficial, wouldn't you at least try something to increase viewership? Maybe change up the format or make all three hours different somehow. Give people a reason to see it live and make that third hour even more valuable.
Click to expand...

The Main Event occurs in the third hour 100% of the time I'm not sure what you expect them to really do.
 
C

Cybit

FGC Waterboy
Verendus said:
Maybe it's because those people see more benefit in having that third hour than not even with a drop. The thought is crazy, I know. It's almost as if there might be something there, but I'm just going to ignore it.
Click to expand...

I suspect the second they think they're losing money overall from the third hour; they'll get it cut back. IIRC - a big part of the third hour was that USA needed help in retaining the #1 rated cable channel ranking, and RAW does so well that a third hour would help them immensely; and that they'd give them a good TV contract to cover for it.

I can't remember where I said it - but I do remember someone commenting that launching the network over the top cost them a ton of money on their cable contract, since they were, in essence, potentially going to compete with a cable company as cord cutting becomes more prevalent. However, should cord cutting take off - having the network will probably be one of the smartest things WWE could have done. Even ESPN is starting to sweat about cord cutters.

I do think they should probably look at cutting back the third hour - or, perhaps the weekly broadcast of NXT to the third hour. I also wonder whether the Hulu cuts are hitting their ratings. But fundamentally, it'll come down to how much money they are generating per year, and so far they've been pretty good about growing the whole pie (Network startup costs notwithstanding).
 
K

Kaladin

Member
Angry Grimace said:
The Main Event occurs in the third hour 100% of the time I'm not sure what you expect them to really do.
Click to expand...

Nitro at least realized that you had to have some hook to keep people interested in the program for two hours when most weekly wrestling broadcasts to that point were one hour.

They used the cruiserweights and tried to keep a story thread going through the show, even if just on commentary to keep people interested in seeing what happens at the end of the night.

WWE's format of segment -> segment programming doesn't help matters. There isn't much in the way of continuity on Raw.

Remember that episode where they built Taker vs Lesnar for a lot of the show? That was continuity and that kept you invested while you watched.
 
A

Angry Grimace

Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
Cybit said:
I suspect the second they think they're losing money overall from the third hour; they'll get it cut back. IIRC - a big part of the third hour was that USA needed help in retaining the #1 rated cable channel ranking, and RAW does so well that a third hour would help them immensely; and that they'd give them a good TV contract to cover for it.

I can't remember where I said it - but I do remember someone commenting that launching the network over the top cost them a ton of money on their cable contract, since they were, in essence, potentially going to compete with a cable company as cord cutting becomes more prevalent. However, should cord cutting take off - having the network will probably be one of the smartest things WWE could have done. Even ESPN is starting to sweat about cord cutters.

I do think they should probably look at cutting back the third hour - or, perhaps the weekly broadcast of NXT to the third hour. I also wonder whether the Hulu cuts are hitting their ratings. But fundamentally, it'll come down to how much money they are generating per year, and so far they've been pretty good about growing the whole pie (Network startup costs notwithstanding).
Click to expand...

I mean, the Network was probably a ridiculously huge risk for them and if they're still profitable, they're not doing that bad. I have no idea what the actual numbers are but I can't imagine the number of people who actually watch any particular PPV is way higher now than it ever was before (which has a lot of other implications on making money) since the individual events don't actually cost $54.99 and especially now that you can straight up buy 1 event for $10.
 
UberTag

UberTag

Member
Fox318 said:
Big Show point again here he is on Conan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqPvbcoIPSM

kinda crazy he can never come across like this on TV.
Click to expand...
Rigid adherence to scripted promos and a bloated writing staff that does NOTHING "creative" and only exists to write scripted promos is killing this business.

I don't care how many variety shows you splash onto the Network or how many talk show appearances these performers turn out where they get to be themselves and showcase their personality... NONE of it matters if you're going to marginalize their abilities on your flagship program.
 
C

Cybit

FGC Waterboy
Kaladin said:
Nitro at least realized that you had to have some hook to keep people interested in the program for two hours when most weekly wrestling broadcasts to that point were one hour.

They used the cruiserweights and tried to keep a story thread going through the show, even if just on commentary to keep people interested in seeing what happens at the end of the night.

WWE's format of segment -> segment programming doesn't help matters. There isn't much in the way of continuity on Raw.

Remember that episode where they built Taker vs Lesnar for a lot of the show? That was continuity and that kept you invested while you watched.
Click to expand...

The segment by segment bit only makes sense if you expect for people to watch wrestling in bite size chunks online or what not. In a funny way, it's a three hour consecutive show designed to be broken up into chunks.

Also - remember that WWE themselves has not that much motivation for ratings quite yet - they are locked into the deal for several years longer and do have time to experiment (but can't do it too long). USA is probably not too terribly pleased though, lol. Also, there's a growing believe that the cable bubble w/r/t sports programming will burst hard, and WWE might be one of the few places that isn't taken down by the bubble.

WWE's ratings are going down more than typical TV; but TV ratings in general have been decreasing / becoming more spread out (they can't decrease per se, in the sense that it's all based off 100% total viewership) the last 4-5 years. About half of WWE's drop is probably just symptomatic of that general trend.

Angry Grimace said:
I mean, the Network was probably a ridiculously huge risk for them and if they're still profitable, they're not doing that bad. I have no idea what the actual numbers are but I can't imagine the number of people who actually watch any particular PPV is way higher now than it ever was before (which has a lot of other implications on making money) since the individual events don't actually cost $54.99 and especially now that you can straight up buy 1 event for $10.
Click to expand...

Based on their retention rates for Network subscribers - the strategy makes a lot of sense. I think in 2014 they had something insane like 85+% retention rate. I also think this really hit streaming sites hard; I suspect the amount of people who stream PPVs for free has dropped dramatically (since it's now $10 and you could split it amongst friends).
 
Barrage

Barrage

Member
Kaladin said:
This whole narrative that ratings conversations are meaningless ignores one fact.

We are not discussing WWE as a whole.

We are discussing the flagship program Monday Night Raw. When you talk about how a TV show is fairing with it's audience, viewership is a huuuuge part of that.

This whole dismissal of ratings as a topic of discussion comes across as "I don't like that topic, let's find some way to shoot it down and change the narrative."
Click to expand...

But the issue is that the ratings discussion is usually misguided and naive at best, and ignorant at worst.

The WWE is in a contract. They produce 3 hours of RAW every monday. Thhey cannot replace it with Smackdown, or NXT, or anything else. They have no choice. They must keep 3 hours of RAW until at least early 2017.

So these ratings discussions wind up being as fruitful as "Hey, they should make Arrow an animated series", or "I'd like the Avengers more if it had Batman in it." It's not possible. Discussions on actually changing the segments, with what they have? Sure. But any replacement program is uninformed fans sharing pipedreams.
 
K

Kaladin

Member
I long for the day when Raw goes to the WWE Network either exclusively or simulcast with USA.

One of the two will happen eventually.
 
B

Bluekaveli

Member
Sibersk Esto said:
Jesus man, that's rough
Click to expand...

Marvel said:
Sorry to hear it bud, best of luck to you.
Click to expand...

Fox318 said:
wow.


What happened?
Click to expand...
Basically ever since I was in middle school I've had a hip problem. At the time I weighed 300lbs so I couldn't have the surgery. As time went by, I lost weight ecen getting to 167lbs at one point.

I put the surgery back until last year I caught arthritis and realized that I may hace to get this shit done. I went back to them and started getting things together until I got another job. I put it back for 7 months.

Well he told me what he has to do is an osteotomy,

He'll have to dislocate my hip and take parts of the bone to make it better. Thus, I will have to learn how to move this hip again. In its current staight, it hurts, it sucks getting out of bed, I can't walk straight or sit straight. I can't squat because of how fucked up my hip is.


The recovery is 3-4 months but I'll be useless as they want no crazy movements done while I'm recovering.

When it's all said and done, I'll be nirmal and pain free on my left hip.

I have it in my right hip too but it's not as extreme.

Thank you for your concerns. It just makes me kind nervous that I'll have to start all over again.
 
K

Kaladin

Member
Bluekaveli said:
Basically ever since I was in middle school I've had a hip problem. At the time I weighed 300lbs so I couldn't have the surgery. As time went by, I lost weight ecen getting to 167lbs at one point.

I put the surgery back until last year I caught arthritis and realized that I may hace to get this shit done. I went back to them and started getting things together until I got another job. I put it back for 7 months.

Well he told me what he has to do is an osteotomy,

He'll have to dislocate my hip and take parts of the bone to make it better. Thus, I will have to learn how to move this hip again. In its current staight, it hurts, it sucks getting out of bed, I can't walk straight or sit straight. I can't squat because of how fucked up my hip is.


The recovery is 3-4 months but I'll be useless as they want no crazy movements done while I'm recovering.

When it's all said and done, I'll be nirmal and pain free on my left hip.

I have it in my right hip too but it's not as extreme.

Thank you for your concerns. It just makes me kind nervous that I'll have to start all over again.
Click to expand...

Hope you come out of this feeling better than ever.

3 - 4 months is a lot of time to spend with the WWE Network. Here's hoping they beef up the vault for you.
 
C

Cybit

FGC Waterboy
Bluekaveli said:
Basically ever since I was in middle school I've had a hip problem. At the time I weighed 300lbs so I couldn't have the surgery. As time went by, I lost weight ecen getting to 167lbs at one point.

I put the surgery back until last year I caught arthritis and realized that I may hace to get this shit done. I went back to them and started getting things together until I got another job. I put it back for 7 months.

Well he told me what he has to do is an osteotomy,

He'll have to dislocate my hip and take parts of the bone to make it better. Thus, I will have to learn how to move this hip again. In its current staight, it hurts, it sucks getting out of bed, I can't walk straight or sit straight. I can't squat because of how fucked up my hip is.


The recovery is 3-4 months but I'll be useless as they want no crazy movements done while I'm recovering.

When it's all said and done, I'll be nirmal and pain free on my left hip.

I have it in my right hip too but it's not as extreme.

Thank you for your concerns. It just makes me kind nervous that I'll have to start all over again.
Click to expand...

One step back, but two steps forward in this case. Just keep eyes on the prize and be patient, and you'll be in good shape. :)
 
C

Caderfix

Member
I just watched the Daniel Bryan speech and it was amazing. The moment he talked about his dad, man... That got me good.

Such a passionate man with such a connection with the fans.

I wish him all of the luck and success, and I hope his kids come as soon as him and Brie want them to.

That was the best moment I remember seeing on RAW.
 
S

Shadow780

Member
Bluekaveli said:
Basically ever since I was in middle school I've had a hip problem. At the time I weighed 300lbs so I couldn't have the surgery. As time went by, I lost weight ecen getting to 167lbs at one point.

I put the surgery back until last year I caught arthritis and realized that I may hace to get this shit done. I went back to them and started getting things together until I got another job. I put it back for 7 months.

Well he told me what he has to do is an osteotomy,

He'll have to dislocate my hip and take parts of the bone to make it better. Thus, I will have to learn how to move this hip again. In its current staight, it hurts, it sucks getting out of bed, I can't walk straight or sit straight. I can't squat because of how fucked up my hip is.


The recovery is 3-4 months but I'll be useless as they want no crazy movements done while I'm recovering.

When it's all said and done, I'll be nirmal and pain free on my left hip.

I have it in my right hip too but it's not as extreme.

Thank you for your concerns. It just makes me kind nervous that I'll have to start all over again.
Click to expand...

Good luck to you buddy!
 
F

funkystudent

Member
Slightly on topic.

I have been thinking and I am pretty sure the promo videos of billy graham returning from hip surgery are my earliest wrestling memory.



So keep at it Bluekaveli and soon you too can be in the desert playing with giant spiders
 
UberTag

UberTag

Member
Bluekaveli said:
Basically ever since I was in middle school I've had a hip problem. At the time I weighed 300lbs so I couldn't have the surgery. As time went by, I lost weight ecen getting to 167lbs at one point.

I put the surgery back until last year I caught arthritis and realized that I may hace to get this shit done. I went back to them and started getting things together until I got another job. I put it back for 7 months.

Well he told me what he has to do is an osteotomy,

He'll have to dislocate my hip and take parts of the bone to make it better. Thus, I will have to learn how to move this hip again. In its current staight, it hurts, it sucks getting out of bed, I can't walk straight or sit straight. I can't squat because of how fucked up my hip is.

The recovery is 3-4 months but I'll be useless as they want no crazy movements done while I'm recovering.

When it's all said and done, I'll be nirmal and pain free on my left hip.

I have it in my right hip too but it's not as extreme.

Thank you for your concerns. It just makes me kind nervous that I'll have to start all over again.
Click to expand...
That's rough, dude. I can sympathize having bum hips all my life myself. Couldn't walk until I was 4 due to genetic acetabular dysplasia (essentially a shallow hip socket where the joint isn't seated properly). I managed to compensate over time and have been able to forego the half-dozen or so hip surgeries that my mother had to go through but hip pain is certainly no walk in the park. I wish you the very best on a speedy recovery.
 
S

sf2fanatic

Member
Kaladin said:
Hope you come out of this feeling better than ever.

3 - 4 months is a lot of time to spend with the WWE Network. Here's hoping they beef up the vault for you.
Click to expand...
Yes Blue GL on the recovery. We could use another critic and grade the PPV's like Zach. Plus add some recommendations on what to watch.

I myself trying to avoid knee surgery due to taking a hit on money situation
 
K

Kaladin

Member
Long post from Gabe Sapolsky just now:

This is an alternative to the ‪#‎ThankYouDanielBryan‬ piece I wrote last night. It's more personal and now I've decided I want to make it public so I'll put it here:

"Thank you for everything."

That's the text I received from Daniel Bryan on April 6th, 2014, just a few hours before he won the WWE World Heavyweight Title at WrestleMania XXX. I almost didn't go to the event that day, now it will end up being the final time I ever saw him wrestle in person.

Wait, what? He was thanking me? In light of yesterday's emotional and memorable retirement speech by Daniel Bryan, I need to take this space to talk about Bryan, the man.

My reputation as booker of Ring Of Honor, Full Impact Pro, EVOLVE and Dragon Gate USA was built by Daniel Bryan. You know about Bryan's accomplishments in the ring, I'm taking this space to tell you about Bryan, the man, and how he made me who I am today.

In the early years of ROH, Bryan was the backbone. He produced classics while being quiet and unassuming behind-the-scenes. There was a sense that he didn't realize how good he was, and maybe that rubbed off in how he was used on the shows. You see, he was a central force, but not "the man" like Samoa Joe, CM Punk, Low Ki or Homicide.

In 2005, we had built a story for months for James Gibson to become "the man" as champion. Gibson was suddenly rehired by WWE and the plans were thrown out the window. We went with Bryan.

When Bryan won the title, there wasn't a big explosion of applause. It was more like a guy who deserved it, was rewarded. It was a tough time for me as booker, losing both Punk and Gibson at around the same time.

Then a switch went off in Bryan. He wrote about it in his book, "My Improbable Journey To The Main Event Of WrestleMania." He expressed the changes he had to make as a champion. I'll let you read the book for yourself, but it was this passage that I told our current EVOLVE Champion, Timothy Thatcher, to read when he won the EVOLVE Title. It's a way I still use Bryan today to teach the new generation.

Bryan matured before all of us during his reign. He went from being the great worker who had "this is awesome" type matches to being "the man." It all made sense. Bryan always thought ahead-of-the-curve. He was never happy with the status quo. He would always try to figure out how to twist things a little, make it different, and most important, make it his own.

I'm not going to claim to be Bryan's best friend or anything. I rarely talk to him, but he is very important to me. He has always been there for me. When I was excommunicated from Ring Of Honor, Bryan was one of the few who reached out to me. He not only reached out to me, but he supported me.

He wanted to start something new. Once again, he was trying to be two steps in front of everyone else. He had an idea for a name of a promotion. EVOLVE. We spent hours talking about ideas, new directions to take pro wrestling. Once again, he was trying to set a new standard.

He did this all while I felt abandoned by wrestling, alone with my life shattered. He gave me hope in the middle of this depression and he helped me get back on my feet. We were set to launch EVOLVE when WWE came to him with an offer that would set him up for life. Of course, I was happy to see him take it. He deserved it. I have to admit I didn't dream that I would watch him win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in the Superdome one day.

When we launched EVOLVE, many of his ideas were changed because they wouldn't work without him. I'm happy to say that things have come full circle, and wrestlers like Timothy Thatcher, Drew Gulak, Zack Sabre Jr, Tommy End, TJ Perkins, Tracy Williams, Matt Riddle and others, are doing exactly the kind of stuff Bryan and I talked about in early 2009. They aren't doing it because Bryan's ideas were passed on. They came up with it themselves. They are doing it because it's the natural course of the business. This just proves that once again Bryan was way ahead of everyone else.
Originally, I wasn't going to go to WrestleMania XXX. I was already in New Orleans for our EVOLVE and DGUSA shows, but I learned from my mentor Paul Heyman not to go to shows unless there is a payday or you're invited with a purpose. I was neither.

As I was hanging out in New Orleans that day, I shot Bryan a text telling him to enjoy his day. When he responded with "Thank you for everything" it suddenly smacked me in the face that he was about to do something we all thought was impossible. I had to be there.

About two hours before belltime I was in a panic trying to find a ticket. It was like a force compelled me to be there. Fortunately, Heyman was able to get me a seat by the hard camera.

I walked into the Superdome as Bryan was entering the ring to wrestle HHH. I stopped and took it in with all my senses. I watched the sold out domed stadium enthusiastically respond to Bryan just like 100 fans in Bushnell, FL at FIP did. It was amazing. Tears filled my eyes when his hand was raised after the HHH match. I knew at that moment he had to win the main event.

I thought, For once, everything in the world was right and someone would get the reward they deserved despite all the odds.

As the confetti fell on Bryan after he won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, I made sure to stay in the moment and be present. The sea of people exploding for Bryan will always live in my mind. It's a memory that gives me strength when I feel like the odds are too much.

However, as I was standing in the Superdome, I had no idea it would be the last time I would witness Bryan wrestle in person.

At this moment, I am conflicted and overwhelmed with different emotions about Bryan. I hope his health is fine. I want him to be happy and well for the rest of his life. I am sad I will never see him wrestle again. I feel loss as if something has died.

In fact, something has died, An era of wrestling is gone. It's an era that has profoundly changed the business. Today we see things that would not have been possible without Bryan. His work will be studied and revered for generations. I am still able to passionately promote and create in EVOLVE because of him.

Bryan, you had it wrong when you thanked me. You would have achieved all this if you had never met me. You had that much skill, intelligence, work ethic, and determination.

Bryan, thank you for everything.

Thank you for everything.
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