Triple H |OT| February Wrasslin

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Hmmn.. where's Airbourne btw?

Sugar, spice, and everything nice. THESE were the ingredients chosen to create Evan Bourne's perfect night. But Evan Bourne accidentally added an extra ingredient to the concoction: GETTING CAUGHT. Thus, Kofi & R-Truth were born! Using their ultra superpowers, Kofi Kingston and Ron Truth have dedicated their lives to winning those tag team titles!
 
Sugar, spice, and everything nice. THESE were the ingredients chosen to create Evan Bourne's perfect night. But Evan Bourne accidentally added an extra ingredient to the concoction: GETTING CAUGHT. Thus, Kofi & R-Truth were born! Using their ultra superpowers, Kofi Kingston and Ron Truth have dedicated their lives to winning those tag team titles!

Brilliant.

Full Interview with CM Punk on Hot 97.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydZ7FqiZi0s

A caller compared Chris Brown to OJ Simpson!! NYC I am ashamed...

Thanks for the link.
 
Sugar, spice, and everything nice. THESE were the ingredients chosen to create Evan Bourne's perfect night. But Evan Bourne accidentally added an extra ingredient to the concoction: GETTING CAUGHT. Thus, Kofi & R-Truth were born! Using their ultra superpowers, Kofi Kingston and Ron Truth have dedicated their lives to winning those tag team titles!

Marvelous, though replacing the villain lineup would be pretty bare bones with WWE's two opposing tag teams which have Amoeba Boys level credibility.
 
"WWE announced revenues totaling $483.9 million for 2011, compared to $477.7 million the prior year. Operating income came in at $37 million, down from $82.3 million last year. WWE announced total revenue for $112.9 million for the fourth quarter of 2011, compared to $122.5 million in the prior year quarter.

“In 2011, we evaluated several paths for creating new programs and distributing all of our content in a way that optimizes its value, Vince McMahon said in a press release. "Executing this strategy effectively, including the potential creation of a WWE Network, has the power to transform our business.

"While we made significant progress toward this objective, our fourth quarter and full year results were impacted primarily by three items: significant non-cash film impairment charges stemming from the weak performance of our movie releases, strategic decisions to withhold several hours of previously licensed television content for distribution on other platforms, and initial start-up operating expenses associated with our emerging content and distribution strategy.

"Regarding the first item, we have taken several measures to improve the profitability of our movie business. And, regarding the other items, we believe that our ongoing investment to expand and maximize the value of our content is the most potent approach for driving our future earnings." To read the full financial report, visit ir.corporate.wwe.com/file.aspx?IID=4121687&FID=12752661."


and McMahon conference call

"-Michael Weitz opened the call.

-Vince McMahon said the company had "less than a stellar quarter." He placed some of the blame on the film division and television licensing. He recalled saying they wouldn't stay in the film division if their new plan of attack didn't work, but he said he still believes this new approach will work. He said the time is right to exploit their in-ring and out of the ring television licensing. He said there's never been a stronger demand for WWE product as there is right now.(lol)

-Vince mentioned WWE Superstars and NXT. He said no decision has been made as to whether to continue using those titles. He also recalled bringing back WWE Tough Enough. He said the Legends' House reality show is currently in production. He also mentioned the Youtube deal. "We have lots of products with WWE in a great deal of demand in every respect," Vince said.

-Vince touted the way they are "burning up social media." He said the brand is extremely strong.

-Vince brought up the live event attendance. He said that despite the economy, it's up seven percent from the quarter. He said live event revenue has always been a good barometer for the company.

-Vince spoke about breaking into new international markets and then turned over the call to CFO George Barrios, who ran through the financial report.

-Barrios noted that the company reported $4 million in money spent on the potential launch of WWE Network.

-Barrios ran through the pay-per-view numbers and noted that Survivor Series increased 15 percent.

-Revenues in the toy division were down 15 percent. Barrios noted that WWE ranks in the top five brands in the United States in toys, but the overall business is suffering.

-WWE website business was down 14 percent. Barrios cited declining ad revenue, and also noted that traffic was down 22 percent.

-The WWE Network costs were attributed mostly to the hiring of employees and recruitment costs.

-Barrios said he expects the 2012 earnings to be "in line" with the 2011 results. He said he expects the company to spend $15 to $20 million in network startup costs. Barrios ran through the social media numbers, Youtube content visitors, etc. as examples of why they feel the brand is strong.

-Michael Weitz opened up the conference for caller questions.

-The first caller asked about the WWE Network's launch date and what the company expects in terms of profits. Vince McMahon said they will launch this year, but he said there is no specific date. He said they are still in negotiations. "We're very bullish on the network," McMahon said. "We want to make sure we get it right when we launch."

-The caller asked about WrestleMania. Vince said the idea is to bring back some of the past superstars while showcasing some of the newer stars. He said the demand for WrestleMania has never been greater.

-The second caller asked about WWE officials expecting similar numbers in 2012 compared to 2011 and asked for more clarification. Barrios once again mentioned the $10 to $15 million in network startup costs and said he expected key areas to remain flat compared to the prior year.

-The caller asked whether there's a point when WWE will decide to get out of the film division. Vince said that they are using a different approach under new leadership while working with new partners. "We really think this is going to work," Vince said. He said he believes they'll have a really good idea. Vince said he doesn't think they'll get to the point that they'll give up on the films division because he believes in the new strategy. "But we're not going to know," Vince said. "There's no crystal ball here." He said they understand their content and their performers so it's logical to be in the film industry.

-The caller brought up the network. Vince said you don't want to launch a network without a major partner. He said it could take any number of forms and they're excited about all of those potential forms. Vince declined to say how many homes they expect the network to be in once it launches.

-Barrios confirmed that the company plans to spend between $15 and $25 million on the films division this year.

-The caller brought up NXT and Superstars and asked whether they are holding them back for the network or shopping them around. "Both," Vince said. He added that the demand for their product is so strong that they are looking at both options. Barrios pointed out that NXT and Superstars continue to earn revenue internationally.

-The caller asked whether Legends' House is being saved for the network or shopped to other networks. Vince confirmed that they are considering both options.

-The caller asked about the tenor of WWE Network discussions and whether they could give more timing information. Vince stood by his 2012 launch, but did not tease a date. "We feel strong about the network," Vince said.

-The caller asked where things stand in terms of hiring WWE Network's top management. Barrios said they've had 40 to 50 people join the company in the fourth quarter. He was asked whether they need to hire people outside the company who have cable and network experience. Barrios said they already have.

-The caller asked more about the films division expenses. Barrios clarified the $15 to $25 million is primarily for production expenses. He said they've averaged roughly $20 million per year in annual films division expenses.

-Barrios said the plan is to spend $15 to $20 million in production expenses for the network this year. He declined to comment more on the actual business model. He said they hope to be able to comment soon. "Please, please," the caller said. Barrios clarified that they have a good idea of the business model but are simply choosing not to unveil the details at this time.

-A third caller asked about the media production center expenses relating to the network. Barrios said that what they are spending today is related to creating more content and making their current content stronger. He said the media center expenses may not be known until the network is up and running.

-The caller asked about whether they intend to report the WWE Network financials separately. Barrios said there are a lot of FCC requirements and they will meet them. He said he expects there to be fundamental changes with the way the WWE financials are reported.

-Vince was asked how committed the board is to continuing to pay high dividends and where he stands on investing more money into growth versus paying dividends. Vince said he doesn't expect any changes at this time.

-Vince was asked about The Rock returning for WrestleMania. He said it's very exciting. He once again stressed the goal of also putting the spotlight on the younger talent.

-Michael Weitz closed out the questions and Vince thanked the listers to close out the call. "
 
WWE pay-per-view events generated $14.6 million in revenue for the fourth quarter of 2011, up from $13.8 percent in the fourth quarter of 2010, yet down from the $16.3 million they earned for the same quarter in 2009.

-October's Hell in a Cell drew 182,000 buys compared to 210,000 in 2010 and 283,000 buys for the same event in 2009.

-October's Vengeance pay-per-view did 121,000 buys. The event named Bragging Rights ran around the same time the two previous years and did 137,000 buys in 2010, and 181,000 buys in 2009.

-November's Survivor Series pay-per-view produced 281,000 buys compared to 244,000 buys in 2010 and 235,000 buys in 2009.

-December's TLC drew 179,000 buys compared to 195,000 buys in 2010 and 228,000 buys in 2009.

http://www.prowrestling.net/artman/publish/WWE/article10023577.shtml
 
So, my fear with the Punk vs Chris Brown thing is that Vince will see that as an opportunity to do some shit with Brown at WM instead of just focusing on Punk vs Jericho
 
WWE.Com put up a photo retrospective of Triple H and Undertaker's Hell in a Cell matches.

They fucking photoshopped all the blood out of the canvas for the original UT vs. HBK match. They didn't even bother including the UT vs. Lesnar one from 2002.

:lol
 
So, my fear with the Punk vs Chris Brown thing is that Vince will see that as an opportunity to do some shit with Brown at WM instead of just focusing on Punk vs Jericho

They will have Chris Brown at ringside, and somehow the distraction will contribute to Punk loosing and Punk will feud with Brown in the mid card for the next few months.
 
So, my fear with the Punk vs Chris Brown thing is that Vince will see that as an opportunity to do some shit with Brown at WM instead of just focusing on Punk vs Jericho

I'm fine with that, though. Brings spontaneity to it if he is in the crowd, and I have no interest in Punk/Jericho as they've fumbled the ball pretty badly so far.
 
WWE.Com put up a photo retrospective of Triple H and Undertaker's Hell in a Cell matches.

They fucking photoshopped all the blood out of the canvas for the original UT vs. HBK match. They didn't even bother including the UT vs. Lesnar one from 2002.

:lol

So we should just say ***** instead of blood now like we do with **** ******? You know, since blood is being retconned out of WWE history.
 
This week's Art of Wrestling Podcast:
Dolph "The Showoff" Ziggler #heel


So, my fear with the Punk vs Chris Brown thing is that Vince will see that as an opportunity to do some shit with Brown at WM instead of just focusing on Punk vs Jericho

If Chris Brown gets a payday out of this that'd be pretty godawful. If, however, we get it with the stipulations that Punk set out in his video (all proceeds, both of their pay going to a women's shelter), I'd be willing to accept Chris Brown's insincere shit and be happy for Punk getting press.

This has a 0.01% chance of happening.
 
You guys watch a lot more wresslan than I do but Herr was something that struck me when I was watching the other day: they don't actually wrestle. It seems like rather.than having thr matches like they used to have in the old days.between nobodies and then work their way up to the big guys, they have completely eliminated ancillary matches and replaced it with talking. I know for a fact there was talking back when I was watcbing it at the age of 13, but what happened to yaka michinoku and golddust and all of the other entertaining but oth erwise secondarycharacters? Forgive the typos, my phone ...
 
You guys watch a lot more wresslan than I do but Herr was something that struck me when I was watching the other day: they don't actually wrestle. It seems like rather.than having thr matches like they used to have in the old days.between nobodies and then work their way up to the big guys, they have completely eliminated ancillary matches and replaced it with talking. I know for a fact there was talking back when I was watcbing it at the age of 13, but what happened to yaka michinoku and golddust and all of the other entertaining but oth erwise secondarycharacters? Forgive the typos, my phone ...

Watch for a guy named Dolph Ziggler, watch him closely. He is the embodiment of old school wrestlers.
 
I laughed more than I should have...particularly at the first panel

2012-02-10-hulk-force.jpg
 
So WWE network is on hold, and will not launch for a while.
Legends house is being shopped around for network TV instead of the network.

The films division is giving it one last shot.
 
Why the fuck would you try and start a TV network in 2012? Television is an outdated medium. More people are disconnecting their cable everyday because they can watch anything they want online.
 
Why the fuck would you try and start a TV network in 2012? Television is an outdated medium. More people are disconnecting their cable everyday because they can watch anything they want online.

I'm not super against it, but what about a mobile site that's worth a crap? Or a WWE app?
How far behind are they on this....
 
I laughed more than I should have...particularly at the first panel

2012-02-10-hulk-force.jpg

That is probably their best comic to date.

Why the fuck would you try and start a TV network in 2012? Television is an outdated medium. More people are disconnecting their cable everyday because they can watch anything they want online.

I can watch anything I'd want online except for weekly wrestling programs. If there was some way I could watch RAW, Smackdown and Impact as they aired I would consider canceling cable.
 
Yikes, i thought the WWE network was going to launch in April? Seems to be up in the air now...

And for the love of god why does PPVs have to suffer from the PG rating??! These PG HIAC matches have been AWFUL. There's no point in having so many gimmick PPVs if they can't use them properly. I don't know how television works but i don't get why they can't be PG and have a Teen rating for the PPVs.
 
I'm a little surprised at how little money they've invested in WWE Network so far, but I guess most of the content was supposed to be coming from all of their current licenses.
 
You guys watch a lot more wresslan than I do but Herr was something that struck me when I was watching the other day: they don't actually wrestle. It seems like rather.than having thr matches like they used to have in the old days.between nobodies and then work their way up to the big guys, they have completely eliminated ancillary matches and replaced it with talking. I know for a fact there was talking back when I was watcbing it at the age of 13, but what happened to yaka michinoku and golddust and all of the other entertaining but oth erwise secondarycharacters? Forgive the typos, my phone ...
My memory of pre-Attitude Era WWF is pretty fuzzy, but I think the Attitude Era began to focus more on promos than in the past. I remember as a young teenager being really frustrated watching RAW some nights because it seemed like it was all talking and very little wrestling. So that's really nothing new. I think the problem is, the personalities that came out of that era were more interesting than now, and they were also given a longer leash. Even if the guys now were just as entertaining (some of them are), they don't have shock value on their side anymore.

The other issue is, I don't think the actual wrestling is as good as it used to be either. They have talented guys for sure, but you mentioned two great wrestlers in Goldust and Michinoku. They were mostly midcarders during their WWF runs. But you compare them to guys today and both of them could wrestle circles around the current midcard guys. One thing I noticed that could just be my imagination. Watching old footage, I feel like the matches were faster paced too. So they could fit all the spots you'd normally see, but they were quicker and more intense. Again, this might just be my imagination.

I'm not one of those guys that just mindlessly praise the Attitude Era and think that absolutely everything then was better than now. But there were a lot of things that were better. I think the biggest hurdle people that watched then and stopped have when they come back is just adjusting to what's changed. I remember watching one RAW a few years ago and I saw this "CM Punk" guy and instantly hated him because he wasn't Stone Cold. Now he's my favorite wrestler on the roster (next to Jericho). It took me some time, but I love watching now, even despite all the terrible things. I'm guessing I've just been conditioned to be overwhelmed with joy when anything cool pops up amid the awful BS that is usually happening. My two cents.
 
To be fair, if it wasn't for wrassle-GAF I would have completely missed Smackdown too. Poor advertising by WWE.

As for Punk vs Chris Brown. Punk getting the spotlight is good.
 
Why the fuck would you try and start a TV network in 2012? Television is an outdated medium. More people are disconnecting their cable everyday because they can watch anything they want online.
Honestly, just have a $10/mo. site that has their entire library on it. Put up interviews/behind the scenes all sorts of extra content. Hell, have past feud highlights and other things that inform people about the legends or provide a nice bit of nostalgia. There's a shit ton they can do with the content they currently generate and the library they already have.
 
Can we safely say the WWE Network's dead in the water? They'll try to sell Legends House to another network, fail, and then use that for international fill whenever they pull the plug on NXT or Superstars.
 
Sounds like a heel Angle promo when he first came into the WWF.

bqlQV.jpg


"We don't need to wage war against Chris Brown! We need to wage war against battered women! It's true! It's true!"
Kurt could wage a war against crippled crack babies and he'd have my support. It's true, it's damn true.
 
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