The Unknown Poster

General feedback seems to be largely positive. But it will come down to ratings. Vince is apparently willing to spend $500 million on the XFL which is insane if he intends to self-finance. But with the bigger markets, he might attract a better TV deal. Its all about that tv money.

Yeah he never really did anything for me but he is like their home grown foreign star so he's going to get the push. I would assume Okada wins it back at MSG and they do a long build to White regaining it. Seems they didnt think they'd lose Kenny so now they're scrambling a bit which is definitely not Gedo's booking methodology.

Wow

Oh and reportedly, Impact wrestling is averaging 12,000 viewers on their new US TV outlet which, if true...they're finished. Just sell the library to WWE and cut your losses. Im sure Don is chomping at the bit to go to AEW (Tessa probably too!).

New Japan Pro Wrestling put the IWGP Heavyweight Championship on Jay White, having him beat Tanahashi. Interesting.... looks to be White vs Okada at WM weekend. Sounds like the original plan if Omega stayed was him beating Tanahashi and then losing to Okada at WM weekend (I'd have had Kenny lose to Tanahashi and regain at MSG but I guess they were thinking they'd have their top two guys in the main event). Jay White is good but he wont be the US draw Kenny was. Speaking of Kenny, he did a long interview with Dave Meltzer where he confirmed that report of WWE offering him $3.5 million. Well, to be fair he didnt confirm the number but said "everyone knows, you reported it. Its out there." He said WWE was awesome to deal with and had nothing but great things to say. He said his AEW deal is 4 years and he's already been scouting. Sounds like he's doing a lot of scouting for the women's division. He said he nearly re-signed with New Japan with the idea of being based there and doing AEW when he could but wasnt happy with the direction of New Japan (lines up with what he told me last year). Said his AEW contract lets him do just about anything he wants including New Japan but he doesnt know if New japan wants him. He said he's open to working with WWE but didnt want to step on toes since thats not his call. Mentioned that he packed only summer clothes for the Vegas rally but thankfully brought a suit (it was 5 degrees in Vegas lol). Other news: WWE was advertising Dean Ambrose vs Nia Jax but have suddenly pulled the advertising and said it was an error. Rumor is they had backlash from sponsors...I dont know about that. I dont have a problem with intergender matches though I do understand why WWE would need to be careful with man on woman violence.

Yeah but what about Mr Electricity Steve Regal?

So last year it was cool but this year it isn’t? Man I realize you’re a wwe fan but holy smokes are these bad takes.

Maybe he thinks AEW is a shoot fighting company. The remark about Kenny being the only star they have, well I like it because I like all kudos to Kenny, but Jericho is a big big star. And who knows who might end up there...

Thank goodness you're not booking.

There you have it

There was supposedly heat over Baretta being signed but other reports say no. It could be a matter of their AEW deals not allowing New Japan. There isnt a standard AEW deal and different guys have different deals. Jericho, for example, can work New Japan. Others can work MLW. I suspect Omega would get what he wants so if that means leaving New Japan open as a possibility, then so be it. And that might be why. New Japan thought they'd keep Kenny...it took them by surprise when he gave that Tokyo Sports interview saying he was not re-signing with them. There is some speculation that New Japan is in a bit of a pickle because they are partners with ROH on the MSG shows Wrestlemania weekend so even if they wanted to have a formal relationship with AEW, it would look bad and they are already in bed with ROH anyway. But New japan is traditionally, very very loyal to it's partners. But again, the Omega thing took them by surprise. And they want to keep Jericho too (he's a bit different because he's essentially part time anyway). It could be that New Japan and AEW both want to be in bed together but the plan is to wait beyond WM weekend and for AEW to announce their TV plans before formalizing anything. Or New Japan just hasnt gotten around to taking down his profile lol I talked to Metlzer a couple months ago and it was interesting because we were both of the same mind. I had said I didnt see Kenny going to WWE but now I was thinking it was very possible and Dave said he thought it was 0% chance and now thought it was 50-50. But I bet we find out from Kenny that he was open to offers but was always planning to stick with his friends. He just holds things close to his vest.

I havent seen it come out what Jericho is making but but he said it was the highest pay he's ever received. If the $3.5 million offer to Kenny from WWE was true, I suspect he's in that neighborhood. Because he is clearly the top free agent in the business. Maybe its less when less dates are factored in. It will probably come out eventually. Even in WWE, if you get a $1 million offer, you're making far more than that unless you're hurt all year. Most people in WWE make over a million. Whats changed is WWE is guaranteeing you more by offering higher down side deals (meaning if you're hurt or they hold you off TV or sell no merch, you still make that. Kenny surely would have made more than his WWE offer unless he was hurt. AEW would be, at worst, competitive, if not more. Plus if he's a VP, he's likely drawing an employee salary and getting all those benefits. I'd suspect AEW talent gets a bigger percentage of their merch than WWE and obviously more creative input.

This is about New York but a similar issue arose here about the app trap spy. What jumps out at me is the NYPD implying people who report police presence on public streets are breaking the law. Are they secret police now?

Over 12000 pre-sale codes were requested. They're going to sell out the MGM which, I believe, would set a wrestling record for that venue. Its really a shame they couldn't get T-Mobile.

AEW signed a trans wrestler too, Nyla. Good for them and good for her. So, I guess I can tell a little story, nothing that great, about what I knew. Which isnt much. Back...two years ago I guess, when Kenny's New Japan deal expired and everyone was going nuts about him maybe going to WWE. He actually told me that he was either going to get a raise to stay in New Japan or go to WWE. So I knew he was totally open to WWE even though some said he wasnt. And I had people tell me they thought he was crazy to not go to WWE then and I predicted two years...two more years in Japan and then he makes his big move. And Hunter loves him. Regal and Kenny had an open line of communication. So fast forward to this past October when Kenny was in town working our show (the Don Callis angle). We talked for awhile after the show and he said he had offers...but no decision made. And I suggested a scenario whereby he'd be interested in WWE if he could still work other places or a short term deal and he smiled and said I was "warmer than most". I was then told by a media source I know that there was talk of Kenny vs Cena at WM if Kenny went to WWE. I had also said to Kenny that my impression was winning the IWGP title was not the goal, carrying New Japan and growing it was...but that it didnt seem like New Japan would go all in (no pun intended) with an "American". So I had a feeling he was done with New Japan. I figured he was WWE-bound...until AEW really began making noise and then it became a no-brainer that he would stay. When the story about WWE offering $3.5 million surfaced and he didnt take it, it was pretty clear he was doing what he said he'd do along - stick with his friends. Which, if you think about him as a person, he's always done. If he'd stick by me for 17 years, he was going to stick by then. Being a VP with AEW is great and not a surprise since he developed the Elite name and concept. But it also gives him health benefits, a regular salary, decision making power etc. So really, unless WWE offered something on par with more money, why wouldn't he have stuck with AEW? To me, the rally last night was fine (very cold in Vegas though haha) but Kenny looked head and shoulders above everyone as far as coming across like a big star,

It was talked about a year ago. Jericho declined (he gave a price that was his way of declining)

No not for sure. We didn’t talk about it. But I assumed. In October he told me he hadn’t made a decision. Things were still in flux. Im very happy for him. He deserves it.

It’s official. Kenny Omega signs with AEW and is an executive Vice President Fantastic! and Chris Jericho cuts him off. Looks to be Omega/Jericho 2 at Double or Nothing

bezos has balls. The gist of this story is that after the Enquirer posted text messages about Bezos having an affair, Bezos hired an investigator to learn how they got his texts and whether their reporting was politically motivated. As we know Enquirer did Trumps dirty work. In response to Bezos investigation, the Enquirer, in writing, tried to blackmail him by threatening to publish intimate photos.

Treated more like a sport, where wins and losses matter. A newer, fresher look. Commentary that calls the action likes it real. There was talk FOX wanted Brock and Ronda on their show. That sort of things. Bryan was starting to tread water and they kind of cut him off a bit. The heel gimmick is great. Dont judge him by the reaction he got on SD this week as it was in his home state. But he's going to get some people supporting him because his gimmick is something generally worth supporting. Plus its Bryan. Its actually a good idea in that he wont feel as compelled to have the big hot matches and that likely preserves his body. Rumor has it, it might be Bryan vs Cena at WM so the heel turn makes sense there too. I think they wanted opponents for Styles also.

I cant remember how much cash they have on hand but they did have several hundred million and do pay a regular consistent dividend. In fact, for years, their profits were enough to cover the dividend and they'd reach into their cash reserves. Historically, WWE never carried debt but did take out a large line of credit a few years ago to finance projects, though they maintained their large cash reserves (they bought a new corporate Jet etc). Its why WWE was generally a decent stock buy. You were guaranteed a dividend even if they didnt do that well. The dividend was good for the family too since the McMahons are the largest holders of stock. Vince got a big fat cheque every quarter. When he says he's willing to invest over $100 million into the XFL, he can afford it (plus the $50 million or so they put into Linda's failed runs for Senate, but it resulted in her joining trump's cabinet).

On the investors conference call, Vince pointed out their record revenue and profits and remarked "in other words, we know what we're doing." Which seems like a reply directly to people critical of their declining ratings and live event attendance. They danced around those things with Vince blaming injuries. He listed a bunch of key injuries as the reason. Which ofcourse flies in the face of them going on RAW and admitting things needed to change...and then changed nothing. And pointed out their chief revenue is derived from TV rights fees, Network Subs and over-seas deals (like the nearly $100 million/year Saudi deal). They announced they will no longer be updating Network Subscription numbers after WM which tells me they realize it's plateaued so any announcements would be disappointing. They teased a major announcement about the Network which will be tiered services. So the plan will be to accept that subs have plateaued but to squeeze more revenue out of the loyal fans who have remained. This is what they are trying with house shows by raising prices rather then trying to increase attendance. They are likely to air more house shows on the Network so even money-losing house shows can be spun as having value to the Network. They're also going to do a stock buy back, which I guess is designed to strengthen the stock price. In terms of today, they are flush with cash and only getting flusher. But the way they ignore the declines in TV and attendance....if something every changed with TV rights fees and they lost that revenue, it might be an existential crises. EDIT: A key point: they dropped 280,000 network subs between WM last year and the end of 2018, which is record decline. Another metric showing their creative is driving viewers away. Injuries dont impact house shows as much because they often advertise the talent anyway. And there has been a marked decline in female viewers which actually corresponds with the increased push of the women's division. Ofcourse correlation does not always equal causation but it's interesting. To me, it would say that the way they portray women doesnt resonate with young women viewers. Men have also declined but not as much. The other point is, we can't know if the womens division being pushed kept the declines from being worse or contributed to it.

This happens. But seems to me an easy fix. Some sort of light/sound warning in the cab that the box is not secure

This could get very interesting