WWE Thread

[OrangeDW]

One area where AEW is killing WWE is in entrance songs.

Interesting that they paid up for Carry On My Wayward Son and Wild Thing. And obviously Judas is major for them. Having recognizable songs that fans sing along to is always a plus. Recall that WAY back in the 80s, WWF would use Eye of The Tiger, The Bird, whatever Steamboat’s song was called, etc…

After they stopped doing that, they still did a great job making memorable themes that got the people going, for years.

But now? It’s really pretty horrible and has been for awhile. Last good one was probably Nakamura? Maybe they should consider paying for popular songs again? Because what they’re coming up with is awful.

 

[jncuse]

One area where AEW is killing WWE is in entrance songs.

Interesting that they paid up for Carry On My Wayward Son and Wild Thing. And obviously Judas is major for them. Having recognizable songs that fans sing along to is always a plus. Recall that WAY back in the 80s, WWF would use Eye of The Tiger, The Bird, whatever Steamboat’s song was called, etc…

After they stopped doing that, they still did a great job making memorable themes that got the people going, for years.

But now? It’s really pretty horrible and has been for awhile. Last good one was probably Nakamura? Maybe they should consider paying for popular songs again? Because what they’re coming up with is awful.

The Seth Rollins entrance song seems to be working quite well for them - gets high level of crowd. involvement even though it does nothing for me. Bloodline entrance also seems to spark some buzz even without a sing along.

But I agree, overall the entrance presentation is at the lowest its been in years.

The other big one a handful of years ago was "Glorious" for Bobby Roode which fans really got into...probably the last time an entrance was over enough to give a push to someone who was fairly middle of the pack. But it was simply not enough to work for too long.

 

[jncuse]

Watching the 1992 Royal Rumble as it is currently on the WWE Network.

As I say everytime I watch this, Bobby Heenan single handedly turned this into a great match. It was a good match with so many HOF'ers, but Heenan took it to another level.

 

[jncuse]

One area where AEW is killing WWE is in entrance songs.

Interesting that they paid up for Carry On My Wayward Son and Wild Thing. And obviously Judas is major for them. Having recognizable songs that fans sing along to is always a plus. Recall that WAY back in the 80s, WWF would use Eye of The Tiger, The Bird, whatever Steamboat’s song was called, etc…

After they stopped doing that, they still did a great job making memorable themes that got the people going, for years.

But now? It’s really pretty horrible and has been for awhile. Last good one was probably Nakamura? Maybe they should consider paying for popular songs again? Because what they’re coming up with is awful.

Talking about songs and AEW -- AEW using the NBA on NBC theme song as part of its opening is not good.

Great song, great memories, but just doesn't work on a wrestling program.

 

[OrangeDW]

Watching the 1992 Royal Rumble as it is currently on the WWE Network.

As I say everytime I watch this, Bobby Heenan single handedly turned this into a great match. It was a good match with so many HOF'ers, but Heenan took it to another level.

Yup. Truly amazing. That Heenan-Flair-Perfect trio was so entertaining together in ‘92.

 

[jordville]

Got the Queen back last night on Smackdown...

And also got Cena as well to end 2022.

 

[OrangeDW]

Cool moment, but should’ve happened on Raw or Smackdown. This guy has always deserved more than he’s gotten in WWE, IMO. Love that he’s still around though.

 

[MSOrange]

He's back!

McMahon unretires ahead of WWE media talks

Vince McMahon, who retired as WWE chairman and CEO over the summer, announced he is returning to "fully capitalize" on the company's upcoming media rights negotiations.

www.espn.com

 

[jncuse]

He's back!

McMahon unretires ahead of WWE media talks

Vince McMahon, who retired as WWE chairman and CEO over the summer, announced he is returning to "fully capitalize" on the company's upcoming media rights negotiations.

www.espn.com

The story is a bit odd in that one would have assumed if Vince came back it was not to sell the company. But that is what WWE is investigating right now. Perhaps some type of power play / disputes going on in the board right now.

WWE share price is popping - up 22% since yesterday -- and I don't think its because people are happy to see Vince back in mgmt. Obviously its because of a potential sale.

 

[Symphony Steve]

Well, Vince is back b/c he owns 85% of the voting shares. However, if I owned the stock and got that quick bump, I'd be selling and pocketing the profits.

Except--he's not really back. He issued a press release. But the Board had already rejected his previous bid to come back. Saying he's back doesn't mean he's really back. At least, not until the Board and the lawyers agree that he's back.

Vince is serious damaged goods. Will NBC or other prospective suitors even deal with him? The Board is already demanding that he compensate them for some of the settlements they've had to make. So far, he hasn't. The wrestlers themselves can't be happy. Who will McDevitt represent in the inevitable legal actions? Will other key figures resign? (He's already said he'll dump three Board members and reinstall two who he had previously fired.)

 

[Symphony Steve]

Well, he IS back. But not as Chair. From ESPN:

"An SEC filing on Friday shows that Vince McMahon is now back on the board, along with Wilson and Berrios. Three people were removed from the board.

"Today, we announce that the founder of WWE, Vince McMahon, will be returning to the Board," said Chairwoman & Co-CEO Stephanie McMahon, Co-CEO Nick Khan and Chief Content Officer Paul Levesque in a statement released Friday. "We also welcome back Michelle Wilson and George Barrios to our Board of Directors. Together, we look forward to exploring all strategic alternatives to maximize shareholder value."

The board previously rebuffed an attempt from McMahon to return to the company, but he retains the majority of the voting power."

 

[jncuse]

Well, Vince is back b/c he owns 85% of the voting shares. However, if I owned the stock and got that quick bump, I'd be selling and pocketing the profits.

Except--he's not really back. He issued a press release. But the Board had already rejected his previous bid to come back. Saying he's back doesn't mean he's really back. At least, not until the Board and the lawyers agree that he's back.

Vince is serious damaged goods. Will NBC or other prospective suitors even deal with him? The Board is already demanding that he compensate them for some of the settlements they've had to make. So far, he hasn't. The wrestlers themselves can't be happy. Who will McDevitt represent in the inevitable legal actions? Will other key figures resign? (He's already said he'll dump three Board members and reinstall two who he had previously fired.)

Would agree with most of your comments and would sell my stock today as well. I don't trust Vince is that open to a sale, and he now has enough yes man on his board to block it if he is not open to the press released "Alternatives" that the board is now considering - which of course popped the stock because this would be a reasonable time to sell before the next big TV deal.

Vince is not adding value, he is toxic. The only value comes from a potential sale. Its a well run company financially but Vince isn't going to help it grow. I really don't understand why Vince would come back for a sale transaction only.

As a side note the bolded comment is not accurate and is somewhat due to the reporting of wrestling analysts who were operating in an area that is outside of their expertise on a matter that is not 100% conceptual (they are right to have an agenda against Vince for his wrestling creations and being an a-hole, but he didn't take any WWE money to pay for this)

Vince paid for all the settlements himself - he doesn't owe any money to WWE, and the amounts outstanding on the settlements as of today are simply instalments owing to the accusers and not the WWE. This was noted in press releases and notes to financial statements regarding to the the restatements. The financials were re-stated because it could be determined that the payment by a key member of management to a former employee was done to benefit of the company, and should have been expensed by the WWE (even if they never had any cash liability -- reason being that the employees could have potentially went after the WWE if Vince didn't try to hide the transaction on the side)

The WWE could have been going after Vince for some of the investigation costs into the matters though.

 

[jncuse]

Well, he IS back. But not as Chair. From ESPN:

"An SEC filing on Friday shows that Vince McMahon is now back on the board, along with Wilson and Berrios. Three people were removed from the board.

"Today, we announce that the founder of WWE, Vince McMahon, will be returning to the Board," said Chairwoman & Co-CEO Stephanie McMahon, Co-CEO Nick Khan and Chief Content Officer Paul Levesque in a statement released Friday. "We also welcome back Michelle Wilson and George Barrios to our Board of Directors. Together, we look forward to exploring all strategic alternatives to maximize shareholder value."

The board previously rebuffed an attempt from McMahon to return to the company, but he retains the majority of the voting power."

In retrospect, while we all wanted him to go away and hoped this would happen, this possibility was probably too easily ignored at the time by most people (including myself)

As the majority voting shareholder I believe he ultimately has control over who is elected to the board. He waited enough time to pass to be able to convince a few of the current board members to switch, and then find new board members to get him back on the board.

Which as noted above also concerns me regarding a potential sale.

 

[Symphony Steve]

Would agree with most of your comments and would sell my stock today as well. I don't trust Vince is that open to a sale, and he now has enough yes man on his board to block it if he is not open to the press released "Alternatives" that the board is now considering - which of course popped the stock because this would be a reasonable time to sell before the next big TV deal.

Vince is not adding value, he is toxic. The only value comes from a potential sale. Its a well run company financially but Vince isn't going to help it grow. I really don't understand why Vince would come back for a sale transaction only.

As a side note the bolded comment is not accurate and is somewhat due to the reporting of wrestling analysts who were operating in an area that is outside of their expertise on a matter that is not 100% conceptual (they are right to have an agenda against Vince for his wrestling creations and being an a-hole, but he didn't take any WWE money to pay for this)

Vince paid for all the settlements himself - he doesn't owe any money to WWE, and the amounts outstanding on the settlements as of today are simply instalments owing to the accusers and not the WWE. This was noted in press releases and notes to financial statements regarding to the the restatements. The financials were re-stated because it could be determined that the payment by a key member of management to a former employee was done to benefit of the company, and should have been expensed by the WWE (even if they never had any cash liability -- reason being that the employees could have potentially went after the WWE if Vince didn't try to hide the transaction on the side)

The WWE could have been going after Vince for some of the investigation costs into the matters though.

The settlement issue may be true--for now. However, when the Board rejected the notion of Vince returning back in December, they cited ongoing investigations, including allegations that had not yet come to light. Also, at least two of the Board members who were deep-sixed were deeply involved in the Board's investigation into Vince. Here's the portion of the letter from the Board to Vince on this matter. Dated December 27, 2022:

"(I)t is also our unanimous view that your return to the Company at this time, while government investigations into your conduct by the U. S. Attorney's office and the SEC are still pending, would not be prudent from a shareholder value perspective. This determination is based on a variety of factors, including non-public information the Board has become aware of and the risks to the Company and its shareholders of placing a greater spotlight on these issues."

This. Will. Not. End. Well.

Except for those of us who want to see him blow himself real good! Which is why I'm glad he's back.

 

[two3zone]

Reports coming out that the Saudi group that owns LIV is buying WWE. Big win for AEW if that happens.

 

[jncuse]

The settlement issue may be true--for now. However, when the Board rejected the notion of Vince returning back in December, they cited ongoing investigations, including allegations that had not yet come to light. Also, at least two of the Board members who were deep-sixed were deeply involved in the Board's investigation into Vince. Here's the portion of the letter from the Board to Vince on this matter. Dated December 27, 2022:

"(I)t is also our unanimous view that your return to the Company at this time, while government investigations into your conduct by the U. S. Attorney's office and the SEC are still pending, would not be prudent from a shareholder value perspective. This determination is based on a variety of factors, including non-public information the Board has become aware of and the risks to the Company and its shareholders of placing a greater spotlight on these issues."

This. Will. Not. End. Well.

Except for those of us who want to see him blow himself real good! Which is why I'm glad he's back.

We were looking at two different aspects of this.

I was talking about the settlements that had come out and settled already. Some sources were and still continue to report they were paid with WWE money, when in fact those have been disclosed to have been all by settled by Vince personally and paid by him personally.

You were talking about new settlements that are not even known yet, and costs for those which certainly is a concern. There could be other settlements out there that Vince has still managed to hide, or new settlements to come from his other misgivings before he was gone that haven't even been settled yet or even brought to the table by an accuser at this time. And its quite possible the WWE will be on the hook for them, what does Vince have to hide anymore. I would be surprised if new lawsuits or settlements didn't come up.

 

[OrangeDW]

Reports coming out that the Saudi group that owns LIV is buying WWE. Big win for AEW if that happens.

Yeah - I’ll cancel my subscription and never watch WWE again if that happens.

 

[two3zone]

Yeah - I’ll cancel my subscription and never watch WWE again if that happens.

I have only seen a couple of things saying this, but with the amount of money they spend on LIV and how much they spent to get the PPVs over there, I can’t see anyone outspending them. Should be interesting how all this plays out. Honestly it would make more sense than anything else.

 

[Symphony Steve]

WWE and sportswashing--perfect together.

 

[jncuse]

I have only seen a couple of things saying this, but with the amount of money they spend on LIV and how much they spent to get the PPVs over there, I can’t see anyone outspending them. Should be interesting how all this plays out. Honestly it would make more sense than anything else.

I don't think it will ultimately be Saudi Arabia - but the WWE will certainly leverage their existing relationship with them to dry to stretch out the price.

 

[jncuse]

After listening to a few podcasts, Vince coming back to the board now is probably a safer outcome for shareholders assuming he is only getting involved in the sale.

Worst possible scenario would have been the previously existing board approving a sale, and then its majority shareholder (Vince) turns it down -- it could have got really messy at that point. Best just to have Vince involved now in the negotiations, despite his mega warts.

There is always the risk that he decides to assign himself to an active executive role again, a position that has to be approved by the board. But that was the same risk whether he was appointed to the board now or later.

 

[MSOrange]

Stephanie resigns

 

[MSOrange]

 

[jncuse]

A few ways to look at Stephanie leaving.
Could be discontent -- or as equally likely (or even a bit more likely in my view) could be the fact that if they are truly going to get sold she probably has no role (or may want no role) in the acquirer's corporate structure.

I would be very surprised if Nick Khan left however. Looking at the Proxy statement that was filed in April 2022, he gets over $6m in compensation once a change in control takes place -- furthermore he had 191,000 shares that were still not vested that would vest on change of control-- I suspect he has even more unvested shares that were issued to him during 2022. So its about $20m of compensation for him to hang on the job until completed sale, based on currently reported data.

Vince coming in won't cause damage if there are serious sales discussions and that is the intent. However the longer this lingers with no sale taking place the more messy it could get.

 

[two3zone]

Looks like the Saudis. Yikes!