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WWE News
WWE News: WWE gets mainstream publicity from the Osbournes on Raw; Kofi Kingston says whether guest hosts help or hurt WWE's product Nov 3, 2009 - 12:53:47 PM
MTV.com published a positive review of last night's WWE Raw hosted by Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne. The reviewer talked glowingly about Ozzy ruling Raw "with an iron fist, making matches, cutting promos, and referring constantly to 'Crazy Train.'"
WWE is looking for mainstream publicity with their weekly guest-hosting concept to remain in the public eye. WWE has shifted from seeking wrestling fans to seeking entertainment fans who will stay tuned into Raw for the "variety hour" style programming.
Rising star Kofi Kingston was asked in an interview whether the weekly guest hosts have helped or hurt the WWE product and Kofi went with the company line that exposure is key for WWE's product.
"I think it attracts a new type of audience who might not tune into wrestling usually," Kofi told the U.K. Sun to promote this week's European Tour. "The more people we can get to and the greater our audience is then the better. I think the guest host thing is a great idea, and seems to be working."
Caldwell's Analysis: The guest-hosting concept could go on for quite a while until WWE runs out of relevant celebrities or legends from wrestling, so it's hard to tell at this early stage whether the bad outweigh the good. The bad being a weekly distraction from the "pro wrestling elements" of storytelling that annoy wrestling fans who will tune in because it's wrestling. The good being constant mentions on ESPN, MTV, etc. and more people reading/hearing about WWE to expose the brand. As a publicly-trade company, WWE can't get to the point where the wrestling fans have been driven away in droves because that will start affecting the bottom line. That won't happen in the short-term, but it's something to watch out for over time.
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