PWTorch.com - REPORT: How Brock Lesnar's announcement & the timing changed the Network game heading into WrestleMania

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REPORT: How Brock Lesnar's announcement & the timing changed the Network game heading into WrestleMania

Mar 25, 2015 - 2:10:43 PM

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By James Caldwell, PWTorch assistant editor

Former WWE announcer Jim Ross wrote a very key sentence about Brock Lesnar re-signing with WWE and the timing of the announcement in his latest blog at jrsbarbq.com previewing WrestleMania 31.

"Great 'get' by WWE Chairman Vince McMahon which virtually guarantees huge subscribers to the WWE Network for WrestleMania," Ross blogged.

WWE could have waited until after WrestleMania to announce that Lesnar has re-signed, but WWE managed to get Lesnar on SportsCenter during WrestleMania Week to announce that he is staying with WWE as opposed to returning to UFC.

At a time when outspoken, front-row, big spending WWE fans are frustrated with the direction of the product, especially the prospect of Roman Reigns on top, WWE needed some goodwill heading into Mania. They also needed to erase the memory of how the final Raw before WrestleMania ended with the childish and silly tug-of-war with the WWE World Title.

Most importantly for WrestleMania, WWE needed to plant seeds of anything other than Reigns leaving WrestleMania as WWE champion to create positive sentiment for their biggest event of the year.

Lesnar playing a total babyface on ESPN, talking about his decision being "for the fans," and vowing to beat up Reigns at WrestleMania hit on all the big marketing points to try to erase negative sentiment.

Will Lesnar straight-up win? Will Seth Rollins at least cash in MITB on Reigns? Will Lesnar squash Reigns like John Cena at Summerslam?

Lesnar's decision and the presentation of the announcement instantly helped WWE's "approval rating." At the very least, it will engage a crowd that was either (a) going to go "WrestleMania 20" on Lesnar if they knew he was leaving or (b) catcall Roman Reigns and poo-poo the WrestleMania main event if it was 100 percent obvious that Reigns was winning.

At most, WWE set themselves up for big Network business. With the Network being so vital to WWE's short-term and long-term business, WWE now has a three-stage attack. (1) Lesnar announced he re-signed with WWE during Mania Week. (2) Delivery of the actual WrestleMania PPV on Sunday. (3) Announce new Network programming the day after WrestleMania in Vince McMahon's conference call to try to avoid losing subscribers post-WM31.

"While many complained about the 'build' to this WrestleMania being tepid in the eyes of some, the game changed drastically when Lesnar declared his intentions on ESPN Tuesday," Ross wrote.

WWE needed to change the conversation. Instead of people venting and being frustrated about the build-up and how they expect Mania to end, now they're talking about a whole new world of booking possibilities. That optimism should carry over to the WrestleMania main event. WWE hopes it will carry over to Network business.

[ LINK: Ross's Blog HERE ]

[Torch art credit Travis Beaven (c) PWTorch.com]