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CALDWELL'S BLOG: Hitting the hot topics - Raw tonight, Turning Point vs. Survivor Series, Jesse Ventura, Brock Lesnar, Shane McMahon
Nov 16, 2009 - 4:49:38 PM
Refreshingly, TNA created buzz with what happened inside the ring from bell-to-bell at last night's Turning Point PPV. WWE has indirectly responded with two significant announcements today to shift the focus away from TNA in the wrestling world. Plus, UFC is handling Brock Lesnar's mystery career-threatening ailment and Shane McMahon is talking to UFC. I'll hit on some of the high points from the past 24 hours.
-- Tonight's edition of WWE Raw from MSG will complete the Raw brand's hype for the Survivor Series PPV on Sunday. WWE's "Big Four" PPVs have taken hits this year, with the Royal Rumble down 15.6 percent, WrestleMania down 9.3 percent, and Summerslam down 22.6 percent compared to last year.
Last year's Survivor Series PPV drew 319,000 buys, which is within reach this year, but WWE is not in a favorable position based on the weak build-up for John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H main event featuring three of WWE's top stars.
WWE could very well decide to "flip the switch" with the final hype for Survivor Series on tonight's edition of Raw, but they will need to be more careful in the future to establish clear, compelling issues for their main event PPV matches weeks in advance and not waiting until the final week to hammer home the sales pitch.
TNA made a statement last night. They delivered two outstanding wrestling matches that could have indicated what's to come every month of the year. In an economic environment where consumers are watching their spending more carefully, wrestling fans are going to be making choices on WWE or TNA PPVs. Up until now, TNA has been too inconsistent from month-to-month to be a serious threat to WWE's PPV business.
However, on Sunday night, a general wrestling fan with an option to order one PPV this month could have taken one look at TNA's PPV card with Angle vs. Wolfe and Joe vs. Daniels vs. Styles compared to where WWE was standing with their Survivor Series build-up and made a very reasonable decision to pick TNA over a "Big Four" WWE PPV. WWE can't wait to "flip the switch" if TNA is going to become a serious PPV player with a serious approach to delivering satisfying wrestling content.
-- WWE made two significant announcements today announcing the renewal of their TV rights deal with USA Network to continue airing Raw and Jesse Ventura guest-hosting next week's three-hour Raw. We'll have to wait and see, but WWE could be entering dangerous "information overload" territory on Raw tonight trying to promote Survivor Series on Sunday and a three-hour Raw next week. Don't forget WWE wants to make money off Hulk Hogan with a Hogan Anthology DVD coming out on Tuesday.
The three-hour Raw has been on the schedule for nearly two months, but WWE chose not to announce the special episode until today. WWE even announced the three-hour Raw for December ahead of next week's three-hour show.
With WWE in a position where they need to "flip the switch" on the Survivor Series hype while also surprising viewers with advertising to tune in an hour earlier next week, this could make for an interesting balancing act on Raw tonight.
-- I believe we're beyond the point of being surprised when Jesse Ventura decides to collect another paycheck from the wrestling business or promote a project using a wrestling platform. In this case, Ventura is returning to the WWE fold for one night to promote his new TV show less than nine months after suggesting he would have requested a federal investigation of WWE if he were elected to a Senate seat in 2008.
It's a reminder of 1999 when Ventura was outspoken against WWE following the death of Owen Hart, but then Ventura changed his tune when WWE offered him a hefty check to play special referee at Summerslam 1999. Perhaps Ventura will be scripted to interact with Ted DiBiase, Jr. on Raw this coming Monday to draw an imaginary line to DiBiase's father, who reminded the audience during his heyday in WWE that "Everyone Has a Price."
-- UFC president Dana White is not sharing good news on Brock Lesnar's physical condition. The AP picked up the story with quotes from White that Lesnar has asked him not to share the specifics on how bad it is.
"He's got mono, and he's got something else wrong with him. I know what's wrong with him; he just doesn't want me talking about it," White told TSN in Canada. "He is not well, and he is not getting any better. ... He's got a lot of problems."
If Lesnar is out of the sport for good, which White suggested to TMZ is a possibility, then UFC will need more star-power to replace Lesnar, who brings in mainstream attention, advertising, and PPV buys.
Enter Shane McMahon, who has studied the art of character development and marketing under papa Vince. If Shane hooks up with White, it could be a dynamic duo of 40-something executives who could create a monster brand. (To show how close in age they are, Shane turns 40-years-old in January, while White turned 40 a few months ago in July.)
One area UFC hasn't fully capitalized on with the popularity of their brand is apparel licensing. The success of the first UFC video game shows how much potential there is for UFC to increase revenue streams beyond regular PPV events.
Torch editor Wade Keller said in a recent hotline that at this point, UFC should have their own stores in shopping malls across the country based on how hot the brand is. Shane would bring the know-how and experience in the marketplace to help draw out revenue from the popularity of the brand, similar to how you couldn't walk into a shopping mall during the late 1990s without seeing a Steve Austin, NWO, or ECW t-shirt.
Details are still sketchy on Shane's actual involvement after "just having talks" with White, but Shane & White would make for a dangerous combination of young, hungry executives. Send feedback on this article to pwtorch@gmail.com and we'll regularly publish reader feedback in the "Torch Feedback" category on the Main Listing.
