By Jon Cudo, PWTorch Specialist

TRUE - WWE WAS WISE TO TRADEMARK "FUTURE ENDEAVORED"

Some eyes rolled when it was revealed that WWE trademarked the phrase "Future Endeavored," then started selling t-shirts and incorporating the news of departing talent into storylines.

However, in any business, it is important to maintain and protect intellectual property, which is what this is. The move also creates a chance of merchandising income, notwithstanding the question of just who buys a John Laurinaitis t-shirt (especially after I just spent all that money on a Mike Adamle hat).

Also, announcing on both TV and the web that a talent has been released helps mute the impact of a wrestler appearing on TNA in 90 days. Instead of being a top talent who jumped to compete on another show, departing talent like John Morrison become just a cast-away looking for a job. Although in a different context, Lex Luger doesn't shock the Mall of America shoppers at the first Nitro if WWF noted his release along with some warm wishes a month earlier.

The approach seems novel, but it's really just smart business.

FALSE - WWE'S TWITTER OBSESSION IS CHILDISH

Getting through a two-hour Raw without being put off by constant notifications that "Cena's Lady Parts," "Jinder Mahal," and "Singapore Cane" are trending on Twitter has been challenging in recent months. Many people have pointed to a desire for instant gratification or a a childish obsession to be popular. In recent weeks, there are strong indications that this obsession is something more.

First, WWE changed from noting the Twitter names of talent and pushing hashtags to asking people to join the discussion on a special social network page on their website. This move marks a more
deliberate attempt to monetize all of this trendiness as well as begin to harness the masses who use social media to communicate.

Now that the WWE Network plan is coming into focus, it has become clear that one of the major obstacles between mass clearances and failure will be consumer demand. WWE now has a powder keg of demand (demand for WrestleMania and other programming) and a growing fuse in social media to spark that demand.

For example, if next February WWE announces that the Network goes live on WrestleMania Weekend and the ONLY way to see The Rock and John Cena and WrestleMania 28 will be if your cable company has the WWE Network available to viewers....the demand will be at an all-time high.

Next is the call to action. While "Call Your Local Cable Company" is a time-tested phrase, it's only part of the modern day demand process. Email and on-line demand leads the way, and what better way to activate the masses to your cause than to have millions actively engaged with your product already via social media. To have thousands of followers broadcasting to their hundreds of friends that they can see Cena, Rock, and WrestleMania for a lot less than the usual $60 if their cable company adds this network to its line-up...and all they have to do is demand this channel.

When social media expanded, businesses looked for reasons and methods to justify its use. I often heard the anecdote of a cable company executive who was following Twitter feeds searching for the company name. What he found was a customer ranting on Twitter about poor service and the long line he was waiting in. As the story goes, the executive literally went down to the line of people waiting to greet the customer and help soothe the situation. I was reminded of this since it was the first example I heard with a company reacting in real-time to social media...and it was a cable company. [Side note: I have heard the story on several occasions, but have no assurance of its authenticity.]

Providing your most passionate fans with the tools to demand a new service at the time you offer the most in-demand event in years? That's not childish, that's brilliant.

TDB - THE NETWORK WILL KEEP CENA BABYFACE

As news of the Network comes in (cheap plug for the Daily Keller Hotline on December 6, which does an amazing job explaining what's happening) it has dawned on me this story is absolutely huge. It could potentially be bigger than WCW's collapse, bigger than the Benoit story, and exponentially bigger than the Raw GM storyline or who's behind Nexus. In fact, it is so big that the rest of WWE's product revolves around it.

Including John Cena.

Conventional wisdom has pointed to a Cena turn sometime between WrestleMania 27 and the Rock vs. Cena match at WrestleMania 28. Small clues and the advantages of creating a more classic face versus heel situation in Miami has lead many to believe a Cena turn is forthcoming. Add in the rejection of Cena by a large part of the fanbase and the strong case that the babyface Cena character has run its course, and the pieces start to fall into place for a heel turn for the ages.

However, when an entire business model depends on getting the entire WWE universe to speak at once to their cable providers to add the WWE Network, WWE may need the face of their company, top draw, and lead babyface to be in a position to sell that call to action to fans. And, sell it as a babyface.

Heels selling the company line or promoting the brand simply doesn't work as well as babyfaces, just ask Michael Cole.

WWE has embraced Twitter potentially as a means to amplify its voice. Now, it may also need a popular babyface John Cena, along with a popular Rock and the huge WrestleMania name to maximize demand.

There are a lot of reasons to turn Cena heel, but none are larger than the reason to keep him as a babyface...the WWE Network's future and the future of WWE may depend on it.

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Jon Cudo is the newest PWTorch Specialist, presenting the "True-False-TBD" format. Jon has worked in the sports entertainment industry for over 20 years, including major league sports teams and Nike. He has been a life-long pro wrestling fan and has attended WWE, WCW, and ROH events in person, including backstage access at multiple events. He grew up in Minnesota and now lives in Cleveland. He runs his own business, www.GameOps.com, a web site designed to connect sports teams and event producers with ideas and tools that will enhance the entertainment value for fans attending their events.

[Torch art credit Grant Gould (c) PWTorch.com]

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