With the fiscal year ending in WWE, expected cutbacks began this past week as WWE announced eliminating at least ten administrative employees. They will “answer” to shareholders and the media later in the month.
Because of the budget crisis within the company, budget cuts are expected to impact how many departments within the company. These cuts will go into effect soon and will accompany reorganization of departments within the company. According to Dave Meltzer, a business review will be ordered of every department in the next few weeks. So this will be a busy month.
WrestleMania drew well below expectations in April and so did the other forms of revenue.
My personal belief is that the WWE need be brought to task for what is really ailing their company and from every standpoint, it’s not too much clerical staff or financial mismanagement at that level, but rather a loss of touch with the fundamentals of their product. WWE wants to reorganize and redirect departments but that’s not the problem. The problem is what is being relegated to simply “another section that’s doing fine”. That’s right: it’s all because the ad market is soft, the departments need to reorganize, the business is cyclical, the fans don’t believe it’s a work anymore, Lou Thesz is dead, the war hurt the ratings, and any other excuse that can be thrown at the situation.
But let’s get real. If you want to eliminate any person… let it be Vince for losing control of his product in all the cases it matters. Better yet, why hasn’t Stephanie had to account for, in written form, why under her leadership, the wrestling aspect of the company has done poorly and it just so happened that it coincided with when she took the seat as head booker. Ms. McMahon has not been brought to task for the fact that under Vince Russo and Chris Kreski the product was viable and successful economically but when, in late 2000, Ms. McMahon stepped in, the product and profit margin have been atrocious. Paul Heyman was brought to task, and although I do not agree with that decision, I will give WWE the benefit of the doubt. What about RAW head writer Brian Gerwertz? He has been in the brand head writer position longer than Paul Heyman was, so where has he had to account for the how RAW is doing? RAW has had lower ratings than SmackDown more than less, and they are almost even on almost everything else. Let’s make sure everything is on the up-and-up and now let’s talk about accountability.
Money is being pissed down the sink faster than ever before and it’s not society, Mrs. McMahon. It’s not an inability to identify with the ever-changing fans, Mr. McMahon. It’s not that people won’t follow what their told under your fascist rule, Ms. McMahon. And it’s not that people don’t think it’s a work anymore, Mr. Levesque. Everybody wants to play games, but the only one’s they are playing are each other – and us.
What about the accountability of the people on the shows? Paul Wight has never drawn before, so why is he being booked in a main event feud? HHH has had much time devoted to his character on RAW, so why has his run as champion been no more than mediocre?
The people that support the product demand answers and deserve them.
My email address is Thunnicutt@aol.com.
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