Briefcase Posted December 16, 2017 Share Posted December 16, 2017 There's lots of speculation that he will announce this in late January. Do we think he will use the Raw 25h Anniversary shows to do this? Maybe even step down from WWE? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members ColinBollocks Posted December 17, 2017 Paid Members Share Posted December 17, 2017 All this "Vince stepping down" talk is surely the least Vince move of all time? Bruce Prichard discussed the XFL on his podcast and told that basically Vince and co were so drained from the XFL that it hampered the wrestling. Vince is mental and it wouldn't surprise me if he did both again. Also, the reason he created a separate company from WWE is to reduce the risk of the stock bombing the second he announces he's doing a new football league. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abe_Knuckleball_Schwartz Posted December 17, 2017 Share Posted December 17, 2017 (edited) I thought the XFL was in principal a good idea and if given time for the idea to mature with a clear strategy and plan it could have become a successful venture. The 30 for 30 epsiode highlights that the whole product was rushed with no players signed etc. After the ratings tanked Vince went hit the panic button and made the league have "attitude" which simply did not work. Is it the right time to attempt to bring it back?  IF, teams are announced and have time to draft players, work and have the oppertunity to train those players to get them use to the XFL and the rules before the league starts then maybe it just will work and be successful (anyone who watched an early XFL game will know that the standard was not very good). But realistically, in an era were most things are available now, resulting in people having less and less patience, I personally do not think that the product will be given the time it would require for it to become a viable alternative to the NFL. The issues that the XFL revival will face is that it at the very least, short to mid term, it will always been seen as a secondary competition to the NFL, which in turn hurts revenue from potential TV deals as well as sponsorship etc. Not to mention that the XFL brand is already considered damaged goods from the original incarnation. One option maybe, short term at least could be for XFL games to be shown on the WWE Network. During a number of questionnaires issued by the WWE they have indicated that they are considering price brackets for the Network. Potentially, the Network could show game(s) alongside a "game of the week" on a network television platform. As the article indicates that any XFL revival will be run as a seperate identity from the WWE. Therefore, the chances of the above happening does seem remote and if the XFL has any chance of becoming succesful, I feel it must be run as a seperate identity, as wrestling has always been considered a joke to most media outlets. Also, any XFL revival may hurt WWE stock value, which could create further issues. Edited December 17, 2017 by Abe_Knuckleball_Schwartz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Really Big Shoe Posted December 17, 2017 Share Posted December 17, 2017 18 hours ago, ColinBollocks said: I think/hope Vince realises he cheapened his league significantly by trying to make it "edgy", which along with the sub-par product turned people off. If he doesn't learn from his mistakes then he's got absolutely no chance. You imagine that 30 fro 30 and seeing Bob Costas and co scoff at Vince has been eating away at Vince since he saw the documentary. Hopefully so. He has to learn from his mistakes this time around. Bob Costas came across really badly in the 30 for 30 and seemed to have an axe to grind with Vince. I think he has to give adequate planning time to build the XFL this time around. Will he reactivate the old teams etc and the same concepts etc, which would save a lot of planning since the infrastructure so to speak is there. I think him bringing back the XFL as a big FU to Costas and co isn't the way to go. Vinces primary business is pro wrestling and ideally that should be his #1 focus. I don't think he has a Football background it would be different if it were say someone like The Rock as he played for the Miami Hurricanes, in the CFL and does the Ballers show so he still seemingly has an interest. I don't know if Vince McMahon follows the NFL or is a football fan himself. He needs to have that passion for the game otherwise he'll fail again. Unless he gets a Football guy in to run operations and just be a figurehead. Now he's older I'm assuming he will just be the financier and get the right people involved. Being at the forefront and being PT Barnum of the XFL will be a mistake again.  Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members ColinBollocks Posted December 17, 2017 Paid Members Share Posted December 17, 2017 You should give Bruce Prichard's XFL podcast a listen @Really Big Shoe, if you can be arsed. Prichard goes into detail about some of the lesser known details. According to Prichard, Vince's football knowledge isn't great, but of course, the key to fixing that is surrounding himself with people that do have a clue and listening. IIRC, a lot of the early issues came down to Vince not really understanding the rules and it leading to a more defence-friendly rule set, as well as a lack of proper coaching due to time constraints. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 17, 2017 Share Posted December 17, 2017 While it may be as simple as reacting to the 30 for 30 programme, the possibility of this being a Trump-approved effort to support his public feud with the NFL leaves a bad taste, given the McMahon family's already strong connections with the Whitesupremecy House. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D@mm Posted December 17, 2017 Share Posted December 17, 2017 Meltzer was saying that cos the way live sports is presented these days with it being all about making content that is the reason why Vince probably wants to give it another go. He also said that when Vince did the XFL originally that all the staff there including himself was knackered. It also had an affect on the WWE cos literally after the XFL closed the WWE suffered for it. Â Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d-d-d-dAz Posted December 17, 2017 Share Posted December 17, 2017 He's going the opposite way, then. Â Sounds like it'll be a populist thing designed solely for Trumpets who have got fed up with the NFL. Â Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merzbow Posted December 17, 2017 Share Posted December 17, 2017 My money is on the Washington Whiteskins to take the first championship. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members ColinBollocks Posted December 17, 2017 Paid Members Share Posted December 17, 2017 Yeah, the Kentucky Confederates finish bottom because Vince hates southern accents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d-d-d-dAz Posted December 17, 2017 Share Posted December 17, 2017 I really love how in depth some of the analysis of this has been. Lots of talk about long term strategies and league development and nice things like that. It appears word hasn’t spread to the football world that Vince doesn’t care about football. He’s a bank robber. He’ll just run the scam until he’s found out and it stops making money. Thats the thing I find most fascinating about Vince. For a man who’s life has been solely about entertainment, and in lots of different mediums besides wrestling, he seems to be almost maniacally dispassionate about entertainment. I genuinely can’t imagine him watching and enjoying a film, for example. Bodybuilding is about the one thing he ever seemed to truly enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Really Big Shoe Posted December 17, 2017 Share Posted December 17, 2017 3 hours ago, ColinBollocks said: You should give Bruce Prichard's XFL podcast a listen @Really Big Shoe, if you can be arsed. Prichard goes into detail about some of the lesser known details. According to Prichard, Vince's football knowledge isn't great, but of course, the key to fixing that is surrounding himself with people that do have a clue and listening. IIRC, a lot of the early issues came down to Vince not really understanding the rules and it leading to a more defence-friendly rule set, as well as a lack of proper coaching due to time constraints. Thanks @ColinBollocks that podcast sounds interesting so I'll check it out. Will give the XFL 30 for 30 another watch too. I can't think of anyone come to mind who Vince could bring in with in depth footage knowledge as his right hand man. Maybe say Mike Dikta but his personality can be as brash as Vinces. Really it's like how he went about things in the early 80s and starting to build something new from there like he did with taking the WWF national. The NFL won't fall over like the territory system did though so he needs more so to be a complement to the NFL, more so a hybrid of the USFL and XFL 1.0 with more action packed football so to speak. Or find a niche to appeal to the jaded NFL fan. With the public interest in CTE high etc he can't really offer smash mouth high intense football to the detriment of the players or down the line he'll have a mass class action lawsuit to handle like the NFL did. So really an NFL alternative with today's landscape doesn't make much logical sense unless he has some hidden formula to make you want to tune in. Unless there's something like an angle they work where the tackles are less intense etc but that doesn't seem very Vince like. I think with so much choice nowadays you really need a superb product to garner public interest. Vinces main audience will be predominantly wrestling fans and football fans whereas the NFL gets a ton of mainstream interest because it's part of the fabric of American culture. With a resurgence in NBA popularity and baseball I'm wondering whether they'd be better venture opportunities to consider with there being more possible action packed games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVM Posted December 17, 2017 Share Posted December 17, 2017 Quite surprised MMA hasn’t been considered. It’s a fairly saturated market, but a buyout and rebrand of Bellator could be an option? As for XFL, I’m stunned that Vince is considering reviving it, but on the other hand it is Vince! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 17, 2017 Share Posted December 17, 2017 Any MMA promotion would instantly lose credibility amongst the sport's fan base if the head of WWE was to get involved. There'd be constant suspicion over each fight's legitimacy, and a western audience won't stomach the prospect of a half-work, half-shoot environment like Japan was able to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members SpursRiot2012 Posted December 17, 2017 Paid Members Share Posted December 17, 2017 Wasn't it the case that WWE didn't want to play up their connection to Trump because he's such a divisive figure? Yet I can't imagine that any new football league won't at least a little bit be spurred on by Trump as a real football league where players don't dare 'disrespect' the anthem or the troops or whatever by kneeling, whereas the NFL is fake football or some shit? I can just see the tweets now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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