Vince McMahon is back. "I hear ya a racist now, father?"

[RandyMarsh]

6 hours ago, Daddymagic said:

Screenshot old comments where someone had taken the piss and how everyone is a bully, you know the drill. 
 

Think it was something about having a wank over his mam 

This post has now been mentioned, so obviously anyone who’s seen his boxing videos knows just how dangerous he is ?

considering he is lurking here, Bowler, can you not do some free pies in memory of Linda at least.

it’s been years.

Edited January 7, 2023 by RandyMarsh

[RedRooster]

4 hours ago, RandyMarsh said:

considering he is lurking here, Bowler, can you not do some free pies in memory of Linda at least.

C’mon man, using someone’s dead mum to mock them is an objectively shitty thing to do. 

[d-d-d-dAz]

8 hours ago, GlennCullen said:

His return has spiked the share price, so the plans he has are very much in play.

This is astonishingly generous.

The share price spiked because him coming back probably confirms a sale. And sales of profitable companies are attractive to investors looking for a quick return.

His leaving spiked the price for a bit too, as people presumed then that it would increase the chances of a sale. The price fell again because Trippers and his mates seemed to lose energy for selling and just seemed happy growing their operational costs and booking wrestling shows.

Edited January 7, 2023 by d-d-d-dAz

[GlennCullen]

1 hour ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

This is astonishingly generous.

The share price spiked because him coming back probably confirms a sale. And sales of profitable companies are attractive to investors looking for a quick return.

His leaving spiked the price for a bit too, as people presumed then that it would increase the chances of a sale. The price fell again because Trippers and his mates seemed to lose energy for selling and just seemed happy growing their operational costs and booking wrestling shows.

The above is no different from what I implied. Vince is back on the board, wants to sell, and the market is ready for him to sell. Regaining that position gives him extra leverage to try and influence the sale towards a buyer agreeable with him retaining a degree of control. 

Edited January 7, 2023 by GlennCullen

[d-d-d-dAz]

37 minutes ago, GlennCullen said:

The above is no different from what I implied. Vince is back on the board, wants to sell, and the market is ready for him to sell. Regaining that position gives him extra leverage to try and influence the sale towards a buyer agreeable with him retaining a degree of control. 

I don’t know that it’s quite the same.

Had Nick Khan said on the investor call they were entering into a sale situation, you’d likely have seen an even bigger rise as the sale news is good, but also the complicating factor isn’t there.

No private investor of repute will want Vince around, yet a condition of his sale is apparently that he must be. That’s probably why he’s back, thinking about it - he’s concerned they were going to enter into a sale phase, and if it was sold without him around he’d never have a way back in:

Sales are very good for investors, this probably the least good of the available options.

Still, it’s an interesting time as the actions of the business since Vince left aren’t the actions of a business that wants to sell particularly. They’ve hired an absolute shit tonne of people, both talent and otherwise. If they’re going to aggressively pursue a sale now, I’d expect to see a lot of people leaving and very few people being hired.

Any AEW stars who might have thought about using WWE as leverage are probably feeling a bit concerned about now.

Edited January 7, 2023 by d-d-d-dAz

[Infinity Land]

6 minutes ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

Still, it’s an interesting time as the actions of the business since Vince left aren’t the actions of a business that wants to sell particularly. They’ve hired an absolute shit tonne of people, both talent and otherwise.

As much as the hiring spree would have set alarm bells ringing in Vince's head. The NXT global expansion would have had topped it. Buying smaller wrestling companies, performance centres in multiple countries, all that talent being signed. All that money being burned through for no real financial gain as they're tied into exclusive media rights.

The only NXT Japan or NXT Europe that Vince would want to hear about would be attractions in Disneyland Tokyo and Paris or Universal Studios.

[69MeDon]

Apparently there is the potential for a Saudi consortium to buy the company. Which would fit into Vince's plans for selling the company, while still remaining in control of it. It would also fit WWE loving Saudi money, despite everything.

[Guest]

57 minutes ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

 

No private investor of repute will want Vince around,

Sorry but investors don’t care who they deal with if money is to be made . They work with drug lords and dictators, Vinces indiscretions won’t scare any of them away at that level of money involved 

[Merzbow]

Was Jan 6th chosen on purpose?

[hallicks]

Wasn’t the whole “I want to sell but remain involved/on screen character/head of creative” Dixie’s thing that torpedoed TNA as a relatively viable/mainstream proposition? Though if it does go to Saudi, can see them making it work for Vince to stick around. 

[d-d-d-dAz]

1 hour ago, Louch said:

Sorry but investors don’t care who they deal with if money is to be made . They work with drug lords and dictators, Vinces indiscretions won’t scare any of them away at that level of money involved 

I mean, this isn’t true.

The media industry absolutely will care about buying something if a 77 year old sex pest with Vince’s baggage demands he stays as Chair.

Like, I get it, ‘capitalism bad’ and all that silly sixth form stuff - but the realistic buyers are probably Comcast, with Amazon and Disney as possible outside picks.

None of them will want to keep Vince around if they’re taking ownership. That isn’t how Hollywood works now. It’s just not.

They’re not trying to onboard investment from obscure hedge funds. This is a private sale, and the realistic buyers will be based on the West Coast of America, and will want a clean sever.

The idea of selling to Saudi Arabia simply isn’t credible and I can’t see any realistic route to it happening. To the point, actually, where it might become a political issue. If they were selling a minority stake, then sure, someone from a sketchy company would invest and keep the old goat around.

But a full sale to a credible media company is complicated by Vince being part of it.

[Guest]

Saudi Arabia's top-level interest in WWE is as an international endorsement of their country and regime. Buying the company outright would mean visibly trading America's mouth for their own lipstick-painted hand, somewhat weakening the message both domestically and overseas.

[d-d-d-dAz]

8 minutes ago, Uncle Zeb said:

Saudi Arabia's top-level interest in WWE is as an international endorsement of their country and regime. Buying the company outright would mean visibly trading America's mouth for their own lipstick-painted hand, somewhat weakening the message both domestically and overseas.

I also just do not think the historical resources of WWE will be easily passed to a potentially hostile foreign buyer.

You’ve got to think, the WWE have however many years of ties to federal and local law enforcement, politicians, secret service… even logistical supply chains in terms of putting on big events. They’ll know intimately the design and operations of pretty much every major transport route in North America and every major public gathering spot. They’ll have connections with every major contractor in North America - be that catering, or security, or building, or travel or whatever else. They’ve worked closely with presidents. 
 

The WWE is American as apple pie, and they’re not a team, they’re an entire sports monolith in their own right. 

It just feels like such a massive resource to be allowed to be handed over to the investment fund of a foreign government. 

Edited January 7, 2023 by d-d-d-dAz

[Guest]

1 hour ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

I mean, this isn’t true.

The media industry absolutely will care about buying something if a 77 year old sex pest with Vince’s baggage demands he stays as Chair.

Like, I get it, ‘capitalism bad’ and all that silly sixth form stuff - but the realistic buyers are probably Comcast, with Amazon and Disney as possible outside picks.

None of them will want to keep Vince around if they’re taking ownership. That isn’t how Hollywood works now. It’s just not.

They’re not trying to onboard investment from obscure hedge funds. This is a private sale, and the realistic buyers will be based on the West Coast of America, and will want a clean sever.

The idea of selling to Saudi Arabia simply isn’t credible and I can’t see any realistic route to it happening. To the point, actually, where it might become a political issue. If they were selling a minority stake, then sure, someone from a sketchy company would invest and keep the old goat around.

But a full sale to a credible media company is complicated by Vince being part of it.

We haven’t seen anything yet saying Vince will go with the company, he just wants to be front and centre where the sale is made. I don’t see why you don’t think a sale to the Saudis to keep sports washing isn’t credible, money gets things done and they have loads of it. Look at Newcastle, fit and proper means nothing to real money 

[d-d-d-dAz]

23 minutes ago, Louch said:

We haven’t seen anything yet saying Vince will go with the company, he just wants to be front and centre where the sale is made. I don’t see why you don’t think a sale to the Saudis to keep sports washing isn’t credible, money gets things done and they have loads of it. Look at Newcastle, fit and proper means nothing to real money 

A couple of reasons really.
 

1) LIV Golf haven’t been able to secure a U.S. media partner because of them being owned by the royal investment fund.

2) the US government could well try and intervene if a company of that size, with its historic ties to US policy makers, law enforcement, state infrastructure was to be sold.

It’s true about Vince that we haven’t seen anything specific about him making sure he hangs around after the sale, but everything about him suggests that’s what will happen.

The logical purchasers are a US media company as the WWE’s been a pretty solid breeding ground recently for multi-media stars, whilst itself being financially self sufficient.

If it’s a no strings attached sale that’s significantly easier, but Vince doesn’t strike me as a no strings attached guy.

https://frontofficesports.com/public-investment-fund-saudi-arabia-wwe-sale-liv-golf-vince-mcmahon/ This is a pretty good article on the potential runners and riders.