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

[Keith Houchen]

33 minutes ago, ElBigFella said:

My instinct here is that someone with an agenda is briefing something in order to push a deal with PIF along, rather than there actually being a deal.. However, let's say WWE does get sold to the Saudi PIF, what happens when the TV deals are up again? The LIV Golf series (which I understand is the Saudi states attempt to compete with the PGA Tour) have had to pay Fox for a slot on FS1. At a time when content has never been more valuable, I think this speaks volumes. If you count Raw, Smackdown and the Peacock deal, you're looking at approx. $750 Million per year - well over half WWE's total revenue. I'm sure that the Saudis would be able to secure something, but surely this sends alarm bells ringing?

This honestly just reaks of Vince wanting to cash in and run.

The biggest difference between this and the golf is their golf was a new venture going up against the established pinnacle. Here, they’d be buying the pinnacle. The golf is like the XFL going up against the NFL. This is like Vince buying the NFL instead of starting a competition brand. 

[garynysmon]

1 hour ago, Jonny Vegas said:

I think WWE has never had less casual fans either, even at the last two UK house shows I've been to in Newcastle and Glasgow they were 65% full AT BEST for shows usually you'd struggle to get a ticket for at all.

I think the hardcore fans have probably never been more aware and consciencious (sp) and Tony Khan must be rubbing his hands together right now.

That's what I've struggled to reconcile over recent years tbh. The WWE has found a way to monetise its content and rake in mega money, but absolutely nothing suggests that wrestling is popular outside of its hardcore fanbase.

I took my nephew to a house show in Liverpool last year and it was 2/3 full at best. OK you can argue that Clash in the Castle was a huge success but that drew in people from across the UK and western Europe. I know of some who went, living in Cardiff, who hadn't watched a wrestling show before and hadn't since, it was like going to a monster truck rally in the Millennium Stadium or something, just an evening's entertainment.

You never see many WWE toys in shops and I can't remember the last wrestling t-shirt I saw while out and about.

Edited January 11, 2023 by garynysmon

[mim731]

1 minute ago, garynysmon said:

You never see many WWE toys in shops

In fairness, they have tonnes of them in the toy shops. The Entertainer always has a load of them without fail.

On a side note, I actually quite enjoy that The Entertainer won't sell Harry Potter stuff because it might attract kids to the occult and conflicts with their religious values, but they will happily stock toys from a company where the founder once had a match against God and won. 

[Bohan]

12 minutes ago, garynysmon said:

That's what I've struggled to reconcile over recent years tbh. The WWE has found a way to monetise its content and rake in mega money, but absolutely nothing suggests that wrestling is popular outside of its hardcore fanbase.

I took my nephew to a house show in Liverpool last year and it was 2/3 full at best. OK you can argue that Clash in the Castle was a huge success but that drew in people from across the UK and western Europe. I know of some who went, living in Cardiff, who hadn't watched a wrestling show before and hadn't since, it was like going to a monster truck rally in the Millennium Stadium or something, just an evening's entertainment.

You never see many WWE toys in shops and I can't remember the last wrestling t-shirt I saw while out and about.

The largest toy store in the UK - Smyth's has a huge section dedicated to WWE and carry all the latest releases, The second biggest toy retailer The Entertainer also has a dedicated WWE section.

[Devon Malcolm]

24 minutes ago, garynysmon said:

You never see many WWE toys in shops and I can't remember the last wrestling t-shirt I saw while out and about.

To be honest, I never used to see wrestling shirts out and about during its 90s peak either. A very occasional Austin 3:16 shirt and that's still the case now.

[FUM]

Yeah I think the point about toys is just a poor memory and possibly not shopping in toy shops or aisles often. When I was young, there was one shop in Glasgow that you knew would have wrestling figures to have a browse at (god bless you A1 Toys!) but the rest of the stores it was a shock to see any.

Now you can dive into B&M and get wrestling figures if you fancy. Heck, I’ve even seen Poundland with the odd wrestling item lately.

[PunkStep]

Wrestling figures are well stocked in every toy store. Huge sections in Smyths etc, and if they didn't sell they wouldn't bother and give more shelf space to Roblox Nerf guns or Pokemon.

The thing is, with 10yo and 13yo kids, being a coach of an U11 football team and having nieces and nephews galore, I can count on one hand how many kids I know that like wrestling. These figures are surely bought by grown men.

[Loki]

CNBC are saying it was all bollocks.  When will we learn - wrestling journalists are not real journalists.

Edited January 11, 2023 by Loki

[FUM]

14 minutes ago, Loki said:

CNBC are saying it was all bollocks.  When will we learn - wrestling journalists are not real journalists.

To be fair, most of the respected journalists were saying they hadn’t heard much and couldn’t get an answer from WWE. It was fans who ran with it on the back of one tweet.

[JakeRobertsParoleOfficer]

Probably more for a different topic but wrestling which was such a big part of my life, now just feels so distant and almost like its not there anymore. 

In a weird way like when your 14 you watched 'home and away' and it was a topic of conversation and then you grew up and then accidentally chance upon it in yours 30s, and its a shock its still there as no one in your social circle has ever referenced it. 

Last time I was into it was TNA in 2010 when the nWo returned (the band), as I was regailing my kids on nWo history. When that died off so did my love affair with wrestling really. 

Now when I see the product and how stale it was/is and how bland (to me) the wrestlers are I just can't connect and see how it's popular, let such a money spinner. Then again I'm 42 and enjoyed its glory years, and when u look at the toys in smyths (with kids) I look and think (the hasbro Earthquake pisses on that dolph ziggler) 

 

 

[Hannibal Scorch]

@garynysmonunless the shops you don’t see wrestling toys in are Lush or The Body Shop, I don’t know how you drew that conclusion. I’ve never known them to be more available and I assume that’s more to do with Mattel now having the licence than anything. Asda, Sainsburys Tescos, toy shops, B&M, Home Bargains, Wilko… they are everywhere (Even AEW got a decent availability for a while, though they’ve pulled out now in the UK). 

[Guest]

There’s lots to the world if you go watch something else mate, I went to local shows for 4 years and took the pandemic for me to realise I was going outta habit than getting enjoyment near the end. If this is your moment where you feel wrestling’s not for you, don’t fight it. Go see what else is for you entertainment wise and I’m sure you will come back to wrestling at some point when the fire lights again 

[David]

12 hours ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

It’s interesting. I’m amazed no one outside the WWE has taken a look yet, and gone ‘we might need to stop this’.

The NFL/MLB/MLS/NBA etc etc would never be allowed to sell to a foreign government, so I’ll be amazed if the WWE get a completely free pass. 
 

In this country there’d at least be restrictions on sale.

Such a shame if it does go Saudi.

Was there restrictions on the Saudi's buying Newcastle? I know the FA didn't like it initially, but then the next thing I knew the deal was done and there was lots of pissed Geordies in thobes and ghutras or whatever they're called.

Did the UK government have any real say?

[Bohan]

2 hours ago, PunkStep said:

Wrestling figures are well stocked in every toy store. Huge sections in Smyths etc, and if they didn't sell they wouldn't bother and give more shelf space to Roblox Nerf guns or Pokemon.

The thing is, with 10yo and 13yo kids, being a coach of an U11 football team and having nieces and nephews galore, I can count on one hand how many kids I know that like wrestling. These figures are surely bought by grown men.

There was a recent report on action figure buying which went into great detail how it's adult collectors that keep the whole figure market alive.  You're definitely right, I mean the odd parent may shell out for one of the basic range at £9.99 a pop but can't see many parents popping into Smyth's and getting their kid the latest series of Elites at £25 a pop!

[SuperBacon]

30 minutes ago, David said:

Did the UK government have any real say?

I suppose it would've been quite hard to say anything, when they're selling them £b's of weapons every year.