Prior to WWE’s effects presentation in the 2020 quarter, LightShed Partners, a New York-based technology, media and telecommunications company, released a scathing report on WWE’s business, which experienced sharp drops on almost all applicable Key Functionality Indicators (KPIs).
The report, in particular, denounced WWE’s many nuanced artistic pitfalls with the unique kind of investigation absent from shareholders.
Despite WWE’s record earnings, shareholders have begun to catch up on their litany of struggles (which are lately masked through a couple of $1 billion televised deals with FOX and NBCUniversal) as evidenced by recent giant opposition moves to the fight on behalf of shareholders. . With major posts like Variety also accumulating WWE record ratings, the promotion will make it difficult to hide those obvious considerations from your investors.
LightShed Partners rightly noted that the existing decline in WWE ratings, which featured several record numbers on Raw and SmackDown, persisted long before COVID-19. The company also reported that Vince McMahon, and his existingly uncomegrated administration, deserved a special duty for WWE’s artistic deficiencies.
“COVID or not COVID, creation turns out to be in the middle of problems,” the report notes (h/t 411 Mania).
“Vince McMahon has stated that things have to be replaced several times. However, there have been short-lived experiments, the content turns out to continually return to a similar formula under its absolute control. McMahon went on to rent artistic chefs for Raw and SmackDown a year ago, with Paul Heyman leading Raw and Eric Bischoff at the helm of SmackDown. None of them are in their roles a year later. Bischoff was fired after four months of paintings and Heyman was released last month. The paper is now consolidated under Bruce Prichard. »
WWE recently implemented a scapegoat strategy that claimed the directing career of Eric Bischoff and, more recently, Paul Heyman, who fired on 2Q-20 overdue as ratings continued to erode. Former WWE co-chairs George Barrios and Michelle Wilson were two unexpected layoffs in early 2020 (shortly after 4Q-19), which led to the implosion of WWE’s stock.
The report also focused on WWE’s inability to create new stars, which is one of the many WWE Achilles heels in Cena’s absence.
“More generally, there have been very few young skills that have been damaged through their path to fill the intermediate point of stars in the male division. This has made the company more vulnerable to injuries/absences from big stars. Much of the skill with the strength of the charm ages. And the big attractions of the main occasions have been to bring back even older fighters like Goldberg and The Undertaker. It’s a bandage, not a long-term strategy.
Regardless of its position in front of the public, WWE will be involved in the detail where this report, which targets investor readers, criticizes its business practices and wrestling philosophy.
Note specifically how Paul Heyman’s vision of creating young stars has been undermined by an inept art staff is the kind of complaint imposed on WWE among close fans of the product on Twitter, and perhaps even NPR, but never from Wall Street.
Although the broadcast of big names such as Disney, HBO Max and Peacock (which already streams WWE content) was introduced since wwe’s last TV contract, the report concluded that WWE’s payment would be minimized if ratings did not improve. Triple H has stood out as a possible bright spot that help may make a difference.
WWE did not respond to a request for comment. This article will be updated if and when.
I’m a professional wrestling columnist and video blogger for a leading national sports online page since 2010, and before Bleacher Report, where I’m a WWE columnist and
I’m a professional wrestling columnist and video blogger for a nation-leading online sports online page since 2010, and before Bleacher Report, where I’m a WWE columnist and host of the nearly 100-episode WTF virtual series. In 2012, I participated in Bleacher Report’s documentary “Why We Watch” about Kurt Angle’s career. I graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara with a primary in business economics, a specialization in accounting and a major in sports management.
I created the YouTube pro Wrestling Bits channel. Subscribe to bit.ly/deezbits