A buddy of mine is a Make-A-Wish wish granter and is there with his wish kid and his family. The kid met AJ Styles this afternoon and got to go in the ring with him, etc.
He’s granted more wishes than any other person (and second only to Disney), but kids can meet whomever they want.
what a fucking match... Can we get a best of 7 with Rey and Almas Miz and Shane is getting pretty good. That segment was nice. Getting some Jericho/KO vibes from these two. Not sure if this is just a big push to make Miz a baby or a long con. Its good
Apparently Lars may already have some issues, supposedly he left RAW last week without doing his scheduled dark match because he had a panic attack. Some places saying he went AWOL on wwe
Not to rile up the hornets nest again but I don’t have a problem with Kenny turning down WWE to be in AEW. If it means more to him that he has the freedom to perform how he wants then good for him and good for us in this thread who are the type to watch it. That’s the thing though, it’s only people like us in this thread who will watch it. The majority of wrestling fans don’t know who Kenny Omega is. They don’t know who the Bucks are. They only know of Cody Rhodes as dusty’s son and golddust’s brother Stardust. The reason Raw sucks chode weekly is because it is watered down to try and appeal to the biggest cross section of wrestling fans that it can. Kenny not wanting to be watered down (because he would be) is respectable, but at the same time he will never be as well known (or as well paid) as someone of his talent should be because he wasn’t in the spotlight on the biggest stage; the only stage that the majority of wrestling fans watch.
Jericho said his AEW contract is the most money he’s been paid by far. You guys think this is an Impact/ROH company. It’s not. It’s WCW money with some of the most creative minds out there behind it. Just wait until some WWE contracts expire and you see guys jumping ship. I think a ton of hardcore wrestling fans are underselling AEW. They’ll have probably the best talent relations guy in the history of the business in JR. Grab Heyman for the book, and oh baby.
where is the money going to continue to come from? is this just a passion project for the investor and he has no problem continuing to operate at a loss?
Right, this isn't like the Jags or Fulham who are propped up by massive TV contracts. WCW couldn't stay in business running the WCW model, how is a much less established brand going to do so?
I think there is probably a few shades of grey on that Jericho contract. It may be the most money he has ever been paid for the amount of dates it involves, but I highly doubt it is the most money he has ever made in a year.
However you slice it, they’re throwing serious money at people. And healthcare. Omega just turned down a once in a lifetime deal with WWE. You have to think he’s getting a comparable offer from AEW. I’d reserve judgment on how big they can get until we hear confirmation on a TV deal and see how they build their roster. I’d imagine a large portion of the WWE/NXT roster is unhappy and willing to jump ship if AEW becomes stable.
AEW has to generate cash at some point. Sure TV will probably cover production cost of a weekly show but Tony Khan wont just dump massive amounts of cash into this with zero return. He's a business man. And if AEW can't draw TV ratings that next TV deal could be on POP
this is such a crock of shit... they haven't a single clue on how this will work. When pressed on it they said its a "plan". They only thing they could confirm is they will match what WWE does when a wrestler gets hurt in ring and take care of medical care for the performer.
Tony Khan is financing a large portion of this if not all of it. From what I read that would mean wrestlers contracts. As far as TV production cost word is those cost will be covered by the TV company they end up working with. Still if your doing 4 shows a month and a PPV every 3 months that's not going to generate enough money to cover the money Tony is going to fork over if you trust the statements on paying talent like WWE does.
Rumor is TV will be something like 3 for 80 (or so), and Turner (or someone else) will pick up production costs. Of course, this all SHEETZ so, grain of salt.
All we can go on is what they’ve said. You guys have refuted Jericho’s pay, and now the healthcare. These are actual quotes. Trying to infer anything else, at this point, is just trying to argue. We should all want them to be wildly successful, and become a legit competitor to WWE. There’s a reason why we still talk about the Monday Night Wars, because it was the best era in the history of wrestling.
AEW will need houseshow revenue which I don't think will really exist for them initially. Yes, they sold out a 10k arena with months of advance notice, but if WWE can't draw house show business at the moment I don't see AEW having a big turnout in Pine Bluff, AR or Huntsville, AL.
Here is what they said. Nowhere in this do I come away with the feeling they are offering health insurance to wrestlers. Maybe to Cody, Brandi and the Bucks (who are employees of the company in an executive position.) Wrestling Inc. asked Cody and the Young Bucks, all Executive Vice Presidents of AEW, if the new promotion will offer health insurance and benefits for the talent. Cody said that AEW will have the same policy as WWE regarding injuries sustained by wrestlers while performing for the company.Matt Jackson responded that “the big thing about All Elite is that we want to take care of the boys… The executives are going to have benefits and stuff, and they’re going to get taken care of. We’re in the day one process and we’re working on it, but yeah, that’s definitely a plan.” His response to if talent [in addition to himself, his brother, Cody, and Brandi Rhodes, all also executives] might get health insurance “one day” was “Never say never, really. We’re early on, so we’re creaking open that door barely… hopefully, we can swing it wide open.” Hey guys, I PLAN on fucking Becky Lynch tonight. Who knows? Maybe it will happen.
https://uproxx.com/prowrestling/all-elite-wrestling-cody-young-bucks-health-insurance/ Cody said that "AEW will have the same policy as WWE regarding injuries sustained by wrestlers while performing for the company." Matt Jackson responded that “the big thing about All Elite is that we want to take care of the boys… The executives are going to have benefits and stuff, and they’re going to get taken care of. We’re in the day one process and we’re working on it, but yeah, that’s definitely a plan.”
Those were just examples, but you get what I am saying. Sure they will do houseshows in major towns, but you can't keep going back to the same place time after time before you end up oversaturated in one market and kill the town.
So a company in its infancy, announced 2 weeks ago, is already talking about a health care plan, and “taking care of the boys”. Feels like they’re on the right path, and guys will have insurance as soon as possible. It’s absurd the WWE doesn’t provide for their employees.
Its tough to tour right now. NXT is having issues and that is a red hot brand. This goes back to my statement weeks ago about where are they planning on taping TV? Can they fill 8-10k venues once a week? Or will they need to go smaller venues that fit 800-2k? If its the latter its going to come off as another ROH/Impact.
Thats a topic for another day as to why WWE doesn't offer health care. I'm sure in part it has to do with them employing the guys as interdependent contractors. And that in itself is problematic. Its clear that WWE needs to revamp its ways. But at this point going around pumping your chest about a hollow promise of health care for all is a bit much. Pump the brakes. They put the headline out to create the buzz. But its clear when pushed on the subject they have no real details or plan.
I can’t wait to see what the roster looks like by the end of the year. I hate that KO just resigned. There’s a few splash hires that could really make an impact: Punk of course, Nakamura, Styles, Ibushi, Heyman, Cole, Pentagon/Fenix, Balor, Scurll, Ospreay, Eli Drake. All of those contracts expire this year. Not sure about Heyman’s contract, couldn’t find anything on that.
Punk - Not going to happen. Nakamura_ Possiblity Styles - All signs point to resigning with WWE for less dates. Heyman - Not going to happen. Cole - Groomed to be a big star in WWE. Pentagon/Fenix - Probably going to happen but doesn't even move a needle in the big picture of things. Balor - Not going to happen. Scurll - Near 100 % lock. Ospreay - Who knows, but see Fenix/Pentagon Eli Drake - The ten fans that watch TNA might switch channels.
Don't want to come off as an AEW basher, I love Cody, but to think just because somebody is backing them with a little money they are all of a sudden just going to be an overnight success is laughable. They will lose money in the first years, but and depending on the trajectory of the company it will decide whether that money keeps backing them. If they start to get traction, they will continue to grow, but this will take several years to be a "competitor" to WWE, not several months.
Have house shows been a revenue generator for anybody in a while? It’s all about the TV deal. WWE consistently loses money on house shows, but they feel it’s an integral part of their plan to “get the workers reps”. I’m sure the billionaire behind this, and the Bucks, who have made millions in an industry where most guys struggle to make ends meet, have put together a business plan they expect to succeed. For us to guess, assume things, and doubt their quotes, is just foolish.
just making a joke as you seem very invested in the potential success of this company. please carry on with the back and forth, I'm actually pretty clueless on what AEW is planning to be so I'm learning some things.
I’m very interested in somebody lighting a fire under Vince’s ass and making wrestling appointment viewing every week again.
I just don't see that TV contract being enough to cover the contracts and operating costs of all of this talent they have and are talking about bringing in. Rumor is it is TNT/TBS, hell WCW had to pay for the cost of producing Thunder each week. You combine all of those costs with a lost revenue on house shows and Khan is going to start burning though that 100 million at a pretty good rate of speed.
I’m about to dive into the Nitro book that just came in. Hopefully I’m much more knowledgeable on this subject in a week or two.