The General Wrestling Thread

[Warner2BruceTD]

Taker looking awful.

 

[Kuzzy Powers]

Holy crap he looks like he aged 10 years since last Wrestlemania.

 

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

The Undertaker looks more and more like Mike Ehrmantraut every day.

 

[dave]

Taker looking awful.

WM30 should be his last Wrestlemania. Great career, no doubt, but it's time. One more win and go to the WWE HOF next year. I get that he needs to do WM30, but anything beyond it is just pushing their luck. If they need him to main/co-main event WM31, they are clearly not doing things right.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

 

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

Gotta love the unnecessary chinky translation by Machine Gun. Definitely needs to be in the Wrestling Racism thread.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

This via Chris "mookie" Harrington, from the latest talent agreement contract:

7.5 No Royalties Paid to WRESTLER. Except as specifically set forth in Section 7.1 through 7.3 above, WRESTLER shall not be eligible for any payment or royalties with respect to any other goods, services or otherwise including without limitation to the following: television license fees; television subscription fees; internet subscription fees; subscription video on demand fees; magazine subscription fees and/or advertising; and/or distribution fees of any kind paid to PROMOTER by any entity in connection with the exploitation of the Intellectual Property.

WWE being publicly traded gives us access to such things: https://sites.google.com/site/chrisharrington/mookieghana-prowrestlingstatistics/wwe_contracts

Pretty clearly stated - talent is receiving ZERO royalties from the network.

More from Mookie:

It’s extremely unclear how WWE Wrestlers are going to be paid for appearing on the events that we formally called ”Pay-Per-Views”. Presumably, they will continue to receive a portion of the fees generated from traditional PPV distribution through a cable operator or satellite provider, but what about WWE Network subscriptions? It seems quite clear that wrestlers will not be receiving a portion of those fees.
This is not a minor point. The uncertainty financial future for wrestlers related to “PPV” and the WWE Network were chief among CM Punk’s alleged gripes. Those concerns led to him walking out on the WWE in January 2014. That sort of dissension from a top performer may be just the tip of the iceberg. For a group of wrestlers that are used to being compensated when their likeness appears on DVD releases or television broadcasts, will this lack of compensation become a real sticking point among the superstars? Not to mention this opaque accounting is going to be apply to be current and retired wrestlers.
In the past it’s taken quite a while before wrestlers may see the payout for PPVs due to delays in final reconciliation of pay-per-view buys. We may see the true revolt many months following the Network launch, when wrestlers realize their Wrestlemania pay is far less than they expected.

Wrestlers getting fucked. This is presumably part of the reason Punk walked.

 

[s@ppisgod]

So they used to get royalties from the DVDs which sold very well generally, and a payday from PPVs some of which did unbelievably well. The company completely cannibalizes both and leaves them with nothing. That's fucked. But it may very well seed out the yearly WM hangers-on, like Jericho.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

So they used to get royalties from the DVDs which sold very well generally, and a payday from PPVs some of which did unbelievably well. The company completely cannibalizes both and leaves them with nothing. That's fucked. But it may very well seed out the yearly WM hangers-on, like Jericho.

Which to me is a good thing. RVD was sniffing around last week, too. And The Rock (who is never leaving again, remember?) will stay away for sure.

And really its a blessing in disguise if these guys stay away. It will force them to push new faces.

 

[FedEx227]

It will be an adjustment period is all. I'm assuming that money will be made up someway whether downsides go up, or wrestlers get a flat cut of the TV rights deal or something. I doubt these guys will simply be making $100k less and have to just suck it up and like it.

 

[ThomasTomasz]

Which to me is a good thing. RVD was sniffing around last week, too. And The Rock (who is never leaving again, remember?) will stay away for sure.

And really its a blessing in disguise if these guys stay away. It will force them to push new faces.

I do agree on that. I could see Jericho still attempting it once or twice- I don't think money is as big a concern for him as others- but it certainly means that Rock won't be coming back on a part-time basis any more.

That's why, for as much crap as people are giving Batista for coming back, I can respect it. At least he signed on for two years, and is appearing at house shows.

 

[FedEx227]

Oh but big money is a big deal for Jericho. He doesn't come back to run the SummerSlam circuit.

 

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

The major problem the talent is going to have...the WWE is the only game in town. If Vince doesn't want to offer them money to compensate for the lost cuts from DVD sales and PPV bonuses...its basically "kick rocks"...I mean, they are the only game in town that pay...and if the WWE isn't paying anymore, its not like anyone else is either.

 

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

Oh but big money is a big deal for Jericho. He doesn't come back to run the SummerSlam circuit.

The ONLY reason these guys come back is for the nice big pay day based on buys and to get kick backs on the DVD royalties (WrestleMania DVDs are a top 10 seller annually in the "sports genre")...

If these guys aren't getting a nice cut for 4 months of work, they are not coming back with any regularity. Maybe they get bored or something and come back...but there is no chance they are coming back to work 'Mania unless they are getting a significant chunk of change.

Now, whether or not Vince drops big money on them to come back with a straight fee...that is another story.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

Now, whether or not Vince drops big money on them to come back with a straight fee...that is another story.

Boom.

That's the rub now. The game has completely changed in a million ways with the network.

 

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

Boom.

That's the rub now. The game has completely changed in a million ways with the network.

And the wrestlers don't have much of a choice. You can go home like Punk, take it, or go elsewhere...all of which will have you a little lighter in the wallet.

 

[SuperKevin]

http://fansided.com/2014/02/21/tmz-confirms-hulk-hogans-return-wwe/

Hogan is back with the WWE

 

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

Watching the last Impact.

SERIAL KILLER SAMUEL SHAW.

The SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH as he choked out the geek had me in stitches.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

And the wrestlers don't have much of a choice. You can go home like Punk, take it, or go elsewhere...all of which will have you a little lighter in the wallet.

People really need to hope the rest of Japan gets hot like the 70's & 80's. New Japan offers a good lifestyle & very good money, but one company = limited spots. NOAH, AJPW, W-1, Dragon Gate....they aren't hiring.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

Watching the last Impact.

SERIAL KILLER SAMUEL SHAW.

The SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH as he choked out the geek had me in stitches.

And Bad Bones isn't much of a gentleman. Stood there and watched a woman get KO'd and kidnapped.