What changes do you see happening in the E?

[MenacingMonk]

New ownership means change. What fukkery do we get?

I can see NXT going back to OVW status. Maybe if their ratings impress the new leaders it’ll remain the same.

 

[mannyrs13]

Hopefully a change to the egotistical mentality of Vince. I think we were starting to see that with Triple H letting some guys wrestle elsewhere like Naka with the Muta fight and Karl Anderson and his title defense in NJPW. But a change I want to see is more doors being opened and working with others more. Doesn't have to be a full blown partnership, might even lead to that. But I think it'll help everyone. Not no big matches but maybe some surprise superstars. Imagine if Theory issues an open challenge for the US title and instead of some random low card guy, it ends up being an indy guy or someone like that. Or even any wrestler. Or just having a wwe guy randomly pop up elsewhere for a match or program. Not saying the bloodline, ko/sami, cody or any top star but any lower talent would be cool. Mania weekend shows it's wwe vs everyone cuz impact and njpw worked together, aew and roh owned by same guy, triple a stars showing up on those events, even the indy stars showed out. Of course none of those combined match the spectacle and aura of mania but it's cool seeing them work together. Hopefully wwe can do the same someday.

 

[Cattle Mutilation]

Hopefully a change to the egotistical mentality of Vince. I think we were starting to see that with Triple H letting some guys wrestle elsewhere like Naka with the Muta fight and Karl Anderson and his title defense in NJPW. But a change I want to see is more doors being opened and working with others more. Doesn't have to be a full blown partnership, might even lead to that. But I think it'll help everyone. Not no big matches but maybe some surprise superstars. Imagine if Theory issues an open challenge for the US title and instead of some random low card guy, it ends up being an indy guy or someone like that. Or even any wrestler. Or just having a wwe guy randomly pop up elsewhere for a match or program. Not saying the bloodline, ko/sami, cody or any top star but any lower talent would be cool. Mania weekend shows it's wwe vs everyone cuz impact and njpw worked together, aew and roh owned by same guy, triple a stars showing up on those events, even the indy stars showed out. Of course none of those combined match the spectacle and aura of mania but it's cool seeing them work together. Hopefully wwe can do the same someday.

You’ll never see AAA guys on an NJPW show.

 

[YvrzTrvly]

Cody straight to the mid card where he belongs

 

[Saysumthinfunnymike]

There will be some consolidation and job losses for sure. That's just how these things work. That may or may not affect the on-screen product, depends on who they let go.

There's already been discussions of going back to the PPV model but they have a deal with Peacock so I don't think that'd happen anytime soon and honestly, I'm not sure you can put the toothpaste back in the tube on that.

There's probably going to be some crossover promotion. I can already see McGregor fighting someone on a PLE.

Retired or underachieving fighters will probably be a pipeline for the performance center.

 

[The Intergalactic Koala]

• Celebrity bouts ala more sports/entertainment figures putting on workrate matches
• Back to the PPV (there's no avoiding it and thus why these events feel larger than life lately, than cheap spinoffs of Raw)
• More focus on sports and pop culture features on the level of MMA
• A different deal with a Network (WWE probably going to go the ESPN route after the Peacock deal is over)

Overall, its going to be a gift and a curse. While this merger will be ideal to mainstream, the essence of "wrestling" will be a thing of the past.

 

[dh86]

I think guys like Edge and Drew that presumably make big bucks but aren’t main eventers will be selectively allowed to leave. Along with aging lower card guys like Ziggler. See UFC getting rid of guys like Junior Dos Santos, Overeem, Cowboy Oliveria that still has fans but made too much, and they were basically replaced by Dana white contenders series guys making bare minimum

 

[MenacingMonk]

I see legends contracts getting the

 

[Ed MOTHERFUCKING G]

Y'all thinking one direction, I'm thinking the other.

Kevin Dunn producing UFC media packages and promotions is a huge upgrade. We hate him for Vince influenced edits but nobody does video packages and hype promos like WWE and they could absolutely make UFC cards better by telling the stories of their fighters better. I expect UFC to look more like WWE rather than the opposite.

 

[Legal]

Based off of what they did with UFC, I'd say they're going to maximize the event calendar. UFC went from sub 30 events per year to floating in the mid 40s yearly. And that's not counting the Contender Series, which could easily push them to the 52 range, averaging one event per week, the vast majority of which you need ESPN+ for to at least watch, if not pay for. WWE might move back to the early 2000s model of trying to get more than 12 main roster PPVs/PLEs on the schedule.

Consolidation is going to sweep out a couple of the less needed executives/behind the scenes people bushed. Y'all might joke about it eventually, but if there's any time Kevin Dunn might get got, this might be the best chance. I can easily see them at least looking into the option of production staff consolidating to eliminate redundancies.

On air talent probably might not get hit all that hard. The UFC roster is larger then it's ever been. You just might see folks that aren't good with more than ever just being someone sent out to eat up airtime decide they're ready to leave. Might see them tighten things up even more on what talent gets travel/lodging covered in their contracts.

You might see future world champs play a compromise between the Brock/Roman (not showing up week to week, almost never wrestling on TV), and the Rock/Austin (not wrestling week to week, but usually having at least a segment or two each week), to maximize value of the PPVs/PLEs they actually wrestle at.

Pretty decent chance of seeing TV rights consolidate so that they're maybe not split between two different companies.

 

[Saysumthinfunnymike]

Y'all thinking one direction, I'm thinking the other.

Kevin Dunn producing UFC media packages and promotions is a huge upgrade. We hate him for Vince influenced edits but nobody does video packages and hype promos like WWE and they could absolutely make UFC cards better by telling the stories of their fighters better. I expect UFC to look more like WWE rather than the opposite.

I agree with this but I think they should go one step further and teach the fighters HOW to promote themselves and their events. There's fighters like a Chael Sonnen who attempted to do these knock off brand promo bits but they just came across as terribly forced. Roman Reigns has more on screen presence than any real fighter. Roman looks and acts like he could kill you and is more believable in doing so than a guy who really could.

 

[Reality Check]

Overall, its going to be a gift and a curse. While this merger will be ideal to mainstream, the essence of "wrestling" will be a thing of the past.

This is probably the best way to look at it. There's a lot of good (being able to continue negotiating TV deals, actual movie/entertainment opportunities and not dogshyt WWE Studio movies, minimal changes to the creative structure, more mainstream publicity), but the other side of the sword is going to be absolutely brutal (phasing out legends contracts, phasing out highly paid midcarders, more emphasis on entertainment, back to PPV after a decade of cheap events) especially since they are now a division of Endeavor instead of their own company.

I think we were starting to see that with Triple H letting some guys wrestle elsewhere like Naka with the Muta fight and Karl Anderson and his title defense in NJPW.

Those were two very unique situations; Anderson was a current title holder in NJPW when he returned and went to Japan to drop the title (did they even mention he was a current champ on WWE TV?) and Nakamura wasn't doing anything and Muta was on his retirement tour. Outside of those two, they've done nothing with other promotions.

 

[Buggsy Mogues]

I don't think you will see major changes to the WWE end other than staff cuts. Ari Emanuel made it clear in that interview Vince runs the show with the wrestling. I don't think Ari gives a fukk either way as long as it makes dollars it makes sense.