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A friend made mention of the old days. Remember when the WWF would have Wrestlemania and some of us would wait three months for it to come out on VHS and rent it from the local Video Barn.
In 2014, the WWE has launched an online network. Vince would tell you so, but there is something revolutionary about it.
It's been done before. The UFC has put all of its fights on the web for a pay-per-month service. The WWE is taking it to the next level, by programming it like a cable channel.
That would have been enough probably for some buzz, but the WWE has made it worht it's while, by charging $10 a month for the live programming as well as the complete WWF archives (which now owns WCW, AWA, WCCW,and ECW footage), but if you are a subscriber, you get all PPVs live via the internet stream.
It makes economic sense, plus the WWE asks for a six month comitment. They are getting their money, and the fan who was thinking of a PPV gets their money's worth. ($60 compared to the $40-50 they would pay anyway for a PPV).
It looked good this year too. There was one moment of buffering early on, but credit to the WWE for pulling it off (I watched Wrestlemania online last year - prior to the WWE network, but they did give a discount for ordering online and there were a lot more buffering issues.
- - -
Big news from Wrestlemania was that The Undertaker's streak ended. For 21 years in a row, The Taker won at the WWEs biggest event. It had become a constant, and as Bill Simmons said "The greatest streak in fake sports".
Credit to Paul Heyman, perhaps the best mic guy in the business, for building a credible build-up to Brock Lesnar vs Undertaker. Everyone knew the outcome would be the Taker winning, but Heyman can sell ice to an eskimo.
Taker didn't win though. Lesnar got the three count. I have heard rumors from insiders that Undertaker made the decision in the ring to stay down, and put an end to the streak. That makes a sad story but it is a good one. 22 years is a long time for anything and the 49 year old will ride into the sunset soon, I would guess.
- - -
The Ultimate Warrior was inducted into the Hall of Fame on Saturday and appeared on Wrestlemania on Sunday and Monday Night Raw. He passed away this week. I am not the biggest Warrior fan, but for a brief moment, he made himself one of the most popular name in pro wrestling. Warrior made a lot of bad decisions in his career, which meant it was a relative short one in comparison to this popularity.
Warrior had supreme self-confidence, but there's something about supreme confidence. Chuck Norris has supreme self-confidence, but so does Rico from Napoleon Dynamite. Warrior wanted to be an inspiration, but was more of a parody. I will forever think of Warrior as te man who changed his legal name to "Warrior", who wrote rambling nonsensical right wing diatribes, and making anti-gay comments like "Queerin' doesn't make the world work".
Warrior joined a class of wrestling's roughest livers. Scott Hall and Jake The Snake Roberts also were inducted. Both appear to be on the right track, after years of alcohol and drug abuse. Roberts's life was close to that depicted of Mickey Rourke in "The Wrestler", but recently worked with Diamond Dallas Page (who has done well with a yoga-for-men program) in getting clean and sober.
In 2014, the WWE has launched an online network. Vince would tell you so, but there is something revolutionary about it.
It's been done before. The UFC has put all of its fights on the web for a pay-per-month service. The WWE is taking it to the next level, by programming it like a cable channel.
That would have been enough probably for some buzz, but the WWE has made it worht it's while, by charging $10 a month for the live programming as well as the complete WWF archives (which now owns WCW, AWA, WCCW,and ECW footage), but if you are a subscriber, you get all PPVs live via the internet stream.
It makes economic sense, plus the WWE asks for a six month comitment. They are getting their money, and the fan who was thinking of a PPV gets their money's worth. ($60 compared to the $40-50 they would pay anyway for a PPV).
It looked good this year too. There was one moment of buffering early on, but credit to the WWE for pulling it off (I watched Wrestlemania online last year - prior to the WWE network, but they did give a discount for ordering online and there were a lot more buffering issues.
- - -
Big news from Wrestlemania was that The Undertaker's streak ended. For 21 years in a row, The Taker won at the WWEs biggest event. It had become a constant, and as Bill Simmons said "The greatest streak in fake sports".
Credit to Paul Heyman, perhaps the best mic guy in the business, for building a credible build-up to Brock Lesnar vs Undertaker. Everyone knew the outcome would be the Taker winning, but Heyman can sell ice to an eskimo.
Taker didn't win though. Lesnar got the three count. I have heard rumors from insiders that Undertaker made the decision in the ring to stay down, and put an end to the streak. That makes a sad story but it is a good one. 22 years is a long time for anything and the 49 year old will ride into the sunset soon, I would guess.
- - -
The Ultimate Warrior was inducted into the Hall of Fame on Saturday and appeared on Wrestlemania on Sunday and Monday Night Raw. He passed away this week. I am not the biggest Warrior fan, but for a brief moment, he made himself one of the most popular name in pro wrestling. Warrior made a lot of bad decisions in his career, which meant it was a relative short one in comparison to this popularity.
Warrior had supreme self-confidence, but there's something about supreme confidence. Chuck Norris has supreme self-confidence, but so does Rico from Napoleon Dynamite. Warrior wanted to be an inspiration, but was more of a parody. I will forever think of Warrior as te man who changed his legal name to "Warrior", who wrote rambling nonsensical right wing diatribes, and making anti-gay comments like "Queerin' doesn't make the world work".
Warrior joined a class of wrestling's roughest livers. Scott Hall and Jake The Snake Roberts also were inducted. Both appear to be on the right track, after years of alcohol and drug abuse. Roberts's life was close to that depicted of Mickey Rourke in "The Wrestler", but recently worked with Diamond Dallas Page (who has done well with a yoga-for-men program) in getting clean and sober.
