WWE Star Is Waiting For A Push (Photo), Undertaker Weekend Appearances, More On WWE Business Woes
- WWE stock dropped another 2.18%, closing at $83.53 on Friday. The stock is down 17% from the $100.45 high it hit earlier this week following Thursday's earnings call, where WWE reported a net loss of $8.4 million, as compared to a profit of $14.8 million in the same quarter last year.
- It's unlikely that WWE will report a loss in a quarter for a long time once the new five-year television deals with USA Network and FOX kick in later this year. WWE is also expected to more than double their television rights fees in India this year. However, it's speculated that FOX could move SmackDown to FS1 if the show continues to underperform. Alfred Konuwa has a piece at Forbes looking at WWE's poor first quarter and mentions how SmackDown being moved to FS1, which has less reach than the USA Network, would be embarrassing for the company.
"Yes, WWE will come into some serious money in 2019," Konuwa wrote. "But if it continues to under perform in key business metrics, the public humiliation of potentially being moved to the more unheralded FS1 will be the day of reckoning for a company whose impending financial boom period is seeming more and more like a misleading portrait of its effectiveness as a core product."
- Just a reminder that the Undertaker will be doing a rare meet and greet early next week in the U.K. for Inside The Ropes on Monday in Manchester, Tuesday in London and Wednesday in Glasgow. Taker was originally scheduled to do a Q&A at those events, however WWE blocked it. Mick Foley will be doing the Q&A at those shows and will be telling stories about The Undertaker's career. You can still purchase tickets here.
- EC3 made a subtle reference about not being pushed by WWE, as seen in the photo below. In the photo, the former TNA World Heavyweight Champion is sitting on a swing waiting for a push.
Since making his WWE main roster debut, most of EC3's televised matches have been on Main Event.