Murdoch Fears McMahon!

So Monday 3rd November was the supposed launch of the WWE Network in the UK and just 7 days later we will see flagship WWE show Monday Night Raw hit UK shores.....to say fireworks have been going off all week would just be too easy.

Rather than focusing on the negatives straightaway, just think how hot that Raw crowd in Liverpool SHOULD be on Monday night.....it will make for fascinating TV. But who should the fans be upset with? Who is to blame for this never ending debacle? The most important thing WWE fans attending Raw in Liverpool should understand is they have a fantastic opportunity to have their voices heard and they should stand up for their fellow British WWE fans who quite frankly have been short changed for way too long. It’s a shame Raw will not be broadcast live.....but would WWE (or Sky for that matter) edit out any possible negative crowd chants etc?

I have to be honest.....as much as it pains me to say this but I think WWE are at fault here. According to Sky Sports, WWE signed a new contract with Sky in February 2014, only 9 months ago and less than 2 months before the US launch of the WWE Network.....this deal between WWE and Sky runs until 2020! Did WWE want a deal in place with Sky just in case the WWE Network failed? Did WWE try to hoodwink Sky into a new deal in the hope it could sell all the same content again (apart from Raw and SmackDown) as part of the WWE Network subscription fee?

WWE knew the WWE Network was happening.....why did they sign such a comprehensive and long term deal with Sky?

Personally I still like to think Sky are the bad guys. They charge extortionate prices which can also differ from one customer to another (for exactly the same service) just because someone says “I want to cancel my subscription”.....is this fair?

There have been a few wrestling angles featuring wrestlers/promotions/fans versus ‘The Network’.....but maybe this could be a case of fiction influencing reality?

To be fair.....if you were Sky with a multiyear, multimillion pound deal in place with WWE, would you happily stand by while WWE cut out the middle man (Sky) and take their product direct to the consumer? Sky have made that investment in WWE and now need to recoup it with subscription fees, advertising revenue and PPV buys.....all of which will no doubt be affected by the WWE Network in the UK.

That being said, Sky Sports would still be the only place for fans to view the two main WWE shows Raw and SmackDown. These are the most important parts of any WWE fans wrestling diet (SmackDown to a lesser extent) and unless you watch these shows and keep up to date with the storylines the PPV events are pointless. So based on the assumption the vast majority of people who subscribe to the WWE Network will also want to watch Raw and SmackDown I would suggest Sky do not have too much to worry about.....most people will subscribe to both.

But it would be pretty funny for Sky Sports to broadcast WWE Raw with 10,000 plus fans chanting “Sky Sports Suck! Sky Sports Suck!” and signs reading “Rupert Murdoch Hacked Our Network” or “Murdoch Fears McMahon!”.


.....or.....

.....maybe.....

.....just maybe.....

Is it all a work? Are WWE smart enough to take a hit and some negative publicity for a few days in order to make a really special Monday Night Raw in Liverpool next week? There is no doubt everyone is talking about the WWE Network in the UK at the moment, could all this publicity (albeit negative) boost ticket sales for the UK tour? Do they want to create a massive amount of heat, boos and negative crowd chants only to turn everything on its head with the announcement that the WWE Network is going live that evening? Too much to hope for? Probably but remember ‘Anything can happen in the World Wrestling Federation’.....only time will tell if the same can be said about World Wrestling Entertainment.

I have had the following conversation with Sky regarding the current situation:

Charles Roskilly: My next tweet is what @SkyHD need to be asked so they can't dodge the question. @WWENetwork #WWEUKNetwork #WWENetworkUK @WWE

Charles Roskilly: .@SkyHD Have you blocked the independent (non Sky) 'ONLINE' UK launch of @WWENetwork due to this contract? (see link) http://www1.skysports.com/news/14204/9149821/

SkyHelpTeam: @CharlesRoskilly Hi Charles, Unfortunately this was announced by WWE Network, we were not involved in this decision, any updates please check out@WWENetwork for more details.

CharlesRoskilly: .@SkyHelpTeam So to clarify, Sky have not blocked the independant online UK launch of @WWENetwork due to existing contracts with @WWE ....1/3

CharlesRoskilly: . @SkyHD and would have no objection to its launch? 2/3

CharlesRoskilly: . @SkyHD Finally, if Sky's deal with @WWE in the UK is 'exclusive' would that mean there is no way anyone else could broadcast WWE in UK? 3/3

SkyHelpTeam: @CharlesRoskilly Hi Chalres, The statement is all the information we have, best bet is to try @WWENetwork Thanks

CharlesRoskilly: . @SkyHelpTeam Thanks for taking the time to reply. Who can I contact at Sky for a more comprehensive explanation of this situation?

SkyHelpTeam: @CharlesRoskilly Hi Charles, This is all the information we have and every department has received this, Hoepfully the WWE will give us a clearer answer soon and the network will launch so everyone can enjoy the content. Thanks

CharlesRoskilly: . @SkyHelpTeam I appreciate this is the info you have been given but there will be people within Sky who know more. Who should I contact?

SkyHelpTeam: @CharlesRoskilly I can't help you with that Charles, I think the best bet is the speak to the WWE and ask them to confirm why their network has not launched, Thanks

Charles Roskilly: @SkyHelpTeam I do understand but I am no longer asking about the WWE Network, I am asking about the deal WWE has with Sky. Who can I ask?

SkyHelpTeam: @CharlesRoskilly That's not something we would discuss publicly, The exact details of any deal are between the 2 companies, The key points are included in the article you linked to earlier

Charles Roskilly: @SkyHelpTeam So is the deal Sky has with WWE for exclusive broadcasting rights in the UK?

Follow me on twitter @CharlesRoskilly for further updates as and when I receive them.

WWE – Distributors of propaganda and destroyers of dreams.

Anger is a very raw (excuse the pun) emotion. When you release it without thinking things through you run the risk of looking like a fool.....but that’s a chance I’m willing to take since I think it’s impossible for anyone to look as stupid as WWE do right now.

I try not to eat too much junk but since WrestleMania is bigger than Christmas for most wrestling fans I treated myself to a bottle of Lilt, some sweets and crisps then sat down to watch the showcase of the immortals.....but I wish I hadn’t bothered.....maybe WrestleMania should now be dubbed the showcase of the mortals!?

I haven’t even finished watching WrestleMania 30 (and maybe I never will).....but after witnessing the lunacy of the Brock Lesnar vs. Undertaker match I sat there stunned for the next 10-15 minutes while the Diva’s Championship match was on and then I simply had to turn off the TV. Right now for all I know Daniel Bryan could be WWE World Heavyweight Champion but you know what.....it doesn’t matter! If the holy grail of wrestling ‘The Streak’ can be tossed away in such a shabby fashion the WWE World Heavyweight Championship should be in the ‘Reduced to Clear’ section of the Argos jewellery department.

I was proud to be a wrestling fan. I never hid my passion. It was one of the first things I would tell people about myself and it was even noted on my CV. But now I’m ashamed.....what a load of f**king b*ll*cks!

What WWE fail to realise is that fans do not HAVE to watch, they CHOOSE to watch.....but from now on.....after 25 years.....I choose NOT to watch anymore.

WWE have been f**king with their fans for far too long now. I watch wrestling to be happy.....why on earth would I watch it if the happiness is outweighed by sadness?

I understand things can’t always go the way you want in wrestling, if it did there would be no point in watching but there are some things (well maybe only one actually) that you should NEVER do.....end The Streak.....and certainly not to a mercenary like Brock Lesnar!

Is this what WWE fan travel half way across the world for?

Earlier in the evening WWE induced out of me one of the biggest wrestling related smiles I have given in a long time when Cesaro body slammed The Big Show over the top rope to win the inaugural Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal.....and at that moment I wondered “Could Cesaro be the man to end The Streak in a couple of years?”

Let’s get one thing straight, just in case it isn’t glaringly obvious, I do not think The Streak should ever have ended, EVER! Too much has gone into it just to throw it all away and make no mistake, it has ALL been thrown away. The Streak no longer exists, it’s now just a really good win percentage at WrestleMania.

I know these days WWE is all about making money for its share holders.....that is not a disgruntled fan talking, that is FACT! Everything WWE give to their fans is just an investment not a gift. The difference being, a gift is something you give with no expectation of receiving anything in return, while an investment is something you give with the hope of getting more than you initially invested. I say this because, to understand why WWE do things you first need to understand what their motivation is.....profit! But.....I really can’t imagine a stampede of WWE fans rushing out to buy a Brock Lesnar t-shirt.....but The Shreak.....it should have been immortal. There could have been a glut of merchandise being sold long after The Undertaker had eventually retired and for many, many years after that because a legend like ‘The Streak’ would live forever.

I’m sure The Undertaker would have been key in the decision to end The Streak and there are probably many factors which I am not aware of but this is NOT how it should have ended. For all The Undertaker has given to WWE, more than ANY wrestler in history, he has only been WWE or World Heavyweight Champion on seven occasions, not such a big deal I guess since championships never seemed to add anything to the character, if anything it’s possible the titles detracted from his aura. Titles weren’t The Undertakers thing but The Streak was. Unless WWE in their infinite wisdom decide to do some kind of idiotic Goldberg-esque angle with Alexander Rusev beating 10 men in one night at WrestleMania 31 & 32 (don’t rule it out, they’re morons!) no one will ever get close to 21-0 so why destroy something that you have now when you will never be able to replicate it in the future?

I give on average 1 hour of each day to WWE. Spread that over a lifetime and if I’m lucky enough to live until I’m 96, I would have dedicated 4 whole years of my life to watching WWE.....f**k that! I’ve got better things to do!

I’m sad I’ve probably missed Daniel Bryan being crowned WWE World Heavyweight Champion. I’m sad I’m not going to witness the potential debut of Sting and feud with The Undertaker. I’m sad I’m not going to experience the wonderful journey with the likes of Cesaro, Dean Ambrose, Adrian Neville and Paige like I did with Rowdy Roddy Piper, Goldust, William Regal and Shawn Michales. And I’m devastated that I’m having to walk away from my hero and role model Mick Foley.....if I didn’t it would be like and alcoholic saying “I’m giving up beer, wine, vodka, gin and whisky.....all I’m going to drink now is tequila.”

This wasn’t supposed to be a particularly coherent blog/article/post (whatever) all it was supposed to be was me saying “F**k you! I’m off!” and a way of empowering myself to walk away.

Ending The Streak did not pass the torch.....it simply extinguished the flame.