WWE is doing yet another promotional offer on the WWE Network, just a day after firing Executive Vice President of Programming Matt Singerman (who had been responsible for all programming on WWE Network). These two moves could be seen as a worrying indication of panic over the Network's sign-up numbers. Added to this is another worrying indicator of possible desperation in getting people to sign up - John Cena failed to appear on Monday Night Raw last night, with WWE instead opting to use his presence on WWE Main Event on the WWE Network. Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio stated the Cena Network appearance is significant. Meltzer rightly points out that it's quite remarkable for Cena to lose on PPV and then not follow up with a strong reply the next night on Raw. WWE have sacrificed the chance for Cena to get his heat back on TV, in favour of hoping he draws an audience to the Network. Between Cena's Network appearance, the new promotional offer and Singerman's release, you can see why some might conclude WWE are starting to get desperate for seeing Network subscription numbers rising. The latest promotional offer is a smart business move. Subscribers can now get up to $250 in WWE shop credit for referring friends and family to sign up. This is the latest incentive following a string of free one week trials, all with the hope of raising the subscription rate to a million before the end of 2014. Considering the big draw of WrestleMania is gone, WWE are left with lots of work to do in getting people signed up, they are currently stuck on just 667,287 subscribers. The release of Matt Singerman could be linked to this performance, although it could also be down to other reasons. As the man who was responsible for all Network programming, it is certainly interesting to see him removed just months into the big product launch. He had a great background and was only appointed in November 2013.
