When you look at the WWE Network, you're looking at this generation's version of Vince McMahon starting WrestleMania. Mania was Vince's "make or break" moment. If it had been a failure, we probably wouldn't even be discussing him right now, because he would have lost the company. Obviously, it was a success, and we saw what it was able to do for the WWF and for Vince's pocketbook. The Network is something similar. If it becomes a worldwide success, it can help propel WWE to levels that nobody could have expected. They could make millions and millions, right away, and the potential to make the Network bigger with each passing year is nearly endless. However, if the Network was a failure, the amount of money WWE would stand to lose could be a crippling blow. This isn't 2001 Vince McMahon, where losing the reported $35 million he did on a project like the XFL could be made up quickly in the record-breaking financial era of wrestling they were in. Reports have said that the Network could cause a $50 million loss in the first year alone, but a lot of those same reports say that the amount of time, effort and money the company has put into the Network means that it isn't something they can just drop after a year, even if it becomes a financial burden. They'd have to keep working at it, trying to turn it around, which could lead to more, and even bigger, losses. If you just look at the Network for what it is, it's an amazing collection of wrestling, both past and present. If you consider yourself a "wrestling nerd" in any way, the Network is a must-buy. You get all the wrestling you could ever watch, with more content being added all the time. The current WWE product has jaded and angered fans so much, though, that a lot of them don't want to give WWE their money these days, even if it means all of that extra content and what basically amounts to free pay-per-views. This could be the biggest story of 2015, as well, with how the subscription numbers fluctuate and change after a more worldwide launch, but more North American customers walking away by the month.
Columnist/Podcaster/Director at LordsOfPain.net for nearly seven years, with nearly 2000 total columns written. Interviewed and/or involved in interviewing the likes of Tyler Black/Seth Rollins (twice), Diamond Dallas Page, Jimmy Jacobs, Christopher Daniels, Uhaa Nation and more.
