10 Reasons Why WWE Owner Vince McMahon Just Lost $842 Million

7. A 'Low Rent' Audience?

When discussing why the TV people didn't value WWE higher, the Wrestling Observer reports that it is because of the perception of wrestling fans as a "low rent' audience. What does that mean? Basically NBC Universal don't think you or I have much money, so we lack value as viewers, because we aren't likely to be sold on advertising breaks. The Observer report comments on this as a failing of Vince McMahon, who despite two decades of effort, still hasn't managed to change the perception of pro wrestling as a poor man carnival. Therefore, despite excellent viewing figures, WWE isn't seen as worth that much. To give this some perspective, the far less watched MLS has just achieved a deal which values one viewer worth $6.77. WWE's deal in contrast values one live viewer as worth just 38 cents. That's why Vince has lost a load of money - he hasn't managed to convince people that his audience has much money. Is it true? Are wrestling fans 'low rent'? Take a look at sold out arenas with fans kitted out in merchandise and it tells a different story. Vince McMahon needs to do a better job in convincing the world that WWE fans are intelligent and diverse people. Or maybe the Tv execs are right and the majority of fans are low income. It's hard to really say given what a vocal minority the internet wrestling community actually is, we internet types like to think of ourselves as WWE's audience, but in the main we are not.