10 Ways WWE's Current Product Mirrors That Which Killed WCW

In recent years WWE€™s DVD sales and Network programming have been driven by nostalgia for its one time arch-nemesis WCW; at one time it was beating WWE handily in terms of the quality of its product, ratings, buy-rates and ticket and merchandise sales. But the company famously imploded in spectacular fashion; losing sixty-two million dollars in one year despite having never lost more than six million dollars in any year it had been in business (it lost seven million dollars in one month in 2000). Within three years of WWE fighting back and taking the lead in The Monday Night War it was sold to WWE for a figure rumored to be as low as four million dollars; a huge drop from the five hundred million dollars offered for it by SFX the year prior. It is a tale that anyone who wants to become a wrestling promoter should study in detail and learn from the multitudes of mistakes the company made to drive its audience away and ultimately put it out of business; as the saying goes, those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. The scary thing is; the one company that should know the story and avoid the same pitfalls that killed a once noble promotion. WWE in 2014, seems oblivious to the view that it seems to be following suit with its current product. If you know the story; then surely you can see the parallels. Some are obvious and some are more obtuse; but once you see them you can€™t deny them.