7 Possible Consequences If WWE Crown Jewel Goes Ahead

5. Network Cancellations?

Smackdown Cancelled
WWE

The most effective way those disgruntled with WWE's product can express their outrage is by voting with their feet - or more accurately, with their keyboard-poised fingers. Even before the enormity of the Jamal Khashoggi situation began to clarify, wrestling fans were taking to Twitter with the hashtag #CancelCrownJewel, whilst calling for a boycott of the company's product - namely, by cancelling the WWE Network.

Entertainment shouldn't necessarily invoke ethics, and those who enjoy WWE's programming are not complicit with the shady decisions the company makes. So taking a principled stand against something you love by turning your back on it is certainly admirable - even if the general quality makes it that much easier at the moment.

Sadly, it's also probably futile. Deals such as the one with the GSA patently demonstrate that WWE don't necessarily need their Network subscribers to prosper as a business; the PPV model, once the core revenue stream of the business, today simply gilds the lily. The Network income is absolutely dwarfed by the $450 million WWE are reportedly set to earn from the Saudi deal over the next ten years. It doesn't take a genius to guess which the myopic company will choose.

Editorial Team
Editorial Team

Benjamin was born in 1987, and is still not dead. He variously enjoys classical music, old-school adventure games (they're not dead), and walks on the beach (albeit short - asthma, you know). He's currently trying to compile a comprehensive history of video game music, yet denies accusations that he purposefully targets niche audiences. He's often wrong about these things.