The Secret History Of WWE’s Ruthless Aggression Era | Wrestling Timelines
April 11, 2005 - The Power Is Back…Sort Of
After several years on Spike, WWE Raw returns to its spiritual home of the USA Network. This return, announced in April and effective from October, is branded as ‘The Power Is Back’. Is it?
The terms of the deal reflect WWE’s lowly stature in the televised marketplace. We are now three years into the so-called Ruthless Aggression initiative; a fair time to determine the success of its objectives. John Cena and Batista have yet to be made, when WWE negotiates the media rights in a “bidding war” between Spike and USA, true - but the promotion has had ample time to prove to TV networks that they boast a product worth paying for.
If Ruthless Aggression is as successful as WWE retroactively markets it, why is the fee so poor?
WWE is paid $28M per year by USA Network after Spike voluntarily withdraws from the bidding process. USA has a free run at the property, and is savvy enough to pay the bare minimum accordingly. WWE receives the exact sum that was paid to them by Spike, despite their goal of earning $40M from the winning bidder. Moreover, WWE’s bargaining position is so poor that the USA network will receive every cent of advertising revenue as WWE must cover production costs. There are no other interested parties. Despite the framing of the deal, as a sentimental return to the site of Raw’s glory years, this is a marriage of convenience. WWE has no other option; the USA network wants Raw for optics purposes, as much as anything else, since Raw will propel them to the #1 slot on primetime despite not being financially lucrative in and of itself. (In 2005, the stigma of pro wrestling as a dumb show watched by low-income households persists within the advertising industry.)
WWE will remain profitable and secure - but “at least things aren’t as perilous as 1995” is hardly a glowing endorsement of the company’s popularity.