ZAH
Shakin' My Head: The $20 million question, the Heyman Hustle, HBK vs. Flair, MMA on CBS, Loser of the Week, plus much more!!
By ZAH
Feb 29, 2008 - 9:01 AM

02-29-08

"Well, guess who's back in circulation? "

Boo-yah...here we go!! 

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Item # 1 – Wait...how much did they pay him???

So last week I went into my thoughts on the whole Mayweather/Big Show deal.   More information has come out this week that has led me to shake my head more and more about the situation.

Twenty million dollars.

Even as I type that, I have a difficult time believing this to be an accurate portrayal of Floyd Mayweather’s paycheck for his WrestleMania experience.   But yet, this is the number being thrown around by both WWE and Mayweather’s camp.   Now, I’m no genius at math...but this is my take on it:

• WrestleMania has a price tag of $59.95 for “standard viewing” and $64.95 for HD.   I don’t think for a second that the HD numbers are going to be that big yet because HD is still in its infancy, relatively speaking.   So I’m going to say 25% of Mania’s buys will be HD (and I think that’s a generous guestimate) and the rest will be at the $60 price tag.
• WWE makes approximately $20-$24 per PPV buy.
• In order to simply cover Mayweather’s price tag, WWE would need 958,333 buys (750,000 standard and 208,333 HD).
• WrestleMania 23 had 1.2 million buys...a difference of 241,667 buys assuming WrestleMania 24 can match those numbers (creating between $4 and $5 million in revenue).
• Of course, this doesn’t include the live gate ticket revenue (probably close to $5 million) or the other revenue generated by swag sales and DVD sales.

So does this mean that the price tag is more realistic?   I dunno...it’s hard to say.   What I do know is that WWE normally relies on Mania’s numbers to carry them throughout the year as a landmark for examples of profits generated.   For WWE to simply throw away almost 80% of their potential revenue, regardless of how big a star that person may be.  

So is this story bullshit?   No...not necessarily.   It was brought up by Meltzer that where WWE is a publicly traded company, they aren’t really allowed to make fake and/or false statements when it comes to the company’s economic matters.   But it has also been suggested that maybe the number is a “top-end” example of what Mayweather could make, given residuals from DVD sales and maybe even a back-end portion of the overall profits.   I think that’s probably more likely.   It’s been guestimated that maybe he’s getting around $5 million up front and believes enough in his ability to draw PPV buys that both he and his camp are sure he’ll end up with $20 million when it’s all said and done.

Listen...Mayweather vs. de la Hoya was massive.   Mayweather vs. Hatton was huge.   Mayweather is a proven PPV draw...but are his fans really there for him regardless of what he’s doing?   They are there to watch him box...but will they be there to watch him wrassle??

I have a hard time believing $20 million as an up-front figure; as I have a hard time believing Mayweather will help push WrestleMania above last year’s numbers.   I’d be keen to hear your thoughts.   You can let me know either by e-mailing me at Zah@worldwrestlinginsanity.com , hitting me up at ZAH Nation (found on the Insanity Message Board ), or look me up on Facebook as ZAH Insanity and letting me know your opinions on this (and then join the Insanity Facebook page while you’re at it).

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Item # 2 – Do the Hustle~!!

I wasn’t 100% sure what the hell the hubbub was about when I heard about “The Heyman Hustle” initially, and because I had zero idea what the hell it was about I didn’t watch it online.   Then I saw this picture in the UK Sun this week:

Needless to say, I felt a need to watch and find out why Dawn Marie is wearing a bikini in the middle of winter in New York City.

Having watched both episodes here, I have come to the conclusion that I still have ZERO idea just what in the hell Heyman is trying to provide us.   I get the “hustle” gimmick...and I like it.   In fact, I thoroughly enjoyed both episodes; I just don’t know what the hell is going on and/or why.   Is there a television series coming?   Is there a website in the works?   Is that website going to be a pay-site?   Is this a continual thing exclusively for the Sun website??

But don’t just take my word for it.   Watch the episodes and see for yourself.  

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Item # 3 – So HBK gets the rub...

Y’know, I’ve heard for a few weeks now that Shawn Michaels was going to wrestle Ric Flair at WrestleMania...but something in the pit of my stomach wanted something else.   There are a lot of people who wanted something else for Flair’s last match...so at least I’m not alone.

Let me preface this by saying that I think HBK will bump like a madman for Flair and will work 110% to make Flair look as good as humanly possible.   That’s not my beef.   There are a lot of people who think the individual who Flair puts over in this situation should be somebody young.   These people believe that WWE could then use this major victory as a catapult to bigger and better things down the road and create a new star.   That’s not my beef, either.

My beef is with the storyline.   This, for all intents and purposes, should be a McMahon vs. Flair feud.   The whole “retire when you lose” deal was started by Vince...and this should have been a spiraling storyline where each and every week, Vince would get more and more frustrated at the fact that Flair won’t lose and then get flustered to the point where he thought the only person who could take Flair out for good would be Vince himself.   Boom...big-time WrestleMania match and a big-time feud that people could get behind.

F*ckin’ Hornswaggle.   It’s just ridiculous.   I mean, JBL vs. Finlay is a great match-up and the build-up has been awesome thus far...but the Vince/Hornswaggle storyline is brutal.   This really bothers me because it’s wasted time on a non-factor/non-performer.

So having said all that, do NOT be surprised to see Flair still win the match.   Will it happen?   Doubtful...but it wouldn’t at all surprise me to see Flair pull out a victory on Michaels and then decide to retire on his own terms...on the grandest stage of them all.  

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Item # 4 – And here I thought f*cking Ben Affleck wouldn’t be a big deal.

Alright...you must have seen these already.   But just in case you haven’t, just sit back and enjoy the ride.

I'm f*cking Matt Damon 

I'm f*cking Ben Affleck 

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Item # 5 – MyNetworkTV?

Bank on this: Smackdown ratings will have a difficult time breaking 2.0’s come September.   Sure, MNTV has larger audience potential than the CW...but there is NO WAY that Smackdown will get ratings even close to what they’re getting now.   It’s just not realistic.

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Item # 6 – MMA on network television.

I’m not a huge MMA fan by any means, but word came out this week that Elite XC has come to terms with CBS to put on MMA shows once every other month.   This was a deal that UFC was reportedly working on.   I don’t know if I can adequately explain just how big this is for Elite XC...but this is absolutely HUGE for MMA is general.   This is mainstream in a big way for a sport constantly battling for legitimacy and acceptance.   I’d dare say that this is the pinnacle for MMA.

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Item # 7 – Oh...and by the way...guess what’s just around the corner?

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Item # 8 – Anybody wanna catch an indie show with me?

It’s not quite WrestleMania tickets or anything, but if you live in the Moncton, New Brunswick area and would like to catch the Innovative Hybrid Wrestling show that’s taking place in Riverview this Sunday evening...let me know.   I’ve got an extra ticket and don’t want to see it go to waste.   Send me an email .   I think it’s gonna be a hoot.

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Item # 9 – LOSER OF THE WEEK.

Each and every week, I pick somebody (not necessarily always from wrestling) who has either acted in a dumb way, said something stupid, or generally was an idiot in some way, shape, or form. This week’s choice is a first-time winner and a guy who, from what I’ve been able to tell, is doing his best to live his gimmick in the real world.   “Entourage” is a great show...but I don’t like this guy on it and, by the looks of things, I wouldn’t like him much off it, either.   Therefore, the "Britney Spears Loser of the Week" award this week has to go to... 

Adrien Grenier!!!

Listen...I’m no saint.   I’m far from it, actually.  In fact, when I see bums on the street I normally ignore them and mock them once I turn the corner.   That’s just me.  But I can guarantee that if I was on a hit television show and being followed around by f*cking cameras EVERY GODDAMN NIGHT when I went out, you best believe that I’d be chucking more than a f*cking quarter into some street performer’s case after asking that the cameras actually catch me doing it .

F*cktard.   Absolutely.

Therefore, congrats go out to Adrien Grenier for being ZAH's "Britney Spears Loser of the Week"!  

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Pillar to Post 

Each and every week (well...NORMALLY each and every week) I take three statements that you, the WorldWrestlingInsanity.com readers, have submitted on the hot topics du jour and then get two or three volunteers to give their thoughts and insight.  Ladies and gentlemen, this week I bring to you a supersized FOUR great Insanity readers in Duban311, Drowgoddess, SykNyk, & bmartin!!!

1. Agree or Disagree
Rocky Johnson & Peter Maivia do not belong in the WWE Hall of Fame.

Duban311 : Agree.

It is the WWE Hall of Fame, not the wrestling Hall of Fame. And I don’t even think they’re shoe-ins even if there was a H.O.F. for all of wrestling. Although they had solid careers in various NWA territories, the highest plateau either of them reached in the WWWF or WWF was Tag Team Champions. The ONLY reason they’re being inducted is so that The Rock can induct them in an attempt to gain more mainstream attention for WrestleMania .

Drowgoddess:   Agree.

Saying so will come off as disrespecting both men, but that isn't the reason for agreeing. Even taking into account that the WWE Hall of Fame is in no way fair and impartial in its selection, people who are aware of both men's accomplishments would have to say that their relation to the Rock is the true reason why they would be inducted. Yes, Rocky Johnson was a champion and a black champion at a time when that was not common. He may be a very respected man in the business. That doesn't automatically make him a legend. Peter Maivia may also be a very respected man in the business, and may have broken ground for Samoans in wrestling. That doesn't automatically make him a legend either.

Whether the whole thing is a publicity stunt for Vince to get the Rock associated with WrestleMania or not isn't the point. Ask yourselves if either man would be considered for the Hall of Fame if he weren't related to the Rock. The answer has to be a resounding "no."  

SykNyk: Agree.

Being a long time WWE Fan I can claim to never even knowing who these two were until mentioned by the rock on TV I’ve since chased down videos with the two in and have been less than impressed. Don't get me wrong they weren’t awful, just not amazingly great. Its just a sad attempt to get the rock back on WWE TV. The Hall of Fame is just a joke because every year they run out of actually worthy people and just make up the numbers with mid-carders. Next Year Jim Duggan should be entered into the Hall Of Fame.

bmartin :   Disagree.

While neither individual got to the level that The Rock did they still held their own in the industry when it wasn’t really a big unified thing. Besides they always made a big deal of the Rock being a 3rd generation wrestler you have to make his family look good.

2. Agree or Disagree
There is nothing really exciting taking place in TNA right now.

Duban311: 99.9% Agree.

There is only 1 thing that intrigues me about TNA right now and that was Samoa Joe saying to Cornette that the only way he’ll sign the contract is if he wins the title at Lockdown. Whether the contract dispute is legit or not, I’m not sure. But if it is for real, there are only 2 possible outcomes, and both are good. Either Joe finally wins the Heavyweight Championship, which is long overdue, or he doesn’t win the belt and goes to either ROH or WWE where he can be used in the right way and to his fullest potential. Other than that, IMPACT is boring as hell on a weekly basis .

Drowgoddess:   Agree.

As much as it pains me to say so, it's true. Everything that made TNA stand out as great is not there at the moment. Elevation X match? No. Terrible idea to begin with, fans fear it more than enjoy it, and it cheapens the Ultimate X match by even existing. Eric Young and James Storm fighting over a "Drinking Championship Belt?" No. VKM mercifully imploding? No. Kurt Angle not caring about his wife? No. Even the highly-touted Knockouts division has the monster heel champ suddenly needing an advisor in order to function. Suuure. The tag division is practically nonexistant, and the once-glorious and amazing X-Division has become a place where goofy gimmicks go to die, and the competition is thin.

The worst part for all of us as fans is that we KNOW that it doesn't have to be this way. LAX was tremendously over, and could be again. Give them the TV time to do it, TNA!!! Stop punishing MCMG for absurd reasons and let the top merchandise sellers on your roster do what they do best, instead of keeping them off a pay-per-view that has their pictures on the poster. Drop the idea that Joe "needs a mentor" in order to get his way. Remember that Kaz actually won a ladder match against Christian Cage, and a whole list of other things that would take my own column to really get into. The exciting things are all there, we just aren't being allowed to see them.

SykNyk:   Strongly Agree.

TNA and its Pay Per Views are free in the UK, but I still decide not to watch, not because its full of WWE rejects but more because it fails to push the guys I used to watch a few years ago. Styles, Joe, Daniels owned the place back then and the product was fresh, apart from Jarrett always being in the title matches but I could always forgive that as long as the undercard delivered. Nowadays I couldn’t tell you who was feuding with whom and more importantly for what reason, it’s just a mess.

bmartin :   Agree.

Nothing exciting has happened in TNA for quite some time. In fact the last thing that had people really excited was Angle vs. Joe and that was awhile ago.

3. Agree or Disagree
Shawn Michaels shouldn’t be the one that ends up retiring Ric Flair.

Duban311: Strongly Agree.

The person who ends Ric Flair’s career (or even Undertaker’s undefeated streak at ‘Mania) should be someone who needs one last push to get to the main event level or someone who needs to regain momentum after a big loss (cough, cough Orton). Shawn Michaels is already there, and has been for the better part of a decade. I think that the reason HBK is getting used at ‘Mania vs. Flair is because everyone and they’re dog knows that Michaels could carry anyone to a great match, and the WWE want Flair’s potentially last match, and definitely his last match at ‘Mania, to be as good as it could possibly be. Could HBK win? Absolutely. Is that the best possible way to end Flair’s career? Not in my opinion. Have him win at ‘Mania to surprise everyone who assumes he’s gonna lose. Then have Orton beat him the next night on RAW so that he can regain momentum from dropping the belt to either Cena or HHH, and further along his Legend Killer gimmick .

Drowgoddess:   Disagree.

Why not Shawn Michaels? If Ric Flair is truly going to be retired, it should be a strong moment for him. The idea of using Flair's retirement to put over a new, younger guy who is going to lead the company is a pretty thought, but not practical in this case. The "HBK" character is similar in many ways to the "Ric Flair" character, so even though it wouldn’t be a true "passing of the torch" moment, there would be a character connection. Michaels delivers at big pay-per-view moments, and would have as good of a match with Flair as anyone could at this point. What other realistic choices are there? Triple H? Honestly, would that even be a big deal now? Jeff Hardy? As hot as he is right now, he isn't ready to believably retire a legend like Flair. John Cena? No. Randy Orton? He could pull off the "Legend Killer" bit with it, but he's the only viable option apart from Michaels.

Orton, however, has too much on his plate right now to have retiring Ric Flair just thrown in as an afterthought. Michaels isn't as busy, so he's the best choice.

SykNyk:   Agree.

I had my own views on who should retire Ric Flair, I personally thought WWE should have got David Flair to beat him on an episode of Heat! Seriously though there is only really one person that can retire Ric Flair and that person is himself, he should just retire at the Hall Of Fame show and end his career on a high. I can’t think of anyone on the roster worthy or right to be given that responsibility. Shawn is a better choice than some of the names that were floating about but time will tell. I still expect to see him wrestle again anyway.

bmartin :   Agree.

Does HBK really need this? I think not. He has cemented his career status. Imagine if the rub had gone to MVP or Shelton Benjamin or a heel up and comer. They could make it a focal point of their career for years to come. For Shawn it’s just another thing that he can tack on at the end of his long list of accomplishments.

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Great job, guys! I'm looking forward to seeing who joins me next week.  

What...you've never participated before?   Or maybe you have and would like to do it again?

Hey...you ALL have a chance to be part of an upcoming column.   You get a chance to have your thoughts on the crazy world of professional wrestling read by thousands every week.   This truly is open to everybody!   And with a new year comes a new list...I'm still basically starting from scratch, people.   Contact me NOW and you'll be put at or near the top of the list.   Why wait?  

I want readers to participate!

  ,

 ,

No problem.    Seriously...it's not a problem at all.    NOW is the time for you to volunteer.    Really...RIGHT NOW!!    It's a brand new year and I need a brand new list of guest columnists.

You can let me know either by e-mailing me at Zah@worldwrestlinginsanity.com , hitting me up at ZAH Nation (found on the Insanity Message Board ), or look me up on Facebook as ZAH Insanity and letting me know that you'd like to participate (and then join the Insanity Facebook page ).    

So until next week, take care.