– The 10/10 show will be going head-to-head with a UFC special on Spike TV, headlined by the third and final Ken Shamrock vs. Tito Ortiz match, so expect WWE to try and counter with a substantial ECW2 card that week.
– Paul Heyman continues to push for exclusive ECW2 tapings, while Kevin Dunn is opposed to the idea on financial grounds. The average Raw or Smackdown taping costs $526,000 and, though ECW2 can be done cheaper than that, it also makes far less on the house show market. Raw or Smackdown can expect around $125,000 – $200,000 on average from a house show gate, while even the biggest ECW2 house shows at Philadelphia and the Hammerstein Ballroom earned only $45,000. Heyman countered with the idea that the exclusive tapings would make for better TV, really establish an identity for the brand, and have a knock-on benefit for the house show circuit. Dunn noted that it would mean considerable renegotiations for the ring crew, truck drivers, etc., plus mean management, including Vince McMahon, would lose another day at the office to attend tapings. On top of this, the Sci Fi deal brings in very little money for WWE, as they went in low due to uncertainty over the size of the audience. However, the ratings are 70% higher than what the network projected, putting WWE in a strong bargaining position for the next deal (the current one expires on the 22nd August) even though they are currently having to offset losses by hiding the collective downsize guarantees of around $2.25 million for Angle, Show and RVD. It is said that Vince will not commit to exclusive tapings unless Sci Fi is prepared to invest more money into the show. Even then, it would remain to be seen what happened to the Smackdown tapings, which are currently set for Tuesdays. They might be moved to Wednesdays now the show doesn’t air in Canada till Fridays, yet this would mean altering the Saturday – Thursday travel schedule for the brand as well. Ah, confusion.
– Shannon Moore is in the doghouse following his poor performance in a dark match against C.W. Anderson at the Hammerstein Ballroom. Vince called for a change mid-match, meaning Moore jobbed and switched to a heel. Moore grabbed the mic after the match and said “I’m not here to impress the internet”, which only infuriated Vince further. The Mattitude curse continues.
Credit: Wrestling Observer newsletter (click here for subscription information)
