RAW Will Redirect Our Focus to the Royal Rumble...

Happy Monday, Enthusiasts.

It’s a wet one in Southern California. We’ve been bemoaning a drought and now we’re half-drowning. It’s a feast or famine sort of place 😉 As for the Wrestling World, there’s some things to talk about. Not much change from last Friday but a bit of fallout has come so let’s chat about it, shall we?

So, the general consensus is that no one really wants Mr. McMahon back, at least not in a creative capacity. There is speculation that’s the next move but word is that as long as Triple H keeps the ratings decent, we shouldn’t have to worry about The Chairman taking the driver’s seat. Can’t say he won’t backseat drive from time to time but I would think that would be expected as long as he’s breathing. 

I posted not too long ago that the best way to do something like this was on the DL. Looks like I might have been right. I suppose there are some legalities to consider with that route but given the backlash and apprehension, it would have probably allowed for things to continue more smoothly. People jump to conclusions. We can’t help it. We don’t want any unwelcome surprises so most of us adhere to the the philosophy of hoping for the best while preparing for the worst. I would say most of the WWE Universe is preparing for the worst in this case. If they never knew, things would be progressing without a hitch.

With this sort of hair-trigger response, it’s better to get people believing everything is going well and succeeding before you do the switch. If Mr. McMahon had quietly done this then made the reveal like 3-6 months from now, people probably wouldn’t have noticed a difference and the news would prompt confusion more than preparing for a return to arbitrary redundancy. That is, if the content continued to please. If we were still eating it up anyway, all that would have done is outed the pissy fans. Didn’t even know that they switched out the Kool-aid. What are they gonna complain about? How they liked Mr. McMahon in charge anyway? They got ‘em right there. 

But no, the news dropped and now everyone is watching to see how everything that’s worth keeping gets cut. Not exactly the best space to contemplate a sale now is it? Well, let them see for themselves. That’s the best way to learn a lesson, to suffer through it. 

Speaking of a potential sale, the recent chatter suggests that Saudi Arabia may be interested but to me, that touches on last week’s point of how if WWE were to be sold, it has to go to the right buyers or it dies. The Saudis don’t take this too seriously. It’s entertainment for their kids. You see it at the Crown Jewel shows. I doubt anyone is there over the age of 25 unless they’re chaperoning someone younger. We all know that we in the US are pushing for edgier content. In Saudi hands, it’s likely it would be watered down for kids. Way to push everyone over to AEW. I doubt this deal goes down but let’s hope WWE Management reaches the same conclusion anyway. 

Personally, I would go with Comcast or FOX but Murdoch owned FOX not Fox through Disney. Disney doesn’t like to pay full price. If WWE wants to get the high end of a fair asking price, they wouldn’t bother with Disney. Murdochs’ FOX has money from the sale of their creative content to Disney so they could straddle the creative space with predetermined Sports Entertainment. 

Most people feel Comcast makes the most sense but when it comes to them, I fear the other caveat and that’s mainstreaming that which is inherently Cult. Comcast/NBC do shoot for the lowest common denominator but in a way that can be off putting to your typical misfit. FOX always seemed to cater to and understand that demographic. We also know that FOX didn’t mind getting edgy fostering shows like Married with Children and Family Guy, you'd think WWE would be right at home. We’ll see where this cookie eventually crumbles one way or the other. Don’t be surprised if all remains as it is. A sale of this magnitude would need all the right stars to align in my humble opinion.

Continuing on the return of Vince McMahon, there’s additional speculation that William Regal may be in a precarious position at the moment. I’m not sure why he was released in the first place. I was under the impression it was due to the rebranding of NXT. If Regal is going to be primarily in an executive role, I don’t see why he should be in jeopardy unless there is some internal dislike of him. I don’t have any problem with him but my opinion doesn’t account for much. We’ll see if there’s any truth to this but as long as Regal helps and doesn’t hinder I don’t see why they would cut him for spite. Time will tell if that is a naïve viewpoint.

And so, that brings us to tonight’s RAW. We will have Alexa Bliss attempt to explain her “slip” into old habits. We’ll see if Bray Wyatt will be in attendance to assist with any of that. Hopefully, whatever it is won’t cause any cringe. I think that’s the best we can hope for. We should also get some qualifying matches for the Royal Rumble since that’s at the end of the month. Also, Austin Theory will see who dares challenge his US Title reign. We’ll have to tune in if we want to know any more. Try to stay positive out there, Enthusiasts. You can prepare for the worst all you want but remember, it rarely gets as bad as that. Also, remember how the WWE operates. They’re all about the biggest bang for the buck. If no one can give it to them, they’ll likely give it to themselves. Take some solace in the facts. I often do.

See You in a Bit,

-Nicole Alexis (^_~)