SmackDown Isn't Worried About a Sale, Just the Royal Rumble...

How’s It Going, Enthusiasts?

Not sure how to feel about things in the WWE Universe? Well, that’s okay. When long-standing structures face upheaval or major change, it can unsettle a person. It’s not uncommon. Regardless of your personal opinion, WWE has been a mainstay for decades. Can you really even imagine it outside of McMahon hands? Well, we’ll see if that actually happens first. Let’s chat some more about it.

So, what we have so far is that many of the big players have come out to potentially throw their hats in the ring. Of those that seem to be circulating the rumor mill is that Saudi Arabia is interested but most in the West aren’t completely comfortable with that option given their history. Many feel that would put an expiration date on Sami Zayn’s status on the roster as well given his ties to Syria. 

Disney is also sniffing around but they are currently having their own management shakeup at the moment. Moreover, though they too like turning a profit, they tend to do so by pinching pennies so, if Mr. Vince McMahon is looking for a lofty payday, it’s not likely to come from them. Chances are they’d come in right around or just under the company’s valuation. 

An interesting player has become Tony Khan in all this. He and his father may make an offer for WWE, if they haven’t already, and that possibility has brought more unease than calm in the WWE Universe. Could AEW and WWE coexist under the same umbrella?

Well, if you remember when AEW first came out, there was a lot of speculation that Mr. McMahon had some stake in them anyway so an overt allegiance shouldn’t be too far-fetched. I suppose most just don’t trust Khan to properly handle the product. Though I have nothing against AEW, for me it does leave a lot to be desired and for the plethora of casual fans that WWE has, it’s hard to say that they would stay on and acclimate to a new style in presentation, must less become familiar with the lesser-knowns that AEW currently carries. 

Also, many fans feel that pro-wrestling in general benefits from competition. Many will attest that the major problem with WWE holding a monopoly on the industry was that it allowed its management to basically do what it pleased with no challengers to contend with. Many feel that is why there was a significant decline in the product over the past 20 years. The belief is that competition keeps people on their toes and ultimately results in us getting enjoyably entertained. 

So, in short, Khan “coming to the rescue” isn’t quite the godsend some may have thought it could be. I think it could work in like, 10-15 years. Once Khan gets the hang of running a wrestling promotion and starts to understand what WWE gets that he doesn’t, then maybe this merger could successfully go into effect. It’s clear Khan is a fan and that’s a good start. But his lack of experience makes him hard to trust and invest in at present. I don’t doubt he could grow into it but that’s just it. He’s not there yet. Maybe in time this could make more sense. We’ll see how things play out.

To add to the intrigue, there are other whispers that Stephanie McMahon’s departure may have been more due to internal politics than simply stepping aside for her father. There’s a rumor floating around that she and Triple H may have conspired to usurp Mr. McMahon. From what I read, the insinuation is that the skeletons falling out of Mr. McMahon’s closet were pushed out rather than uncovered. Leaving room for Stephanie and Triple H to take control. 

Now, I’ve been saying that WWE should follow a Game of Thrones framework for their creative foundation. The political intrigues do hold people’s interest and could perhaps draw in fans who would otherwise keep walking. This is why this reads more like disinformation than actual juicy intel to me. It’s fun to think about. The rumor should be weaved into Kayfabe if you ask me. I would have Heels make accusations on TV but only if Triple H was set to guest appear. They could even lead up to some sort of “special episode” as Heels keep kicking up damning rumors. 

Given what we know about Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, I wouldn’t feel the most secure in their business leadership. Stephnie is a nepo-baby by default and so, how much she actually knows the business side of things is debatable. Though she was their Chief Brand Officer for a time and fronted their charity division, you never really heard about her making any deals. We get the impression that is what Nick Khan is for. On top of that, Triple H is a former performer. Not to say he couldn’t acquire or hasn’t acquired any business savvy, we can safely presume that he’s no businessman though he’s grown accustomed to wearing a suit. Leading a creative department has nothing to do with running a company in total. I think for all intents and purposes, H is staying in his lane. I would use talk of usurpation as a storyline and nothing else.

Regardless, H professes that we do not have to worry about him losing control of being head of Creative any time soon and as long as the content is palatable, I doubt he’d have to worry. As we all can see, no one was hoping for Mr. McMahon’s return so, let’s hope he can at least read a room and keep overseeing business operations and contemplating a sale. But don’t be too naïve. Don’t think Mr. McMahon doesn’t have veto and override power. I’m sure if he doesn’t want it out there or insists, it gets done.

So, that brings us to tonight’s SmackDown. We’ll see who doesn’t let the current state of affairs get to them. What we can expect is that Braun Strowman takes a shot at the Intercontinental Title against GUNTHER. The big match should be Sami Zayn trying to redeem himself to the Bloodline against Kevin Owens. It’s hard to say where this goes. Zayn has a history of falling back into it with his long standing “buddy”. Yet, would that direction be entertaining? We kinda get a kick out of what Zayn’s doing with the Bloodline and it is new material so, don’t be surprised if Zayn stays an honorary member of the family for a while. We can see that he’s earned it. The rest we’ll have to tune in and see. Expect further groundwork laid for the Royal Rumble. It is that time of year.

See You in a Bit,

-Nicole Alexis (^_~)