I write a wrestling column every Monday and Friday for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
Today, I wrote about the recent announcement of the WWE Network, some of the ridiculous questions I've gotten and the future. The following is an excerpt:
Some questions good and some not. Someone once said there is no such thing as a stupid question, but that person obviously never dealt with wrestling fans.
On Dec. 5, I revealed the insider information I was getting regarding WWE Network on my video talk show, Chair Shot Reality. I'm happy to say that everything WWE officially announced Wednesday night was what I reported.
I got some crazy questions then. The WWE made the Network official and the hits just keep on coming.
The questions focus around two topics: How can I watch? And is it worth the price?
The first one is a bit baffling, considering how thorough WWE and I both explained it, but I'll start from the beginning.
If you have a way to access the Internet, you have a way to access WWE Network. It's everywhere except for your television guide.
It's an online stream and vault of video footage. It's similar to Netflix.
A vocal minority seems to be annoyed by this. They've been dedicated to complaining to me about this as if I was the decision maker when I merely was the first messenger of the news. I'd sympathize with their complaining if all of their complaining wasn't taking place on … the Internet.
Tweets, Facebook posts, emails — you're using the Internet to complain about how terrible an awesome service of content is on the Internet.
This service being online is fitting to where society and WWE's fans are. If you have 20 minutes, you can pull out your phone and watch the main event of “WrestleMania 17.” Present day or past day, for WWE, WCW or ECW, it's at your fingertips for $9.99 a month.
This brings me to my second common question: “Hey, Justin, is the price worth it?”
The cost of the Network for an entire year is the cost of what two pay-per-views would currently cost in the old fashion (yes, it's now known as old fashion) way of ordering a pay-per-view via OnDemand to your cable bill. So for the price of two pay-per-views, you'll get all 12 in that calendar year plus every other pay-per-view EVER from WWE, WCW, or ECW, plus original programming such as the Legends House reality show, plus much more.
I went into the communications field because math always embarrassed me, but trust me, the WWE Network price is worth it.
There hasn't been a WWE announcement with so much hype around it and buzz that delivered since the reveal of a concept known as WrestleMania.
Pay-per-views will no longer carry the same significance. How can they?
To read the rest of the column on how this is going to change pay-per-views, plus how I think WWE is doing to dictate who gets paid what bonus for PPV's and more—CLICK HERE.
