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We Aren't Wrestling Damn it!
Topic Started: Mar 20 2011, 03:08 AM (900 Views)
Purple Marauder
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Stand Back! There's a Hurricane Coming Through
TVWeek.com
 

I hadn’t given the WWE much thought lately when we here at TVWeek received a press release the other day that we wrote up and published as follows:

Drew Carey Inducted Into Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame. Huh? Drew Carey??!!

Comedic actor and game show host Drew Carey is the newest member of the WWE Hall of Fame.

According to the WWE, "Carey established his place in WWE history as a surprise entrant in the 2001 Royal Rumble. However, Carey’s fortunes quickly turned, when the massive WWE Superstar Kane entered the ring, prompting Carey to eliminate himself from the match."

The announcement adds, "The WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony...will take place at the Philips Arena [in Atlanta] on Saturday, April 2, and the one-hour TV special will air Monday, April 4, at 8/7c on USA Network."

Next thing I know, I’ve received an email from one Kellie Baldyga, a publicist for WWE, DEMANDING that we correct the story. She also copied our owner, Rance Crain, on the email.

What had drawn her ire was the headline. Baldyga wrote in her email, “We are no longer a wrestling company but rather a global entertainment company with a movie studio, international licensing deals, publisher of three magazines, consumer good distributor and more.”

No doubt WWE is into more things than just wrestling, which is its bread and butter, I thought, but this can’t really be a big deal. I was busy and emailed her I’d call her the next day, which was yesterday, March 17.

First thing yesterday morning I received this email from her: “Chuck, did you mean call me today (Thursday)? I apologize but I really need the correction made sooner than later if possible…”

As regular readers to this blog may recall, for most of my career as a journalist I haven’t gotten along with most publicists. Most of them don’t like me, and I don’t have patience for many publicists.

Baldyga was beginning to bother me. First, our headline was perfectly fine and accurate. Second, what was this “demand” about changing OUR headline?

I called her and introduced myself. The conversation then basically went as follows:

Me: Your release says that Carey is being recognized as being an entrant in the 2001 Royal Rumble. I believe that was a wrestling event.

Kellie: No, we don't do wrestling events. They're entertainments. And we don’t call them wrestlers. They’re superstars and divas.

I’m thinking to myself, is she kidding me? Is this woman mad? The company’s official name is World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. Its crown jewel is an event called WrestleMania. In the best tradition of wrestling on TV since its earliest days, they put on terrific shows (and events), with athletes who are performers and they’ve got storylines that are far more elaborate than any Gorgeous George and Freddie Blassie would have ever imagined. Why would they want to run away from who they are, from what’s made them wildly successful beyond most people’s dreams?

Me: Kellie, I really don't have time for this. WWE presents wrestling events. I'm not going to change the headline or anything in the item. If you'd like, I'll just remove it.

Kellie: Huh? What?

Me: Kellie, I don't have time for this. What do you want me to do?

Kellie: Remove it.

So I did.

Kellie sent me a follow-up email saying “I hope nothing was contentious in our conversation…” She added, “I know the perception is that we are a wrestling company but we are actually much more than that--we are a global media company which is how our Chairman and CEO, Vince McMahon, positions us.”

Whatever. Take away wrestling from WWE and what do you basically have? I don't think WWE is quite as diverse as global media companies such as News Corp. or Time Warner or Viacom, but what do I know.
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_DL_
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BURN IT DOOOWWNNNNNNNN!
What's the old saying? "Don't forget the partner that brought you to the dance"?

It's all about brand image nowadays, and WWE wants to be known for everything besides the one thing that brings in the money.
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Purple Marauder
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Stand Back! There's a Hurricane Coming Through
And the one thing they will always be known for. They have spent decades branding themselves as the top wrestling promotion in the world. There is no way that they will ever escape that.
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Walker

Vince McMahon has ALWAYS referred to WWF/E as Sports Entertainment over wrestling. What is that old story that likes to get thrown around? Ted Turned rings Vince and says "I'm in the wrestling business!" and Vince responds with "That's good. I'm in the entertainment business."

It is also no different to what the UFC are trying to do now. They don't refer to what they do as Mixed Martial Arts, they call it Ultimate Fighting - it is a brand direction that allows them to dominate. When UFC gets a legislation change in New York it'll be so Ultimate Fighting, their product, gets legalised but not MMA. This is a move taken directly from the Vince McMahon playbook.
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Purple Marauder
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Stand Back! There's a Hurricane Coming Through
Quote:
 
CM Punk wrote on his twitter - "No stupid coats. No pyro. No dancers. No bells, no whistles. Never needed it. I am a wrestler." When somebody asked if he meant that he is an 'entertainer', Punk responded "No, stupid. Also, to anybody else who said something similar, piss off." I guess Punk isn't following WWE's new mandate.


And CM Punk officially loses at Wrestlemania. :lol:
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WordsLeftUnspoken
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Friends Don't Let Friends Drink Friends
Purple Marauder
Mar 25 2011, 03:52 PM
Quote:
 
CM Punk wrote on his twitter - "No stupid coats. No pyro. No dancers. No bells, no whistles. Never needed it. I am a wrestler." When somebody asked if he meant that he is an 'entertainer', Punk responded "No, stupid. Also, to anybody else who said something similar, piss off." I guess Punk isn't following WWE's new mandate.


And CM Punk officially loses at Wrestlemania. :lol:
I love Punk :lol: I like that he stands for what he does he is a wrestler and one of the top in the game right now.
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Walker

Once again, it isn't a new mandate. Times like these really make me want to facepalm.
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SRP76
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Walker
Mar 25 2011, 10:37 PM
Once again, it isn't a new mandate. Times like these really make me want to facepalm.
That's true that Vince has thrown around "sports entertainment" since '83 when he "came out of the closet" so to speak about the product not being real. But in reality, what kind of entertainment is it, and has it been? Wrestling, and we've all known it all along. WWE trying to pretend otherwise is just an insult to anyone with any common sense. No different from stand-up comics trying to say "we're not comedians, we're verbal entertainers". No, you're comedians. That's what everyone's getting at.
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Walker

I don't think you get the process of marketing. WWE are their own brand that must present itself as above its competitors. I once again point you to the UFC, they aren't referred to officially as an MMA organisation, they are referred to as Ultimate Fighting. It is a deliberate marketing technique to separate yourself from all the rest and present yourself as the elite.

Of either organisation, WWE has more reason to do it now than ever. With all the wrestling tragedies, drug abuse, shoddy promoters, etc, it is important for WWE to say: "Look, we aren't professional wrestling as you know it." They cleverly realise that mainstream media isn't exactly fond of pro wrestling, and getting yourself recognised as your own thing rather than part of that stigma is VERY important for business.

I could go into the fact that WWE isn't just a wrestling company because it does more than that, but there is no point. We both know that when we turn on RAW and buy PPVs we are getting pro wrestling, so what harm does it do to you the audience, or indeed anyone else? Referring to it as "sports entertainment" over "professional wrestling" has absolutely no effect on the on-screen product. I find it quite ridiculous then that people get so high and mighty about it.
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_DL_
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BURN IT DOOOWWNNNNNNNN!
Wouldn't it just be better for WWE to call themselves a "live action show"?
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Purple Marauder
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Stand Back! There's a Hurricane Coming Through
F4W/Wrestling Observer
 
This is not an April Fool's joke. WWE has followed the lead by KFC. There was a meeting yesterday where the subject was to no longer be called World Wrestling Entertainment, because of Vince's decree to eliminate the word wrestling from the product, and just be WWE. A couple of sources have said the meeting ended with that directive, one of which came from ESPN which got the word.
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Walker

Funny KFC should be mentioned. I remember the conspiracy theory that the name change was because KFC stopped using real chicken in their food. I'm sure the fallout from this will be equally stupid.

P.S. The real reason for the name change was because the "Fried" in "Kentucky Fried Chicken" had negative health connotations.
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_DL_
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BURN IT DOOOWWNNNNNNNN!
Some would argue that WWE has stopped using "wrestling" on their programs.
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Walker

Those people shouldn't exclusively watch NXT.

¬_¬
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_DL_
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BURN IT DOOOWWNNNNNNNN!
:lol:
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Purple Marauder
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Stand Back! There's a Hurricane Coming Through
Quote:
 
World Wrestling Entertainment has issued an internal edict that the word "Wrestling" will no longer be used in any way, shape or form by the company. Seriously.

The edict includes all mentions of the word and even the company's own name, as all promotional material will be branded as simply WWE, not "World Wrestling Entertainment." Everything from the company's posters to their books to the commentary will fall under the new rule, which was put into place a week ago.

The company edict is a branding decision to attempt to move the company forward as a full fledged entertainment machine, as opposed to a wrestling company, as well as continue to distance themselves from any other entities running nationally.


What will they change the name of Wrestlemania to?
Edited by Purple Marauder, Apr 3 2011, 05:40 PM.
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MY85
It's a fabulous new day, yes it is!
I read that news around April's Fools, but who knows, maybe WWE will still do it some time later.
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Cybrus
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STAY HYPED!!!
Purple Marauder
Apr 3 2011, 05:39 PM
What will they change the name of Wrestlemania to?
WWEMania! :grin:
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Cableguy15
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Better change the name of this section then. :lol:

I don't really mind though, just as long as they don't do anything stupid with the new rule. Like punishing someone for accidentally calling it wrestling or something. If you haven't noticed, they barely ever used the word "Wrestle" over the past few years anyway, so this isn't exactly going to feel like a big change.
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Cybrus
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STAY HYPED!!!
They've been calling it the WWE Title for years. I don't think they've ever called it the World Wrestling Entertainment Title. Same for the World Heavyweight Title. I don't remember the last time they said World Wrestling Heavyweight Champion. So WWE has actually not been using "wrestling" in their product for a while now. I'm so used to it that it doesn't really bother me. If WWE wants to brand themselves as WWE other than wrestling, then I have no problems with it. I care more about how they book Raw, SD!, and PPVs than how they market themselves.

Also, with Vince getting up there in age, I do wonder how much of these new ideas will stay in place once he's...um, gone.
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SRP76
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The Man. Any Questions?
They can have fun explaining what the initials stand for, then. They can't just go "WE", because I'm sure that's taken and copyrighted already.
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TheObserver

Quote:
 
In another example of the WWE eliminating the term "wrestling" from their company, they have had their Canadian broadcasting partner The Score change the name of their show which follows Raw in Canada. The show was originally called "Right After Wrestling" where their broadcast team would discuss Raw and recapped the show. Now the day after Wrestlemania the show has now been changed to "Aftermath."


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Walker

http://corporate.wwe.com/news/2011/2011_04_07.html

Quote:
 
April 7, 2011
To better reflect the company’s global entertainment offerings, World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: WWE) announced today a new business model for future growth, including formally rebranding itself, WWE.

Two key components to WWE’s brand expansion will be the active pursuit to acquire entertainment content companies and the outsourcing of WWE’s core competencies – television and film production, live event production and licensing. As part of the new business model, the company will also focus on the development of new television products including scripted, non-scripted and animated programs, as well as the launch of a new WWE network in the next 12-18 months. The first new program of the brand expansion is Tough Enough®, WWE’s non-scripted program that debuted on the USA Network on Monday.

“The new business model of the company better reflects what WWE is all about, being a global entertainment company,” stated Vince McMahon, Chairman and CEO, WWE. “We will always be loyal to our core business that made WWE a globally known entity, however, the future of WWE will be the addition of new entertainment content opportunities beyond the ring.”

This new rebranding initiative will be highlighted through a national consumer and business-to-business advertising campaign entitled “Bigger. Badder. Better.™” The campaign kicked off at WrestleMania® XXVII on Sunday and will be featured on cable TV, print and online.

In addition to focusing on the expansion of the company, the company will bolster its core business with the launch a new talent development department headed by Paul “Triple H®” Levesque. The new department will put a greater emphasis on worldwide recruitment, training and character development to identify future WWE Superstars and Divas. The first recruit acquired under Levesque’s new department was the signing last month of future WWE Superstar, Sin Cara™, formerly known worldwide as Mistico.
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Cybrus
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STAY HYPED!!!
Quote:
 
In addition to focusing on the expansion of the company, the company will bolster its core business with the launch a new talent development department headed by Paul “Triple H®” Levesque. The new department will put a greater emphasis on worldwide recruitment, training and character development to identify future WWE Superstars and Divas. The first recruit acquired under Levesque’s new department was the signing last month of future WWE Superstar, Sin Cara™, formerly known worldwide as Mistico.


I find that to be a very interesting portion of what Walker provided. With Triple H heading a department, what will that do for his wrestling status? Will we see more breaks from him as he becomes a special attraction wrestler? Will he soon be retiring (WM28?)? Is he going to do both?
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TheObserver

Nothing like more power.

Quote:
 
The Los Angeles Times is featuring an article with quotes from Vince McMahon regarding the official announcement of WWE rebranding this week.

"I think every brand has to re-create itself. I want everyone to look at us in a vastly different way than they have. It is a logical broadening of what we already do. No one does television production better than we do, it's damn near the Olympics. We know more about live event touring than anyone in the United States."


Full.
Edited by TheObserver, Apr 8 2011, 12:47 AM.
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Cybrus
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STAY HYPED!!!
Rajah
 
As part of WWE's recent "rebranding" effort (dropping "World Wrestling Entertainment" as the official company name, banning the word "wrestling") - a document that was distributed internally has leaked out titled "The Language of WWE." According to the Figure 4 Wrestling Newsletter, he document was sent to employees who do international voice-overs for WWE programming outside of the United States.

The sheet includes a list of words and phrases that have now been deemed "Incorrect Terminology" - along with what they consider the "Correct Terminology" to be used on their televised shows. From "The Language of WWE" -

"World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is a publicly traded entertainment company (NYSE: WWE) that creates and delivers a weekly action soap opera to its passionate fans.

WWE has been a recognized leader in entertainment for more than 25 years and has developed into one of the most popular and sophisticated forms of global entertainment today.

As a global entertainment brand, the language that we use when communicating on WWE is critical.

Please ensure that you are familiar and employing the below, effective immediately. "

Here are some of the terms that are banned and the alternatives that WWE wants used:

* "Wrestling" or "catch" is banned. Some European countries still use the term "catch" to describe pro wrestling and "catchers" to describe wrestlers.

* The following phrases are incorrect: "Wrestling is broadcast in 145 countries," or "Catch is broadcast in 145 countries." The correct terminology is: "WWE is broadcast in 145 countries."

* Even the word "Sports" is no longer allowed. Instead, WWE is to be referred to as "Entertainment" or an "Action Soap Opera." Seriously.

WWE gives these examples: "WWE is exciting entertainment" or "WWE is an exciting action soap opera"

* "Athletes" or "Sportsmen" are not allowed either. WWE gives the following example to use: "WWE Superstars are entertainers with tremendous athletic prowess."

* The terms "fight" and "fighting" are not allowed. Matches must be referred to as "matches," "bouts," and "action."

"The Language of WWE" concludes with the following "Key Soundbytes" to be used:

* "WWE is pure entertainment"

* "WWE is an action soap opera"

* "WWE Superstars are entertainers with tremendous athletic prowess"


Rajah isn't always the most reliable source, but there you have it.
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Cableguy15
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... soap opera? Seriously? That's the term most people use to make fun of wrestling. Don't they realize that? I'm calling it wrestling still, couldn't care less how wwe wants to represent themselves at this point.
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_DL_
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BURN IT DOOOWWNNNNNNNN!
South Park was right I guess.
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WWEFootos48
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God
_DL_
Apr 15 2011, 11:28 PM
South Park was right I guess.
:lol:

I'm just happy that I'm ahead of the curve. At no time was I ever referred to WorldWrestlingEntertainmentWhoseLine48, so I don't have to make any major changes myself.

But it doesn't fucking matter what they say because the two phrases you are still going to ask your friends most was "did you watch wrestling last night?" or "wrestling was so awesome back in the day."
Edited by WWEFootos48, Apr 15 2011, 11:35 PM.
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CM DRUNK
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My friends and i use the term "wrasstling" and we've always told people it's like "Home and away for men"
(Home and away is an Australian soap drama).
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