Rob
08-08-2014, 09:10 PM
We noted yesterday that Triple H had the following to say about UFC at the Needham fireside chat earlier this week:
"UFC is not really a competitor to us. I explain it to our talent. They are like boxing. It's completely different from what we are. We're like the movie Rocky. We're a story. We're a great story that just happens to take place in the wrestling ring. In a boxing match, you'll watch one time. You're not going to go back and watch it a bunch of times unless you're a connoisseur of boxing science. Rocky the movie? You'll watch over and over again. It's a triumph story. It's a love story. We create characters you gravitate to. That you connect with. Whether you hate them or love them. We put them in unique storylines with creative passions. We have good guys and bad guys. That's what makes the network successful. Who is going to go back and watch the Super Bowl from 1984? Who is going to go back and watch boxing from five years ago? Our product is evergreen."
Stephanie McMahon, who participated in the chat as well, also shared her thoughts on UFC. Here's a transcript of what she said:
"With UFC you can pay money to watch a PPV but it can be a terrible fight, right? The guy you're rooting for that UFC has been building gets knocked right off and suddenly that person doesn't really matter anymore. All that investment is lost. You never have that with WWE, we strategically build out Superstars and characters. We know when they are going to win, we know when they are going to lose. We build characters and make them megastars. It's all very intentional and you're guaranteed to get your money's worth. It might not necessarily be the outcome you wanted but you're guaranteed to have a great match, a great pay-per-view and you're guaranteed to get entertained."
"UFC is not really a competitor to us. I explain it to our talent. They are like boxing. It's completely different from what we are. We're like the movie Rocky. We're a story. We're a great story that just happens to take place in the wrestling ring. In a boxing match, you'll watch one time. You're not going to go back and watch it a bunch of times unless you're a connoisseur of boxing science. Rocky the movie? You'll watch over and over again. It's a triumph story. It's a love story. We create characters you gravitate to. That you connect with. Whether you hate them or love them. We put them in unique storylines with creative passions. We have good guys and bad guys. That's what makes the network successful. Who is going to go back and watch the Super Bowl from 1984? Who is going to go back and watch boxing from five years ago? Our product is evergreen."
Stephanie McMahon, who participated in the chat as well, also shared her thoughts on UFC. Here's a transcript of what she said:
"With UFC you can pay money to watch a PPV but it can be a terrible fight, right? The guy you're rooting for that UFC has been building gets knocked right off and suddenly that person doesn't really matter anymore. All that investment is lost. You never have that with WWE, we strategically build out Superstars and characters. We know when they are going to win, we know when they are going to lose. We build characters and make them megastars. It's all very intentional and you're guaranteed to get your money's worth. It might not necessarily be the outcome you wanted but you're guaranteed to have a great match, a great pay-per-view and you're guaranteed to get entertained."