During a live stream today on YouTube, Ryback and Raj Giri discussed the WWE’s latest earnings report.
Giri gave a recap of the report, including the record profits that were mostly because of savings from not having to run shows in large arenas every week. WWE is safe because of their TV deals with NBCUniversal and Fox Sports but there are questions on what the declining ratings will mean for the company when it comes to negotiating new deals in a few years.
Ryback stated that WWE is stuck right now because they have quit making mega stars and WWE keeps everyone on the same level and Vince McMahon will tell shareholders what he thinks they want to hear while he continues to make money.
Ryback said that McMahon knows what needs to be done to turn things around but McMahon does not want to have larger than life stars that get too big for the company. He recalled the time when he says he was told that WWE would not have another marquee star again on the level of Steve Austin or The Rock.
Ryback said, “He only cares about the money he is making and they don’t to let people get too big. They did away with that. I told this time and time again, ‘Ryan we will never have a marquee name ever again.’ It doesn’t get anymore direct than that.”
There is credibility to what he is saying because, for years, the talk in WWE was that McMahon did not want to have another “headache” like he did when Sable was around because she got bigger than they ever dreamed of. Sable became a megastar and was in a position to demand more money and she later sued the company for sexual harassment. Other names that became mega stars were able to dictate to McMahon want they would and wouldn’t do in storylines.
Ryback said that his information comes from inside the company and he’s heard that McMahon is not hungry anymore.
He also noted that company sources told him that Triple H, 51, doesn’t plan on being around after he’s 65. This obviously puts a question mark on who will be McMahon’s successor. If McMahon does not step down within the next 15 years then it would mean that someone other than Triple H would take over the company.
Ryback said, “I’m telling you the uncertainty of that company and knowing it the way only he does and Hunter from the information I’ve been told, he doesn’t want to stick around past 65 and its gonna be who is gonna get the company once Vince goes because we’re getting to that point. There’s gonna come a point. I know his mother is 100 or whatever and I’m sure he’s hoping he gets up there but I think with his steroid use and everything, I don’t think it happens. He’s around the age where that stuff really hits you and I think we’ve seen the way his aged. I just don’t seeing it ending well personally with him with his history and abuse of those things. I don’t know. We’ll see though but I think that stock is not one that — I see it going down before it’s going up.”
He said that if FOX took it over they would do a better job if they let people create stars but it could go the other way if they make it “more WWE” than it is now.
You can check out the stream below:
