WON News + Notes, December 18th Issue

[The Decemberists 0]

Ratings

 

Smackdown on 12/1 did a final 2.81 rating with 4.72 million viwers.

 

Raw in 12/4 did a 3.66 final rating with 3.54 and 3.79 hours.

 

ECW on 12/5 was up to a 1.76 rating with 2.01 million viwers. In the quarter hours;

 

RVD & Punk vs Holly & Test = 1.8

Dreamer vs Daivari = 1.7

Kelly vs Ariel = 1.7

Lashley vs Show = 1.8 with a 2.1 overrun

 

Smackdown on 12/8 did a 2.6 rating with an early estimate of 4.17 million viwers. CW finished 5th out of the 5 major networks that night. The show did a 2.6 in New York (2.9 for Noble vs Yang, Benoit vs Sylvan and Miz vs Scotty), 3.2 in LA (3.4 for Kennedy/Taker), 4.0 in Chicago (4.7 for Noble vs Yang), 1.7 in Philly (1.9 for Dave vs Fit), 2.4 in San Fran (2.7 for Dave vs Fit), 1.7 in Boston (2.1 for Benoit vs Sylvan), 3.4 in Dallas (3.9 for London and Kendrick vs Regal and Taylor), 2.4 in DC (3.0 for Kane vs Kennedy), 2.4 in Detroit (3.1 for Miz vs Scotty), 4.5 in Atlanta (5.7 for Kane vs Kennedy) and 4.1 in Houston (5.5 for Kane vs Kennedy). Segment by segment based on the majot markets the show performed like this;

 

London & Kendrick vs Regal and Taylor + 98,000

Batista vs Finlay + 265,000

Noble vs Yang + 491,000

Benoit vs Sylvan - 197,000

Miz vs Scotty and the Boogeyman + 296,000

Kane vs Kennedy + 70,000

 

Raw on 12/11 did a 3.8 rating.

 

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October Business Comparisions

 

Estimated Average Attendance Not Including the ECW Brand events

2005 = 5,273

2006 = 4,853

 

Estimated Average Gate Not Including the ECW Brand events

2005 = $179,736

2006 = $160,147

 

Percentage of House Shows sold out

2005 = 4.8%

2006 = 4.2%

 

Average Raw rating

2005 = 3.84

2006 = 3.66

 

Average Raw viwers

2005 = 4.80 million

2006 = 4.74 million

 

Average Smackdown Rating

2005 = 2.59

2006 = 2.57

 

Average Smackdown viwers

2005 = 4.03

2006 = 4.21

 

No Mercy Attendences

2005 = 7,000

2006 = 7,000

 

No Mercy Gate

2005 = $440,000

2006 = $400,000

 

No Mercy PPV Buys

2005 = 235,000

2006 = 195,000

 

No Mercy PPV revenue

2005 = $3.83 millon

2006 = $3.30 millon

 

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News + Notes

 

When he got back from Iraq, Vince told people that Heyman was done with the company in every way. However it is not believed that Heyman has been given a contractual release. Heyman himself believes that he's done with the company and has headed off to Hollywood for meetings with people about scripts he's been working on.

 

WWE is have meetings and discusions about getting into the MMA business. The idea is not to buy Pride, which was offered to them, but to look into doing something on their own. They had a meeting with MMA people who were not from UFC or Pride 12/14 but there's no word yet over what the end result of that was.

 

With Heyman out the current writing structure is like this;

 

Raw

Brian Gerwitz

Ed Koskey

Dave Kapoor

 

Smackdown

Michael Heyes

Dusty Rhodes

Court Bauer

Chris DeJosephs

 

ECW

Dave Lagana

Pantelis Ypsilantis

 

The general feeling among the writing staff is that they feel Heyman leaving was the best thing for Paul and the company. Ypsilantis was the only writer upset by Heyman leaving as he felt Paul had helped him keep his job over the last three weeks and was considered his latesd protege.

 

Booker strained his back a while ago and was advised to rest up for a while. He worked through Survivor Series as he was in the main event, but was then given time off from in ring work. This lead to Big Show being asked to work Smackdown shows for another week and they were so lacking in star power.

 

There was an article on Booker in the Houston Chronicle by Ken Hoffman, who is semi-famous in the business for being responsible for a North American title change when he wrote that Jake Roberts would be losing to Dick Slater because Roberts was leaving. On reading that Bill Watts had Roberts win the match and the title just to prove Hoffman wrong. In this article he said the King Booker gimmick was his wife's idea and the WWE has given Booker permission to use their talent when he runs indy shows in South Texas. His first is booked for 12/21 in Pasadena, TX with Booker vs Haas in the main event and Boogeyman (who is Booker's personal training project) and Umaga on the card. Booker has been running a training school and hopes to start a small territory.

 

Flair came back earlier than scheduled as his divorce was settled out of court. Terms were undisclosed, but Beth had threatened to to reveal 'everything', whatever that may mean, in court but her kids managed to convince her to settle without going to court.

 

The card for New Year's Revolution is,

Umaga vs Cena (for the title)

DX vs Rated RKO (probably not for the titles)

Hardy vs Nitro in a cage (for the IC title)

James vs Victoria (for the title)

Carlito vs Masters

Flair vs Kenny

Cryme Time vs WGTT

 

The plan for ECW is to go back to having it be a glorifed developmental territory. There's no names yet, but several OVW guys are expected to start on ECW TV soon.

 

Vince seems to have decided against having MNM and the Hardys as full time tag teams. A lot of people backstage have high hopes of Nitro as they feel he's at the right age and has the right look to be a big star and don't want him dragged down by being a tag team wrestler.

 

Tazz's contract expires soon and he's looking for a raise. He's probably not going to get it as he's very low on the priority list now he's on ECW. There is already talk that he may well be leaving.

 

The DVD for See No Evil has grossed $3.79 million and was No. 9 in the DVD charts in its first week of release.

 

The idea on Smackdown is that Batista is the one carrying the ratings, so they want his TV matches to be as long as possible to try and boost the average. The problem is that Batista doesn't usually do long matches very well.

 

A second single from the Brooke Hogan album has been released, called Heaven Baby. It is getting airplay on around nine stations. Brooke and Hulk will be going on the road aggressivly to promote it.

 

The Rock's Greatest Matches DVD will be a 3-disc set.

 

Sandman is getting unpopular backstage by, basicly, being the Sandman. The Undertaker was especailly annoyed at Hak being his loud and goofy self on the European tour, and that's not someone you want on your bad side.

 

Referee Marty Rubacable has been given the TV name Marty Elias.

 

Torrie Wilson is in the 2007 FHM calender for September.

 

The shows on 12/4 and 12/5 in Portugal both did about $533,000 on the gate.

[Guest JoeMelba]

thanks as always.

 

joe

[Just John 0]

I'm actually looking forward to the NYR card, something I wasn't expecting when I bought tickets a few weeks ago. There's potentially 5 good matches on the show.

[mfn 0]

That 2.1 overrun rating will probably make Vince think that Show/Lashley is a money fued.

 

Thanks for posting man.

[LucharesuFan619 0]

Thanks for posting this Decembrists.

[Spaceman Spiff 0]

The show did a 2.6 in New York (2.9 for Noble vs Yang, Benoit vs Sylvan and Miz vs Scotty)

...

4.0 in Chicago (4.7 for Noble vs Yang)

...

Noble vs Yang + 491,000

Jamie Noble = ratings.

 

Thanks for posting!

[foleyfanforever88 0]

The show did a 2.6 in New York (2.9 for Noble vs Yang, Benoit vs Sylvan and Miz vs Scotty)

...

4.0 in Chicago (4.7 for Noble vs Yang)

...

Noble vs Yang + 491,000

Jimmy Wang Yang = ratings.

 

Thanks for posting!

 

EFA

[BigPoppaKev 0]

Court Bauer on the Smackdown writing team? When did that happen? Isn't he the same guy that ran two indy feds into the ground within a month?

[Dips 0]

Thanks for posting!

[Timmy8271 0]

Court Bauer on the Smackdown writing team? When did that happen? Isn't he the same guy that ran two indy feds into the ground within a month?

 

Bauer has been on the writing team for at least 2 years.

 

I feel bad for the Sandman. You don't want to piss off the dead man. Ask Bob Orton Jr.

[MillenniumMan831 0]

Thanks for posting.

 

And I think The Sandman is the last guy to give a shit about pissing off The Undertaker.

[Scroby 0]

Sandman is getting unpopular backstage by, basicly, being the Sandman. The Undertaker was especailly annoyed at Hak being his loud and goofy self on the European tour, and that's not someone you want on your bad side.

 

So Sandman can't be himself in the locker room? Greatttt.

[razazteca 0]

So the Sandman can't walk around backstage in a drunken stupor talking shit and doing the Captain Morgan pose with the kendo stick and a bottle of rum?

[Dobbs 3K 0]

Eh, they'll find an excuse to fire him in a few months, one way or the other.

[The Buzz 0]

I doubt the Sandman really cares. He probably didn't get a huge contract to come over to WWE, and he had no problems getting indy bookings prior to joining up.

[The Tino Standard 0]

The plan for ECW is to go back to having it be a glorifed developmental territory. There's no names yet, but several OVW guys are expected to start on ECW TV soon.

 

I'm actually totally on board with this line of thinking. If they aren't going to present ECW in the way it actually worked back in its prime, then they might as well go this way. Nobody is clamoring to see it as an over-produced, directionless clusterfuck with a bunch of WWE castoffs yet still be presented as an almost-equal third brand like what we have now.

 

Why not give it that dialed-down, primal indy feel and let the product actually get over on its own?

[claydude14 0]

Heyman's OVW would have done better national ratings than McMahon presents "Heyman's" WWECW.

[MillenniumMan831 0]

Re Tino: Because that would remind McMahon of Heyman.