WWE General Discussion - February 2008

[Downhome 0]

An AP report:

 

Mayweather to get $20 million to wrestle

 

LOS ANGELES - Floyd Mayweather Jr. is a champion boxer and has tested his moves on "Dancing With the Stars." Now the man many consider the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world is preparing to drop the gloves and do some wrasslin.'

 

A $20 million payday awaits the undefeated WBC welterweight champion when he takes on Big Show as part of WWE's "WrestleMania XXIV" at Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Fla., on March 30.

 

"It's entertainment. You have a chance to just be you and do what you want to do," Mayweather said Monday after a chaotic Staples Center event that masqueraded as a news conference.

 

The boxer nicknamed "Money" clearly likes the way WWE does business.

 

"Wrestling takes care of business right on the spot," Mayweather said. "Whatever they say they're going to do, they do it right on the spot. There's no waiting three, four, five months. Quick results, quick money. Quick big money, too."

 

His manager Leonard Ellerbee and WWE executive Shane McMahon confirmed Mayweather's eight-figure payday for the outdoor match to be shown on live on pay-per-view.

 

Mayweather incited the couple hundred of already hyped fans at Staples Center by whipping out a thick wad of cash and repeatedly tossing $100, $50 and $20 bills into the crowd that had nearly as many women as men.

 

A mad scramble ensued, with a light pole nearly getting knocked over and two small children caught in the chaos. One lucky man emerged from the pileup clutching six $100 bills.

 

Mayweather played to the frenzied crowd after appearing from behind a black curtain wearing a New York Yankees jacket and cap. Fans shouted insults and the name of hometown hero Oscar De La Hoya at Mayweather.

 

"I run Vegas and I run L.A. and I will run the WWE," he boasted.

 

At 5-foot-8, 150 pounds, Mayweather gives up big numbers to the bald Big Show, who stands 7-feet and weighs 430.

 

"I weigh three times as much as he does," Big Show crowed. "It's not fair, but I'm a businessman and I see an opportunity for business."

 

Then he picked up the wooden podium and tossed it to the floor, where it splintered and the attached two mics lay like broken sticks. Clearly, Staples Center officials hadn't expected the move.

 

Mayweather hopped onto a chair and exchanged glares with Big Show while WWE regulars Randy Orton, John Cena, Triple H and Edge looked on, witnessing a newcomer who clearly understands the theatrics of modern-day wrestling.

 

"WWE is the biggest it gets," Mayweather said. "This is going to be an event like none other."

 

Ellerbee scoffed that hard-core boxing fans won't take Mayweather seriously after his WWE antics.

 

"After March 30, when Floyd goes out and takes care of his business at WrestleMania, he's still going to be the best fighter in the world and the face of boxing," he said. "Tell me what changes about that? Nothing changes."

 

The wrestling gig is another part of Ellerbee's carefully crafted plan to expand Mayweather's fan base.

 

"Either I'm going to be a genius with this or I'm the biggest idiot," he said. "Boxers have such a short window of opportunity. He can't become any bigger in boxing."

 

That's why Ellerbee snagged Mayweather a spot on ABC's reality hit "Dancing With the Stars." Mayweather didn't win the disco ball trophy, but he wasn't the first one voted off, either.

 

"It crossed him over and took him into the households of many middle-aged Middle Americans and turned him into a mainstream superstar," Ellerbee said. "Now when Floyd goes into the grocery store, the first thing 65-year-old ladies say is, `You're Floyd from `Dancing With the Stars.'"

 

Mayweather plans to train with WWE Latino star Ray Mysterio, who wears a mask on his face.

 

"I'm outside the box," he said, lapsing into the third person. "Floyd Mayweather is not just a fighter, he's an entertainer. That's what the world must know."

 

But he hasn't forgotten his night job.

 

Mayweather alluded to a possible rematch with De La Hoya in September. De La Hoya lost a split decision in their last bout May 5.

[milliondollarchamp 0]

Mayweather to get $20M for WWE event

 

LOS ANGELES (AP)—Floyd Mayweather Jr. is a champion boxer and has tested his moves on “Dancing With the Stars.” Now the man many consider the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world is preparing to drop the gloves and do some wrasslin.’

 

A $20 million payday awaits the undefeated WBC welterweight champion when he takes on Big Show as part of WWE’s “WrestleMania XXIV” at Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Fla., on March 30.

 

“It’s entertainment. You have a chance to just be you and do what you want to do,” Mayweather said Monday after a chaotic Staples Center event that masqueraded as a news conference.

 

The boxer nicknamed “Money” clearly likes the way WWE does business.

 

http://sports.yahoo.com/box/news;_ylt=Avro...p&type=lgns

[RedJed 0]

Jesus, 20 million? For that price, how many more buys than, say, over a million total, would WWE need to do to offset that salary?

 

I'm saying anything over a million buys since I assume without him, they would come pretty close to a million probably.

 

I'm betting the larger pricetag for Mania will offset some of this, too.

[Hawk 34 0]

Just imagine if De La Hoya agreed to get involved.

[TheFranchise 0]

I wonder just how well he'll be recieved by other wrestlers on that day.

 

Heh, good job Lashley's not moaning about his payday..

[Hawk 34 0]

The wrestlers are fine because they'll be making a good paycheck as well. For 20 million, I think Mayweather needs to hang around longer then a month.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

at least I know why the HD WM is 70 bucks now.

[The Niggardly King 0]

What did WWE expect by holding the presser in LA? That's DLH Country. The problem wwe has with this is that it initially started with Mayweather "making the save" for Mysterio, with Big Show playing the obvious heel in he was attacking the smaller, beaten-up Rey just to make a statement. Then you have the classic David vs Goliath battle lines - can David ever be the heel?

 

Only thing you could maybe do know is partner Big Show with Mayweather, and say it was all a planned ruse to make them both a lot of money or something. I mean I guess PBF could have a falling out with Rey, with Rey saying he used Mysterio to get himself over and that he wasn't making the save for Rey as much as putting himself in the spotlight. However that still doesn;t explain Big Show attacking Rey all of a sudden becoming the face.

 

Mayweather was supposed to be a heel anyway, as the storyline was originally going to be Mayweather/MVP going against Rey/Oscar. Since DLH has an up coming fight, it was going to be changed to Show/Shane against Mayweather/Rey, but then Rey got injured and now they're trying to salvage this the best they can. I say let Mayweather be himself, he would be over crazy with the dudes.

[Thanks for the Fish 0]

I believe Trump got $5M or something. $20M is pretty damn ridiculous considering he's not that much of a mainstream draw. He is working 6 weeks of tapings, as opposed to just WM, but how can Vince and Co look other wrestlers in the eye who are working 250 shows a year for $100K.

 

I don't believe this for a second though. Probably just hype. Mayweather makes similar money for his boxing purses, but that draws crazy PPV buys.

[Perfection 0]

I believe Trump got $5M or something. $20M is pretty damn ridiculous considering he's not that much of a mainstream draw. He is working 6 weeks of tapings, as opposed to just WM, but how can Vince and Co look other wrestlers in the eye who are working 250 shows a year for $100K.

 

I don't believe this for a second though. Probably just hype. Mayweather makes similar money for his boxing purses, but that draws crazy PPV buys.

 

If wwe paid him that much money then they are idiots. No way can his presence end up making them that money back and more. And yeah that has GOT to piss the wrestlers off to see some 150 pound fish stick come out there and get paid 20 million dollars when they bust their ass day in and day out to make the wwe what it is.

 

I can understand getting celebs and stuff and I'm sure the wrestlers understand too but 20 million dollars is pretty damn absurd.

[Celtic Jobber 0]

I believe Trump got $5M or something. $20M is pretty damn ridiculous considering he's not that much of a mainstream draw. He is working 6 weeks of tapings, as opposed to just WM, but how can Vince and Co look other wrestlers in the eye who are working 250 shows a year for $100K.

 

I don't believe this for a second though. Probably just hype. Mayweather makes similar money for his boxing purses, but that draws crazy PPV buys.

 

 

Yeah, I have a hard time believing they would pay him that much. Hell, the guy is virtually unknown to anybody except hardcore sports nuts. Lets face it, the guy is no Tyson or Ali when it comes to being a household name. They could get someone who's actually well-known for that price. But honestly, I don't see much of an upside to paying ANY celebrity such a huge amount of cash for 1 ppv.

[Fartsauce 0]

I think they screwed themselves over in the future when it comes to celebrity involvement. If Mayweather gets 20 million, someone bigger is going to demand 30,40,50 million for a 2 minute spot.

[The Truthiness 0]

There is nobody bigger they can get, but maybe Kobe, Brady, or somebody. This was a good investment.

[foleyfanforever88 0]

EDIT: Meant to post in the Raw thread.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

I think they screwed themselves over in the future when it comes to celebrity involvement. If Mayweather gets 20 million, someone bigger is going to demand 30,40,50 million for a 2 minute spot.

They're not re-setting the bar. That's already about Mayweather's going rate for a fight.

[Celtic Jobber 0]

There is nobody bigger they can get, but maybe Kobe, Brady, or somebody. This was a good investment.

 

 

Just a few other sports stars more well known than Floyd Mayweather: Shaq, Bret Favre, Eli and Peyton Manning, Roger Clemons, Lance Armstrong, Michael Vick, Oscar De La Hoya, Roy Jones Jr.

 

I could probably name several others, but it's pointless. As a person who avoids sports like the plague, even I have atleast heard of all of them... And I'm going to laugh when WM's buyrate is about the same or less than last year. Most boxing fans think of wrestling as a joke, almost all of Mayweather's appeal lies with them. If Mayweather had appeal to anyone but boxing fans, I could see him possibly helping them sell more PPVs. But paying any celebrity $20 million for one PPV is an insult to every wrestler on WWE's roster.

[RedJed 0]

Mayweather was supposed to be a heel anyway, as the storyline was originally going to be Mayweather/MVP going against Rey/Oscar.

 

Where was this reported? Thats news to me.

 

Also, I still for the record don't think WWE is pulling the trigger quite yet on Mayweather as a heel v. Show, judging by the way the footage was shown at the Mania press thing on Raw. I think they are going to basically be forced to go heel with him within the next few weeks, though. Rey's involvement in the match is going to have to be nothing, though, if they go that route.

 

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

You can pretty much guarantee WM would get 800,000 buys (Only XIX at 640,000 and 14 at 730,000 were less in the last 10 years).

 

So at $55 a PPV (not counting for HDs $15 more) they'll have to break last years record of 1.188 million buys to recoup the cost of Mayweather.

 

I dont think that will happen even though the card is looking more solid than last year.

[Lil' Bitch 0]

Its a little hard to get people to take Mayweather as a face if he's going to stick to his heelish acts. Shane McMahon or somebody should have a pep talk with him before things get ugly booking wise and we get the weird double turn during the feud.

 

By the way, anybody know how much Tyson got paid for his WM involvement?

[Guest A.BUTCHER'S HOUSE OF RIBS]

What a waste of money. For 20 million they could have gotten Britney Spears and Lindsey Lohan in a bra and panties match.

[Enigma 0]

What a waste of money. For 20 million they could have gotten Britney Spears and Lindsey Lohan in a bra and panties match.

 

That would be pretty crazy, considering both of them don't like wearing panties very much.

[Maztinho 0]

I don't see how the WWE is thinking this is going to make them money. Like Marv pointed out they'll have to break record sales just to break even. It doesn't look like a sound business decision, at least it appears to be too much risk versus very little reward.

 

Hell drudging up Malone versus Rodman II probably could have gotten as many buyrates that Floyd is going to produce.

[dh86 0]

What a waste of money. For 20 million they could have gotten Britney Spears and Lindsey Lohan in a bra and panties match.

 

I can get two crackheads wrestle in their bra and panties for a couple of loosies.

[pochorenella 0]

That $20 million figure looks made up to me, just to create more hype to the match. I'll believe it when Linda McMahon reports it on the next shareholders meeting. I say $5 million at the most.

[Dimensions 0]

Source: Variety

 

WWE pins down distrib deal at Fox

Studio gets first-look at wrestler pics

By MARC GRASER

Cena

 

World Wrestling Entertainment has found a tag-team partner in 20th Century Fox, inking a first-look deal that gives the studio rights to distrib pics headlined by the company's pro wrestlers.

 

Beginning next year, WWE Films plans to develop, finance and produce at least one theatrical release and up to four direct-to-video titles annually, with Fox receiving a distribution fee should it release the pics in theaters, on homevid or digitally. It's similar to the pact comicbook giant Marvel Entertainment has with Paramount and Universal on the upcoming "Iron Man" and "The Incredible Hulk."

 

Going forward, though, WWE will focus on making movies across all genres that appeal to a broader audience and land a PG-13 rating, vs. the hard R it had been going after with its previous pics.

 

"We had to refocus where we wanted to go," said Michael Lake, prexy of WWE Films, a former Village Roadshow exec who took the post in October, and quickly began reworking the company's development slate. "There's a strong audience base that is ready for movies that star our guys. A lot of our audience is in the PG-13 area."

 

First pic out of the multi-year deal with Fox is "12 Rounds," an actioner toplined by John Cena that bows in 2009 and will be released under the Fox Atomic label. Production on the pic, with Renny Harlin at the helm, begins this month in New Orleans.

 

WWE is looking to spend around $20 million for theatrical releases while direct-to-DVD titles would be made for around $3 million to $5 million.

 

The wrestling org has had mixed success since forming its film division in 2002, releasing three pics, "See No Evil," featuring Glen "Kane" Jacobs; "The Marine," also with Cena; and "The Condemned," with Stone Cold Steve Austin.

 

Fox distribbed "The Marine" in 2006, WWE's biggest earner to date, that collected $22 million at the worldwide box office. Lionsgate handled the other two releases. While ticket sales were less than expected, the pics performed well on homevid, which has proved a lucrative revenue generator for the company.

 

Fox sparked at the chance to work with WWE on "12 Rounds" because the Fox Atomic label is essentially going after the same young male demo that WWE has been able to attract to its live events, pay-per-view broadcasts, TV shows and DVDs.

 

The Fox Atomic banner won't necessarily release each WWE pic.

 

Either way, the films would be promoted across WWE's various properties, putting them in front of millions of potential moviegoers.

 

"This partnership allows Fox to capitalize on this global audience and the WWE brand's continued expansion into the filmed entertainment medium," said Tom Siegrist, senior VP of production for Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.

 

WWE's hoping to use the pics to raise the profile of its stable of stars and entertain existing fans, while attracting new auds and boost its bottom line.

 

The film deal comes as the WWE finds itself facing increased competish from mixed martial arts and leagues like the Ultimate Fighting Championship that are winning over wrestling's fanbase.

 

WWE enjoyed a surge in popularity with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, who succesfully made the transtion from the ring to the bigscreen.

 

"There's a real depth of talent we can use," Lake said. "These guys are action stars anyway. We want to fashion movies to fit their personalities. We've got to establish these guys not to our audience so much but to the other moviegoing audience, so that they cross over."

 

[haws bah gawd 0]

Rajah.com is reporting that a source within WWE says Big Show never suffered a broken nose, and the angle went down exactly as it was supposed to. Take that as you will. Big Show must have magical-bleeding-nose powers, or Mayweather knew exactly how hard he had to hit him to bust his nose open..

[Thanks for the Fish 0]

WWE also confirmed that SD! is moving to MyNetworkTV - whatever that is. They better hope they get their choice of day and timeslot to make up for the household loss.

 

I think the $20M figure is out there to get publicity and to make people believe Mayweather might actually do something significant - more along the lines of Lawrence Taylor vs Bam Bam Bigelow than Trump or Tyson. I bet he's getting a percentage of the buyrate with a maximum take of $20M or something. Maybe something like 50% of the take over last years numbers or something.

[Black Lushus 0]

The Mayweather thing is on Yahoo's front page...total plublicity stunt, that muthafucka aint gettin that much!

 

 

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

I have a hard time believing Mayweather is getting that much for his appearance. He got $35 million for the De La Hoya fight, but that was the highest grossing PPV in history. He would need to secure at least 1 million additional buys to get that kind of money from WWE.

 

The Mayweather thing is on Yahoo's front page...total plublicity stunt, that muthafucka aint gettin that much!

 

I couldn't find it on the Yahoo Sports page, but then I realized that you meant the actual Yahoo homepage. That's some big time publicity.

[The Truthiness 0]

I have a hard time believing Mayweather is getting that much for his appearance. He got $35 million for the De La Hoya fight, but that was the highest grossing PPV in history. He would need to secure at least 1 million additional buys to get that kind of money from WWE.

 

The Mayweather thing is on Yahoo's front page...total plublicity stunt, that muthafucka aint gettin that much!

 

I couldn't find it on the Yahoo Sports page, but then I realized that you meant the actual Yahoo homepage. That's some big time publicity.

Yes it is, I said this thing would pick up this week.