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WHY WWE DIDN'T DOUBLE THEIR RIGHTS FEES, ELGIN VS. NORTON, MEAN GENE AND MORE

My question is about WWE's rights fees for RAW and Smackdown. It troubles me that they were not able to double their TV rights fees with any channel. I just don't get how that is possible. They have been the number 1 cable rated show in the last 20 years (excluding NFL). Is it the fact that it has a pro wrestling stigma to it? I mean Vince has done everything he possibly could have to make the WWE appear more "Hollywood like" and kid friendly. Has helped the Susan Komen foundation a ton. Say what you want about the WWE but the WWE has gone above and beyond for certain organizations and truly have a global approach and brand. How NBC Universal or any other channel did not give them more money for their tv fees is just mind boggling to me. They have an amazing production. I don't think anyone comes close to the look that WWE has. Yet, they have this dark cloud over them because of the stigma of pro wrestling. And I hate saying that because pro wrestling is truly a slice of Americana. If you're NBC, I get you're trying to negotiate the best deal for NBC, but I think the WWE has more than proven themselves worthy of a better deal than they're getting. I mean if Vince couldn't get the doubling of rights fees now, what do you think the future holds?

They didn't get double the fees for a number of reasons. One, the belief is that wrestling is low brow, cheap programming and even with the ratings rise it brings USA, it still brings a lesser ad rate than another sport that brings similar or even lower number because of the way wrestling is perceived. I also think that WWE probably made it too obvious that they were looking to double or more, which made their negotiating partners possibly feel like they were being forced to a certain point, so NBC likely dug in to a certain number and refused to budge. As far as what the future holds, well, we'll have to see.

After watching several episodes of Legens House, I have noticed that Mean Gene?s right arm appears to be swollen compared to his left arm. My question is, is he suffering from some type of medical illness or is that simply from his age?

I've asked around and the belief is that it is likely a blood flow issue, possibly stemming from his liver replacement surgery.

If you had the money, would you have bought WCW? Had you acquired WCW (instead of WWE buying it), what would you have done with it? Finally, if you were working for WWE when they acquired WCW, how would you have booked the invasion angle?

I don't think anyone in their right minds would have balked at buying WCW because the video library was worth a mint. In terms of booking the invasion, I would have invested in Goldberg, Ric Flair and Scott Steiner, all of whom were necessary to get the WCW brand over. If you had those personalities and Flair's promo ability, you could have created a huge back and forth war, as opposed to the Alliance being treated like idiots.

've been watching old WCW ppvs on the WWE network, I see Scott Norton on there, watching him in matches, he almost resembles Michael Elgin to me similar styles and builds, I'm just curious if it's just me, or if they really do have a similar style of wrestling

I can see why you would say that but Elgin is far more versatile in the ring as a worker compared to Norton.

Vince Russo removed his comments about you. What does that say?

I'd say it pretty much shows who was telling the truth, in my opinion.

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