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This should prove to be a most newsworthy week for World Wrestling Entertainment. The largest news obviously is that this Thursday, the company will reveal their 2019 fourth quarter earnings as well as their complete earnings for the year. Given how George Barrios and Michelle Wilson have been bounced out as Co-WWE Presidents, there’s going to be a lot of scrutiny towards the numbers and one would expect, their exit will be one of the primary questions asked during Thursday’s earnings call, which will be the first without either in many, many years. This is probably the most interesting call in some time given the tumultuous-looking departures last week and the huge stock drop that followed. Things to keep an eye out for with the earning call – how much USA Network is paying for WWE NXT rights fees, whether WWE has locked in any their India or Middle East TV deals, and whether Vince McMahon running the XFL and WWE at the same time comes into question given that the two employees who were most likely to succeed him in case he could not run WWE for some unforeseeable reason are gone.
It should also be interesting to see whether the tiered version of the WWE Network is brought up in some fashion as a new revenue stream for the company. Originally expected to launch this month, there’s been no word whether the company has a new hard launch date, but with the six year anniversary of the WWE Network’s initial launch coming on 2/24, one has to wonder if that’s a new potential launch for the tiered version, which is expected to feature a $15 version of the Network that would include WWE-affiliated independent groups such as EVOLVE, PROGRESS and ICW, among others. Given that Barrios and Wilson were removed for differing visions in terms of the future of the company, it’s possible that the launch of the tiered Network could be presented in order to help blunt the question of what the future looks like in terms of new revenue streams.
This weekend will also see the launch of the aforementioned, resurrected XFL, owned by Vince McMahon’s Alpha Entertainment. There will be airing this Saturday 2/8 with The DC Defenders hosting the Seattle Dragons at 2 PM EST, a game that will air on ABC. A second game, featuring The Los Angeles Wildcats at the Houston Roughnecks will air 5 PM EST on FOX. On Sunday, The New York Guardians will host the Tampa Bay Vipers on FOX at 2 PM while The St. Louis BattleHawks will be hosted by The Dallas Renegades on ESPN at 5 PM EST. It should be extremely interesting to see how the games are received and how they do on television given that the original incarnation back in 2001 had far, far more media attention and buzz leading into its first games than this version does. If anyone is attending any XFL games, we are seeking live reports and thoughts.
As if all that wasn’t crazy and busy enough, tonight’s Monday Night Raw taping in Salt Lake City is taking place in the middle of a massive winter storm that locally, is scheduled until 4 AM Tuesday morning and could drop as much as a foot of snow in the area. There have already been 93 car crashes since midnight due to weather conditions, according to KSL.com, which also reported that local police are asking that Utah residents not drive today. That will undoubtedly impact Raw attendance and WWE’s travel to and from the event. This may be a really long, stressful day.
Oh yeah, there's wrestling too!
Following Raw, Kevin Owens will appear on "Break it Down" on the WWE Network. The promotional material for the episode notes, "Kevin Owens discusses some of the most significant matches and moments of his career, including winning the Universal Championship, his rivalry with Sami Zayn and more."
Drew McIntyre is scheduled for tomorrow's episode of WWE Backstage. CM Punk announced he would be back on the series on 2/21. WWE on Fox tweeted that Internet personality Greg Miller from "Kinda Funny" will be joining "Promo School" on WWE Backstage this week. Thanks to Paul Jordan.
WWE will stream a new live episode of WWE's The Bump on Wednesday.
This Wednesday's WWE NXT will feature Rhea Ripley and her NXT Takeover: Portland challenger for the NXT Championship Bianca Belair going face to face as well as the first appearance of NXT Cruiserweight Champion Jordan Devlin since capturing the belt at Worlds Collide.
Wednesday's episode of Miz & Mrs. will feature the following plot - "Mike and Maryse must unpack their things, including the truth, as they move back to LA."
This Thursday's NXT UK TV will feature A-Kid vs. Tyler Bate and Trent Seven will face Eddie Dennis in the first-ever Steel Corners Street Fight.
Friday Night Smackdown will feature The Dirt Sheet returning (we had reported they were filming content for that over Royal Rumble weekend), Braun Strowman's first appearance as the new WWE Intercontinental Champion as well as Daniel Bryan and the Firefly Funhouse.
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