Burgundy LaRue

Anderson tends to be sarcastic, so maybe this is just him building up AJ's comment last week about being the real champion on RAW. However, Rollins supposedly left early to be with Becky in Dubai, as she was doing a CrossFit session with a children's organization there. The SmackDown crew left in an effort to get to that show. So while those left behind may be hurt--rightfully so with that weird press release--those who left can say they were going to do two shows in roughly 24 hours with a 15-hour flight in between. Most of those guys are either in production or were scheduled for matches. That's work, and any hard feelings will probably be smoothed over on that end. I don't fault Rollins for wanting to travel with his fiancée, but I could see him leaving for personal reasons not sitting well with some, especially if they were under duress.

I saw someone mention that a number of WWE bigwigs sold stock around the same time last year. I haven't researched, so take it as you will. But some companies set aside certain times where stock can be moved, so maybe that's happening here.

Thanks for the clean-up, Rippa. Was trying to do it myself, but ran into a snag.

I'm surprised it took someone this long to do the annoying IG model/so-called 'woke' character. I'm curious to see what she can do with it. The potential is sky-high.

Babatunde is the man for the job. Already on the NXT roster, getting reps in EVOLVE and has previous experience of going to the ring with smaller guys (he was Lio Rush's enforcer for a minute). And the mispronunciation rule still applies.

Ah, fair enough. I was into it with Saved by the Bell and those shows, so that's what I was thinking about.

TNBC wasn't animated.

I don't know why WWE hasn't thought to do a Saturday morning lineup on the Network. It could be similar to the Teen NBC.

What they most want are consistent wins in the 18-49 demo. SD is giving them that so far. They'll monitor the overall viewership, but it's not the main concern. Having buyer's remorse three weeks into a five-year contract would be premature.

Honestly, I think that's the plan in 5-7 years.

Take a page from Marvel or DC. Realize what originally brought you to the party (comics, actual wrestling) doesn't appeal to younger audiences enough. Create a true universe with larger-than-life characters with stakes on the line (championships, winning money for an orphanage, whatever). Use their resources (WWE Studios, deals with toy companies, etc.) to create content and merchandise that may appeal to a bigger group. Be honest about who can be pushed mainstream. I'm sure WWE has this information in-house. Groom those people and market them consistently. Better use social media and digital tools to create mini-franchises for these possible stars within the larger WWE Universe. There are several wrestlers on the roster who could be superhero types. Roll the dice and see where it goes. The biggest problem for not only WWE, but wrestling at large, is absolutely no growth in the fanbase. There is more wrestling than ever for everyone to watch. No one outside the diehards care. No one even talks about it. Every show is shedding viewers, no matter the promotion. There's being niche, then there's being off the grid. There are two full-time people among the 250+ wrestlers WWE has under contract who are even sniffing non-wrestling success. If wrestling is to grow, a few will need to make it outside the bubble in some way to reach a new audience.

Not to mention Dunne-Priest had one of the best referee distraction spots I've seen. It made perfect sense and the ref didn't look the least bit dumb for it.

Yeah, but that was years ago and even then, the flak they got was petty bad. No way they do it in 2019.