H Jenkins on September 6, 2024
WWE is going through a big change right now, one that is certain to change pro wrestling history. At times like these, many look back at the past achievements of other top performers to see how they got to this point. This is also a time to proclaim who had the most to do with the business’ current booming period.
During Bloomberg’s Power Players event in New York on Wednesday, former WWE Undisputed Champion Roman Reigns and his advocate Paul Heyman sat down with Kim Bhasin and Scarlet Fu for an insightful interview. The discussion covered significant topics, including the landmark move of WWE Monday Night RAW to Netflix and the implications of the recent TKO merger.
Roman Reigns expressed his enthusiasm about RAW’s transition to Netflix, describing it as a monumental shift. “I think this is the biggest deal of all time, to be honest,” Reigns said. He then remarked about how much this will change the business.
“The thing that changes the whole landscape for us is that we’ve been on linear television for decades now, and we’ve been the leader of that episodically. So to take our program and put it on a streaming network like Netflix, it’s just unheard of. I mean, to go all the way back through our history to see where we are now, and the growth that we’ve had really since 2020 when the world was upside down, has just really been amazing. So it’s a big opportunity for us to not only showcase our product, but just what we’ve mastered with live television.”
“When asked about whether fans can expect a more edgy product with RAW’s new streaming platform, Reigns highlighted the importance of balancing innovation with core values. “I have always enjoyed the challenges of being PG and no offense to our predecessors and the people who came before us and the ratings that they revolved around.”
“But to me it’s more challenging to be able to tell these stories, and then it also allows you a broader audience to connect to, which I just really feel like is always the goal. We want to reach as many people as possible and I think there’s a fine limit to when you can kind of cross that threshold to where you push people off of the product. So I think there’s a nice, you know, there’s going to be a nice little range there that we can play with and push the envelope in certain senses, but I think we need to stick to our values and kind of the morals that we’ve set in place and the culture that we have now.”
Paul Heyman also shared his insights on the TKO merger, praising the strategic decisions behind it. He gave all the credit in the world to the amazing transformation that the business has gone through to Nick Khan as well.
“It’s tremendous business by UFC and tremendous business by WWE. It’s a star and story driven industry, and the top star is Roman Reigns. So again, I will give all the credit in the world to Nick Khan because that is a business leader the likes of which I’ve never experienced. Paul Levesque has been trained to do this job his entire life, but I’ll also say Mount Rushmore only needs three heads, and the third one is Roman Reigns.”
As WWE makes a historic leap to Netflix, Reigns and Heyman highlighted both the opportunities and challenges that come with this transition, emphasizing a commitment to maintaining the integrity of WWE’s storytelling while exploring new horizons. The discussion also shed light on the strategic brilliance behind the TKO merger, showcasing the pivotal roles played by key figures like Nick Khan and Paul Levesque. With WWE’s future looking brighter than ever, fans can anticipate an exciting new chapter in the company’s storied history.
We will keep a close eye on this story for any updates. There is no official Mount Rushmore for pro wrestling right now, but it’s apparent that Paul Heyman has a very strong feeling about who should go on that stone monument if the time comes.
What’s your take on the pro wrestling Mount Rushmore? Who would you put on it? Let us know what you think in the comments section!
September 6, 2024 2:54 pm
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