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This year's Rumble may be remembered as the most controversial, with records, cancellations, tempers and even a policy change resulting from it.
It is well known that "#CancelWWENetwork" because the number one hashtag on social media for 2 full days after the Rumble. A significant number of subscribers did indeed cancel their subscription. Among them were some OSR veterans. But it was all for nothing, because they were overshadowed by the number of NEW subscribers. Not only did new subscribers outnumber those that cancelled, it also pushed the WWE past their target of 1 million subscribers. Nearly all of them signed up on the day of, or the day after the Rumble. Just to give you an idea how significant this is, the WWE required almost 200,000 new subscriptions last week, without any cancellations at all. The aim is to hold on to as many as they can for a few more weeks. If they still have more than 1 million viewers after Fast Lane, then they will deem the Network a success.
In other news, we reported on how Justin Gabriel had been removed from the Rumble because he asked for his release. Apparently early reports were wrong. Gabriel asked for his release BECAUSE he was removed from the Rumble. The WWE's first South African star has been kept on Superstars, Main Event and NXT since the Corre and Nexus both split. While he has been booked strongly, there never seemed to be any serious plans to bring him back on to the main Raw or SmackDown shows. He was been jobbing for the last several weeks, and he saw being removed from the Rumble as proof that there are no creative plans for him. Gabriel asked for his release and is already accepting bookings on the indy scene. He is honouring his 90-day No Compete Clause by not working televised or PPV/iPPV events just yet. He will be wrestling as P.J. Black.
Another guy who is furious is Alex Riley. The colour commentator for the NXT brand was supposed to be a surprise entrant in the Rumble. His in-ring career came to sudden halt after a disagreement with John Cena. Witnesses said that Cena had started mocking his one-time friend. On the one occasion Riley said something back, Cena challenged him to a fight, and Riley stood up to him. Cena backed down before the dispute became physical, but Riley wasn't booked for almost an entire year. He wrestles as an enhancement talent every now and then. He had hoped that his Rumble appearance would be a return to full-time action, but it didn't happen. With Jason Alberts and Corey Graves recently joining the NXT announce team, Riley feels his future is under threat. He has been dropping hints on Twitter that he may leave the company if he doesn't start getting booked in matches.
Vince McMahon was also upset with the Rumble, but not for the reason you may think. Titus O'Neal was supposed to break the record for shortest survival time by being eliminated in under 1.9 seconds. The stunt had been carefully rehearsed. But Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose and O'Neal all miss-timed the spot, and O'Neal stayed in for 4 seconds. McMahon was cross at all three men for botching this one spot.
And finally, the WWE has introduced a new company policy. Office workers are no longer allowed to date performers. There is no known reason why this policy has been introduced, but it will be included in all employee contracts going forward. Several dirtsheets already claim that the ruling is only there for when Stephanie McMahon takes over the company with Triple H. It is no secret that people feel that Triple H's relationship with Stephanie has been the secret to his in-ring and corporate success. The ruling may be to discourage people from bad-mouthing the future heads of the company. It is also to stop rumours that certain performers (especially Divas) get pushes because they are dating people in the office.
Hulk Hogan is trying to arrange some leave from prison on compassionate grounds. He is hoping to negotiate with the Rumble and the WWE and help them to reconcile.
It is well known that "#CancelWWENetwork" because the number one hashtag on social media for 2 full days after the Rumble. A significant number of subscribers did indeed cancel their subscription. Among them were some OSR veterans. But it was all for nothing, because they were overshadowed by the number of NEW subscribers. Not only did new subscribers outnumber those that cancelled, it also pushed the WWE past their target of 1 million subscribers. Nearly all of them signed up on the day of, or the day after the Rumble. Just to give you an idea how significant this is, the WWE required almost 200,000 new subscriptions last week, without any cancellations at all. The aim is to hold on to as many as they can for a few more weeks. If they still have more than 1 million viewers after Fast Lane, then they will deem the Network a success.
In other news, we reported on how Justin Gabriel had been removed from the Rumble because he asked for his release. Apparently early reports were wrong. Gabriel asked for his release BECAUSE he was removed from the Rumble. The WWE's first South African star has been kept on Superstars, Main Event and NXT since the Corre and Nexus both split. While he has been booked strongly, there never seemed to be any serious plans to bring him back on to the main Raw or SmackDown shows. He was been jobbing for the last several weeks, and he saw being removed from the Rumble as proof that there are no creative plans for him. Gabriel asked for his release and is already accepting bookings on the indy scene. He is honouring his 90-day No Compete Clause by not working televised or PPV/iPPV events just yet. He will be wrestling as P.J. Black.
Another guy who is furious is Alex Riley. The colour commentator for the NXT brand was supposed to be a surprise entrant in the Rumble. His in-ring career came to sudden halt after a disagreement with John Cena. Witnesses said that Cena had started mocking his one-time friend. On the one occasion Riley said something back, Cena challenged him to a fight, and Riley stood up to him. Cena backed down before the dispute became physical, but Riley wasn't booked for almost an entire year. He wrestles as an enhancement talent every now and then. He had hoped that his Rumble appearance would be a return to full-time action, but it didn't happen. With Jason Alberts and Corey Graves recently joining the NXT announce team, Riley feels his future is under threat. He has been dropping hints on Twitter that he may leave the company if he doesn't start getting booked in matches.
Vince McMahon was also upset with the Rumble, but not for the reason you may think. Titus O'Neal was supposed to break the record for shortest survival time by being eliminated in under 1.9 seconds. The stunt had been carefully rehearsed. But Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose and O'Neal all miss-timed the spot, and O'Neal stayed in for 4 seconds. McMahon was cross at all three men for botching this one spot.
And finally, the WWE has introduced a new company policy. Office workers are no longer allowed to date performers. There is no known reason why this policy has been introduced, but it will be included in all employee contracts going forward. Several dirtsheets already claim that the ruling is only there for when Stephanie McMahon takes over the company with Triple H. It is no secret that people feel that Triple H's relationship with Stephanie has been the secret to his in-ring and corporate success. The ruling may be to discourage people from bad-mouthing the future heads of the company. It is also to stop rumours that certain performers (especially Divas) get pushes because they are dating people in the office.
Hulk Hogan is trying to arrange some leave from prison on compassionate grounds. He is hoping to negotiate with the Rumble and the WWE and help them to reconcile.