WWE’s New PLE Strategy Revealed
Backlash France is in the books and WWE will be overseas again in June as the company’s new premium live event strategy continues to unfold.
In recent years, WWE has taken some of their PLEs on the road to different countries as they seek to be paid huge sums of money by cities and countries to bring their shows to them.
Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer gave some insight into WWE’s new strategy regarding premium live events and said the old model of trying to market to fans no longer applies:
The original idea was to keep WrestleMania and Royal Rumble in the United States and Canada, and SummerSlam and Survivor Series probably too. But basically sell most of the other ones all over the world, like they just did with France and they’re gonna do with Germany and other places they’ve got all over the world. That’s the new model.
The old idea of marketing to the fans doesn’t matter anymore, it’s cool that they’re successful and selling lots of tickets but there’s no giant pressure to do so, and if/when they get cold it doesn’t matter, they’re not gonna struggle.
The last UFC show I’m sure did nothing. The last WWE show, the show from France as far as interest levels with the public – got the Google number, got the PPV number, it’s very clear that this show for whatever reason, this show did not have much interest as compared to a normal WWE show.
It doesn’t matter because they get paid the same, either way, as far as in Lyon, France they did a three million dollar gate and got a site fee. So even if they put on this five match show in the afternoon, obviously as compared to a normal show people are not watching it doesn’t matter because they’re fine anyway.
WWE’s Strategy Could Already Be In Question
Despite Meltzer’s assertion that WWE received a site fee for Backlash France, there has been a suggestion that WWE did not receive a penny of public money for the show.
Saudi Arabia is also believed to be making a play for WrestleMania at some point in the future meaning that WWE’s model of keeping the company’s major events in North America could already be up in the air.