411 Fact or Fiction Wrestling: Did Smackdown’s Billion-Dollar TV Deal Surprise You?

Welcome back to 411 Fact or Fiction, Wrestling Edition! Stuff happened, people loved/hated it and let everyone else know. I pick through the interesting/not so interesting tidbits and then make 411 staff members discuss them for your pleasure. Battling this week are 411’s Robert Leighty Jr & Kevin Pantoja.

Questions were sent out Tuesday.

Participants were told to expect wrestling-related content, as well as possible statements on quantum physics, homemade pharmaceuticals, the Turtle Total Trip Theorem, pizza and hydroponics.

1. Fox paying WWE 1 BILLION dollars over five years for JUST WWE Smackdown surprised you.

Robert Leighty Jr: FACT – There are a few things here that actually surprised me. Naturally, I had read all the reports and heard the rumors that FOX was looking to add the WWE as their deal with UFC was over and that made sense in today’s world of DVR and cord cutting. Sports programming is huge right now and the WWE is great at branding themselves as a sport when the occasion calls for it. The first thing that is surprising about this is that this deal is only for SmackDown. I always assumed RAW and SmackDown were a package deal, but USA is apparently throwing a ton on money at the WWE just for RAW so that left SmackDown without a home. I assumed Fox would come calling, but I never thought the price tag would ever get this high. SmackDown now has to become the top show just because being on FOX is a much bigger deal than being on USA. This deal is down right shocking and what it means for the future of the WWE is going to be great to think about and debate. Some are already calling for the end of the brand split as how does FOX feel about spending a billion on half a roster, or does it matter who is on the show? FOX may just want content and the WWE can give them that.

Kevin Pantoja: FACT – This is not meant to be a slight on the WWE. Something that they do being worth a billion dollars is actually understandable. They’re a huge company, super valuable in the stock market right now, and are all over social media. However, I would’ve expected them to get that billion-dollar deal for all of their programming rights. Having it just be for Smackdown, which has widely been promoted as the “B” show, was surprising. That’s especially true when you consider how WWE got less than they expected for both Raw and Smackdown at their last set of TV negotiations. It makes you wonder what deal they could possibly get for Raw.

2. Sasha Banks re-signing with WWE is good news for WWE’s women’s division.

Robert Leighty Jr: FACT – Sasha is a talented wrestler and has a great gimmick with a strong fan following. I can’t see any reason why her being on the roster would be bad news. You can complain about how she has been used lately and they way they have kind of butchered this feud with Baylee, but Sasha is over and is credible in the division. She still has many years left, and with the brand split she is just a show change away from being a big deal again.

Kevin Pantoja: FACT – I mean, it can’t possibly be bad news, right? Though Sasha Banks has been performing at the level she’s capable of lately, she’s still a valuable asset to the division. She can turn it on and have great matches, while helping some of the girls who aren’t as skilled. Sasha also remains one of, if not the single most popular woman on the roster. Her social media following is huge, she gets consistently strong pops, moves merchandise, and is constantly seen everywhere. Having her around is great.

3. If the whole John Cena/Nikki Bella drama is a giant work to create interest for Total Bellas, the series returning to all time low viewership numbers is pathetic considering all of the media overage the “breakup” received.

Robert Leighty Jr: FACT – I have no clue if their split is real or a work, and I am one to believe they called it quits for real. With that said if it is a work and it was done to bring in ratings, then this was a massive failure. The split did create a lot of press and perhaps they were hoping it would make fans curious to see the cracks in the relationship happen on the show, but so far nobody seemingly cares that much. Again, I will give them the benefit of the doubt that they called a timeout on the relationship as the wedding approached, and I won’t he shocked if they are already back together.

Kevin Pantoja: FACT – This is typical for reality television shows. The Kardashians are basically the masters at it. As soon as a show is about to premiere, some kind of news breaks that puts the spotlight on those involved. However, this was a poor way to go. One of the main appeals of Total Bellas is the relationship between John Cena and Nikki Bella. Telling fans that they broke up makes whatever they’re about to see on the show feel weird. I know several fans of the show and they like them together, so watching them split isn’t appealing. So, while the ploy itself isn’t pathetic (doing things purely for ratings isn’t new), the method they chose was poor and the ratings themselves sucked.

SWITCH!

4. The “Lashley Sisters” angle on Raw was embarrassingly bad.

Kevin Pantoja: FACT – I found some funny moments in it, but it was overall terrible. The men dressed as women angle isn’t something that has ever been that funny to me. I’m going back to movies like Big Momma’s House and White Chicks (Mrs. Doubtfire is the exception, not the rule). Not only was it unfunny, the writing was terrible, the acting was dire, and even Lashley coming in completely sucked. It was all weird.

Robert Leighty Jr: FACT – I watched the segment later and it was just horrible. I am sure there is a certain part of the audience that enjoyed this and I am sure Vince is likely one of the those people. For me, this was just bad and had no redeeming quality. Sami has been great as a heel, but this was totally out of character for him, and it killed any mystique Lashley had on his return. In no way do I think Lashley is the future, but this is a dude that did great things to rebuild himself in TNA and has had legit cred to be a viable opponent for Lesnar, but instead his gets to go the comedy route with this stupid storyline. Just not my cup of tea, but again, I am sure someone out there enjoyed it.

5. You are excited WWE is running longer co-branded PPVs starting with MITB.

Kevin Pantoja: FICTION – I absolutely love pro wrestling and have for nearly my entire life. But, more isn’t always better. For example, I loved more when we had split-branded Pay-Per-Views. I enjoyed there being a new show every few weeks with unique rosters. I dug getting the chance to see guys who otherwise wouldn’t get a PPV spot. Going back to dual branded PPVs is something I don’t like, as a lot of guys get left out. For example, you could run one hell of a PPV with the people who were left off the Backlash card (Finn Balor, Ember Moon, The Bar, Rusev, The Revival, Asuka, Sasha Banks, etc.). Adding time to the PPVs to add those people isn’t the answer. Look at the past few WrestleManias, SummerSlams, or even Backlash. They usually get off to a hot start and end on a wet fart. Part of the reason is that the live crowd just dies out. Even with the best possible card, it’s nearly impossible to keep momentum going for six to seven hours.

Robert Leighty Jr: FACT – I am always in favor of more wrestling and perhaps I am in the minority there. With the brand split it only makes sense for these shows to be a little longer as it will get more guys on the show. Each brand went from having their own 3-hour show to having to share 3 hours each month. At least this way each show would theoretically get 2 hours each which should be enough time to over the major feud and move things on from month to month. I am also happy to see they are starting an hour early, instead of closing an hour later as Monday morning comes quickly.

6. How excited are you for the WWE MITB PPV?

Kevin Pantoja: 8 out of 10 – Money in the Bank is always one of my favorite Pay-Per-Views of the year. You can usually count on the ladder matches to deliver some very good to great stuff. I’ve really liked every MITB match except for one or two in history. They also try to load up the rest of the card, adding things like another Ronda Rousey appearance. While a lot of the show sounds cool right now, I can’t get too excited for it because of the long running time. The WWE doesn’t have a good track record with it.

Robert Leighty Jr: 7 out of 10 – Again, I get excited for every PPV as I have spent 35 plus year watching wrestling and it never gets old to me. Sure, I look forward to some shows more than others, but MITB is one that usually always delivers. Styles/Nakamura still excites me and I have hope that they will deliver that MOTY candidate we have been waiting for, and we know the male ladder match is going to deliver. I also think they ladies will do well and this year they should get a proper finish. There are some low level stuff on here that I don’t care about, but at the end of the day it is a PPV and I no longer have to PPV 34.95 or 39.95 like back in the day to watch.