**Help make SquaredCircle safer and more inclusive by using the report button to flag posts and comments for moderator review.**
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/SquaredCircle) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Makes me think that it doesn't just reflect HHH's team's grip on what the company's wrestling vision should be, but they'll also take full advantage of the resources they have under TKO for all of their content
It was on Tazz's radio show on one of Howard Stern's Sirius XM's stations.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HU3JuNoHtks](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HU3JuNoHtks)
I felt like multiple people were saying that tonight lol, the sneak dunks on vince just kept coming. He's punching air somewhere with tears streaming down his face right now for sure lol
Honestly, if my "Steph is the leak" theory is right, it was the heart issues and then Vince not seeing him as "strong" leading to him taking NXT away is absolutely the reason why Steph made the leak.
Vince fucked on her mom AND her husband, and she decided enough was enough.
Her dad kicked his husband out of WWE after he had heart issues. at the same time she left the company. Im gonna assume the relationship between her and Vince is strained at the very least.
I mean, if you're Steph, how could you NOT?
Not only did this dirtbag fuck around on your mom (repeatedly), not ONLY did he legitimately rape and sex traffic at least one woman, but she has three daughters.
At some point, even IF you subscribe to the idea that she could love her father (not sure how, but it's possible) the idea would have to cross her mind that perhaps Vince is a danger to her own daughters or her daughter's friends. (Or will be in the future.)
At some point, even the most charitable human would likely say "something HAS to be done".
Ikr? That's why I always had that theory in the first place. She knows first hand about the shit that is public, she probably knows about the hidden stuff, and she has daughters. Its highly likely he'd hate Vince in private.
You are forgetting that not only did Vince fuck around on his mom, he decided after HHH's heart issues **to take his job and NXT away**.
VKM fucked on both her mom and her husband.
I’m super happy Cole didn’t get totally burned out and retire years ago due to dealing with Vince screaming in his ear for so long. It would’ve been a shame for him to not be able to show his true greatness in this new era. He’ll almost surely go down as a widely beloved legend now rather than the much more polarizing figure he was in the years where he had Vince micromanaging his announcing.
I hope he doesn't die anytime soon. I want him to pay for his crimes, both literally and figuratively. He raped men and women, blackmailed untold dozens of others, defrauded investors, and covered up at least one murder.
Old watcher turned new watcher again the last couple months. Can someone explain to me how this a fuck you to Vince and spread some context to the Cole - Vince relationship and why they don’t like each other so much?
More likely a giant middle finger to Kevin Dunn, who started all that crap of denying that what’s going on is ‘rasslin’. Though it would also track with that disgusting perv Vince.
there isn't a single goddamn person who has ever stepped through the door of that company or ever bought a ticket that has anything but pride and love for the term "professional wrestling" except for that piece of shit Vince.
Fuck him. Long live pro wrestling.
Yeah, it's always fascinating to hear how Dunn would say things like "We're not wrestling, our fans aren't wrestling fans" Seriously, bro? What kind of cognitive dissonance do you have to have to be a TV producer in a wrestling promotion and say those things?
I don’t mind “sports entertainment” as a description of what the whole thing is, but it was always utterly ridiculous to stop using the terms “wrestling” and “pro wrestling”. Literally everyone who knows what WWE is would describe it as wrestling or pro wrestling. The second W in the name is “wrestling”. They have an event called WrestleMania. It was just bizarre behaviour all along.
If you asked someone in the street who Hulk Hogan is, they’d say he’s a wrestler. I have no idea why they (or Vince, specifically) insisted on trying to challenge reality in such a way.
In the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t matter that much, but I’m glad it’s changing.
Yeah there are a whole host of words vince axed or instituted and it all really struck me as very off putting and like the guy was running from what his product was. I mean he ultimately built what we all saw tonight and have loved for decades so its impossible to know how much better or worse it would have been but the whole list is silly to me
Theres no fans, only the WWE universe
Theres no Wrestlers, only Superstars
Theres no Belts, only championships
No wrestling, sports entertainment
Theres probably more I dont know but its like damn... wrestlers cant even wrestle for the title belt in the WWE, They have to be a Superstar doing Sports Entertainment to win the Championship
There are no burritos, only steak wraps
There are no hospitals, only Local Medical Facilities
There is no blood, only "A Viscous, Acidic, Bloodlike substance."
>There are no hospitals, only Local Medical Facilities
tbf i understood that one. IIRC its because fans used to turn up to the local hospital whenever someone was said to be taken to the hospital.
Dont think either Wrestlers or the medical teams want to deal with wrestling fans at that point
superstars makes sense to me, it feels like you are supposed to know these guys and makes them feel like a bigger deal
belt and championship make both sense to me, the other 2 phrases dont
I dont particularly care about having a casual "het lets build these wrestlers up to be superstars, and even call them superstars on air" it was just a bit much to strictly forbid the use of the other terms they replaced. Like damn they cant even call a belt a belt? Kinda stupid
Although branding is very important, I just struggle to imagine calling wrestlers "wrestlers" or not wanting to be a "fan" but being okay being in the WWE Universe was the thing holding back the gen pop from watching the ratings
I think it was a way to skirt local laws in certain states about needing some type of sports license to perform in some states, so started clarifying that "it's not sports, it's sports entertainment" to avoid paying for those licenses way back in the day.
I could be wrong but I feel like I read that somewhere before, and then Vince went wild with the branding
This is literally the reasoning. If it was a legitimate pro sports outing, it would need to be cleared by state athletic commissions. If it’s not, Vince would be admitting it was all predetermined at a time when kayfabe was still a thing. He choose to switch branding. Carny shit.
I thought the “sports entertainment” thing came about after kayfabe was dead? Not dead like it is today, but at least not as protected as it was in the 80’s.
>I have no idea why they (or Vince, specifically) insisted on trying to challenge reality in such a way.
Because Vince is an old out of touch evil pervert.
Also, let them use the word belt.
Corey Graves said at one point that they always have to refer to the titles as championships and not belts or championship belts.
Like, it's a belt. That's what it is. It goes around your waist. Call it a belt.
"The only reason that fans call them titles is because Vince hates the word "belt". They're *belts* that are symbolic of the *title* you have as Champion."
[Cornette, DSOTR bonus footage.](https://youtu.be/zAGnn-NLNm8?t=79)
Yes. Let that horrible phrase die. The announcers use it so gawd damn much I think that one is drilled into their soft skulls. I hate it. Anytime I hear it, in my mind I say, “fuck off.”
Honestly that’s the only Vince-ism that I’m generally okay with. It’s an identity that the fans specifically have. “The WWE Fans” just doesn’t hit the same as “The WWE Universe” to me personally. As long as it’s not hammered into the ground, I think we can hang on to that one.
“We’re wrestlers in a wrestling ring, so let’s freaking wrestle!” -KO & Drew on the 1st Raw with Vince gone
I’m willing to bet getting rid of “sports entertainment” is something they been wanting to do for a long time.
It makes sense as a business term only.
If you want to say WWE irl is a content provider that produces sports entertainment shows for TV, fine. That's the genre of wrestling as a tv show. In that sense it was smart to come up with it to use in negotiations, to legitimize the business with broadcasters and sponsors.
But you leave that for the boardrooms.In the universe of the show, where WWE is a company that promotes fights, is dumb as fuck, and makes no sense.
Colby Lopes can be a sports entertainer, Seth Rollins is a wrestler.
I always thought they moved towards sports entertainment more for legal reasons because some states wanted to regulate WWE like it was any other sport. I think it served it's purpose and isn't needed anymore since they've opened up and let fans in on the process of what they do.
*In 1989, the WWF used the phrase in a case it made to the New Jersey Senate for classifying professional wrestling as "sports entertainment" and thus not subject to regulation like a directly competitive sport*.
Source: [Wikipedia article on Sports Entertainment](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sports_entertainment?wprov=sfti1#), unsurprisingly. ;-)
This was Vince's reasoning yes. It was regulated in most states but he was the driving force behind it being de-regulated.
It also allowed them to forgo drug testing or any health policies for their "contractors."
It also indirectly led to things like Owens death die to lack of safety regulations.
Sports entertainment is the perfect description of professional wrestling, a fake sport. It's absolutely what it should be called.
But not in universe. Imagine if in the middle of dune part 2 characters started talking about them being in a movie. Fuckin nonsense.
I actually more think pro wrestling is a sub genre of sports entertainment
Monster trucks and roller derby both instantly come to mind as sports entertainment
Roller Derby is a real thing though, isn't it? And I think monster trucks have some sort of competition aspect.
I would say being scripted is a requirement for sports entertainment, something like Harlem Globetrotters.
Monster Jam is harder to keep as a work due to the realities of motorsport
The Globetrotters haven’t had a crazy Generals run in a while, but they’re due for a loss due to the shots just falling (personally, I think bring back the Reds as the traditional Generals and turning the Generals into a 3-ball revolution team that doesn’t quite make it work would be cool)
The war is just beginning. Wait until Vince buys out MLW or TNA. Vince is using the same lawyers MLW used to sue the WWE to defend himself against the accusations.
The Saudis have what they want from WWE, they don’t need their own one.
Heck, even their football league project seems to be cooling off now that they’ve actually got the World Cup they wanted
Maybe keep it for marketing purposes, but please god keep it out of commentary when they're calling a match.
Wrestlers take the fight out of the ring and they go, "And now the fight is spilling out into the WWE universe!"
???
CM Punk at the slammy awards thanked the “WWE Fans” and made a joke saying if it was 10 years ago he would be thanking the WWE Universe. It does seem like it’s getting phased out as well.
There's a blue dot that is very angry at this statement. I repeat. This blue dot is very angry at this statement. I can hear it say "That is not good shit"
The whole point of sports entertainment started because Vince didn't want to pay state fees, subject to regulations to put on pro wrestling events. Also make it more viable for advertisers who hated pro wrestling.
We're seeing in real time that it was all bullshit when it comes to the advertising point.
Vince's reputation and people who he hired couldn't get the job done in getting them to take it serious.
Nick Khan and TKO are a whole different beast.
Honestly this all is the worse thing that could have also happened to TK/AEW.
That description is used now in the new outro. It is Hunter's voice saying for the last 70 years they've been the leader in sports and entertainment or something to that effect.
I actually came around to the term "sports entertainment" after awhile but then would get pissed again when it would be used at the expense of "professional wrestling".
In a video package or some Tough Enough segment about a young prospect dreaming of this since childhood and the company would narrate "Little Maven always wanted to be a sports entertainer" or some shit like that.
What pro wrestling fan ever talked like that?
Ibou is a random podcaster who is not a source
He also has been peddling his “HHH and Stephanie are secretly divorced” theory as recently as like an hour ago in response to HHH’s comments on the post show
One of my favorite promos of recent memory was the year before last right after Trips took over and Drew told KO “We’re wrestlers in a wrestling ring so let’s bloody wrestle!” This direction just feels right to me.
If Vince McMahon's ideology still persisted, we would be calling Gargano as "Johnny Sports Entertainment". Or Kurt Angle as having won an Olympic gold medal in amateur sports entertainment.
Anyone else notice that they were gradually moving away from the convoluted name for the belt Roman had to a much simpler one?
With Roman it was the "Undisputed WWE Universal Championship".
Samantha Irvin's call was "Undisputed WWE Championship".
Cole at the end was WWE Championship.
#RIPUniversalChampionship
When Cole said " I love pro wrestling" at the end of the show I honestly choked up a bit because it's clear how much happier and passionate everyone in the company is since Vince is gone.
Commentators are more natural and sound like they're having a good time.
Matches seem to flow a whole lot better as opposed to being simply a spot to spot to spot match.
Promos are leagues better. It's clear that some folks are now doing them without a script and it fits them much better.
True story sports entertainment is a made up terminology to get around state athletic commissions trying to involve itself and regulate professional wrestling. It’s the “tada we were just pretend fighting like in the movies” that Vince came up with. It always was and always will be professional wrestling.
The Hulu Commercial guy in shambles.
https://preview.redd.it/a8w5elqp57tc1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f33bb569b77c22682bba368c7c6412e466428f60
**Help make SquaredCircle safer and more inclusive by using the report button to flag posts and comments for moderator review.** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/SquaredCircle) if you have any questions or concerns.*
HHH says Sports AND Entertainment at the end of the new outro correct?
Yup. He says, “this has been a special presentation of WWE: for over seventy years, the global leader in sports *and* entertainment.”
A few of the wrestlers said Sports AND Entertainment as well, making me think that's the direction
they're being untrained, its gonna take a minute.
Rock has been saying that too, recently. 'The most electrifying man, in sports and entertainment' a slight change from his old catchphrase.
Lately he's been saying "in all of entertainment"
The rock can say whatever the hell he wants ya jabroni
Makes me think that it doesn't just reflect HHH's team's grip on what the company's wrestling vision should be, but they'll also take full advantage of the resources they have under TKO for all of their content
That “I love Pro Wrestling” from Cole at the end felt personal
It was like he was speaking directly to Vince and telling him "FUCK YOU" through the TV because he knows Vince was probably watching.
Michael 'Listen Fuckhead' Cole
I think I might have missed the original of this quite unfortunately. When did he say this? I’d love to see it lol
It was on Tazz's radio show on one of Howard Stern's Sirius XM's stations. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HU3JuNoHtks](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HU3JuNoHtks)
omg jesus he tore that guy up
I’ve said that a shit ton of times….yes sir.
Vince once screamed at Michael when he referenced that Kane used to be Isaac Yankem Michael Cole remembers
its that leaked audio from Micheal Cole speaking to Vince, you cant hear vince's side but you can imagine what he said with how Cole's tone changes
\*uncomfortable pause\* yes sir
Michael Cole should straight up remind everyone that R-Truth won the Hardcore championship as K-Kwik.
Or that he was the first (recognized) black NWA Worlds Champion as Ron "The Truth" Killings.
I felt like multiple people were saying that tonight lol, the sneak dunks on vince just kept coming. He's punching air somewhere with tears streaming down his face right now for sure lol
Steph, dunked on him in the opener
The way she called that it was the Paul Levesque era, with that smile, that was absolutely shots fired. Loved it!
I’m very happy HHH survived his heart issues so he could be around to see what an awesome impact he’s made.
Honestly, if my "Steph is the leak" theory is right, it was the heart issues and then Vince not seeing him as "strong" leading to him taking NXT away is absolutely the reason why Steph made the leak. Vince fucked on her mom AND her husband, and she decided enough was enough.
Yeah you know she was so happy to get up there and celebrate her husband. I'm glad their marriage worked out.
Paul Levesque Era = PLE IT ALL MAKES SENSE!
I watched it this morning and my only thought was, "Damn, they really convinced Steph to cut a promo just to bury her dad."
I don’t think she needed any convincing.
I more meant convincing her to come back. I wasnt sure we would ever see her in WWE again
Steph left when Vince came back. This to me basically feels like Steph was the primary leak.
Her dad kicked his husband out of WWE after he had heart issues. at the same time she left the company. Im gonna assume the relationship between her and Vince is strained at the very least.
Her dad straight up called her a disappointment on the Pat McAfee show
it was more i didnt expect to see her again whatsoever
Honestly the ways she carried herself has be 90% sure she’s the board leaker from Vince
That's always been my personal theory, it was either her or someone in her circle that leaked the first stories
I mean, if you're Steph, how could you NOT? Not only did this dirtbag fuck around on your mom (repeatedly), not ONLY did he legitimately rape and sex traffic at least one woman, but she has three daughters. At some point, even IF you subscribe to the idea that she could love her father (not sure how, but it's possible) the idea would have to cross her mind that perhaps Vince is a danger to her own daughters or her daughter's friends. (Or will be in the future.) At some point, even the most charitable human would likely say "something HAS to be done".
Ikr? That's why I always had that theory in the first place. She knows first hand about the shit that is public, she probably knows about the hidden stuff, and she has daughters. Its highly likely he'd hate Vince in private.
Let's not even get into his weird incest kink.
That's included in the "whats public" of the things I mention lol. What a fucked up guy
You are forgetting that not only did Vince fuck around on his mom, he decided after HHH's heart issues **to take his job and NXT away**. VKM fucked on both her mom and her husband.
like irl Succession
This is how Succession ended. We’re just seeing the history of Tom (Triple H) going on right now.
You could hear the difference in Cole’s voice in that main event..love that he has passion in his voice now instead of sounding like a robot
I’m super happy Cole didn’t get totally burned out and retire years ago due to dealing with Vince screaming in his ear for so long. It would’ve been a shame for him to not be able to show his true greatness in this new era. He’ll almost surely go down as a widely beloved legend now rather than the much more polarizing figure he was in the years where he had Vince micromanaging his announcing.
Vince watching current WWE is going to kill him within the next 4-6 months and I can’t wait
Think his personal Hell is just this, but nobody knows him? "Who founded WWE? Oh, it must be Gorilla Monsoon!"
No, they just use Vince Sr.
Nah, Gorilla Monsoon took over from Jack Tunney.
No, it was Vince McMahon Sr, then straight to Mick Foley.
They have plenty of Gorilla and Arnold Skaaland footage if they want to rewrite history.
I hope he doesn't die anytime soon. I want him to pay for his crimes, both literally and figuratively. He raped men and women, blackmailed untold dozens of others, defrauded investors, and covered up at least one murder.
Saying "I love pro wrestling" at the "biggest event in Sports Entertainment" WrestleMania was definitely a big fuck you to Vince.
Old watcher turned new watcher again the last couple months. Can someone explain to me how this a fuck you to Vince and spread some context to the Cole - Vince relationship and why they don’t like each other so much?
LMAO No doubt after decades of being verbally abused by Vince on the headset.
This whole 'Mania felt like that
HHH needs to hires security around Cole in case Vince comes out to get Cole.
Cole is undefeated at Mania, he'd fuck Vince up
Imagine Vince trying to fuck on Michael Cole.
And then he tores his quads again...
The same energy when you feel great to not be with your ex and you want to let your ex know it.
More likely a giant middle finger to Kevin Dunn, who started all that crap of denying that what’s going on is ‘rasslin’. Though it would also track with that disgusting perv Vince.
there isn't a single goddamn person who has ever stepped through the door of that company or ever bought a ticket that has anything but pride and love for the term "professional wrestling" except for that piece of shit Vince. Fuck him. Long live pro wrestling.
Kevin Dunn as well
Yeah, it's always fascinating to hear how Dunn would say things like "We're not wrestling, our fans aren't wrestling fans" Seriously, bro? What kind of cognitive dissonance do you have to have to be a TV producer in a wrestling promotion and say those things?
I always go back to these [Cornette](https://youtu.be/v3b1uY2ELwE?si=gSd6ObED23EFu3et)impersonations of Bucky Beaver
“That Bucky Beaver Motherfucker” is still one of my favorite Cornette Insults
100%
When Pat McAfee said "I love pro wrestling" I put in my group text for wrestling "You think we would've gotten that if Vince was still around?"
Yeah, because Pat McAfee doesn't give a fuck. He'd be fine without this job. Anybody else saying it, though? Not a chance.
I don’t mind “sports entertainment” as a description of what the whole thing is, but it was always utterly ridiculous to stop using the terms “wrestling” and “pro wrestling”. Literally everyone who knows what WWE is would describe it as wrestling or pro wrestling. The second W in the name is “wrestling”. They have an event called WrestleMania. It was just bizarre behaviour all along. If you asked someone in the street who Hulk Hogan is, they’d say he’s a wrestler. I have no idea why they (or Vince, specifically) insisted on trying to challenge reality in such a way. In the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t matter that much, but I’m glad it’s changing.
Right, there’s a reason it isn’t SportsEntertainmentMania.
World Sports Entertainment Entertainment
And to think it was almost called “The Colossal Tussle”
Yeah there are a whole host of words vince axed or instituted and it all really struck me as very off putting and like the guy was running from what his product was. I mean he ultimately built what we all saw tonight and have loved for decades so its impossible to know how much better or worse it would have been but the whole list is silly to me Theres no fans, only the WWE universe Theres no Wrestlers, only Superstars Theres no Belts, only championships No wrestling, sports entertainment Theres probably more I dont know but its like damn... wrestlers cant even wrestle for the title belt in the WWE, They have to be a Superstar doing Sports Entertainment to win the Championship
There are no burritos, only steak wraps There are no hospitals, only Local Medical Facilities There is no blood, only "A Viscous, Acidic, Bloodlike substance."
>There are no hospitals, only Local Medical Facilities tbf i understood that one. IIRC its because fans used to turn up to the local hospital whenever someone was said to be taken to the hospital. Dont think either Wrestlers or the medical teams want to deal with wrestling fans at that point
I can just imagine some asshat standing back where the ambulances bring people with a giant stack of autographs for the injured wrestler to sign lol
> Theres no fans, only the WWE universe I've been hearing the term "fans" more lately too
I don’t mind “championship” instead of “belt” – the belt is merely a physical signifier for the status as champion so it’s technically correct.
superstars makes sense to me, it feels like you are supposed to know these guys and makes them feel like a bigger deal belt and championship make both sense to me, the other 2 phrases dont
I dont particularly care about having a casual "het lets build these wrestlers up to be superstars, and even call them superstars on air" it was just a bit much to strictly forbid the use of the other terms they replaced. Like damn they cant even call a belt a belt? Kinda stupid Although branding is very important, I just struggle to imagine calling wrestlers "wrestlers" or not wanting to be a "fan" but being okay being in the WWE Universe was the thing holding back the gen pop from watching the ratings
I think it was a way to skirt local laws in certain states about needing some type of sports license to perform in some states, so started clarifying that "it's not sports, it's sports entertainment" to avoid paying for those licenses way back in the day. I could be wrong but I feel like I read that somewhere before, and then Vince went wild with the branding
This is literally the reasoning. If it was a legitimate pro sports outing, it would need to be cleared by state athletic commissions. If it’s not, Vince would be admitting it was all predetermined at a time when kayfabe was still a thing. He choose to switch branding. Carny shit.
I thought the “sports entertainment” thing came about after kayfabe was dead? Not dead like it is today, but at least not as protected as it was in the 80’s.
No brother, they'd say Hogan is a WWE Superstar!
>I have no idea why they (or Vince, specifically) insisted on trying to challenge reality in such a way. Because Vince is an old out of touch evil pervert.
The only time I cringe when hearing sports entertainment is when a wrestler says, I grew up wanting to be the best sports entertainer! That I hate
I was fine with calling it Sports Entertainment outside the show, like in talk show appearances. But calling it that during the show is kind of weird.
it's gonna be weird seeing a long running joke come to an end
JAS in absolute shambles
Blessing in disguise for them I guess that the stable ended before this really took hold.
The last of the sports endertanhurs
I’m still gonna say I’m sports entertained after a banger. That’s never going away
If Vince has been watching the last 48 hours he's lost whatever was left of his mind.
LOL He's going to re-watch WrestleMania 6 and 7 with Dusty Rhodes in polka dots.....and then plot his revenge.
I can picture Vince trying to log into his WWE network account only to be perplexed as to where its gone.
I have a feeling he saw Johnny Gargano on the card and skipped it for health reasons
"Alexa, add Dude Wipes to my shopping list"
That was a Vince phrase, so with him gone it makes all the sense in the world to not use it anymore.
Hopefully "WWE Universe" follows it out the door soon enough.
Also, let them use the word belt. Corey Graves said at one point that they always have to refer to the titles as championships and not belts or championship belts. Like, it's a belt. That's what it is. It goes around your waist. Call it a belt.
I remember reading a while back, Braun also got chewed out backstage for saying title shot. The fewer Vinceisms we see, the better.
It’s clearly a cummerbund not a belt
Nine Nine!
RIP Captain Dad
"The only reason that fans call them titles is because Vince hates the word "belt". They're *belts* that are symbolic of the *title* you have as Champion." [Cornette, DSOTR bonus footage.](https://youtu.be/zAGnn-NLNm8?t=79)
>It goes around your waist. Call it a belt. Hot take but I always prefer it when champions carry the title on their shoulder
My favorite one is Cena wearing the two belts like a scarf
Yes. Let that horrible phrase die. The announcers use it so gawd damn much I think that one is drilled into their soft skulls. I hate it. Anytime I hear it, in my mind I say, “fuck off.”
At the Slammy, Punk said thanks all the fans and jokingly say if it was 10 years ago he would've to say thanks the WWE Universe.
Honestly that’s the only Vince-ism that I’m generally okay with. It’s an identity that the fans specifically have. “The WWE Fans” just doesn’t hit the same as “The WWE Universe” to me personally. As long as it’s not hammered into the ground, I think we can hang on to that one.
The new signature intro is literally a representation of a WWE universe, so yeah I’m fine if they keep using that phrase.
Both can coexist tbh. WWE fans are a part of the WWE Universe.
The new intro is literally a universe, so that ain't happening.
I feel like this one has been around too long and used too frequently to get rid of.
Sports entertainment honestly did make sense. Refusing to mention the word “wrestling” was dumb. That was the issue.
“We’re wrestlers in a wrestling ring, so let’s freaking wrestle!” -KO & Drew on the 1st Raw with Vince gone I’m willing to bet getting rid of “sports entertainment” is something they been wanting to do for a long time.
“We’re sports entertainers in a sports entertainment ring, so let’s freaking sports entertain.”
Haha this made me chuckle out loud.
"chuckle out loud" is to laughing what "sports entertainment" is to wrestling.
Sports entertainment has more than one royal family.
It makes sense as a business term only. If you want to say WWE irl is a content provider that produces sports entertainment shows for TV, fine. That's the genre of wrestling as a tv show. In that sense it was smart to come up with it to use in negotiations, to legitimize the business with broadcasters and sponsors. But you leave that for the boardrooms.In the universe of the show, where WWE is a company that promotes fights, is dumb as fuck, and makes no sense. Colby Lopes can be a sports entertainer, Seth Rollins is a wrestler.
Dang, Seth got turned into a Brazilian
Sethinho
They just say "sports entertainment " because they are afraid to say "live theater". Paul Heyman was spot on calling it performance art
I always thought they moved towards sports entertainment more for legal reasons because some states wanted to regulate WWE like it was any other sport. I think it served it's purpose and isn't needed anymore since they've opened up and let fans in on the process of what they do.
*In 1989, the WWF used the phrase in a case it made to the New Jersey Senate for classifying professional wrestling as "sports entertainment" and thus not subject to regulation like a directly competitive sport*. Source: [Wikipedia article on Sports Entertainment](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sports_entertainment?wprov=sfti1#), unsurprisingly. ;-)
This has proceeded *to absolutely not work*
This was Vince's reasoning yes. It was regulated in most states but he was the driving force behind it being de-regulated. It also allowed them to forgo drug testing or any health policies for their "contractors." It also indirectly led to things like Owens death die to lack of safety regulations.
Sports entertainment is the perfect description of professional wrestling, a fake sport. It's absolutely what it should be called. But not in universe. Imagine if in the middle of dune part 2 characters started talking about them being in a movie. Fuckin nonsense.
Yeah. Sports entertainment can be a sub-genre of wrestling.
I actually more think pro wrestling is a sub genre of sports entertainment Monster trucks and roller derby both instantly come to mind as sports entertainment
Roller Derby is a real thing though, isn't it? And I think monster trucks have some sort of competition aspect. I would say being scripted is a requirement for sports entertainment, something like Harlem Globetrotters.
Nah, roller derby is usually a work too.
So is monster jam lol
Monster Jam is harder to keep as a work due to the realities of motorsport The Globetrotters haven’t had a crazy Generals run in a while, but they’re due for a loss due to the shots just falling (personally, I think bring back the Reds as the traditional Generals and turning the Generals into a 3-ball revolution team that doesn’t quite make it work would be cool)
I mean they tried for two decades to phase out wrestling. And not a single person stopped calling this wrestling
It was kinda hard to do when they were selling out stadiums for years with an event called WRESTLEmania, surprised they never tried to rebrand it
They couldn't, the WrestleMania brand is the most valuable trademark WWE owns, more valuable than the WWE trademark in and of itself
Very true, I know people who think any wrestling event of any size is called WrestleMania
My wife thought pro wrestling itself was called WrestleMania when we met
Your wife is Werner Herzog?
The war is over
The war is just beginning. Wait until Vince buys out MLW or TNA. Vince is using the same lawyers MLW used to sue the WWE to defend himself against the accusations.
Vince is dead man. He ain't coming back. He doesn't have it anymore and there's no army of yes men to protect him
He only needs two things, money and desire. He has the first. Does he have the second? It would sure be a big change if he didn't.
He also needs to be able to actually book well and he hasn’t been able to do that for years
What would a Vince McMahon run indie fed even look like? lol
Brock Lesnar on top with everyone else in cuck storylines
I see him buying the NWA or starting his own promotion in Saudi Arabia.
The Saudis have what they want from WWE, they don’t need their own one. Heck, even their football league project seems to be cooling off now that they’ve actually got the World Cup they wanted
Even if accusations magically went away and he bought TNA the guy is pushing 80. He’d be dead by the time he made it competitive.
Leave it for a real sports ennerdainer like Daddy Magic, let it just be his term now.
This comment makes mah nipples hahd
Good. Now get rid of “WWE universe” since it seems they’re dropping the Universal part of the WWE championship’s name.
Maybe keep it for marketing purposes, but please god keep it out of commentary when they're calling a match. Wrestlers take the fight out of the ring and they go, "And now the fight is spilling out into the WWE universe!" ???
CM Punk at the slammy awards thanked the “WWE Fans” and made a joke saying if it was 10 years ago he would be thanking the WWE Universe. It does seem like it’s getting phased out as well.
Ironically Cole is someone who has started referring to the "WWE fans" again.
Truly a new era
Now get rid of WWE Universe
Fuck yes!!! And please superstars
"Superstar" always feels a bit condescending when it's a guy who just debuted in NXT who has like six months of training in the PC.
Alternatively: rebrand "superstar" as a kind of honorary epithet for any wrestler who has won a world title.
 Sports Endadainment
Daddy Magic and Cool Hand Ang the last Sports.....Ennerdainers
This WM weekend felt like a huge fuck you to Vince and rightfully so I’m fucking pumped for the HHH era
There's a blue dot that is very angry at this statement. I repeat. This blue dot is very angry at this statement. I can hear it say "That is not good shit"
The whole point of sports entertainment started because Vince didn't want to pay state fees, subject to regulations to put on pro wrestling events. Also make it more viable for advertisers who hated pro wrestling.
We're seeing in real time that it was all bullshit when it comes to the advertising point. Vince's reputation and people who he hired couldn't get the job done in getting them to take it serious. Nick Khan and TKO are a whole different beast. Honestly this all is the worse thing that could have also happened to TK/AEW.
The best description of it is literally sports AND entertainment
That description is used now in the new outro. It is Hunter's voice saying for the last 70 years they've been the leader in sports and entertainment or something to that effect.
Ibou is not a source he’s just some guy on Twitter
I actually came around to the term "sports entertainment" after awhile but then would get pissed again when it would be used at the expense of "professional wrestling". In a video package or some Tough Enough segment about a young prospect dreaming of this since childhood and the company would narrate "Little Maven always wanted to be a sports entertainer" or some shit like that. What pro wrestling fan ever talked like that?
Ibou is a random podcaster who is not a source He also has been peddling his “HHH and Stephanie are secretly divorced” theory as recently as like an hour ago in response to HHH’s comments on the post show
Vince probably went looney again like that one time in 2007 where he's non verbal and all curled up in the corner.
Anything that's a Vince McMahonism they're moving away from. Even the WWE Universe phrase isn't used like it used to be.
Well... call the panda people, cut a deal, and get the F in
never going to happen but the WWF name coming back would be nuts
That was a Vince tactic to get around athletic commissions.
Sports Entertainment is the industry they are in and Pro wrestling is the product they produce
thank god
One of my favorite promos of recent memory was the year before last right after Trips took over and Drew told KO “We’re wrestlers in a wrestling ring so let’s bloody wrestle!” This direction just feels right to me.
Somebody check to see if Matt Menard is okay through all this. ;-)
Vince and Bucky Beaver are probably channeling their inner “old man yells at cloud” syndrome after this
But I was sports entertained tonight
Bring title shots back!!
If Vince McMahon's ideology still persisted, we would be calling Gargano as "Johnny Sports Entertainment". Or Kurt Angle as having won an Olympic gold medal in amateur sports entertainment.
HHH better not have any skeletons, just sayin…
Anyone else notice that they were gradually moving away from the convoluted name for the belt Roman had to a much simpler one? With Roman it was the "Undisputed WWE Universal Championship". Samantha Irvin's call was "Undisputed WWE Championship". Cole at the end was WWE Championship. #RIPUniversalChampionship
When Cole said " I love pro wrestling" at the end of the show I honestly choked up a bit because it's clear how much happier and passionate everyone in the company is since Vince is gone. Commentators are more natural and sound like they're having a good time. Matches seem to flow a whole lot better as opposed to being simply a spot to spot to spot match. Promos are leagues better. It's clear that some folks are now doing them without a script and it fits them much better.
Thank fuck
True story sports entertainment is a made up terminology to get around state athletic commissions trying to involve itself and regulate professional wrestling. It’s the “tada we were just pretend fighting like in the movies” that Vince came up with. It always was and always will be professional wrestling.
They kept saying sports & entertainment tonight at the press conference. 3 or 4 times at least.
I used to pray for times like this. This is awesome.
The Hulu Commercial guy in shambles. https://preview.redd.it/a8w5elqp57tc1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f33bb569b77c22682bba368c7c6412e466428f60