WWE: Vince McMahon on Why Talent are Called Superstars, New Tryouts, Royal Rumble 2022 PPV Buys

WWE

Mar 5, 2022

Vince McMahon Comments on Why He Prefers to Calls WWE Talent “Superstars” Instead of Wrestlers

A recent episode of The Pat McAfee Show podcast had WWE Chairman Vince McMahon as the guest. One of the topics discussed included McMahon’s reason for why he prefers to call talent in WWE as “Superstars” instead of wrestlers.

“If you have a character, it’s no different than acting. Our performers, there is a reason I call them superstars, they are not just wrestlers, it’s because anyone can wrestle, either poorly or well. Do you want to be a professional wrestler or do you want to be a WWE superstar? WWE superstar sounds a whole lot better to me than being a professional wrestler. The quality of human beings that we have and the enormous amount of talent we have, you have to have acting talent of re-acting talent. You have to have that. You have to have this ability to really want to grow because, in our environment, I believe that if you’re not growing, you’re dying. You have to have that desire when you come in to be everything you can be and if it’s a character, really get into it and be that character when you’re in the ring. In your private life, don’t be that character. Don’t get it confused, a lot of people are that way. The really good ones are all in on their character and then they are themselves after the show is over. It’s important for your mental health to not be the character outside the ring.”

Transcript h/t: Fightful.com

WWE Holding New Set of Talent Tryouts During WrestleMania 38 Week

WWE recently announced that they will be holding a new set of talent tryouts from March 30th to April 1st in Frisco, Texas.

It was also announced that over fifty male and female participants from various collegiate athletic backgrounds have been invited to appear at this upcoming tryouts.

Official press release:

WWE^® to Host Talent Tryouts Ahead of WrestleMania^®
More Than 50 Current and Recently Graduated College Athletes to Participate
STAMFORD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– WWE (NYSE: WWE) today announced that it will host a multi-day talent tryout, exclusively for current and recently graduated college athletes, as part of WrestleMania Week in Dallas.
The three-day event begins Wednesday, March 30, and will take place in Frisco, Texas, at the Ford Center at The Star, home of the Dallas Cowboys World Headquarters and state-of-the-art practice facility. WWE will host more than 50 male and female participants with collegiate athletic backgrounds across football, basketball, track and field, wrestling, volleyball, gymnastics, cheer and dance. Several NFL Draft-eligible college football players are scheduled to participate in the invite-only event.
Athletes will partake in performance evaluations, individual and group promo evaluations, in-ring technical sessions and sit-down interviews as part of the tryout process. Additionally, current college athletes will participate in assessments as WWE continues its search for the next class of its “Next In Line” program.
WWE launched its official NIL (Name, Image & Likeness) program in December 2021 to establish a clear pathway from collegiate athletics to WWE. Participants in the WrestleMania Week tryout will be considered for entry into the company’s second NIL class which will be unveiled in the coming months.
WWE’s inaugural 15-person NIL class included athletes from 13 universities, seven NCAA conferences and four sports. The comprehensive program serves to recruit and develop potential future Superstars, and further enhances WWE’s talent development process through collaborative partnerships with college athletes from diverse athletic backgrounds.
WrestleMania 38, the most stupendous two-night WrestleMania in history, takes place Saturday, April 2 and Sunday, April 3 live from AT&T Stadium in Dallas. Tickets are currently on sale via SeatGeek.com. WrestleMania 38 will stream live exclusively on Peacock in the United States and on WWE Network everywhere else.
Learn more about the path to becoming a WWE Superstar and the “Next In Line” program at wwerecruit.com.

Current PPV Buys Rates for Royal Rumble 2022 & Elimination Chamber 2022

Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that this past January’s Royal Rumble 2022 event is currently estimated to have generated around 16,700 pay-per-view buys in the United States from traditional cable PPV providers based on current data numbers.

Meltzer reported that this past February’s Elimination Chamber 2022 event in Saudi Arabia is currently estimated to have generated around 7,800 PPV buys in the U.S. from traditional cable PPV providers based on current data numbers.

Meltzer also reported that the highest percentage of people who still purchase WWE PPV events from traditional providers are from those who live in rural areas with DirectTV or Dish. Those who own a satellite dish reportedly are around four times more likely to order a WWE PPV than those with cable TV, who mainly live in cities.