WWE: Motley Fool Buries WWE's 'Endangered Species' Business Model

Finally, a company outside of the wrestling world weighs in on WWE's antiquated pay-per-view model.

For about eight years now, the WWE has been offering 12-15 pay per view events a year. While on paper, that may seem like they are giving the fans more of what they want, the reality is, fans have grown tired of this model. At one time, the WWE could justify a monthly pay-per-view. However, those days are gone, as fans don't feel the need to buy every pay-per-view.

Lets face it, we all know when the WWE goes all in for their shows and when they are just throwaways. I think it's safe to say that creatively, the WWE can't sustain monthly events, as most of their storylines become stale and redundant.

Now on to the topic at hand. The web-based financial services company The Motley Fool put in their two cents about WWE's current financial state.

"WWE has been dropping consistently year-to-date. The company has recently reduced its dividend, and its stock price hasn't been this low since 2003.  What is happening to the company?  It is simple really and it has very little to do with what everyone believes - the lame storylines or John Cena.  The past several years, people have been chanting for the Rock to come back along with other legends.  Well he is back.  So is Brock Lesnar.  However, neither can help fix the broken business model that is now endangered in today's world. 

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, professional wrestling - although fake to some, produced very real results in pay-per-view buy rates.  The stadiums are still sold out, but people are not spending the high prices to watch a three hour show on Sunday nights.  One big change that has occurred is the internet.  It would be naive to think that internet piracy only affects the music and movie industries.  It has definitely affected professional wrestling and the business model that was the bread and butter to its profits for years. 

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This article brought up a lot of good points, and even addressed issues that fans have commented on for years. Personally, I felt like the WWE had something when they split the pay-per-views between brands. This allowed for storylines to breathe and gave spots to guys who might not otherwise have had one.

I am also a bit old school when it comes to build up for pay-per-views, as I have always been a fan of allotting time for feuds to breathe. Chances are, many of the classic feuds from the past would not have been looked as such if they had been solved in a month. Yes, I realize we live in a different world, but there is something to be said about telling a story.

In the end, I would like to see both TNA and the WWE scale back down to six pay-per-views a year and really give their all for these events. This would also allow each company to showcase their events during non-competing months.

This would allow fans to be more invested in the brands and really decide where to drop their hard earned cash. As an overall fan of pro wrestling, especially during the past few years, I have struggled when it came to spending money on WrestleMania vs LockDown.

This may sound ridiculous to WWE loyalists, but TNA's LockDown has been a proven solid show and has drawn interest amongst many fans.

Hopefully, both companies will see this article and take a long look at their situation and make a change with the times.

Let me know what you think. Does The Motley Fool have this right, or is WWE doing the right thing?