WWE News: WWE Network Still a Source of Major Concern Backstage

Vince McMahon’s latest huge project is the WWE Network, a channel that will be to the WWE what the NFL Network is to the NFL. 

There have been rumblings for years that McMahon would start his own network dedicated primarily to anything and everything WWE, but it wasn’t until a few months ago that we found out his vision would become a reality when the WWE Network launches in 2012. 

At least on paper, the WWE Network sounds like a great idea, especially in a market where many major companies have their own networks. But, internally in the WWE, there is a ton of concern surrounding what is arguably the company’s biggest project to date. 

From the Wrestling Observer (via WrestlingInc.com): 

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There is a strong concern within WWE headquarters that the Network won't be ready, as far as quality and how smooth everything runs, when launch time comes in just a few months. Some fear that the Network could bomb within a year. At the same time, the top officials in the company remain positive about the Networks success. 

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If you’ve been following all of the backstage reports on the WWE Network, then you know that it seems like there is more nervous anxiety and pessimism regarding the launch of the channel than there is optimism. 

It’s only normal for WWE officials to be worried about the WWE Network’s potential effect on the company, though, so I’m not going to read too much into things either way. The WWE Network will either succeed or fail, and we’re not going to know what’s going to happen until it officially launches, and we have a couple of months to see how it performs. 

Thus, the WWE shouldn’t be focusing on what may or may not happen after the WWE Network launches. Instead, company officials should do everything in their power to make sure the network is ready to launch before it actually happens. 

There’s no point in starting the channel around Wrestlemania time if all the pieces aren’t in place for that to happen. I know that interest in the WWE is generally up that time of the year, but it could be a huge mistake to launch the network then if the company doesn’t have a concrete plan for what it’s going to do once the network gets on air. 

Take your time, WWE. This isn’t one of those things you start just to start. 

If the WWE Network will suffer in quality the earlier it launches, then push the launch date back. We will all be willing to wait a little longer if it means a better product.