(Thank You for the continued support. If you want to help out please click on the banner and check out upcoming events. Including purchasing tickets for the first ever Wrestler Rescue's "Wrestle Cruise".)

(Sorry for no original column this time around. For those that follow me at the MySpace Page. You would know that I am back in college. And I have a Mid-Term that I have to take this week. Its Online so don't worry. But I have to study since my Mid-Term takes a major chunk of the grade in my class. Don't worry though. Its time to open up "The Vault". For those new here. Sometimes I can't write a column but I still write in any way, shape or form. It can be anything. From a MySpace blog to something that I wrote for something else. In this instance all of you are going to take a look at what I do at college. I'm taking a class all about the "Introduction To Business". One of my assignments that I had to do recently is something called a "SWOT Analysis". A "SWOT Analysis" stands for "Strength, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats" and it is something that management uses to analyze either their own company or the competition. With this analysis they can use this information to change their business or adapt to the competition. I had to write one of these SWOT Analysis on a publicly-traded company and I chose...WWE. So. I thought I let you all read my SWOT Analysis that I did for class.)

(So until next time. "I Can Ride My Bike With No Handlebars, No Handlebars, No Handlebars." )

History & Overview

In 1980 Vincent K. McMahon founded “Titan Sports” which was the organization that ran the professional wrestling group “World Wrestling Federation”. In 1982 “Titan Sports” purchased the “Capitol Wrestling Corporation” that was owned by his father Vincent J. McMahon. In April 1999 “Titan Sports” was changed to “World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc.” and became a public traded company with an Initial Public Offering at the time of $17 per share. In 2000 the environmental organization “World Wildlife Fund” sued “World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc.” over the rights to use the “WWF” letters internationally overseas. The United Kingdom courts were in favor of the “World Wildlife Fund” and the company changed its name to “World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.”

According to the “Yahoo! Finance” listing on World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc:
“World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., an integrated media and entertainment company, engages in the sports entertainment business. The company develops content centered on its talent, and presents at its live and televised events featuring World Wrestling Entertainment brands. It operates through four segments: Live and Televised Entertainment, Consumer Products, Digital Media, and WWE Studios. The Live and Televised Entertainment segment conducts live events; produces television shows; sells merchandise at its live events; provides sponsorships, such as various promotional vehicles, including Internet and print advertising, arena signage, on-air announcements, and pay-per-view sponsorships for advertisers; offers television rights; and markets and promotes the storylines associated with pay-per-view events. It also provides WWE 24/7 Classics On Demand, a subscription video on demand service that offers classic television shows, pay-per-view events, specials, and original programming.”
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. also has a strong corporate responsibility by creating literacy programs, the “Smackdown! Your Vote” program that gets young people out to vote, a Youth Incentive Program, a Military Outreach Program, and partners with other charitable organizations like the “Make a Wish Program”.

ORGANIZATIONAL STRENGTHS (S)
Wide Distribution of Products & Media

Most professional wrestling organizations have a certain area, or “territory” that they mostly stick to. World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc can air their programming nationally all across the country and even internationally overseas.

World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc also adds special Pay-Per-View broadcasts which shows special programming, Subscription services like “WWE 24/7” which gives the viewers access to old programming from their vast video library, and the major distribution of DVDs gives viewers tons of access.

World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc also sells various products besides electronic media. Such examples are the following: Toys which they have major partnerships with companies like Toys R’ Us & Wal-Mart. Video Games through major retailers and also they have an exclusive partnership with GameStop. World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc also has created their own magazines, a regular magazine and one aimed at kids that have generated at least 5.6 million readers with average sales of $1 million dollars per issue.

Expansion on Different Media Outlets

With the present product excluded. World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc has branched out into other Media Outlets in a way to diversify their product.
WWE has created their own literary division called to create and publish their own books ranging from various topics. 22 of World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc’s books that had been published had reached the “New York Times Best Sellers List” with some of their books hitting the Number One position.
WWE also has created their own music division called “WWE Music” to create and publish their own music. The release of their music has hit major music retailers like Best Buy for example and can be electronically downloaded through such examples as ITunes or Amazon.com. Additionally WWE Music has partnered with most of the major music artists of today like Metallica, John Legend, Bob Dylan, & Aerosmith to add their music either to their programming or to their own music for distribution.
WWE has also branched into the movie making business by creating their own movie division called “WWE Studios” by using WWE talent to create their own movies for theatrical or straight-to-DVD release. Most recently the DVD & Blu-Ray release of WWE Studios “12 Rounds” starring WWE talent John Cena was ranked Number One Best Selling Title for the week of July 5, 2009.

Not Much Competition

World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc has barely any competition in its own field. There had been many that have tried. Most recent was “World Championship Wrestling” which was owned by AOL/Time Warner. World Championship Wrestling went bankrupt and World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc bought out the assets from AOL/Time Warner. Many companies had tried to compete but unable to due to lack or resources or the business practices of World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. This in the end has created a monopoly in the business market for them.

ORGANZIONTAL WEAKNESS (W)

Public Reputation

Even though World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc has a main objective to be an entertainment company that stretches out all media outlets. The main problem is that the company is still a pro wrestling company. For years pro wrestling has a stigma of negative press about it being something that only unintelligent people like to watch. Also its past history World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc has created much controversy with various groups like GLAAD which cased media outrage.
Bad Press can also be created when some of their employees in their company or formerly employed in World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc are so public that when something unlawful happens it reflects upon World Wrestling Entertainment as a company whole, a great example of this is the recent arrest of Jeff Hardy for “Trafficking of Controlled Prescription Pills”.

Employee Treatment

Most sports organizations allow their talent to take breaks. World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc talents rarely have a day-off. The physical toll that their talents take on a day-by-day basis wears the bodies down which the end result creates some of their talent receiving major injuries that they take off from weeks to months even up to a year. World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc is trying to correct the problem.

Out-Of-Touch With Fans

Even though World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc has created polls on their website “WWE.com” & they have their own social networking site called “WWE Universe”. Most fans have complained that at times World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc has grown stale.
Quoting Alfonso Castillo on “The Steel Cage Wrestling Blog” about WWE talent John Cena winning another world title: “Remember when world title changes were rare and a big deal, and would take place in the main event of a show? Ah, the good old days. The average world title reign these days is just about two months. Worse, it’s the same handful of guys playing hot potato with the belts, so it just doesn’t feel at all special when a title changes hands.”
Another quote from Pyrofalkin on “Online Onslaught” about the 9/21 episode of “WWE RAW”: “Meh. I have nothing really to say to this one, as it was just a whole lot of nothing.”
With more fans that World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. has gained, it does lose some fans in the process or creates a neutral territory with fans that created apathy and boredom within its core group.

ORGANIZATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES (O)

Expanding the Athletic Brand

In 1990 World Wrestling Entertainment tried to extend its athletic brand by creating the “World Bodybuilding Federation”, or “WBF”, which was a professional body building competition which ended bankrupt. In 2000 World Wrestling Federation created the “Extreme Football League”, or “XFL” which was World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.’s own football league which lost money and ratings which in the end was shut down. Most of the failures can be contributed to something World Wrestling Entertainment was not familiar with. With the recent rise of MMA, or Mixed Martial-Arts, in today’s environment thanks mostly to the organization “UFC” which is owned by Dana White. Adding to it that some of WWE talent having some wrestling or martial arts background. By creating their own Mixed Martial Arts brand by transferring some WWE talent over to that brand and concentrating on the actual competition not on the entertainment possible profits can be earned.

Improving its Reputation

World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc has branched out to different media outlets to create an entertainment company. The company itself is still nothing more than an outlet for pro wrestling. By improving the pro wrestling reputation itself and possibly making it into more of a legitimate outlet. Respect can be possibly earned. World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc has recently changed its style of entertainment to suit more of a family friendly environment but it needs to improve the athletic legitimacy itself to make it more real and reduce the storylines to make it possible.

Attracting More Female Viewers

Roughly 1/3rd of the viewers who watch World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. programming are female. While most of the viewing audience is generated towards men. Attracting more female viewers into watching more World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. programming would generate more revenue from the female viewers, it would also increase in all other areas like purchasing DVDs or clothing.

ORGANIZATIONAL THREATS (T)

Rising Competition In Their Area Of Entertainment

In recent years new organizations have been created to compete with World Wrestling Entertainment to create a form of oligarchy in the business.
On November 2006 Panda Energy, a privately-held company that maintains power plants, recently entered the business by obtaining the major ownership “Total Nonstop Action” and created a limited liability company called “TNA Entertainment” to compete with World Wrestling Entertainment. Currently TNA Entertainment has a national deal with the cable network “SPIKE TV” and is slowly growing throughout the years in developing a national business plan that at times looks like the plan from World Wrestling Entertainment.
Another business named “RF Video” decided to create their own pro wrestling brand called “Ring Of Honor” that has been slowly growing popularity with getting a national television deal with cable network “HD Net” and making an appearance in the 2008 film “The Wrestler”. The promotion has taken some bumps mostly due to their deal with “HD Net”.

Already Well Established Competition

World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. has diversified into various forms of entertainment. Unfortunately there already established forms of entertainment in the business for years using examples for the following: “Time Warner” for movies, “Capitol Records” for music, and “Harper Collins” for books. With the following companies mentioned, and lots more not mentioned, these companies have already existed for years creating a strong and loyal fan base. Trying to sway that strong and loyal fan base to World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc would be a difficult task to achieve.

Other Forms of Athletic Competition

World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. provides a form of athletic entertainment or competition of some type in the business environment. There are other forms of athletic competition that they have to deal with. The previously mentioned Mixed Martial Arts company “UFC”, the National Basketball Association, the National Football League, and other forms of sports could sway viewers to watch their programming. On the 9/21/09 episode of “WWE RAW” versus the 9/21/09 “Monday Night Football” game of the Indianapolis Colts vs. the Miami Dolphins, WWE RAW managed to earn a 3.4 Nielsen Rating, while the Colts/Dolphins game managed to earn a 11.0 Nielsen Rating. The only way to compete against this is to create a product that can make anybody change from watching the Colts/Dolphins to watching RAW.