I have felt pans of cringe while reading reports of World Wrestling Entertainment's tour of the United Kingdom this week. Three things have made me roll my eyes.
Well, I did promise that I wasn't going to write about the WWE Network, so I won't mention the fact that Vince McMahon's 'we have shared so many good memories together' apology has been played to boos. Nor will I laugh at the fact WWE had to cover up the ring apron WWE Network logo with black tape.
Whoops.
Anyway, my own hypocrisy aside - the thing that was the most laughable so far this week is the sentiment made by some (that's you John Cena and Sheamus) that a WrestleMania should take place in London.
Or Manchester.
It's pandering of the highest order because I cannot ever see a Mania taking place outside of the Americas.
Don't forget, the last time WWE did a pay-per-view from Europe was SummerSlam.
In 1992.
Why didn't they return?
The claim made by McMahon and co. was that the event having been on a tape delay caused a lower pay-per-view buyrate number than expected.
Yes, the business has changed. It just hasn't evolved to the point where WWE can take a hit on the biggest PPV of the year. The company will still have WrestleMania on PPV even though it can be purchased on the WWE Network. A seven or eight o'clock UK start will not make it possible because we're looking at it kicking off at around 2pm on the eastern part of the USA. It'll be 11am on the other side of the country. It isn't a feasible idea.
In a week where the fans have already had their hopes dashed with a second delay of the WWE Network, I think it was foolhardy to come up with another insincere suggestion.
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