WWE's recent signing spree of Indie wrestlers Fergal Devitt, Kevin Steen and KENTA to NXT, their developmental territory, points to an aggressive youth movement for the wrestling giant. But the smart move is their aggressive assault on all fronts. WWE is covering all their bases, and since their demographic runs the entire gamut, WWE is breaking off a little something for everyone, which means geezers like me are also being treated to cool new content on the Network. And by new, I mean old; episodes of WCW Monday Nitro as well as retrospective packages highlighting WWE's "Attitude Era" means Vince McMahon is embracing the new and the nostalgic at the same time.
To be fair, this ingenious strategy likely has as much to do with Triple H as it does Vince. The current product obviously has to stay fresh and relevant, and new talent is always important. But by providing hard to get vintage content like high-quality full episodes of Nitro, older fans can take a trip down memory lane while they stay up to date on all the current storylines.
Since the launch of the Network, the entire business model has shifted to focus on acquiring and maintaining viewership. Falling short of their goals for subscriber numbers, McMahon & Co. are scrambling to provide their customers with great product, which isn't the worst position to be in. When the Monday Night Wars began, WWF had been in a similarly complacent holding pattern until a competing promotion took the fight to them.
Since TNA has never been a real threat, WWE has had no great common enemy for the last decade and a half. But with real-life financial peril creeping into the picture, those creative juices might start flowing again. And with their comprehensive new strategy to please both young and old fans alike, WWE may have been forced into yet another creative Golden Age. Time will tell.
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