Jeff Jarrett to Rehab? – Jeff Jarrett has been in a personal tail spin for months, even lashing out at Anthem and Royal Canadian Wrestling earlier this week. He was let go by Anthem and IMPACT Wrestling after they brought him in earlier this year to lead the revival of the brand.
Apparently Karen Jarrett reached out to the WWE to help him get into a rehab facility to deal with his ever growing problem with alcohol. I’m told that his erratic behavior was a major issue with Anthem, and was rubbing some of their partners the wrong way. There was never any reports made about him working drunk, outside of TripleMania which is merely speculative at this point. However, it seems pretty obvious he was too many who saw his work that night.
Jarrett was one of our biggest names we’ve ever interviewed, he’s aware of our work and he’s someone I’ve always personally enjoyed. We at NerdCorp hope for the best for Jeff and the rest of the Jarrett family during this time.
To answer some questions we’ve gotten; no we don’t know the length (and won’t inquire), nor do we know if this an outpatient or inpatient center.
Survivor Series Guest Ref? – We’ve been hearing for a few days now that John Cena is looked at as the Special Guest Referee for the Champ vs. Champ match with Brock Lesnar and Jinder Mahal. However, I’m told Cena is a ‘just in case’ selection. The Observer’s Dave Meltzer is reporting that Steve Austin and The Rock are also up for consideration. The want is Rock, the hope is Austin. Austin’s schedule is far lighter than The Rock’s, who almost works as much as I do.
WWE 3rd Quarter Earnings – The WWE’s cutting of most of their budget worked, and WWE showed a good earnings report this quarter. What no one is mentioning though is how much was actually scaled back in order to make this happen. They goosed the numbers, as at operating cost in the 2nd quarter, they would of been far below their expected numbers.
The WWE even mislead some by claiming the WWE Network rose to 1.52 million subscribers, but that’s actually down from the 1.63 in July. Now, it’s still the second highest quarter it’s ever posted, but the WWE is expecting to see it drop to 1.47 by the end of the fiscal year.
The one thing that should be noted is that revenue from house shows appears to be at a three year high in 2017, according to unaudited numbers. Another note, is that the television contract with the WWE is paying out higher numbers to the WWE as the contract goes on, so they’re able to supplement a lot of potential loss revenue with the ever engorging contract. Will NBC Universal give the WWE another bloated deal remains to be the big question. The WWE has shows on the USA and E! Network, all four of them are declining in ratings from years past. RAW and SmackDown posted a loss of about 200,000 viewers from year to year.
Go check out friend of the site, Chris Harrington’s twitter account @mookieghana for more information; he has a real knack for this stuff, which is admittedly out of my wheel housel
Quick Hits – Gail Kim is expected to take a position backstage, similar to one Christy Hemme had prior to her departure. Neville has been removed from the 205 Live opening, which more than likely signals his departure. The Ronda Rousey lead Four Horsewomen 4 on 4 match (if it happens) will be eyed for WrestleMania. Eric Bischoff claims he only signed with TNA to oversee Hulk Hogan’s character.