1) Backstage Disagreement Over The Wild Card Rule
According to journalist Tom Colohue, there is a behind-the-scenes disagreement over WWE bringing back the ‘Wild Card Rule’. For those who missed it, it was recently announced that Superstars can appear on multiple brands again.
Colohue says that the USA Network has been pushing for the ‘Wild Card Rule’ to return. Here is what he said:
SportsKeeda can now exclusively report that this current incarnation of the wild card rule is the subject of strenuous debate between the USA and FOX networks and the WWE itself.
The USA Network have been quietly encouraging a return of the wild card rule since it was wrapped up, feeling that it limits their access to major stars across the brands.
Colohue also says that FOX is disappointed with WWE for bringing back the rule. Here is what he said:
Members of the FOX team, while eager to see further drafts in the future, are apparently disappointed with the return of the wild card rule given that SmackDown ratings are yet to see a major hit during the current pandemic situation.
There are concerns over the advertising that a wild card rule gives the USA Network, particularly given that FOX were known to be unhappy with their final roster immediately after the draft took place in October. This was one of the reasons for Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross moving over and for the removal of Eric Bischoff in his Executive Director role
My Take:
- The only fear I have is that they go overboard with it, similar to what happened last year. It got confusing and nobody knew which brands that Superstars were actually on. If we get one Superstar switching brands per show, it seems reasonable but I don’t trust WWE not to go overboard.
Have you heard any interesting WWE rumors? Let us know in the comment section below.
On a related note, check out our predictions for WWE Backlash here.