Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s Latest Language and Promo Can Possibly Hurt WWE Financially; WWE Hall of Famer Shares Opinion

By the end of 2023, WWE found itself in an unexpected crisis, when the cable broadcasting rights of Raw couldn’t be extended. While this brought a lot of sadness and uncertainty, with the new year, WWE got a Netflix deal for Raw. Today, both WWE and the fans are happy with the gigantic boost and are enjoying the antics of Dwayne Johnson without any worries.

However, while the partnership with the $271.64 billion giant will definitely be fruitful, it will come with its own set of cons. Especially given the direction WWE is taking under the TKO Board Member Dwayne Johnson. In fact, a WWE Hall of Famer recently opined that the company may very well be on its way into a lossmaking disaster.

Why Netflix won’t allow WWE to chill?

WWE is the biggest pro wrestling and sports entertainment company in the world. Its rich history has always seen it dominate TV networks with its thrilling shows. But, WWE’s presence on TV is also responsible for its growth. The reason? Cable television doesn’t have a very ironclad policy on what gets approved and what does not. This, however, may not be the case with Netflix.

Speaking about it on his 83 Weeks podcast, HOF Eric Bischoff said, “Raw’s gonna be on Netflix, right? So you get away with a lot of things on Netflix that you couldn’t get away with on even cable television.” However, while he highlighted the freedom OTT brought, he also talked about advertiser concerns, especially considering Dwayne Johnson.

Bischoff said, “But, it’s still Raw, it’s still Rock, and if it goes too far, you’re going to have advertisers, you’re going to have sponsors, they’re going to go, yeah, I know, it’s Rock and it’s wrestling, but this is just a little too much. That’s the part that worries me.” Bischoff’s words hold true, especially considering the kind of content WWE is getting via Dwayne Johnson.

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The recent Cody Rhodes and The Rock beef saw Dwayne Johnson spout disrespect on the Rhodes family. Johnson even went to the extent of calling The American Nightmare a mistake for being born 20 years after his closest sibling. This may not be the content several advertisers would want to fly by. Especially when WWE is drifting towards its most notorious era.

Will Dwayne Johnson be able to bring the Attitude Era back?

Several social media threads have already declared Dwayne Johnson the harbinger and the reviver of the Attitude Era. The Rock has also given the ‘90s-leaning WWE Universe more reason to believe this by trademarking his Attitude Era catchphrases. But, with the concerns Eric Bischoff has shown, it would be difficult to make the old days new once again.

OTT streaming websites like Netflix censor almost nothing on their platforms. However, unlike WWE, the other shows won’t have to woo advertisers at the same time. Thus, it will be a big challenge for Dwayne Johnson to keep going the way he is today. Moreover, he isn’t just a wrestler now and is a TKO Board Member.

Thus, he will have to do justice to that responsibility as well. What are your thoughts on this? Let them flow in the comments.

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