Brandon Howard Thurston
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Wrestling
WWE Network Subscriber Update, UK Brand Uncertainty, Vince Comments on Mae Young Classic
WWE Network subscribers are right about where they were before WrestleMania 33. WWE reported today there are 1.57 million subscribers to its subscription video streaming service, as of June 30. That’s nearly identical to the figure they reported last quarter…
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Wrestling
What WWE Announces For WrestleMania Attendance vs. Paid Attendance
Each year since 2008 WWE has indirectly revealed the paid attendance of WrestleMania. This year’s event, WrestleMania 33 in Orlando, Florida, was attended by somewhere between 58,415 and 71,384. The median of that range is 64,900. The company announced 75,245…
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Wrestling
Exclusive: Nikki Bella, Alexa Bliss Are Female Top Performers For WWE YouTube Views
Recently we looked at which WWE talents' YouTube videos attracted the most video views for videos uploaded between January 29 and July 10 of this year. Nikki Bella was the only female talent who ranked highly for most videos with…
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Wrestling
Exclusive: Roman Reigns, John Cena, Brock Lesnar, Braun Strowman are Top Performers for WWE YouTube Views
Who’s in the most videos with over 1 million views? For videos uploaded to WWE’s YouTube channel since the Royal Rumble, Roman Reigns is the talent featured in the most videos that have reached 1 million views. For this analysis,…
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Wrestling
A Look Back: Ten Years After the Deaths of Nancy, Daniel and Chris Benoit
A little over ten years ago the name “Chris Benoit” denoted much of what was excellent about pro wrestling. Benoit was respected for two decades, by fans and peers alike, as one of the best in-ring performers in the world.…
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Wrestling
Pro Wrestling’s Traditional TV Audience Is Aging Faster Than Any Sport, UFC Not Far Behind
The traditional television viewing audience for pro wrestling is aging faster than that of any other sport. An article in SportsBusiness Journal reported the results of a study that found the median age of the pro wrestling TV audience has…
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Wrestling
Analysis: Google Interest in India for Jinder Mahal Following His WWE Title Win
Jinder Mahal's capture of the WWE Title on May 21 at the Backlash pay-per-view was pretty clearly driven by the company's desire to break into the Indian market. Mahal, who is Canadian-born and of Indian descent, quickly went from being…
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Wrestling
Pro Wrestling’s Culture of Blind Followership and Lack of Creative Thought
The culture of pro wrestling has long fostered an environment of blind followership above critical thought. That flaw is central to many of the problems that hinder pro wrestling both creatively and economically. From the very top of the business,…
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Wrestling
New Japan’s Revenue At Level of 1990s
New Japan Pro Wrestling is earning nearly as much revenue as it did in the 1990s, a period many think of as a more popular time for the promotion. Since video and card game company Bushiroad acquired New Japan in…
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Wrestling
Exclusive Analysis: Brand Split Paying Off, TV Ratings, Super Fan Audience, Jinder Mahal
The brand split is paying off. WWE reported its first quarter earnings yesterday. With the company’s touring schedule more fully divided into RAW and SmackDown rosters in Q1, the company’s total attendance is at its highest point since at least…
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