WWE held their 2007 shareholders meeting Friday in Connecticut. Vince McMahon addressed many questions from the audience. Highlights are below.
- Said that WWE had a good year but that he wasn't satisfied and never will be. He said that some things they tried didn't work but that happens and that their goal is always to look to the long term.
- Talked about WWE Films. He really blasted Lionsgate for how they marketed The Condemned, basically blaming them for the film's lack of success. He went as far as to say that they "sabatoged" the film. He said that they never promoted Steve Austin as the star, never properly explained what the story was about in the poster and trailers, and said that nobody outside of the WWE fanbase knew about the film. He put over 20th Century Fox for the job they did on The Marine. He said that WWE is close to reaching a new deal with Fox which will see two theatrical releases and several DVD releases. He said that he doesn't want to do anymore R rated films. He also said that with their current financial model for films, it is very hard for them to lose money on any of them.
- He talked about WWE expanding into MMA, saying that they considered it but have decided against it. He said that MMA is everywhere it can be right now and that it will burn out soon. He said that MMA has no major stars and that it is difficult to invest in a fighter because all that investment can be undone if he loses or gets knocked out. He said the upside isn't there for MMA or boxing in terms of WWE going in those directions.
- He talked about the XFL, saying that the failure has not humbled him. He once again said that if NBC had not of backed out, the league would have been a success. He said that NBC backing out made all their other TV partners nervous and caused the demise of the league.
- Said the brand extension will continue despite the tri-branded PPVs. Said that injuries forced them to adapt.
- Said that he doesn't think having so many titles dilutes them. He said that having as many title matches on a PPV as possible gives the consumer a good value and that is needed with the increased PPV prices.
- Said that the ECW brand has not met his expectations. He did add that it takes time to build a brand and that ECW has a bright future.
- He put over WWE's international plans, saying they want to get more involved in South America and China, and that Linda McMahon is going to China in July.