World Wrestling Entertainment (NYSE: WWE) is going to be one busy company this weekend. And don't tell me you don't know why. Well, okay, I suppose a few of you may be in the dark -- you see, Wrestlemania 24 is scheduled for this Sunday. It promises to be a big affair. In fact, I caught Triple H, John Cena, Chris Jericho, The Big Show, Floyd "Money" Mayweather, and Vincent Kennedy McMahon on Larry King's CNN program yesterday -- they were in full promotion mode, and even Donald Trump called in to wish the gang well (you may recall that Trump won last year's hair-match battle with McMahon, a feat that left the latter with a bald head). Oh, and Vince even mentioned the stock.
It was an interesting interview, and it highlighted the fact for shareholders that the data from Wrestlemania should help to tell what kind of state the company is in. Will the buy rates be lower or higher than last year? Tough to tell, but I have to say that there doesn't seem to be, for me at least, that one match that's sure to drive even the most casual of wrestling fans to order up the show on their pay-per-view menu. A lot of the fallen fans will probably come back into the fold this weekend, however, to view the Ric Flair contest, in what is being billed as perhaps his last match. Thing of it is, though, Wrestlemania should still do well, even if it isn't necessarily the best roster they've ever had (I say this subjectively, of course) -- remember, Wrestlemania is not just an event, it's a brand, and a lot of people will order it up regardless. And the event is an excellent opportunity to bring more mindshare into the WWE product. THQ (Nasdaq: THQI) and JAKKS Pacific (Nasdaq: JAKK), for instance, will certainly be hyping the heck out of their WWE videogames this weekend with their annual superstar challenge.
But, you know what the most vital takeaway is from Wrestlemania 24? It's the number itself -- 24. No, I'm not going to get mystical on you or anything, but don't you think that the next year is going to be a big one for WWE? The 25th anniversary of anything is huge, and I believe Vince McMahon is right now plotting out in his head schemes and deals to leverage this incredible milestone for the premiere event in sports entertainment. At least, he better be, otherwise shareholders will be disappointed. Because of this, I think the next twelve months are going to be very interesting for the stock. It will definitely be worth a look any time it pulls back significantly.
Disclosure: I don't own any shares in any of the companies mentioned here; positions can change at any time.










