Business is battle on business wars. We learn what it takes to win by looking closely at ambitious battles, the one in our latest Series W W S, verses, W C W and our new book, the art, business wars gets to the very heart of each conflict, unearthing all the valuable lessons. Gotta wondering calm, slash the art of business wars to order your copy. Now, and one replies to listen a business wars one week early and ad free in the wonder, YAP down the wonder, YAP in your apple or Google play Mobile appstore today. A listener note. This episode originally aired in twenty nineteen This episode contains adult content. It's early. Ninety ninety eight and in a meeting room inside W W S headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut. U S network, executive body, hammer checks, her watch and frowns

she sitting alone waiting for Vince MC man to show up he's too minutes late, it's not a great start. The blonde nationally dressed hammers, USA's new liaison with W W S, not by choice, though when they handed her. The wrestling brief. Her first thought was that her career must be in trouble. Suddenly, bursts into the room looking agitated USA might broadcast his flagship, show big man resents the cable network poking its nose into his business here. to get hammer out the door as quickly as possible. I hope this won't take long, I'm needed elsewhere. hammer leaned forward and looks MC man right in the eyes I'm going to be blunt until two it's a gown. I never will Your shall, I don't understand. and your business and honestly, I don't care about it. And raises an eyebrow. This me

in just got interesting hammer, means in closer. What I do know is how to make great tv I'm here to turn Monday night raw from a show with Nielsen ratings and the tools and threes to one that gets force and fives. Now, hammers, talking MC man's language. Like. The sound of that. Where do we start with the writing The way I see it wrestling should be a soap opera for men. You need characters with death and better stories higher sums opera, comedy writers. What else plenty in weeks there Although hammers schools Mc Man and ways to up W W S tv game, she tells him replace the dated smoke machines. They bade the W W have ring in a haze. She teaches them about running. This shows best material when the risk of viewers switching channels is highest, she can

fences em to start re capping the previous weeks episode to make it easy. for new viewers to come on board and with every golden nugget of advice, w double. We have tv output gets leaner and meaner for almost a decade W W apps been putting out fire after fire sterile. Scandals and financial crises, ratings defeats and wrestler defections but in Bunny Hammer make men spouse tag team partner who can help him all that behind it. and realized his dream of leaving W C w bloodied, broken you know a growing businesses to be on a journey and along the ride? You'll encountered different challenges every day, but wherever you are on your journey delta,

allergies, advisers, understand and they're here to help you with a right tech solution. So you can stop at nothing for you Customers for advice on solutions like ex BS thirteen laptops powered by the Intel Ego platform colonies, iser today, at eight seven seven ask Now we get support from Amazon business. Is there some things Keeping you from achieving your business goals is at time money or both well at Amazon business. with access to millions of discounted supplies and tools to streamline operations. Amazon business is helping companies, governments and non profit of all sizes plan for what's next, when you simplify purchasing your business goals, become a lot more attainable. Amazon business reach. Buying visit Amazon business, dot com, slash, be w to learn more.

from wondering? I'm David Brown- and this is business. On the last episode, W C W dominated Monday nights, inspiring TED Or to give it a second prime time show on Thursdays, meanwhile, Mincemeat man became wrestling fans, most hated figure and pull back and down on W W S. Days is p e g entertainment, a final fight looms, but the biggest blows will be landed outside the ring. This is episode six down

for the count its April, thirteen nineteen, ninety eight and the EP, Spear backstage, of course, states Centre in Philadelphia is electric W W S, laws, broadcasting live from the centre and the team knows tonight could be the night night when W C double loses its title bell eighty three weeks in a row, W C w Monday Nightrobe has beaten W W F raw and ratings by W W lead is shrinking, passed last Nightrobe One out by less than one hundred thousand viewers and tonight, raw, serving up a three hour showcase with a new attitude the artist formerly known as gold dust sets the tone the gin you're, bending wrestler, arrives and drag pretending to be the female grappling sable entering the ring to fight the braided hair Luna

Luna Knox does down in tears off his dress and wig. Then the real sable storms into the ring and attacks later in the show viewers meet Bow Venus whose sleazy wrestling character is an adult film star. They require in his dressing room where nothing, but a towel is to women's broke his chest. He wig the camera and promises that rocket in his pocket. Female wrestling vans too exciting new heights. Next, there's a stir off between wrestler Owen, heart and degeneration Ex a gang, Breaking wrestlers who are W W S, answer to W C w endeavoured woe Each generation actors nominate bad, asked Billy Gun to fight hard, while pointing at their crutches

thrusting human hearts direction. You got two words warm created. What the audience is really waiting for is the main event, a fight between stone, Steve, Austin make man you see man no longer just the boss, now, a central character in the W W have shows the evil hi, trying to turn Austin into a suit wearing corporate drone. The leave middle aged made man enters the ring in a black best, sweat pants. The crowd reacts Chanting. Austrians, threesome, team catch rates Austin smiles and grabs MIKE you won't get a weapon of war, but before the fight can start a tie, died, hippy

Wrestler played by MID fully intervenes fully forces clash to be postponed. Setting stage for the Austin MIC Man's view to keep running for months to come that night. W C. Double winning streak ends for point. Five million households watched roars, wild antics, that's four hundred thousand more homes the night, the vote afternoon, W C you boss, Eric Bishop gathers. Team at W C W Head Office in Atlanta W W got the better of us last night, their only victory in more than eighteen months. We millions of fans, Business is solid and it contains to grow, I'm not, hopping until I've driven a stake through Vince Make man's heart. and his team knows W does ass ratings win is no fluke.

Man's igniting controversy in making W C w look tame and he's just getting started to Slater, W W have sense degeneration x, two more for Virginia in an army. with a mounted gun, their mission to gate crashed alive, broadcast D, W C W Nightrobe shadowed by a camera crew that is filming at all. For that night, episode of W W F raw on arrival, they ain't it It's gone at the arena where W C W will perform that again. After five bring a blank shop. They drive words, the arenas underground loading bay, but as they approach

Then you security brings down the gate, but they did not. where's. My may The competition for Monday night too close to call one week, Nightrobe regains led, then raw pulls ahead. The following Monday. It creates a pressure cooker battle, Both companies buying to be the must watch wrestling, show raw airs, get where Degeneration Ex pretends to blow up Turner Broadcasting, CNN Centre fish off hits back by challenging MC man to get in the ring with him

Andrew Mcmahon in Man and by instead, he just pushing the limits in one piece: purview, presentation will remove her talk to reveal to black latex handprints, covering her breasts. On another show viewers, introduced to the godfather Superfly Pimp this followed into the ring by entourage of women. He calls the whole train the company also runs with a story line that ends with the japanese wrestler, pretending to castrate valve Venus with a sword, but as we man continues to raise the stakes with his tasteless antics bishops about to get gagged, its July. Nineteen. Ninety eight ambition. Has been summoned to a meeting with Turner Network executives. He walks in what conference room inside Turner, broadcasting's tech would campus in doubt

town Atlanta. He has no idea. Why he's here. Around. The long table ten or more Turner executives. Bishop. Doesn't recognize any of them thirty something woman introduces yourself, I'm Harry Tingle senior vice president of standards and practices. Terry tingle here right thanks bishop! This is gonna, be a prank, but it's not tingles job. Is to keep Turner Broadcasting's programming on the straight and narrow, and she here to rein in W C w and Bishop from now on W c d here is a family friendly, show now Throw will no longer be aimed at eighteen. Thirty, four year old, guys know more scenes with wrestlers insulting each other ahead of matches. No more Monica Lewinsky jokes be sharpish dumbfounded, who

these people to be bossing him around tingle bears down harder you also need to send me your scripts two weeks in advance, so I can You them before broadcast bishops. Naps out of a shock not a chance. First, don't have scripts. There are outlined with bullet points in production directions. Second, what we're doing works. That's why w doubled of his copying us if we do but you're suggesting I promise you are ratings, will fall and Africa using sales executive steps in what you need understand Eric using Business is selling airtime to advertisers. They do not want to be linked to controversial, shows, no matter how strong the ratings are either. W C W ratings are cut in half. We can sell or air time at night drove family friendly. Bishop brows, all this this is both crab regard.

So what you think this is what's happening. Fish off leaves stunned The battle for wrestling dominance is at a crucial juncture and he's just been kneecap by his own team. the W C w barred from bad language. Sexual references, wilds, Dunstan, anything else could be considered unsuitable for nine year olds. you. W F starts creeping ahead in the Monday night ratings with help from its latest superstar rest, Dwayne, the rock Johnson, as the egotism henchmen of Mister Mc Man, the rock is Extra vying W w F fans with his razor sharp gibes at rival, wrestlers and his gimmick referring to himself in the third person my day, its January fourth nineteen. Ninety nine ambition.

in Dublin, you see japanese production truck at the Georgia die in Atlanta overseeing the first Monday. Nightrobe episode of the year he's hoping to night it will be a game changer, a launch pad for Nightrobe back on back on top next with graphic to make that happen. he's lined up a high profile fight between former in W O allies, Hollywood Hogan, Kevin NASH, Semite permits that will start a story arc about the return of the endeavour. You owe the Bishop hopes will refer this sagging interest in W C w among wrestling vans bishops can you make sure that everything is ready for the big moment? I say when he glow Is it the subtitle Feed of W w have raw playing on a monitor? an answer is saying something about his Hogan This NASH find this of space drops as that Would W Epps announcer reveals that NASH is going to take

a dive in hand. Hogan the championship build Bishop figure, two can play this game. He grabbed headset and barks orders to the announcer doing the live commentary tell the audience not to switch channels tell them Foley will win the W W have Title Bell from the rock tonight. We know that as their show isn't live moments later. The announcer She was the retaliatory spoil about competition, got done so on the shelf and later the night watchman pad we're gonna win their worldwide, but the plan backfires big time Almost immediately six hunt thousand household switch channels. They want

see Foley's deranged leather mass character. Mankind beat Mc Man's brand champion. The rock bishop just promoted the W W up on his own show, causing a viewer exodus. And securing another ratings victory for Vince. make man in the process and the blows keep coming it's early spring. Ninety ninety nine and in an ups, french restaurant in Hollywood, Dean Valentine, the ceo of the tv network, european sharing. business quandary with a friend over dinner, the via com european, is one of America's national broadcasts networks, but its trailing far behind the likes of Fox and in so Valentine fields. His network needs a new direction, I'm thinking Focusing you began on the young male demographic, but I I need to fight compelling shows to bring them to us, preferably with

built in audience. Valentine France's glass red wine and offers a suggestion. You know My teenage sons are crazy about wrestling. totally addicted balance eyes widened. Of course, wrestling nested ticket. You know I met Vince make man a few months ago. I want lemme call when band tiny, invites nobody. Don't you have to make a prime time wrestling show for European make man leaps at the chance, bring his wrestling show to network tv on Thursday April. Twenty. Ninety, ninety, nine, you be then W W S open up a new battle fought in the It's a glory. Return to that night. Five point:

Six million homes wash the pilot episode of smack down within Today's European and W W F agree to make smack down a weekly show August nineteen, ninety nine, the first weekly episode of smack down airs and it lives up to its name point two million homes watch the W W Apps newest show that weak double see W Thursday night offering thunder manages less than two million households job. See. W is now losing the tv ratings war on Mondays and thirsty and bishops effort to turn things around are about to hit a nun rope running a small business can be alleging. You have to juggle so many things at once, including operating your business hiring for it

managing hr and payroll, while thankfully zip recruiter his teamed up with a gdp to be your hiring, an hr solution and right now you can try zip recruiter for free at zip, recruiter, dot com, slash be W. So how does it recruiter? Help make hiring easier for First, zip recruiter send your job to over one hundred of the webs leading job site, then their powerful man technology scans thousands resonates to find the right people for your job, then invite them to apply. No wonder four out of five employers who post on zip recruiter, get a quality candidate within the first day. plus. If you are run powered by eighty p customer, you can access zebra router directly through the run platform? So you do have to worry about handling the nitty gritty details of running payroll hr in hiring. You can just focus on what you do best.

Two tries it recruiter for free. Today, my listeners can go to zip recruiter dot com, Slash be w that zip recruiter dot com, Slash be W one more time: zip, recruiter, dot com, slash, be w, zip recruiter. The smartest wait, a higher where's, my order, where's my order, where's my order break free from cuts. more support, monotony, welcome to Intercom for customer support. The business messenger that uses chat, Botz shared in boxes, apps and more enter comes business messenger risk. Other questions that can be answered automatically, so customer support fields less like Groundhog Day and more like help is on the way would intercom dot com slashed support to learn more about inner comes business messenger for customer support.

late August, nineteen, ninety nine and ninety nine and W head office. Eric Bishop is on phone selling a big new idea, Turner, broadcasting, financially Vicki Miller and she's his last hope, his plans already been vetoed by every other senior exacting accompany Vickie I want to do a millennium e paper view that combines. Don't you see w show with a concert by kiss it'll, be called new year's evil Miller interrupts. Sorry did you say kiss yeah. You know kiss space paint Jean Simmons. I want a rock and roll Landmine Party every day. I think it would make it least three million dollars, that's enough to ensure W C w turns of profit. This year far Eric it's an hour ago kiss is expensive and I dont see them appealing to the young men who watch your shows us

We are all worried about the White UK bug causing technical problems during this paper view. It's just not worth the risk find another way But while Bishop is scrambling to come up with another plan, Turner's top asked, decide it's time for a change. But you see, W revenues are slipping and losses are growing, A few days later, fish off is out his scrapped she of making a wrestling show for young man W C w into a serious threat to the W W F. But now the dumb see w visionary leader is gone, victim of the new regime. That's taken charge since Time Warner bought out Turner Broadcasting. I love you see. W is sliding into the red the you, W F is flush, plans to use its cash to dominate wrestling, and it does in fact done

you. W F has become so popular. It draws interest of well heeled investors its October. Ninety team, ninety nine and inside a Wall Street Investment Bank smoke. Man, his family and a group of bankers are popping champagne corks who they are plenty to celebrate to this morning, the w but you have floated on the NASDAQ it stock opened it. Seventeen dollars closing Bell. It had risen to twenty five, W W F now has one hundred seventy million dollars in the bank. Finally, after years of living, hand to mouth is of private enterprise. W W have has plenty of financial muscle, It's also made them man, family. The majority owners of a billion dollar corporation,

by staring his sports entertainment empire toward the crew rude lewd, just as Turner broadcast these taming, w c WS outward Make man's the Jack retires, like Coca COLA, might have pulled thereat dollars from W W F in response, but the games or outweigh the losses. W W S, tv ratings, ticket sales, paper views, add revenues and merchandise. Sales are soaring in one thousand. Ninety eight generated profits of eight point: five million dollars a year later, it's on track to make. These seven million you don't you have ship from Pga too, are rated wrestling. His also left W C w broken and bleeding, with fish off gone w p. W decline only accelerate words are steadily deserting. It shows in paper, views

Average attendance at its life shows drops from forty six hundred well in October. One thousand ninety nine to just seventeen hundred a year later it s, the year two thousand, with a reported loss of sixty two million dollars. In January, two thousand one turner, broad lasting causes. Surprise news conference in New York City, A Turner executive fills the reporters in turnover, casting has signed a letter of intent. the cell, W C w to a consortium led by Eric Bishop. Bishops back since getting pushed out w c w he's found a way, the ally and investor Brian beat all the founder of Classic Sports network in college sports television together they are offering Turner Broadcasting's owners, Time Warner. Sixty

Seven million dollars for the wrestling promotion as part of the proposed by Out Turner Broadcasting has promised all that W C W, we'll keep it I'm time slots, anti anti anti bs at least ass. The plan until there is a change at the top in MID March, beat all is called to a meeting with Jamie Counter, the time Warner executive, whose just taken charge of Turner's Tb S and ten t networks be dolls in a room. Waiting for Keller beat all senses trouble the moment killer Anders I just reviewed the W C w by our contract and I'm not happy with it. I'm not guaranteeing you w seat over prime time slots as part of the deal. In fact, I want to say So the shows that deal break for us. Without a tv platform, W C double use drugs, Still your highest raided show, you know, I don't see why you wouldn't want to keep broadcasting it anti anti bs

positioned as upscale networks. You see, our advertisers want to reach affluent consumers, w He w audiences down scale, a third of its audience are unemployed. Eleven percent of W C W viewers have a college degree. It's out of step with what my works are doing like I said it's a deal. breaker. If we don't get, the tv shows we're not buying. Well, then I guess we're done here: shops bid by W C w dead in the water Big man seizes the opportunity, unlike Bitch offs consortium, Ming Man, doesn't care about getting W C w TV slides pages. Wants to shut down his competition. Five days later after bishops takeover bid collapses, dumb

You W F, buys W C W trademarks and intellectual property from Turner Broadcasting for four point: three million dollars a week. W C W shows are off the air. W W App absorbs the cream of W C w wrestling talent and done The rest, the W C W brand is concerned. to history. The war is over and only W W F remains, but there are about to be thrown a curveball its August, two thousand and in the high court in London the W W Apps legal team is celebrating its just won a court case defending its trademark. but it isn't the wrestling W W. F, that's in high spirits. It's the

World Wildlife Fund, the other W w F is a blow. bull charity, protecting pandas and other animals. It was founded in nineteen sixty one, some eighteen years before being man's wrestling promotion adopted that W W F brand the two organisations have spent years arguing we're trademarks, and now the english cord has given its decision. World Wildlife Fund got there. First, it's the World Wrestling Federation that much and its name two thousand to make man response. To the ruling, by renaming his company world wrestling entertainment W W P For the moment at least It's the only wrestling game in town. The regional promotions of old. her long gone w

W is a bald brand owned by W W e and ultra violent EAST double use just gone bus to, but sling fans miss the rivalry so summer, two thousand to make man invent a new rivalry by dividing W W ease wrestlers into two rival camps raw and smack down to help the story work. He reveals that he's going to appoint two managers to head up these rival branches of the W W E its July. two thousand to an east Rutherford, New Jersey, fifteen thousand Monday night raw fans are waiting for Big reveal. made man's already cast his daughter Stephanie. As the leader Smack down and tonight he's going to name the manager of W W E Raw make man prows disdain Michael

you know you don't realize theirs, but it takes a real son of a text to be successful in this business. So from one son of a bitch too you to the new general manner, you're wrong name. The crowd years in boons is Eric. Bishop works on This stage and herds midnight The two former rivals then turned to the crowd: lock: hands raise their arms in the air in triumph. the very real competition that once existed between them is now. Just another story arc and man's lucrative sports entertainment, illusion from one

This is episode. Six w W S, verses, W C w for business worth if you like our show, please give us a five star rating and a review and be sure to tell your friends Business wars on apple pie casts Spotify Amazon, music, the wondering after we're ever your listening right now, listen: free by joining wondering plus so find some links and offers from our sponsors and the episode knows. Supporting them helps us keep offering our shows for free another. Where you can support the show is by filling small survey, wondering dot com, slash survey and tell us which the stories. You'd like to hear a quick note about. Recreations, you ve, been hearing in most cases We can't know exactly what was said: those scenes or dramatization, but their based on historical research. I'm your home David Brown, Christian Donovan wrote this story. Karen low is our senior producer and editor Donna Highlands. did this story produced by Emily Frost Voice. By Michel, Philippine

Young is our associate producer. Our producers Dave Shilling, sounded by Kyle Random our exit, producers are Jenny. Lauer, Beckmann and marshals will be created or non Lopez for wondering. Hey I might Corey. The host of wandering show against the odds in our next season. I'm telling an amazing true story about american sailors who wrecked their ship off the coast of Africa. In one thousand, eight hundred and fifteen they're, captured by a nomadic tribe to escape, they will need to cross the largest hot desert in the world to reach civilization. They will battle against blistering heat, inhumane conditions, hunger First, there heroic fight to get home will have a much greater impact than

on their own lives. It will influence a future president and change the course of american history in ways that are still felt today. This is the true story of the men who made it, and it's one that you don't want to miss subscribe to against the odds on Apple podcast, Amazon, music, the wondering app or wherever you're listening right now