And that argument is specious . It exists solely in the realm of what if , and any intelligent man would understand that what ifs are for flights of fancy that have no bearing in reality . The fact is that Meltzer thinks this is what happened , but has no data or proof to back any of it up . I ran the numbers when the Network was announced and if they actually hit their targets they would have made $ 100 m in revenue for their first year alone . I could not deduct MLB or SportsNation or whatever their host platform would demand , because those numbers weren ' t available at the time , but in order for the WWE to go whole hog into Network streaming it must have been far lower than the 50 % PPV distributors demanded . $ 100 million in revenue . That ' s way more than what they would have made for the calendar year in PPV revenue . The problem , of course , is that the Network launched at one of the lowest points in casual interest for wrestling , beaten only by the WWF steroid scandal that destroyed business from ' 93 ' 96 . Dave is always beating this drum , God bless ' em , but it ' s an argument he can ' t win and is one of the few topics Bryan will shut him down on . PPV was a dying model for the WWE before the Network . All trends pointed toward shrinking viewership year over year until the PPV distributors would finally pull the plug on them . They could either try future proofing their business or watch it crumble . It was not the time for half measures . But look at the UFC ! Dave always says , and never once realizes the fallacy of comparing two very different business models , never mind two different industries . One is live theatre , entertainment , the other is live sport . This doesn ' t mention that the UFC exists solely on PPV . You will only ever see Conor McGregor fight on PPV . The only time you will ever see Conor McGregor give a promo is when promoting a PPV . Comparing the two as Dave loves to do , is like comparing a snake to an crocodile . Sure , they ' re the same species , but they ' re wildly different animals . Anyway , the Network strategy is a sound idea . The problem is that the interest isn ' t there . WWE should focus on enticing viewers and heating up the product , though that would require them to possess the ability to find their own ass with both hands .