Oh, if only Mark Twain was a dirtsheet writer.
We brought you the news early this morning that WWE informed Bright House Networks, home of Florida Championship Wrestling's (FCW) weekly TV show, of the developmental territory immediate closing. But as Cagesider buzz_killr said in the aforementioned story's comment section, reports of FCW's demise have been greatly exaggerated.
While the television show, at least in its current form as part of the Bright House Sports family, is most certainly dead and gone once the already taped episodes hit the air, it appears FCW as a whole is still alive and well. Several websites are reporting President of FCW Steve Keirn as stating everyone is in Tampa, training as per usual and all dates already scheduled will go off with nary a hitch.
Crisis averted, no?
Well, it depends. My Cageside colleague Keith Harris said in the previous story's comment section that closing FCW without a replacement already in place was a terrible and short-sighted move. That much certainly can't be argued. Perhaps WWE came to their senses and realized the calamity they would have on their hands if they went through with this plan.
Of course, that is presupposing the original report of FCW's immediate closing was accurate in the first place. While Dave Meltzer and his crew at the Wrestling Observer are dependable sources of information, they're not beyond reproach. So if he was fed bad information, was it a WWE employee speaking out of turn or something else?
I'm reminded of the scene in The Departed where Frank Costello -- played by Jack Nicholson -- becomes leery there may be someone inside his crew feeding information to the authorities. He suspects several men so in an effort to find out who the culprit is, he feeds them false information knowing if it gets to the police, it will be because of one of them.
But that would be crazy for WWE to try, right?
This could also be an example of an employee toeing the company line. Keirn could very easily be doing what Matt Bloom -- the recently rehired Lord Tensai formerly known as Prince Albert and A-Train -- did on Twitter when he refuted reports he had signed a new contract with WWE.
One thing is for certain: no matter what happens with WWE's developmental program -- whether it stays in Florida, moves to Stamford or something in between -- the employees and the Superstars in the making like Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose and Richie Steamboat among many others should continue to find a home under the WWE umbrella.
Hiring The Rock to work WrestleMania 28 is a clear indication WWE doesn't think the roster on hand can lift them up to the levels of the Attitude Era. But without a strong developmental program in place, all the late 1990s stars in the world won't right the WWE ship.