In a classic case of ambiguity, WWE’s response to an F4WOnline.com report that the company would be closing its Florida Championship Wrestling developmental territory raises more questions than it answers.
Via a statement from Triple H, who ultimately oversees WWE’s developmental program, WWE initially delivers an aggressive blow to the credibility of the report.
“It is absolutely not true. FCW is not closing,” said Triple H. “I don’t know how the rumor started but I believe it’s a situation where the ‘dirt sheets’ want to believe they have the scoop on everything. If anything, we are in the process of ramping up our entire developmental system. It’s the lifeblood of our company. It’s what feeds our future and in no way are we going to close it down.”
But the issue is not so cut-and-dry. The WWE.com “response” quickly transitions into the question of whether the company might relocate its training and developmental television tapings out of FCW’s current home in Tampa, Florida.
“There are plans in the works, but nothing definitive I can discuss right now,” said Triple H. “Shortly after WrestleMania, there will be a major announcement about our developmental system.
“WWE’s developmental system is being revamped, not shut down. If anything, it’s going to get bigger and better than ever. WWE Developmental cultivates the future talent of WWE. By no means is it going to get smaller or shut down.”
That definitely raises some eyebrows. At no point did any of the Monday night gossip suggest WWE was planning to shrink or “shut down” its developmental program; the scoop said that WWE had informed its Florida broadcasting partner that it was no longer going to be producing FCW shows and that the developmental talent was expected to be relocated.
Based on Triple H’s ambiguous comment, it seems reasonable to conclude that WWE is looking at options for transforming and/or expanding its developmental program, therefore confirming the notion that a significant change could be on the table. And if that were to entail moving some talent or television tapings out of Florida (granted, the WWE.com report specifically refers to Tampa rather than the whole state), wouldn’t that prove the initial online reports at least partially correct?