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Pro Cycling & The Sleeper Hold

Published January 27, 2011

I’ve followed professional wrestling for several decades. It’s the best integrated marketing on the planet and their longevity and strong financials are proof.  Ok, go ahead make fun of me because I know all about Ravishing Rick Rude and his signature move “The Rude Awakening." Actually there’s a business model and competitive strategic approach I’ve implemented with several of my clients based on this piledriver’esque move. But I digress….. 

If you remember, it used to be called WWF and now they’re aptly named World Wrestling Entertainment or the WWE.  The operative word being ‘entertainment’. Because it’s sports entertainment they aren’t held to state or federal sport regulations or standards. It’s perfect…..you can decide who wins in the boardroom and the wrestlers?...well they can be all hopped up on “get big” goofballs and nobody seems to care.   

Actually, the WWE is pretty transparent. Of course it’s not real but if you want it to be, well that’s cool too. Don’t you love this country? 

So WTF am I doing writing about wrestling on a cycling industry blog? Simple, after reading about the latest scandal via the Tour de France, I realized that every day professional cycling gets a little bit closer to professional wrestling.  And that’s a dirty shame……