Stephanie McMahon's call to 'join WWE in drop kicking 2020 to the curb!'

Bengaluru, December 16: A turbulent year is coming to a close and the whole globe hopes for a better 2021. The year 2020 was hit hardly by coronavirus pandemic, which brought the whole world to a stand still for a few months, especially the sporting world.

The dreaded virus brought to a halt many sporting events across the globe and WWE also felt the impact of that although they didn't completely wind down, the biggest wrestling promotion, have been forced into closed door shows at Performance Centers.

Now, with the year coming to a close and vaccination for the virus well and trully also getting closer, the Chief Brand Officer of WWE, Stephanie McMahon reflects on the year and sends her holiday wishes to fans and followers.

"As 2020 comes to a close, it is a time for reflection, a time to be grateful, and a time to take out some of our pent-up frustration from this past year. With that in mind, WWE wanted to create a holiday message that would resonate with audiences while staying on brand, and I think we nailed it. Please watch this video and join your WWE family in drop kicking 2020 to the curb!," wrote Stephanie.

About the viewership and subscription to WWE Network, Stephanie said: "In all seriousness, we have learned a lot this year. Our enhanced content strategy, combined with faster than anticipated adoption of video streaming, led to a 6% increase in WWE Network subscribers and a 70% increase in YouTube viewership."

Stephanie was thrilled with use of technology during the course of the year and also wrote about the opportunities the company created for broadcasters.

"Technology brought the late "Paul Bearer" back to life as a hologram, as he held up Undertaker's urn in front of the retiring Superstar's outstretched arm, in a moment that captured hearts and minds (and maybe even a few souls). We created new programming opportunities with our partners at FOX, NBCUniversal, BT Sport and Sony India, to name a few."

WWE were forced into hosting their shows and pay-per-view events without fans in just three venues across the year.

"We took up residencies at Amway Center in Orlando and Tropicana Field in Tampa Bay and debuted the WWE ThunderDome, bringing back the spectacle of WWE, and integrating nearly 1,000 virtual fans each night into our live flagship programming," Stephanie added.

Stephanie also wrote about the community programs with a lot of charity organisations and foundations.

"We also continued to support those who needed it the most by creating virtual community programs and integrations with Special Olympics, UNICEF, Global Citizen, Ad Council, Americares and many more.

But it was last Friday night at a WWE-themed holiday "drive thru" community event for Make-A-Wish CT that stands out to me the most. My daughter and I were greeting families in their cars alongside Santa Claus, when a mom sitting in the passenger seat became very emotional.

"She expressed how hard quarantine has been on her family, how frightening it is for her as her child is high-risk given her medical condition, and how deeply grateful she is that WWE stayed on the air through the pandemic.

"She told me, 'you have no idea what it means to have an escape that we can rely on, every single week.' She was visibly shaking. Her words reinforced to me what a privilege it is to be a part of a brand that can have that kind of impact."

Stephanie then concluded with a message to the WWE staff and employees.

"Which leads me to my biggest lesson of this year, which is that at the end of the day all we really need is each other. I am so grateful to all of our Superstars, employees, fans and partners for what we were all able to create, together, over this past year.

"Thank you for helping us achieve our company mission, in one of the most challenging years of our lifetimes, of putting smiles on people's faces.

"Wishing you and your families a safe and happy holiday season"