OK. I have to be hallucinating.  As if the WWE didn’t make enough money off of their loyal fans, now they want us to PAY to vote for Cyber Sunday? Seriously? Has Vince McMahon been hit in the head with one-too-many chairs while filming Gillette razor ads?

If I understand this correctly, you have to text your choice to some random number to vote. Of course, you can’t just vote for every match at once. Say there are seven matches on this show like there were on No Mercy: you’d have to pay $7 total just to vote one time for each match/stipulation! What do you want to bet this show has more matches compared to recent WWE PPVs?

What a ridiculous money grab this is. It’s not like you’re even voting on stipulations for good matches. This is Cyber Sunday. It generally sucks ass as a PPV, if my memory serves me. In fact, the only match that stands out to me over the tenure of this whole shindig actually dates back to Taboo Tuesday 2005: Ric Flair v. Triple H in a cage match.

Also, there’s another nice little money-maker for the WWE built-in to all this. Take a look at the “abbreviated rules” for voting from WWE.com. The emphasis is mine:

Abbreviated Rules: U.S. residents who are subscribers to a participating wireless service and who have a wireless device capable of 2 way messaging (“Eligible Voters”) are invited to text message their vote on match stipulations for matches which will take place at the Cyber Sunday pay-per-view event on Sunday, October 26, 2008. Fans may vote beginning Monday October 6, 2008 immediately after the first match stipulation open to fan votes is announced on Raw (announcement could come anytime during live broadcast, between 9:00pm ET and 11:00pm ET) through Sunday, October 26 at 8:00pm ET. When you vote via your mobile phone, you will receive a code for a one month trial to WWE Mobile Alerts (a $3.99 value). WWE Mobile Alerts gives you access to breaking news, show previews and results and live pay-per-view updates directly to your mobile phone. Free one-month subscription only available to Eligible Voters who are not already subscribers to the WWE Mobile Alerts Club. To opt-out at any time, send STOP, QUIT, CANCEL, END or UNSUBSCRIBE to the 44993 short code. At the end of the first month, if you opt-in, you will be charged $3.99 per month until you choose to opt-out. Standard text messaging rates may apply to each text message sent or received, whether in connection with voting on match stipulations or participating in the WWE Mobile Alerts Club, and other charges may apply, depending on your wireless service plan. Contact your carrier for pricing and other details that apply to you. To opt-out of the WWE Alerts Club at any time send STOP, QUIT, CANCEL, END or UNSUBSCRIBE to the 46993 short code. See Terms and Conditions for complete details.

So how many people do you think will sign up for that free trial and then forget to opt-out after a month? I’d say a good number. After all, who hasn’t signed up for something that’s free for a month and then forgetten to cancel it until they get charged for it? That’s happened to me several times in the past, especially when it comes to phone-related or internet-related charges.

Face it, this voting thing is a sham and just a way for WWE to make even MORE money off pay-per-view. Don’t fall for it. I don’t understand why they would go away from the voting on their web site, considering now only U.S. residents can vote for this crap. The number of votes will be WAY down this year. And how many people will actually vote more than once? That would be stupid.

Given the economic climate right now and the demographic that WWE targets, this makes the WWE look pretty greedy. I hope people not only refuse to pay money for the “privilege” to vote, but also refuse to spend their money on this shitty pay-per-view. I know I won’t buy it, even if my favorite wrestler of all-time is a part of the show.