WWE: It’s slam, bam, McMahon!

WWE choke-slammed critics on Tuesday with firstquarter results that topped analysts’ expectations.

The Vince McMahon-led wrestling and entertainment company earned 18 cents a share on revenue of $171 million. Analysts were expecting 11 cents in profit on revenue of $169 million.

WWE Network, the 2-yearold over-the-top offering, averaged 1.29 million paid subscribers during the quarter, a 39 percent jump over the year-ago period.

The results sent the Stamford, Conn.-based company’s stock up 2.2 percent, to $17.43.

“WWE continues to under- promise and overdeliver financially,” said FBN Securities analyst Robert Routh.

While revenue fell 3 percent year-over-year, WWE noted that its flagship event, Wrestle Mania, occurred in the second quarter this year and in the first quarter last year. After discounting the event’s timing, WWE said first-quarter revenue would have shown a 13 percent gain.

The company benefited last quarter by expanding to new markets such as Germany, Austria and Japan. And while the rollouts boosted international subscribers to 362,000, bigger gains are expected when WWE enters China later this year.