Vince McMahon’s plan to expand his Worldwide Wrestling Entertainment empire through a dedicated cable channel is on the ropes.

Although WWE’s TV shows draw big ratings, it has yet to strike a single deal with a cable or satellite-TV provider to carry its own cable channel, sources said.

WWE had timed the April 1 launch of the network in 40 million homes to coincide with its pay-per-view extravaganza, Wrestlemania. The company even had a clock counting down to the April launch date on its site, which has since disappeared.

The Stamford, Conn., company is also lagging when it comes to hiring experienced cable executives. It was expected to hire some 200 employees, including a general manager to run the channel.

“WWE has the programming and marketing muscle, but they just have no one with cable experience who can execute for them,” said one cable executive.

WWE swung to a loss in the fourth quarter on costs to launch the TV network and revamp its film division. The company lost $8.6 million, while revenue fell 7.8 percent to $122.5 million. WWE spent $4 million in the quarter to get the network off the ground.

While WWE still targets mostly 18-to-34 year-old men, the company has toned down its once raunchy programming in a bid to become more family friendly and broaden its appeal for advertisers.

“Distribution is a hard fought battle that takes time,” said a WWE spokesman, adding that the company is “actively” in negotiations with pay-TV providers. “We have a seasoned executive staff of television veterans from such well-regarded companies as ESPN, Warner Brothers Television, Viacom, Fox and Discovery who are actively involved in the continued planning of the WWE Network, and we will continue to add top professionals from the cable industry.

“We are confident that WWE Network will be well received given our proven track record of developing top-rated PG cable programming.”

WWE’s often raunchy programming targets mostly 18-to-34 year-old men, although the company has made efforts to become more family friendly and broaden its appeal for advertisers.

“Given the content issues, I think a whole channel would be a stretch,” said Gerri Donini, senior vice president broadcast at media-buying shop R.J. Palmer. “It is very limited in who it reaches.”