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WWE is the biggest sports entertainment company in the world, and the expectations are always sky-high. While RAW runs for three hours every week, SmackDown Live is a two-hour show. Being under pressure to fulfill the expectations of the fans, the company fails to deliver on occasion.
WrestleMania season ended in April when the company recorded good ratings. Following the Showcase of Immortals, the ratings generally decline. According to the Wrestling Observer, RAW had all-time lowest non-football season ratings last week with 2.16 million viewers. While WWE did better this week with 2.24 million viewers, it was up just four percent, and it was the second-lowest non-football season episode of the flagship show.
The poor ratings certainly gave a headache to Vince McMahon last week, as it coerced the Chairman to make some surprise decisions. The introduction of Wild Card Entry was a desperate move to spike the ratings. Time will tell if that will be good enough.
The WWE Universe has been vocal about the quality of the product on social media. Both RAW and, to a lower extent, SmackDown Live have been inconsistent in delivering awe-inspiring episodes every week.
Here we discuss three things Vince McMahon must do to improve ratings.
#3 RAW should be a two-hour show
Monday Night RAW has been around for over twenty-five years, and it is the longest-running weekly episodic television show in the United States. Earlier, it was a two-hour show, but it turned into a three-hour show on the 1000th episode of the red brand, and has stayed that way the last seven years.
With a big roster of the red brand, the time scale seems great, but it becomes tedious for the viewers. As a matter of fact, the viewership starts to decline in the last hour, which suggests that the fans begin to lose interest. An action-packed two-hour episode could be perfect for retaining viewership throughout the show.
SmackDown Live is a two-hour show. Since RAW is called the flagship show, the blue brand does not get the same numbers as the red brand. However, cutting the last hour could do wonders for RAW, and we might get a better quality of the product with fewer filler matches.
#2 Vince needs to push deserving superstars
Vince McMahon's billion dollar company has a pool of talented wrestlers. Being the biggest pro-wrestling company in the globe, some great performers are part of the WWE. NXT grooms the talented superstars before putting them on the main roster. Unfortunately, many superstars lose their way after arriving on the main roster, and the Chairman could be held responsible for the scenario.
Despite having a developmental brand like NXT, the company has failed to build new stars in the last couple of years. After achieving notable success in the developmental brand, many superstars were unable to repeat the same feat after getting main roster call-ups - superstars like Andrade, Sami Zayn, Shinsuke Nakamura, Robert Roode, EC3, Ember Moon and Nikki Cross are some prime examples.
A number of superstars have been asking to be released from their contracts in recent months. While Dean Ambrose was the most notable name to part ways with the company, The Revival and Sasha Banks are also unhappy with their current positions.
Considering the pool of talent in WWE, several superstars could be propelled, and it could be helpful to improve the product. WWE had several gigantic stars like Kurt Angle, Undertaker, Brock Lesnar, Goldberg, The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Triple H, John Cena and Randy Orton in the same time frame. However, the same can not be said about the current product, and the company has to bring back legendary superstars from the past to boost the ratings.
#1 Writing Compelling Storylines
Storylines are extremely important in pro-wrestling as it keeps the fans interested. Besides dexterity in the squared circle, captivating storylines are essential in the business. As a result, the storytelling ability of the company is directly connected to the ratings.
Kofi Kingston's rise to the top of the ladder was impressive, and it was one of the best storylines in recent years. Similarly, Batista and Triple H had a great story as part of the build-up to their clash at the Show of Shows, while the feud between Randy Orton and AJ Styles was also written well.
WWE has lost its way after the Showcase of Immortals. Some of the post-WrestleMania storylines are exciting, but they lose the attention of the audience with a litany of filler content each week. For instance, Kofi Kingston will face Kevin Owens at Money in the Bank, but Kingston had to defend the WWE World Title twice this week. AJ Styles and Sami Zayn did not earn the right to get a title shot. Moreover, the male and female participants for Money in the Bank Ladder match were selected randomly, and they did not earn their spots.
Vince McMahon must fix the plot holes that could kill a great storyline. With compelling storylines, the fans will be on their seats for hours which will boost the ratings.
