5 Ways WWE can make PPVs more interesting going forward

WWE recently changed their pay-per-view model by merging the Raw and SmackDown Live rosters for every major monthly event going forward, while also increasing the length of PPV main shows to four hours.

From a storyline perspective, the dual-brand news was largely received well by fans – the single-brand PPV events often had filler matches and were viewed as underwhelming – but there have still been complaints about how PPVs are currently being produced.

For example, the first dual-brand PPV after WrestleMania 34, Backlash, has gone down as one of the worst WWE events in recent memory, while many fans believe that a four-hour main show, plus a one-hour kickoff show, is far too long for a PPV.

In this article, we’re going to try to right the wrongs of WWE’s current PPV model by suggesting five ideas that can make future events a lot more interesting. Agree? Disagree? Let us know in the comment section.

---

#5 Be braver with main-event choices

Samoa Joe vs. Roman Reigns headlined Backlash 2018

WWE fans have been left disappointed by several main-event matches recently, most notably Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 34 and Samoa Joe vs. Reigns at Backlash, and sections of the audience have even started to hijack shows towards the end of the night if they don’t like the main event.

In the case of Joe vs. Reigns, their match was one of the least talked-about heading into Backlash and, regardless of the no-contest finish to AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, there’s no way it should have been the main event.

Even going back to late 2016, a non-title match between Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton headlined No Mercy instead of The Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler, which was by far the biggest story of the night, while the history-making Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte Flair match at Hell In A Cell should have been proudly advertised as the ‘main event’ instead of the third match of a ‘triple main event’.

Moving forward, WWE should be braver when it comes to their main-event choices, and instead of headlining PPVs with the biggest name on the card, they should close the show with the match that fans are most invested in.

#4 Limit the length of PPVs

There's no need for filler segments on PPVs

In recent years, WWE has gone above and beyond to fit as many Superstars onto the WrestleMania card as possible, which means the company’s biggest event of the year now often lasts a little over seven hours in total (two-hour kickoff show and five-hour main show).

For a huge event like ‘Mania, that’s totally understandable, but is there really any need for the coverage of an underwhelming 'B' show like Backlash to last a total of 4 hours and 32 minutes? And do the Royal Rumble and SummerSlam really need two-hour kickoff shows?

There should be a rule going forward that kickoff shows should last no longer than one hour, preferably only 30 minutes, and main shows (outside of the ‘Big 5’) should be a maximum of three hours.

#3 More quality one-on-one PPV matches

Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka is one of 2018's best PPV singles matches

Regular readers might have noticed earlier this week that we handed out our half-year awards on a range of WWE topics, including Best Male Superstar, Best Female Superstar and Best PPV Match.

While researching the articles, it was alarming to look back and find that only two of our top 10 PPV matches from January 2018 to June 2018 were one-on-one encounters, with Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka (WrestleMania 34) and Seth Rollins vs. The Miz (Backlash) making the cut alongside eight multi-person matches.

Everybody loves a Royal Rumble, Elimination Chamber or Money In The Bank match, but it would be nice to see WWE save most of their multi-person battles for those events in future, with an added emphasis on creating high-quality one-on-one matches at the other PPVs, much like NXT manage to do with their TakeOver shows.

#2 More elaborate entrances

Velveteen Dream has new attire and a different entrance for every TakeOver match

WWE pulls out all the stops at WrestleMania to give its top Superstars the most spectacular entrances imaginable at “The Show of Shows”, but why is it so rare to see people get the same treatment on any other PPV of the year?

Some comparisons between NXT and WWE are totally unfair, mostly because NXT has a one-hour weekly show and WWE has five hours of television time to fill on Mondays and Tuesdays, but it’s fair to say that Triple H’s ‘developmental’ brand produces much better TakeOver entrances than what we see on main-roster PPVs.

With guys like Velveteen Dream mixing up his entrance at every TakeOver event, there’s no reason why main-roster Superstars can’t create unique, memorable entrances of their own at PPV shows.

#1 Showcase NXT on the kickoff show

Aleister Black is the current NXT champion

For those who don’t watch kickoff shows, here’s what you’re missing: Booker T, Sam Roberts and David Otunga give their PPV predictions to Renee Young; somebody begrudgingly answers questions in the ‘social media lounge’; fans shout “Wooo!” as loud as they can; and there’s a largely meaningless match 10 minutes before the PPV starts.

In short, kickoff shows are handy for casual viewers but totally pointless for fans who regularly tune into Raw and SmackDown Live on a weekly basis, so it’s about time WWE freshened up the kickoff show, particularly the end-of-broadcast match, to give die-hard viewers something they’ve not seen before.

An ‘NXT showcase’ match every month, with an NXT Superstar taking on a Raw or SmackDown Live Superstar, would serve as a good opportunity for the next generation of main-roster performers to compete in front of a PPV audience, and it would be a lot more interesting for fans compared to what we see now!