7 Things that have likely led to WWE's decline in ratings

#5 Constant bait-and-switches right before PPVs

It is unpredictable but frustrating at the same time when WWE promises one thing and delivers another.

This isn't anything new, but WWE has really relied on this tactic a lot over the last two years. It happened on the SmackDown before Survivor Series when Daniel Bryan captured the WWE Championship only days before the PPV. Instead of another match between AJ Styles and Lesnar at Survivor Series, it put Bryan in the Champion vs. Champion match.

It was cool to see Bryan win the top prize on SmackDown, but it was done when things were basically solidified for the PPV. But due to the constant changing of minds backstage, things change on the fly regularly in the WWE.

Another bait-and-switch was done after Elimination Chamber when Kofi Kingston was thought to be facing Bryan at Fastlane for the title. He had earned a shot with his performances but Mr. McMahon kept making Kingston jump through hoops in order to get a title shot. There was little more than a 'I don't think you are good enough' explanation, but after Kingston kept winning, it continued to happen on a weekly basis. It seemed mean rather than vital to the story.

One roadblock on the way to 'Mania was when Kingston got replaced by the returning Kevin Owens. Once again, I'm a fan of KO but usually getting a shot right away is an indication that the challenger has little chance of winning.

The most recent example of this was when three Superstars ended up being the final participant in the men's Money in the Bank ladder match. Strowman was first announced but would lose his spot to Sami Zayn on the Raw before the show. During the PPV, Zayn was ruled out after an attack and the match started with seven participants.

It ended with a surprise eighth entrant who showed up at the end of the match in order to shock everyone, walk down the ramp and pull down the briefcase. When you constantly promote or promise one thing to people and provide something different after people have set expectations in their minds, it can often backfire.