Huge red flag in WWE after reports of stunning decline, says veteran Vince Russo (Exclusive)

According to wrestling veteran Vince Russo, there is a major red flag in WWE right now that has to do with TKO, the ratings, and an overall stunning decline that has been taking place.

On the latest episode of Writing with Russo, host Dr. Chris Featherstone asked Vince Russo a loaded question. He asked what TKO executives like Mark Shapiro will have to say about the declining ratings of both RAW and SmackDown, a sign to many that WWE's big boom period in the last few years is finally beginning to slow down.

Vince Russo said that the fact that WWE is looking to hire more creative figures is laughable because it signals to him that there is less internal confidence in the product compared to the past few years. He further stated that it's a red flag if WWE crosses below 1.3 million viewers in ratings, but they are now on the cusp of that:

"They're reporting that they're [WWE] now looking for more creative people in order to make the product more enjoyable. So let me get this straight, you know we're not enjoying the product, and you were just going to continue to let this go? Those Nielsen numbers in the last two weeks are an eye-opener. I swear, I kept saying to myself - maybe it'll be a red flag if they go under a million. I was saying that, never thinking they'd go under a million, because they were consistently at 1.3. But they're right there."

You can watch the full video below:

What was the most recent report on the ratings for WWE RAW on Netflix?

Around the end of September, WWE appeared to top off what was their worst month ratings-wise since joining Netflix. Around the 10th of September, it was reported that viewership declined to 2.4 million. SmackDown, meanwhile, has seemingly been fluttering above the 1 million number for a while now.

By the end of September, it went further down to 2.3 million global views across a week, which marked a 61% decline since the big premiere in January. It should be noted that there were further 4.5 million global hours viewed, according to Netflix's report.

The fact is that consistently hitting 2+ million viewers in itself isn't unimpressive. WWE often gets insulated by the vast global fanbase, which keeps viewership somewhat balanced. However, the issue at hand now is that 2.3-2.5 million viewers on a regular basis may not cut it. They are paying a hefty premium for the broadcasting rights of Monday Night RAW, at a whopping $500 million per year, which works out to $9.61 million per episode. Russo noted how even Netflix-produced shows don't cost that much to make, and this is where things might start to get interesting.

Ultimately, TKO got what they negotiated for, and the fact of the matter is that come 2035, the entire landscape of wrestling is likely to be very different. Time will tell what the situation will be when it comes to broadcasting rights fees at that juncture. But for the time being, the Netflix broadcast deal and the partnership with Saudi Arabia will be great financial cushions for the company should anything go wrong.

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