What’s the story?
Recently on Twitter, a user by the name of JP89 indulged in an argument with the professional wrestling legend Sean Waltman about how the current WWE product is not even a shadow of what it used to be in the Attitude Era. The user argued that the current management is least bothered about character development and storytelling.
He wrote the above in response to a tweet by Waltman which stated that the current professional wrestling is at its vibrant best and has something for everyone.
JP89 kept on replying to Waltman’s tweets but didn’t get the former DX member’s attention until he brought Raw ratings to the debate.
In case you didn’t know...
Since the past year or two, WWE has struggled to maintain a solid viewership for its weekly programs. The ratings for the year of 2017 has been by far the worst year for WWE in almost two decades.
Many fans and analysts believe that uninteresting storylines and lack of long-term planning are the major reasons for the decline in the viewership. Another reason cited by the same is the minimal existence of kayfabe in the current product.
The heart of the matter
Recently on Twitter, X-Pac expressed his satisfaction with the current state of professional wrestling industry with a number of Tweets. He also claimed that it is a great time to be a fan as the industry offers something for everyone.
Many fans didn’t take the former WWE performer’s views as it is and argued that the quality of the current product, specifically WWE, is in fact way below par.
When one of the users put forward the viewership comparison of 1999 and 2017 Raw, Waltman didn't hold himself back and responded with a revenue comparison between the two years.
What’s next?
The quality of both Raw and Smackdown has improved since the past month which has also translated into better ratings. It seems as if WWE has realised that content is king and also the only thing valued by today’s viewer.
Expect the viewership to further increase when the buildup to the annual Summerslam PPV commences.
Author’s Take
Waltman shut down the smark’s claim by pointing to the difference in WWE’s revenue in 2017 and 1999. Further, Waltman’s tweet also brought into notice that WWE is not only a TV program but a global franchise.
Therefore, ratings are not the only parameter which can provide a view of WWE’s current success.
