10 Measures WWE Can Take To Improve AWFUL Ratings

Stand back, Vince!

by Michael Sidgwick
Public Roast
WWE

WWE ratings continue to plummet in a manner that accelerates within television's wider viewership decline.

"All TV shows don't draw like they used to back in the '90s!"

WWE doesn't draw like it did in 2017. This is a full-on free-fall situation.

This week's RAW, facing competition from a major NBA finals game, granted, posted a non-holiday record low. But the ratings success of that game in itself indicates that, if a product is hot, the fans will watch - especially in the live sports realm. On television.

Basketball fans didn't wake up on Tuesday, half-interested in the previous night's action, and log on to YouTube. Basketball fans didn't then switch off a three-minute clip at the midway point when they discovered that their favourite guy just got rejected THE F*CK OUTTA HERE with a bullsh*t roll-up finish. Basketball fans don't hold grudges. Basketball fans watched the NBA finals game live because the quality and the stakes were as high as Vince McMahon must be to push Baron Corbin in defiance of all objective evidence.

It's not just basketball. Game 7 of the NHL Stanley Cup set a U.S. ice hockey viewership record of 8.914 million. The competition itself posted the best numbers in 23 years. 23 years ago, Blockbuster was still in business. Streaming isn't killing WWE's ratings, even though Vince's bullsh*t is on demand 24/7.

And it's not just Baron Corbin, either...

10. Bring Back MORE Stars Of The Attitude Era

Public Roast
WWE.com

The 20 year-old Attitude Era well is running dry, but the awful misogynists won't stop banging on about how great it was.

And it's not just the Saudi Arabia General Sports Authority; any number of YouTube commenters, or the dudes in Dave Meltzer's replies, or wherever, will tell you that WWE must bring back the Attitude Era. They must.

WWE's version of bringing back the Attitude Era in 2019 is turning the lights down a bit for a week and introducing the 24/7 Championship. This company can't bring back the Attitude Era because of sponsors and a chronic lack of creativity and, crucially, because a great many of the stars are quite dead. Many are dead because chair shots to the head are a terrible idea, recovery from which requires the over-supply of deadly pain medication. God, guys. Bring back the Attitude Era. I really do miss early deaths and I greatly anticipate CTE. That sh*t is so much better than bland flippy dudes.

Bring back Pete Gas! He retired in 2001, but he was so much better at winning the Hardcore Title than Cedric Alexander.

But hey, the Mean Street Posse was just a vehicle to drive the real star of the show...

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and surefire Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!