10 Ways To Refresh WWE's Stale Television Product
With enthusiasm waning, Raw & SmackDown desperately need to freshen things up.
If WWE programming is defined by one specific theme these days, it's indifference. There are plenty of good things going on across Raw and SmackDown, but it's difficult to conjure any kind of passion when everything feels as inconsequential as it does in the current era, particularly at this time of year.
Every summer, without fail, WWE completely take their foot off the gas when it comes to TV production, and the period between WrestleMania and SummerSlam becomes a barren wasteland of creativity. The product's staleness is never more apparent than during the annual slump, and with the bulk of the roster currently locked into bland, go-nowhere stories for the foreseeable future, it's tough to stay invested.
The product isn't bad, it's just uninspiring, and this is reflected in the tumbling viewership - Raw sitting below 3 million viewers for seven consecutive weeks, and SmackDown barely breaking 2 million last week. This is what happens when your programming is defined by staleness, and until WWE address this, it's hard to envision a recovery (excluding the occasional sudden spike like this week's Raw).
The problem is self-created, and WWE have all the tools needed to solve it. From quick fixes to complete paradigm shifts, here's how they can bring excitement back to Raw and SmackDown.
10. Switch The Format
You can set your watch by Raw and SmackDown these days. Both shows invariably begin with a lengthy in-ring talking segment, usually starting with one or two superstars, before a host of others filter out from the back. These usually serve no purpose other than to book something that could've been set-up on WWE.com before the show, and tend to drag on for 10-20 minutes rendering the opening stages of the broadcast entirely skippable.
The night will progress with the usual blend of action and segments, with at least one lengthy bout towards the middle of the night, and another in the main event. Sometimes, as was the case on this week’s Raw, WWE will close things with another talking segment, ending with a significant storyline development.
This has been the formula for years, and it’s one of the main factors contributing towards the product’s crippling staleness. It feels as though WWE have one set show layout that they just paste different segs and matches into every week, and on the rare occasions they do deviate, it feels like a revelation. Doing this more often would help differentiate one show from another, and restore an element of unpredictability that has been missing for a long time.