10 Huge Mistakes WWE Have Made With The WWE Network
7. Looking After Number One
Chris Jericho's return on the post-Battleground edition of SmackDown Live! opened a magnificent edition of the show that also featured a stellar triple threat main event and the announcement of Shinsuke Nakamura vs John Cena the following week.
Wrapped around that broadcast were episodes of Raw that featured the reveal of Jason Jordan as Kurt Angle's son, and a pay-per-view quality Braun Strowman/Roman Reigns/Samoa Joe clash that helped set the table for SummerSlam's blockbuster Universal Title match also featuring the champion Brock Lesnar.
Whilst most assessments suggested that WWE were perhaps experiencing some insecurity over their internal standing with USA Network due to steeply decreasing viewing figures over the past several years, the overloaded episodes only served to sabotage the blue brand's pay-per-view, which was widely and rightfully panned as the worst supercard of the year. It fell even below the low bar set by April's turgid Payback event, which suffered similarly at the hands of some remarkable television robbing it of drama that could live up to the same pedigree.
The pattern is likely to continue, with WWE attempting to serve both masters and simultaneously failing both. The monthly fee warrants significance on the monthly shows, but the USA's hefty rights fee renewal in 2014 may not be quite so substantial the next time if figures continue to circle the drain.