10 Major Flaws With WWE's Current Pay-Per-View Model
9. Using PPVs To Set Up TV Angles
Television's role has traditionally been to sell the pay-per-view. This is done by presenting smaller scale angles and matches that build intrigue and lead towards a payoff at the PPV, where the story may not get complete closure, but will at least move on to its next act.
This has been reversed in the modern eras. Instead of using TV to draw eyes to the PPV, it’s now often the other way around. WWE will use their major events to set up angles for their minor weekly shows, with the most recent example coming at Money In The Bank 2017.
Aside from putting Carmella over as a heel, the main purpose of James Ellsworth briefcase grab was to build towards a SmackDown rematch two weeks later. The real payoff came when Ellsworth was banned from the arena (and eventually suspended), and Carmella became the first Ms. MITB on her own accord, without his help.
This is something that WCW used to do all the time in their dying days, and the same goes for TNA when they were at their lowest. Those aren’t exactly favourable comparisons, and if WWE want to make their PPVs feel important again, they must kick this habit.