10 Misconceptions WWE Has About Their Fanbase
6. Reactions In Certain Cities Should Be Ignored
Part of the changing narrative surrounding audiences' reactions involves specific wrestling hotbeds.
"It's bizarro world," WWE's commentators will say, or as Corey Graves illogically put it on RAW After 'Mania 33, "They boo who they normally cheer."
WWE's attitude towards crowds from cities like Philadelphia, Chicago, and Toronto is that they should be ignored and treated as "not the norm". This flawed logic started with WWE ignoring certain cities' reactions. Then WWE decided to ignore just the reactions coming from televised events. Now, they're ignoring pretty much all crowd reactions.
All over the world, fans are watching the product and expressing their dissatisfaction. If WWE wants to ignore responses from the most passionate cities, that's their loss. If WWE wants to ignore paying customers that buy tickets to see their show live, that's also their loss. The sector of fans that WWE actually listens to now has become so granular and so compartmentalized, it's laughable.
The shame of it is that these towns haven't changed; WWE has. These cities have always supported WWE and the company used to listen to them, then react and adjust accordingly. Today, WWE doesn't do enough to win back their most ardent audiences and ignores feedback once considered invaluable.