10 New Directions For WWE After Backlash 2016

Building on the idea of new directions for WWE’s PPV presentation, I personally think that Backlash was the ideal example of how a wrestling show doesn’t need to go three hours to produce an exciting spectacle.

In total, Backlash went just over two and a half hours, and the first 15 minutes or so were filled with a 9/11 tribute and an in-ring segment from Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan. When all was said and done, trimming out all of the backstage segments and unnecessary filler, this could easily have been a two-hour show.

My point is: less is more. Backlash proved that. We had fewer matches on the card, which in turn allowed those contests to go longer, and thus produce a better overall PPV. Compare that with WrestleMania 32 or even last month’s SummerSlam, and this made for a far more watchable show, particularly in today’s age of five hours of wrestling across Monday and Tuesday nights.

Hopefully Backlash can serve as a testament to the idea that longer PPVs don’t necessarily equal better PPVs. I know it’s a long shot, but I definitely feel like trimming the length of the standard PPV to less than three hours (like Backlash was) would be a very positive new direction for WWE to pursue going forward.

Which is why the jaded fan in me has little to no hope of it ultimately becoming a reality…