10 Reasons Why WWE Live Event Attendances Are Shrinking
8. The Sterile Live Experience
While attending WWE pay-per-views in-person is often more than worth the money, the same can't always be said for house shows and TV tapings.
House shows are fun, but disposable. The atmosphere's a lot more relaxed than it is for TV or PPV, and there's a stronger in-ring focus, but it's far likelier that the performers will take it easy. These events aren't canon, so they're not going to push themselves to the same level.
TV tapings, meanwhile, are often way too stunted and sterile to be enjoyable. You'll get actual storyline progression, but backstage segments mean you'll spend a huge chunk of the show watching the Titantron, and the night'll be full of awkward, inactive periods during the show's many commercial breaks. Then there are the security restrictions, with WWE confiscating signs and attempting to dictate what you can and can't chant.
This makes the live TV experience considerably less enjoyable than a house show, and with ticket prices generally higher for Raw and SmackDown, it's no wonder that fans are turning away in droves. Sadly, these problems are integral to WWE's live television format and can't be done away with.