10 Reasons Why WWE Live Event Attendances Are Shrinking
7. Seasonal Trends
As jarring as this week's SmackDown images were, dips in live attendances are nothing new for this time of year. The numbers usually tend to drop off throughout Q3 (July-September), and while we're obviously still waiting for WWE's Q3 2017 earnings report, last year's shows a clear decline.
In 2015, figures dropped from an average of 5,400 in Q2 to 5,100 in Q3, then rebounded to 6,300 in Q4. In 2016, the initial drop was from 5,400 to 5,300. Not a sharp decline, but a decline nonetheless.
Competition is the main reason for this. WWE's ratings and live attendances tend to boom throughout the summer, when the company don't have the NFL, college football, or hockey to compete with. Interest levels naturally decline again when these sports return, and the cycle repeats.
This is more of a caveat to the shrinking attendances rather than a reason, but it's worth mentioning regardless. There are multiple steps WWE could take to minimise the seasonal downswing, but the fact that this happens every year with the numbers recovering in Q4 suggests they're entirely comfortable with the way things are.