10 Reasons Why WWE’s Future Is Brighter Than You Might Think
9. Network Niggles
The transition from the pay-per-view model of old to the streaming service revolution has been a slow one. Three full years after it was launched, the revenue generated remains a fraction of what PPV commanded pre-February 2014.
Put simply: offering endless rematches on fortnightly cards doubles down on their unique appeal - and, by extension, the appeal of the Network itself. That many take place before and immediately after these events homogenises Network and TV programming to such an extent that it's difficult to determine what the incentive of signing up actually is - especially when cult treasures aimed directly at the cult core audience are cancelled. The vast archives alone create an incentive not to cancel out of faint protest, but nostalgia soon fades. There's a reason WWE reserves the legends for 'Mania. Normalising them undermines their mythical, elusive appeal.
WWE must, at some point, reorient their approach to the fortnightly PPV model by either reducing the bloat or implementing fresh matches. The finish to Jinder Mahal Vs. Randy Orton at Money In The Bank was identical to that of Backlash. WWE is now desperately drumming up interest to sell tickets for Battleground on their own website.
That cannot be a coincidence. A return to the fresh monthly challenger model of the In Your House days might not be a mere fantasy.