10 Reasons WWE's Audience Has Dropped 20% In 12 Months

4. Competition From Elsewhere

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Netflix

For as long as Vince McMahon has been figurehead of WWE, he's been painfully embarrassed by his status as a wrestling promoter. Over the years, he's constantly tried to divorce the product from in-ring action, in a desperate, failing bid to convince outsiders that this is 'entertainment', not 'fake sport'. Few have bought into it.

But today it continues, as WWE produce a show less interested in being the best wrestling programme on TV, but instead obsessed with challenging popular forms of mainstream entertainment. Against other wrestling shows, it's without equal. Next to most TV, it can't possibly compete. Fans know this.

No-one in their right mind tunes in to Raw for its comedy or its drama. But WWE, ignorant to their virtues, continue to make these facets the key components of their output. It's just not appealing - why watch something so sub-standard when you could watch something else which does it right?

Whilst Raw numbers have dwindled dramatically, Netflix subscriptions are up just under 5 million from the last quarter. Clearly then, people have an appetite for quality entertainment - something Netflix provides in abundance. Given the quality of the competition, what hope does Raw have of retaining viewers so long as its identity is so ill-defined?

Editorial Team
Editorial Team

Benjamin was born in 1987, and is still not dead. He variously enjoys classical music, old-school adventure games (they're not dead), and walks on the beach (albeit short - asthma, you know). He's currently trying to compile a comprehensive history of video game music, yet denies accusations that he purposefully targets niche audiences. He's often wrong about these things.