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

3. Loss Of The Casual Audience

WrestleMania X Seven Crowd
WWE.com

WWE might be trying its hardest to compete (read: undermine) other flavours of wrestling in order to cling on to their hardcore fan base, but they have absolutely no hope of attracting and retaining those dipping in and out.

Simply put, Raw has not been part of the pop culture zeitgeist since the peak of the Attitude era, and the residual audience from its apogee has pretty much evaporated. For many, wrestling was nothing more than a passing fad, something they 'grew out of' not long beyond the end of their teenage years. Their attention is now diverted by entertainment 'more suitable' for their age (that includes comic book movies).

How many of us keep our passion for the industry a secret? Or are met with derisive comments to the effect of, "you still watch that?" if we do dare mention our Monday night TV habit? Like it or not, wrestling is passé as far as the mainstream is concerned. With absolutely no popular cache, there's nothing to attract new audiences, band-wagoners looking to be part of the current trend.

Who could blame channel-hoppers for not sticking with a product so clearly out of touch with modern mores?

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.