10 Things We Learned From WWE WrestleMania Weekend 2022

4. Bad Branding: Good Numbers

Gunter Ludwig Kaiser
WWE

After formally extending the WrestleMania nomenclature to Backlash in 2021, WWE added it to two episodes of Raw and the go-home SmackDown this time around. And, somewhat frustratingly, it worked an absolute treat.

March 23rd's "WrestleMania Raw" drew 1,979,000 viewers, with a 0.55 in the key 18-49 demo. Friday's "WrestleMania SmackDown" smashed even that, with a 2,180,000 viewership and 0.61 demographic. The "Raw After WrestleMania" continued the trend for the red brand, securing 2,101,000 viewers against a 0.63 amongst 18-49s.

WWE has leaned heavily on building the brand rather than the individual stars for the last couple of decades, and while that impact will likely be felt for generations to come, it's hard to argue with 2022's results. The 'Show Of Shows' still has obvious muscle, and certain assurances about catching WrestleMania ramifications amongst the weekly filler has clearly made a difference.

WWE consolidating any of this for the other 51 weeks of the year seems doubtful, but right now they'll surely not give a single sh*t.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett