10 Things You Didn't Know About WWE In 2002

8. Business Fell Off BADLY

Triple H Shawn Michaels
WWE

The Attitude Era boom ended in April 2001.

Many fans cite WrestleMania X-Seven as the definitive end point; the storyline development of Vince McMahon and Steve Austin aligning as heels symbolised that it was all over, even if, realistically, the tone and format of WWE TV didn't change until years and years later.

Look at the drop between the WrestleMania X-Seven and Backlash 2001 buy amounts. 1,040,000 people bought the former; 375,000 bought the latter. If that's not a like-for-like comparison, 675,000 viewers paid for Backlash 2000. That is a staggering 55.5% drop-off year-on-year.

While business had declined considerably in 2001, hope remained that a revival was in sight. Invasion drew 775,000 buys, a record for a non-WrestleMania event that will surely never be broken even if WWE does return to the PPV model.

People evidently loved the idea of the invasion, but the execution was pathetic. It could never be great, yes, but it didn't have to be quite as bad and one-sided as it was.

By 2002, it had all caught up to the promotion.

With every revenue stream from the wrestling operation down across the board - TV, pay-per-view, house shows - WWE earned a profit of just $328,000 in the May to July quarter. In the heyday of the second boom, the WWF had routinely made $20 million per quarter, to put that staggeringly dire performance into perspective.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!