10 Ways WWE Must Revert To Old Habits To Pop A Rating
8. Crash TV
It was a formula that temporarily transformed the way viewers digested professional wrestling, and maybe the time is now for WWE to consider if long matches are really the best way to make the use of their ample television time.
Between 1998 and 2000, the average length of time for a singles match was just over three minutes, with tag matches barely cracking four. The minutes have gradually increased, particularly since Monday Night Raw increased to three hours in 2011. A 15-20 minute match has now become the norm rather than a treat, but paradoxically the contests simply do not add depth to storyline anymore than their 60 second counterparts twenty years ago.
Polar opposites Jim Cornette and Eric Bischoff were in complete agreement that today's wrestler is more athletic than ever before, and televised efforts bear that out on an almost weekly basis. But objectively good matches are becoming white noise. Bray Wyatt and Roman Reigns went 20 minutes to open the post-Extreme Rules edition of Monday Night Raw 24 hours after they'd been involved in a Fatal Five Way match.
With the sheer amount given away in the body of those two matches, it's nearly impossible to retain heat between them should WWE ever need to return to the pairing for a refreshed storyline. Throwing the whole roster out for skits masquerading as matches may be the answer to this 'New Era' dilemma.