8. The PG Environment
People often debate the effect that WWE's PG-rating has on its audience, with some people stating that a wrestling show can still be strong TV within the confines of a somewhat family-friendly atmosphere. There are others who will point out that the times when the company has drawn the most money were when they producing more adult-oriented content. To an extent, both sides are right, but what usually gets left out in this debate is that WWE's audience skews much older than most people assume it does. The average age of the viewer is over 40, with less than 20% of the audience being under the age of 18 and nearly 70% of the viewership consisting of males. What that tells us is that the kid-friendly product they want to put out - no blood, heels being far less villainous, toned down language and violence, etc. - isn't appealing to the demographic they primarily serve. Sure, it might be good for advertisers, but higher ratings are also good for advertisers, and it seems that the PG experiment has been a failure. I'm not advocating for a return to Jerry Lawler incessantly yapping about puppies while women parade around nearly naked and guys curse and bleed all over the ring, but there's a happy medium that could be reached where the crop of remaining fans - those who apparently have been on board for years according to the numbers - won't feel like they're having their intelligence insulted with this watered-down, homogenised version of pro wrestling.
Brad Hamilton
Contributor
Brad Hamilton is a writer, musician and marketer/social media manager from Atlanta, Georgia. He's an undefeated freestyle rap battle champion, spends too little time being productive and defines himself as the literary version of Brock Lesnar.
See more from
Brad