6 Reasons WWE Network Lost Record Subscribers This Summer

5. Post-WrestleMania Pay-Per-Views Have Often Felt Throwaway

Aside from a few notable matches, what would people really miss by skipping pay-per-views like Payback, Backlash, Extreme Rules, Money In The Bank, Great Balls Of Fire, and Battleground? As soon as these shows are over, they're pretty much old news. Remember when each pay-per-view card felt unique and special?

Those days are over, replaced by a series of events that feel uniform and throwaway. Given five minutes, even those fans who dip their toes in and out of the WWE product would be able to name the major matches from WrestleMania 33 when pressed. It's hard to see the same thing happening if you plucked Backlash out of the ether and asked the same thing.

There's nothing truly essential on these pay-per-views. They're often enjoyable for the most part, yes, but rarely do they last long in the memory. By the time Raw rolls around 24 hours later (or SmackDown 48 hours later if it was a blue brand show), pay-per-views seem obsolete, almost like they've blurred together.