WWE Backstage continues be the company’s big budget Fox sister show in spite relatively low ratings, having last week posted 49,000 views (which itself was up from an erroneously-reported 18,000) on FS1.
It's unclear if this the makes the show an objective failure or not. Backstage is a part of WWE's billion dollar deal with the parent company, but obviously not the key part. Ironically, it should be - it's often a far more satisfying show than the Fox flagship thanks to host Renee Young and the panellists typically being given looser reins than during the main show.
CM Punk has had surprisingly little to do with overall enjoyment of the show because he's had similarly little to do with it at all. 'The Voice Of The Voiceless' was promoted for next week, but his schedule suggests it could be one of the only times he chimes in on WrestleMania in the event the 'Show Of Shows' goes ahead as planned.
That wasn't remotely mentioned this week, making Backstage a nice safe space from the only other conversation on the go at the moment...
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
