7 Ways WWE Screwed Up At SummerSlam 2018
2. Another Month, Another Marathon...
Everybody knew SummerSlam would be gargantuan. On top of the 120-minute Kickoff Show, WWE had allotted five hours of Network time for the main card. This left fans staring down the barrel of a seven-hour show, which would be particularly problematic for UK viewers, who'd be forced to stay awake until 5am to consume everything live.
The good news is that WWE shaved a full hour from their initial estimates. The bad? SummerSlam still felt like a giant slog.
Whether watching at home or in the building, it's exceptionally tough to focus on one thing for six hours straight, particularly if they in-ring action isn't out of this world. SummerSlam certainly had a handful of great matches and big developments, but not enough to cure its runtime woes.
The pay-per-view's slog had a demonstrably negative effect on the live crowd, whose decibel level dropped to surprising lows several times throughout the night. Even during Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz (perhaps the most anticipated bout on the whole card), Brooklyn feel silent, despite the intricate chess battle unfolding before their eyes
WWE's steadfast use of "hours watched" as a metric of success means the super-sized shows aren't going anywhere, but they can be an absolute chore.