WWE Struggles To Draw A Crowd For Dayton Smackdown

Embarrassing photos of a half empty arena.

WWE struggled to draw a crowd for last night's Smackdown taping in Dayton, Ohio. Benjamin Tucker of PWTorch posted several photos that showed a half empty arena, with huge sections away from the cameras tarped and curtained off. On the camera side, WWE filled the seats, to give the illusion on television of a hot crowd. The problem for Smackdown is that it's perceived as Raw's poorer cousin. Too often it is just a meaningless show, and the audience have been conditioned to that status for over half a decade. Paying $70 to see WWE just going through the motions isn't very appealing. The company were supposed to be reinvigorating the brand, as part of their move to USA Network, but so far it has been business as usual. They changed the commentator to Mauro Ranallo, but that isn't really a difference maker. As for the title change last week, when Alberto Del Rio defeated Kalisto for the US Title, it was two wrestlers that fans didn't really care that much about, and they were fighting over a belt that's only got minimal value. In ensuring Smackdown starts drawing better crowds, as well as boosting ratings, WWE must start investing in it with meaningful booking. A new brand extension wouldn't be a bad idea, but it seems unlikely at this point.
WWE Writer

Grahame Herbert hasn't written a bio just yet, but if they had... it would appear here.