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WWE Raw drops to lowest TV rating in 18 years
- Thread starter RBH
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SpideySenses
Member
Even if TV is dying, the ratings will bump up around Wrestlemania, so it's not like it isn't possible not to hit these lows.
Shpeshal Nick
aka Collingwood
I stopped watching Wrestling of any form once Russo refused to give Goldberg the title back. Fucker.
Briefly jumped back in when Goldberg appeared in WWE, but even they ducked it up so I stopped cold turkey.
Briefly jumped back in when Goldberg appeared in WWE, but even they ducked it up so I stopped cold turkey.
Looks like Curtis Axel to me
funkystudent
Member
Even this year the pre mania ratings where pretty crap.
Liu Kang Baking A Pie
Member
I think them being totally oblivious and dropping the ball with both CM Punk and Daniel Bryan was the one-two combo many people needed to knock themselves out of giving a fuck anymore.
They had crowds buying more Punk merch than Cena merch for a short while. They had crowds all chanting Daniel Bryan's name for like half a damn year, nearly every single show. They had a main event segment about Orton vs Cena completely drowned out in non-stop Daniel Bryan chants.
They had crowds buying more Punk merch than Cena merch for a short while. They had crowds all chanting Daniel Bryan's name for like half a damn year, nearly every single show. They had a main event segment about Orton vs Cena completely drowned out in non-stop Daniel Bryan chants.
Not for awhile. Even with this record low, it's still the highest rated show on the USA Network. They'd have to lose about 1.5 million viewers just to tie the #2 show.
TheWarrior
Banned
Problem is nothing feels like an event anymore. I remember Raw being a big deal every week. Shit happened and you had to watch. Smackdown is completely pointless too.
They should cut Raw to 2 hours, split the brands again and showcase more NXT guys on Smackdown to keep Raw fresh with bigger names.
They should cut Raw to 2 hours, split the brands again and showcase more NXT guys on Smackdown to keep Raw fresh with bigger names.
No.
Brand split era was mostly awful though, and WWE doesn't have the roster to sustain it anymore. I'd rather NXT stay NXT just to keep the main show writers away from it.
Same here. The WCW invasion angle was also fumbled. Could have been so much better than it was.
Plinko
Wildcard berths that can't beat teams without a winning record should have homefield advantage
All of those teams were in place in 1999.
I have no f'ing idea why people think it is a good idea. My only explanation is that these are 13-25yos who grew up when it was a thing who don't understand how bad it was relative to the era prior.
Liu Kang Baking A Pie
Member
They don't need a brand split anymore since NXT facilitates all of the "oh shit" surprise entrances and dream match scenarios that are the only reasons to have a brand split.
Oh? CM Punk in his final months with the company? yes, because you know; Hurt, pissed and tired of the bs with the company but no way in hell that is true. CM Punk is/was a great wrestler. No idea what you were watching.
When he left, I stop caring about the WWE, he was the reason I came back to it and the reason why I left again.
Too bad that the WWE didn't know how to handle someone like him.
PHOENIXZERO
Member
Yeah but the ad revenue is shit compared to other shows, those higher numbers coupled with helping make USA market themselves as the most watch network made up for it.
The only good part of the brand-split era was Heyman-era Smackdown. But then Vince got pissy because someone else was doing better things with Vince McMahon's product than Vince McMahon.
Liu Kang Baking A Pie
Member
There hasn't been a good non-Heyman promo since Punk left. While everyone else is an awkward, scripted doofus, Punk had the silver tongue. I always get kind of cynical about him until I watch one of his promos on YouTube and remember how he got so hot.
Also: I'm watching promos on YouTube instead of WWE Network, because good luck finding the moments you want on there.
Also: I'm watching promos on YouTube instead of WWE Network, because good luck finding the moments you want on there.
I don't know...Raw was pretty horrible during the whole HHH era.
Smackdown was thriving off Edge/Mystero, Team Angle, and Benoit/Angle.
When people say they want the brand split back, they really just mean get all of the people they actually care about on one show so that they can have storylines focused on them rather than just being thrown out there. Then not have to watch the other show with people they don't care about.
Liu Kang Baking A Pie
Member
True, but they haven't done a back and forth argument to sell a fight, really. Punk went 1 on 1 on the mic with a lot of the greats and always came off believable, genuine, and motivated in a way no one else does. Watching guys like Kane and Rollins fake argue with each other through dumbed down scripts is wretched.
New Day's promos have been glorious
In that scenario, yeah, I think you're right. Though, for the sake of debate, I think the Bryan/HHH back and forth bits ended up being pretty good
UberTag
Member
Apparently they think the best way to handle someone like CM Punk is to fire him on his wedding day so that he takes it so personally that he'll never want to work with them again.
The New Day may be fun and playful. But absolutely nothing they say in a promo makes you want to see their next match. Punk's promos sold both himself and his confrontations with his opponents. All the New Day's promos do is make you look forward to the next New Day promo.
thiscoldblack
Unconfirmed Member
I don't know how you guys can spend 3 hours watching Raw. There's a lot of filler between good matches.
Also, WWE barely even surprise anymore. I remember the days of surprise debuts and out of nowhere appearances at Raw and pay-per-views. It was exciting and I always looked forward to every Monday. Now it's all announced beforehand to get higher viewership, merchandise money.
Also, WWE barely even surprise anymore. I remember the days of surprise debuts and out of nowhere appearances at Raw and pay-per-views. It was exciting and I always looked forward to every Monday. Now it's all announced beforehand to get higher viewership, merchandise money.
Doofus son-in-law strikes.
Who seriously watches three hours of RAW?
DVR and FF. You can get it done in around 30-45 minutes.
Liu Kang Baking A Pie
Member
Yeah, this is it. Punk was great at getting you and his opponent riled up about whatever he was saying. When he postured and called himself the best in the world in front of guys like Brock, The Rock, and Jericho, it pumped you up for the fight.
UberTag
Member
What was the last legitimate WWE surprise? Was it Rousey at Mania?
Snowman Prophet of Doom
Member
Daniel Bryan didn't start doing good ratings until after Wrestlemania, and never moved merch and house show tickets at the level of Cena or even Orton, and Punk, while his merch did well for a while, never really moved ratings or house shows all that much, either, as far as I know.
The problem, I think, is that WWE has more TV than ever, and TV is a big part of their revenue stream, but there are so many other metrics by which they judge the success of their various superstars, metrics that we are not privy to and which have nothing to do with our creative enjoyment of said superstars. Now, WWE's refusal to ever get behind people, and audiences' awareness of this, probably contributes to why superstars fail to move these important metrics, but at the same time, WWE is such a big company now that it simply can't afford to take financial risks if there is a safer, surer option available - and where Punk and Bryan were concerned, they were financial risks, superstars of a mold unproven in mainstream North American wrestling, whereas Cena, Rock, Triple H, and Batista were known, tested commodities, all cut from the same historical cloth of big American wrestling stars.
Edit: Punk was always kind of sloppy. Large war crate, but few moves that weren't much better-executed by like dozens of guys across the world. His gift was always his gift of gab, and his in-ring storytelling. He knew how to pace and structure a match.
And yeah, New Day Socks, but their entertainment value is in them and their chemistry, not their ability to get you involved in their feud. Aside from a bunch of jokes about tables, their feud with the Prime Time Players is basically the same feud they're having now with The Dudleyz, and it's probably the same feud they'll have with either the Lucha Dragons or Enzo/Cass or the Vaudevillains or whoever they move onto after the Dudleyz finally overcome them and win the titles.
Also, the last big WWE surprise was the Dudleyz returning a few weeks ago. Shit was beautifully done.
funkystudent
Member
The other sad thing about WWE TV these days is they have the best roster they have had in a decade.
Maybe thats part of the frustration fans are having. Seeing talented people and fan favourites underutilised and stuck under a glass celling.
Maybe thats part of the frustration fans are having. Seeing talented people and fan favourites underutilised and stuck under a glass celling.
I was legit surprised that they would fall back on "The Demon Kane" storyline again.
But yeah. That stuff was so bad I had to turn the show off.
the main thing that's bugged me and never changed was after the Authority losing power in that one rollins/cena match, they completely squandered any possible creative change and just alternated guests each night until they let the authority back in when Rollins threatened to kill someone in the ring and it's been a creatively hopeless experience ever since. I thought they were going to have Cena put Sting in-charge of the line-ups each night and that's what his role would be until he finally fought, instead they had that sad wrestlemania old people match and then let Rollins throw him around months after.
Liu Kang Baking A Pie
Member
This is a big part of it. Especially among hardcore, Network watching fans, because we've seen NXT Takeover specials go 6 for 6 in being spectacular events, but you're lucky to get 2 good WWE main roster PPVs a year. We know they can do better, because the lesser brand is just fucking doing it.
John Cena is a dangerous drug. John Cena can and has hooked users for more than a decade, forcing users to sacrifice other potential stars in favor of John Cena. John Cena may look like it will last forever but soon the John Cena will run out and the user will be forced to face a reality without John Cena. They will wake up and realize that all those stars and hopefuls they sacrificed just keep the John Cena high going are either long gone or unsalvageable.
John Cena - not even once.
UberTag
Member
It's sad that I can look back with fondness to the heyday of the Cena-Edge feud... OVER NINE YEARS AGO... and know full well that not only was that Cena's best feud but that, if it were booked today, would feature Cena going over Edge every single damn time after his first win and he'd have been buried and kicked to the curb as "non-main event material" afterwards.
We would have never seen their back-and-forth rivalry. We wouldn't have seen Edge pin Cena for the title in Boston. We wouldn't have seen Edge cash in on Cena twice or cost Cena in a 3rd cash-in attempt by RVD. We wouldn't have seen Edge lose his title in one Chamber match and then win another in the 2nd in the very same night. None of that would have happened because Edge would have NEVER gotten one over on Cena after his their initial match.
Both guys got over in that rivalry and every confrontation felt like a big deal. Funny how that can't work for Cena today. (We'll ignore the fact that Edge being made to look like a bitch earlier this year and Cena coming to his rescue is the reason why The Authority is still around.)
Agreed. There's no reason why NXT should be good//great while WWE is poor/mediocre at best. We know they have the talent to write compelling characters and shows. We know that they have arguably the best Women's division they've ever had. We know that WWE has all the tools to be good again, they just choose not to use them.
But....but....there's a "diva's revolution". We love the Bellas being shoved down our throats weekly....right? And we have Cena burying all up and comers like Rusev and Owens....we want an all Cena main event all the time, right?
UberTag
Member
Until Roman Reigns ascends to his rightful place as our lord and savior? Yes, that is precisely what we want.
We also want to have another WrestleMania filled with nothing but main events featuring 50-year-old part-timers who were in their prime back in the 1990s wrestling in protracted 30-minute finisher spotfests until an eventual winner is declared in a match that will ultimately mean nothing. While all of the actual talent in the WWE is shoveled into multi-man matches and the "Andre the Giant Battle Royal" so they can each do a spot or two for a Mania payday.
funkystudent
Member
Roman Reigns could totally be "the guy" but its WWE creative ruining him.
He was great right up until he got injured last year and WWE went full on "And when Poochie the dog isnt in a scene everyone has to ask "where is Poochie" with him and then he got the ultra babyface push that doesn't fly in the modern era and just turned people away.
In terms of big guys Vince gets a boner for he is maybe the most talented one in decades but the style WWE pushes him just makes people hate him more.
He was great right up until he got injured last year and WWE went full on "And when Poochie the dog isnt in a scene everyone has to ask "where is Poochie" with him and then he got the ultra babyface push that doesn't fly in the modern era and just turned people away.
In terms of big guys Vince gets a boner for he is maybe the most talented one in decades but the style WWE pushes him just makes people hate him more.
No one literally watches 3 hours.
D
Deleted member 47027
Unconfirmed Member
What are you talking about? Cena gave Owens a ton, yet Owens could not capitalize on it and has fallen back to the midcard if not sub-midcard.Sucks, but Cena did what he could.
I can tell you the reason. NXT only needs an hour a week. WWE TV needs around 8.
Snowman Prophet of Doom
Member
Let us not pretend that Reigns hasn't become pretty damn enjoyable to watch in the ring since Wrestlemania. I'm super down, at this point, for Reigns' ascendance.
He's been better since that killer match with Brock at WM. He's come into his own in the ring without the weight of the whole company seemingly bearing down on his shoulders.
You know a wrestling promotion is in a nosedive, when the phrase "Man if they only did ____ then it would be awesome!" is rarely uttered anymore. That phrase has always been applicable with WWF/WWE, there was always some hope, even in 1995. There is nothing that people seem to want, because there is no momentum behind anyone. It took years, but WWE has finally killed the audience. You will hear louder pops at a golf tournament than a roudy wrestling show.
Some years ago people wanted at least Bret Hart's return, John Cena heel, Zack Ryder push, Nexus, Summer of Punk, Daniel Bryan title hunt and others, these were things fans seemed to want, some did not happen, and others were executed poorly (Hart)
When Goldberg lost to Nash, that was the moment when WCW hit that same wall, where the only available roads were the already familiar ones, so they went back to babyface vs nWo and it failed. The company still did good ratings at that time, but it was apparent that they had nowhere new to go, and ratings declined.
I dont think WWE will be extinct in 2-3 years like WCW. But i do question how they are going to fill stadiums of 40-60k people for Mania's? They will be fine for now, as ratings will go up for WM season, and then decline again. With Rock, possible Rousey, Taker and Lesnar they should be able to sellout with relative ease. But look at that, we are some 15 years removed from the Attitude Era and one of our main events might be Hunter vs Rock. I remember WCW was shat on because they had a Piper vs Hogan match in 1996, 11 years removed from their tag team match at Mania 1.
Some years ago people wanted at least Bret Hart's return, John Cena heel, Zack Ryder push, Nexus, Summer of Punk, Daniel Bryan title hunt and others, these were things fans seemed to want, some did not happen, and others were executed poorly (Hart)
When Goldberg lost to Nash, that was the moment when WCW hit that same wall, where the only available roads were the already familiar ones, so they went back to babyface vs nWo and it failed. The company still did good ratings at that time, but it was apparent that they had nowhere new to go, and ratings declined.
I dont think WWE will be extinct in 2-3 years like WCW. But i do question how they are going to fill stadiums of 40-60k people for Mania's? They will be fine for now, as ratings will go up for WM season, and then decline again. With Rock, possible Rousey, Taker and Lesnar they should be able to sellout with relative ease. But look at that, we are some 15 years removed from the Attitude Era and one of our main events might be Hunter vs Rock. I remember WCW was shat on because they had a Piper vs Hogan match in 1996, 11 years removed from their tag team match at Mania 1.
I don't get the love for Daniel Bryan. His run as a face was Cena-light; The same cookie cutting crap about how he is at the top thanks to the WWE universe and yada yada. Ok, that might be the creative's fault but wrestling wise he wasn't the second coming of Jesus as some people claim here. He is leagues behind all-time greats like Eddie, Benoit, Angle, Bret, Shawn etc. He was boring and nothing to write home about.
I do. On my iPad while doing work on the computer. So not really giving it my full attention.
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