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WWE Raw drops to lowest TV rating in 18 years

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antonz

Member
Lost me there. If there was one person they buried responsibly, it's Zack Ryder. He sucked.

Ryder is competent enough to be lower midcard to midcard status. Hell they could have ran with his Internet Champion gimmick like the old TV championship belt and had something for those who will never be WWE champion but are there day in day out. Problem is modern WWE is a shithouse. Vince has lived long enough to go from knowing what he was doing to build up WWE to become the villain killing WWE.
 
Lost me there. If there was one person they buried responsibly, it's Zack Ryder. He sucked.
Good or not, he was over, he could have been a good solid upper mid carder for a few years with the fan support he had. But they tried to bury him for a few months, pushed him when they had to because his chants would interrupt other peoples matches. And then squashed and buried him right away almost as if to say this is what you get for getting over with out our permission. You could also see something similar happening with Bryan after Mania when he got put in that feud with Kane and made to look like a joke.

Actually the same happened with Zack, feud with Kane and then its over.

They need to stop feuding people with Kane :|
 
That 2.16 rating also comes with 18-49 ratings of:

1.04
1.01
0.93

Which averages out to a .993̅3̅3̅ and I'm not sure the last time Raw has ever been that low in the key demo, maybe a holiday show? Maybe never until last night?



Ryder could've done something in the mid-card if they just rode with it until he ran out of steam instead of just squashing him.
 
Zack Ryder should've been a hot midcard act, instead they buried him into nothingness.

This is the company same where Grandmaster fucking Sexy was over, where the Worm was one of the most over moves in the business, and they ruin Ryder who was handed to them on a silver platter.
 

Vestal

Junior Member
The only way I see this getting out of the gutter is if Vince fires the current writer staff and puts a guy like Heyman to run creative with Vince as the final say so. Give Paul a filter like he had back when he was running Smackdown. Heyman is a fucking genius in this business and could be doing so much more than just cutting promos.
 

UberTag

Member
The only way I see this getting out of the gutter is if Vince fires the current writer staff and puts a guy like Heyman to run creative with Vince as the final say so. Give Paul a filter like he had back when he was running Smackdown. Heyman is a fucking genius in this business and could be doing so much more than just cutting promos.
That ain't happening. Hell, they could offer that exact arrangement to Heyman and he would refuse.
In fact, anyone competent would refuse. Because the reason for WWE's ratings downturn remains a distinct part of that equation.

Heyman has ample reason to refuse that exact setup because he's been sabotaged by Vince in that role on multiple occasions.

220px-ECWdectodismember2006.jpg
 
The only way I see this getting out of the gutter is if Vince fires the current writer staff and puts a guy like Heyman to run creative with Vince as the final say so. Give Paul a filter like he had back when he was running Smackdown. Heyman is a fucking genius in this business and could be doing so much more than just cutting promos.

But Vince is part of the problem, at 70 years old he needs to retire.
 
Nah Heyman has no interest in creative stuff anymore. He's said how much he loves working the Brock schedule and doing his own thing with Heyman Hustle.
 

Coins

Banned
People want to see attitude era content. They want to see people showing up at peoples fake houses and tossing them through a window because of infidelity. They want to see a lunatic putting people on a cross. People want to see the guy that represents their asshole boss in their real life get the shit beat out of him in a hospital and something shoved up his ass.

I wonder if PG is what's keeping them afloat, slowly killing them, or both?

Its slowly killing them. Telling stories to kids doesnt keep an adults interest. Adults need adult reasons to care.
 

UberTag

Member
Have to give the man a cookie. I am trying to come up with a realistic scenario, not one that would require Vince dying for him to give up control.
Vince dying is the only way he'll give up control.

Vince giving up control is the only thing that will prompt the WWE to change anything with its current formula of directionless, "push nobody" booking.

Well, either that or fans no longer throwing their money at the WWE because of workrate... or their back library... or because folks on NXT show promise because Vince hasn't had a chance to ruin them yet... or, even worse, because they think that if they stick with RAW long enough some meaningful change will happen.

People want to see attitude era content. They want to see people showing up at peoples fake houses and tossing them through a window because of infidelity. They want to see a lunatic putting people on a cross. People want to see the guy that represents their asshole boss in their real life get the shit beat out of him in a hospital and something shoved up his ass.
I don't want to see any of those things... and, if I did, I know how to access RAW highlights from the late 1990s and early 2000s.
 
I wonder if PG is what's keeping them afloat, slowly killing them, or both?

They are better off without the excesses of the attitude era. The content of that time destroyed advertiser's confidence in pro wrestling even to this day, and you can kiss their deals with Mattel and Susan G away if they went back to that.
 

Savitar

Member
When Vince is gone Steph and Hunter are in control.

Hunter I trust to some degree due to NXT but he's still an egotist and we saw what happened with Sting. Everything Steph has done has been pure shit from day one and she's an egotist.

Either way the future isn't exactly assured even if Vince wasn't in the picture.
 

Coins

Banned
Vince dying is the only way he'll give up control.

Vince giving up control is the only thing that will prompt the WWE to change anything with its current formula of directionless, "push nobody" booking.

Well, either that or fans no longer throwing their money at the WWE because of workrate... or their back library... or because folks on NXT show promise because Vince hasn't had a chance to ruin them yet... or, even worse, because they think that if they stick with RAW long enough some meaningful change will happen.


I don't want to see any of those things... and, if I did, I know how to access RAW highlights from the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Well, most wrestling fans do. Wrestling isnt for technical nerds who want to argue about if a match was a 4 or 5 star match. Its low brow entertainment.

They are better off without the excesses of the attitude era. The content of that time destroyed advertiser's confidence in pro wrestling even to this day, and you can kiss their deals with Mattel and Susan G away if they went back to that.

They didnt get the Mattel contract until 2010 and there attitude era toys sold well. Susan G doesnt give a shit.

The fact is, the attitude era was the last time that wrestling grew.
 

Freshmaker

I am Korean.
Why doesn't anyone discuss the fact that professional wrestling is dying?

Types of entertainment die all the time.

I kinda doubt wrestling is dying. It's persisted forever. It does wax and wane in popularity however, and WWE has willfully pushed itself to the point where it's completely overexposed to the point that trying to follow it is virtually a full time job now.

Even if the WWE implodes, wrestling will be around. May just be what the industry needs TBH.
 

UberTag

Member
Well, most wrestling fans do. Wrestling isnt for technical nerds who want to argue about if a match was a 4 or 5 star match. Its low brow entertainment.
I'm not disputing that at all. In fact, I agree with you completely on that. The WWE's obsession with long matches on TV is a serious problem. We need more creative and wacky angles that are completely out there and nuts. I just don't want to see "the same things" from the Attitude era rehashed. I want to see new stuff. Not more people being crucified and bosses being anally raped in their hospital gowns. In fact, they can be creative while still not deviating from their PG branding or alienating their sponsors. They just haven't bothered to try.
 

Mizerman

Member
Lost me there. If there was one person they buried responsibly, it's Zack Ryder. He sucked.

I don't see how as the guy was legit over as hell. I mean, he's not exactly technical in the ring and he wasn't going to be WWE champion, but they could've ran with his popularity and kept as a hot act in the upper midcard. Ryder was fine there.

People in the WWE talk about how some wrestlers don't attempt to get noticed or break the glass ceiling, yet Ryder basically did that. And they still buried him due to getting over on his own rather than the main office doing that.
 

Coins

Banned
I'm not disputing that at all. In fact, I agree with you completely on that. The WWE's obsession with long matches on TV is a serious problem. We need more creative and wacky angles that are completely out there and nuts. I just don't want to see "the same things" from the Attitude era rehashed. I want to see new stuff. Not more people being crucified and bosses being anally raped in their hospital gowns. In fact, they can be creative while still not deviating from their PG branding or alienating their sponsors. They just haven't bothered to try.

Sure, replaying the same exact scenarios would be stupid. What I mean was they need to push the boundaries. And if they went to an adult orientated show, and were successful, the sponsors wouldnt leave. Controversy sells.
 
They didnt get the Mattel contract until 2010 and there attitude era toys sold well. Susan G doesnt give a shit.

The fact is, the attitude era was the last time that wrestling grew.

They most certainly give a shit, unless you think the rapid shift away from male on female interaction in the ring and the elimination of the raunchier stuff was just a coincidence and a shift to tv-14 will bring all that back.
 

Owzers

Member
I still begrudge them for not having made Ambrose champion when he fought Rollins for the title awhile ago, he won the match and they decided that since a ref was pushed it didn't count. That kinda set the mood for me from that point on.
 

Chopper

Member
I still begrudge them for not having made Ambrose champion when he fought Rollins for the title awhile ago, he won the match and they decided that since a ref was pushed it didn't count. That kinda set the mood for me from that point on.
I agree that that was complete bullshit. He was champion to me, dammit.
 

hamchan

Member
You have to be like Xavier Woods in the New Day and get permission from creative to get over on your own, telling them they can fire him if it doesn't work out.

What a horrible work environment where you have to stake your whole career just for the chance to break through that ceiling if you aren't one of the chosen few.
 

Archaix

Drunky McMurder
I still begrudge them for not having made Ambrose champion when he fought Rollins for the title awhile ago, he won the match and they decided that since a ref was pushed it didn't count. That kinda set the mood for me from that point on.


Between that and the ladder match, I was laughing Sunday about the announcers talking up Roman Reigns being so close to the championship so many times. But I can't honestly fault anybody in the WWE for not wanting to watch WWE to know what happens.
 

Coins

Banned
They most certainly give a shit, unless you think the rapid shift away from male on female interaction in the ring and the elimination of the raunchier stuff was just a coincidence and a shift to tv-14 will bring all that back.

If you think Susan G will leave WWE and the constant cash because of some raunchy behavior, youre wrong. Little kids arent getting breast cancer. Susan G would love an adult female kickass version of Stone Cold.
 
Rock is too busy with Baywatch
Batista is too busy being in movies
Cena is too busy doing movies and TV and wanting to take a break
Bryan is injured
Seth is injured
Orton is injured

Basically almost all the fallbacks are out. And Vince is paying the price.
Lol. Why the hell is Rating Killer Seth Rollins there with actual draws?
 

Archaix

Drunky McMurder
Lol. Why the hell is Rating Killer Seth Rollins there with actual draws?


The product is the problem. You could put Stone Cold, Ric Flair, and the Undertaker on the same episode of Raw and it still wouldn't draw right now. Hypothetically of course. I'm sure that would never happen and still go unwatched.
 

FyreWulff

Member
I wonder if PG is what's keeping them afloat, slowly killing them, or both?

PG isn't the problem, and multiple lead people around during the Attitude era still consistently say the Attitude Era lost them a lot of people and sponsors that never came back.
 

Heroman

Banned
If you think Susan G will leave WWE and the constant cash because of some raunchy behavior, youre wrong. Little kids arent getting breast cancer. Susan G would love an adult female kickass version of Stone Cold.

They would, it is 2015 shit that they in the late 90s would be go.
 

Owzers

Member
The product is the problem. You could put Stone Cold, Ric Flair, and the Undertaker on the same episode of Raw and it still wouldn't draw right now. Hypothetically of course. I'm sure that would never happen and still go unwatched.

I'm not a long-term watcher of recent wrestling, but i've seen enough of the WWE now to know nothing interesting is going to happen. Cena gets the authority out of power by winning a match? Guest hosts for Raw until Rollins gets the authority back in power to continue a boring direction by threatening to kill a guy in a ring. Cena should have let that guy die.
 
Sure, replaying the same exact scenarios would be stupid. What I mean was they need to push the boundaries. And if they went to an adult orientated show, and were successful, the sponsors wouldnt leave. Controversy sells.


sponsers did leave in the attitude era, at the height of wrestling's popularity sponsers wanted nothing to do with them because of the content. WWE promising to go and stay PG was the key selling point behind them getting essential sponsers like Mattel, they are making more money now than they did in the AE era thanks to that decision, however they spend a lot more so profits aren't as big.

they don't need constant blood and tits and cursing, they need actual compelling storylines and characters.
 

UberTag

Member
I'm not a long-term watcher of recent wrestling, but i've seen enough of the WWE now to know nothing interesting is going to happen. Cena gets the authority out of power by winning a match? Guest hosts for Raw until Rollins gets the authority back in power to continue a boring direction by threatening to kill a guy in a ring. Cena should have let that guy die.
Dude, that totally would not have reeked of awesomeness.
Besides, if he allowed Rollins to kill Edge, Seth would have just grabbed some Make-A-Wish kid and threatened to kill him.
 
WWE had a good run

That's the problem, they're going nowhere. They are literally the only mainstream pro wrestling company in North America. There is a group of core fans that will watch their shit no matter what. There will always be an audience for them.

That said, I doubt Sheamus will be champion for very long. With the ratings the way they are, Vince will have no choice but to pull out his trump card.

AND HIS NAME IS...

EDIT: Wow, I totally didn't notice the pun there.
 
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