Pay-per-views are a great way for wrestling promotions to make some good bank as they’re usually the culmination of a rivalry’s buildup. It’s where we expect the best matches and to leave us feeling excited and ready for more on the next taping. They nearly always give us something to talk about around the water cooler the next day. But given the lackluster and inconsistent buildup going into them lately and the same performance in the pay-per-views, it begs the question do we need 12+ WWE pay-per-views a year?
Not too long ago, there were only a couple of pay-per-views in the WWE world. They were the big four of Survivor Series, Royal Rumble, SummerSlam, and WrestleMania. Each had a uniqueness about them that made them exciting and must watch either by purchasing the event or renting the VHS tape.
What changed?
In a word or three letters, WCW. To gain the edge over the WWE, WCW added more pay-per-views. Every time WCW added one or two, the WWE was right behind. As Eric Bischoff said in the Monday Night Wars DVD documentary (paraphrasing), “We did six, the WWE did six. We did eight, they did eight. If six worked, and eight worked, why not do twelve?”
In a fight for survival, it made sense for the WWE to add more to keep up with their top competitor as they needed to appear to offer similar programming to give fans a choice. It made sense and was a good move, but now, twenty years later, do we need 12+ WWE pay-per-views a year?
It, like house shows, have become such a cornerstone of the promotion’s grind and income that it’d be difficult for Vince McMahon, or any CEO for that matter, to cut back. One of the main reasons not to cut back would be that reports have claimed the WWE has been losing money as of late. That alone would be a good reason to hold on to them, but cutting back and focusing on better storylines and shows we’d care about may increase interest and profit margins.
Of course, given other reports indicate the WWE has amassed enough resources to stay afloat through five years of losses means they can weather the storm.
The difference here is McMahon has a history of shoving things down our throats until we accept them and they become popular, so will he really change? On the slip side, he’s shown an ability to change with the times better than most give him credit for. If he lacked that ability WWE would be a footnote in professional history books.
Why the change is needed (TLC spoilers ahead)
TLC (Tables, Ladders, and Chairs) 2019 had a promising card, but the end of event felt more like a Smackdown or Raw ending than a pay-per-view.
First, the WWE is supposed to be a champion for female wrestlers, but cutting away from the end of the main event of the Kabuki Warriors (Kairi Sane and Asuka) successful defending their championship against Becky Lynch (who will be Becky “Two Belts” again before long) and Charlotte Flair to show a locker room brawl with Reigns taking out Corbin and everyone else was inexcusable and stole what shine the main event left.
The main event was not the best match of the night (Aleister Black and Buddy Murphy have that honor, in my opinion).
It went on too long and the fans booed Lynch and Flair, possibly for being superpowered to where virtually nothing could stop them and continuing the match. The last quarter of the match was time killing, to be honest.
But having Roman Reigns, King Corbin, and the locker room spill out felt out of place and a way of McMahon trying to salvage the ending. What it did was make it feel like a typical Raw or Smackdown ending.
Pay-per-views have become no better than weekly shows
This is the problem that happens when a product is too watered down. We’ve struggled through some of the worst storylines in recent memory and virtually no buildup through the final Raw and Smackdown leading to TLC. Add in pay-per-views are free if we’ve joined the WWE Network, and it just takes away the special feeling they once had.
If McMahon and company trim them back to say six or eight, then they can spend more time building and creating storylines. It could also lead to us seeing more of the roster as another televised or youtube.com show like Wrestling Challenge would allow fans that can’t afford or don’t want to bother with the issues the Network has at times.
If nothing else, imagine the hype of watching a feud build up over a couple of months before culminating in a must see match that isn’t the typical as seen on TV one’s we’ve been getting.
To put it under another light, the Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior match in WrestleMania 6 wouldn’t have been as special had we seen them having some kind of match or crossing swords every week. Instead, it built over months to one of the best matches ever.
Sometimes less is more.
