One of the hard parts of being a WWE Superstar is the insane travel schedule. Talent would be traveling to and working at least 4 matches a week, sometimes more when a PPV would be involved. Sources indicate that WWE is going to be cutting back on how many live events they run.
Why Is WWE Cutting Back On Live Events?
Simply put, they aren’t huge money makers anymore. WWE is not getting great attendance on them at this point. Most of their revenue comes from their TV contracts and their deal with Saudi Arabia. With the new schedule, talent will be working about 14 shows a month, including RAW & Smackdown and PPV events. They have also started to combine RAW & Smackdown for some live events, which also reduce the amount of dates as it doesn’t make sense to keep running exclusive brand PPVs.
The Benefits Of This Change
The biggest immediate perk of less live events means there will be less wear and tear on talent. They will get more days off, be able to spend more time with their family, and heal nagging injuries. All this while still making the same amount of money. They could see less merchandise sales, which will impact some top merch sellers like Becky Lynch, but someone like Heath Slater who probably doesn’t have a shirt at the merch table for live events is unlikely to see much impact.
This is a step in the right direction for keeping talent in WWE, as one of the alluring aspects of jumping ship to All Elite Wrestling. They have a much easier schedule, where they don’t run constant live events. WWE reducing how often their talent is forced to travel and compete will likely help improve morale in the locker room if nothing else. WWE’s schedule is still busier than any other wrestling company but, it is a step in the right direction. Some people in NXT have also refused to come to the main roster due to the insane schedule, such as Tomassao Ciampa & Johnny Gargano. While they’re unlikely to leave their top spots in NXT, this might make others more likely to join RAW & Smackdown.
Do you think this is a change which will help WWE in the long run, or do they need to cut back even more on their live events.
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