Earlier this week, Forbes.com ran an article looking at WWE’s declining television viewership and the fact that the company will have to rely even more on WWE Network subscribers in order to remain financially successful.
Last week’s SmackDown drew record-low viewership while this week’s RAW plummeted to a 2.44 rating, a disturbing trend headed into the fall, which is typically not a strong season for WWE.
Former WWE, WCW & TNA writer Vince Russo has posted a new blog update reacting to the article, stating that WWE needs to “TRY HARDER” to turn things around. Russo wrote:
An article broke today on Forbes.com, one of the world’s business leaders, citing that professional wrestling isn’t as popular as it once was. The story utilizes data and facts, to clearly back-up that the business is vastly losing its audience as less, and less of its once massive appeal is clearly waning on a year-to-year basis.
The basis of the story is that with the ratings on a consistent decline, the WWE is going to be depending more, and more on the success of the WWE Network, from a financial standpoint in order to make up for the loss of the supporting and paying public that used to tune into RAW and SMACKDOWN.
At this point, I can only wonder if people will now listen, and understand concerning the plight of pro wrestling, now that a legitimate business magazine is writing about it, and not just the “clueless” Vince Russo. The fact is that the numbers are there for anybody, and everybody to look at, but in our industry the numbers, or facts, become secondary to what those with strong opinions want to believe. The voices and pens that beat the drum of “more wrestling” in spite of less and less people truly wanting that, supersedes the real viewership problems that have steadily been there for the last 15 years.
Here’s what I don’t understand–how have I become the enemy by simply stating that the WWE needs to TRY HARDER. I have made it clear, week, after week, after week, that my complaint is not from a talent standpoint. The men and women in the WWE who are busting their asses week in, and week out, are leaving nothing in that ring. These are athletes that are built on 100% pride—just striving to be the best that they can be, despite the fact that those working behind the scenes with them have been taking a lackluster approach for years.
