First off, the pyro thing isn't just limited to AJ Styles's or Brock Lesnar's entrances only; if you hadn't noticed already, there hasn't been any pyro AT ALL, including when the show goes on the air. Though being used to it for all this years - especially during the opening of the shows - I can't say that it bothers me to not have any pyro anymore but, let's b real, pyro or no pyro is the least of WWE's concerns these days...
Elsewhere, they've been axing shows on the network left and right including Edge and Christian's which was by far one of the bigger successes and that alone I feel is one of the bigger tells that shit has really hit the fan.
That being said, we all know that one of the easiest ways to save some money is to get rid of a few contracts and more so of people that are not being used either at all or barely anyway and if that's the case, it should come to no surprise if we see a few people being released after Summerslam.
Come to think of it, you have the Colons that are practically one foot out the door, Dolph Ziggler is nowhere to be found for the past two (?) months, Paige is pretty much done (though I'd leave a window open only because or Rock and his movie) and rumor has it that Summer Rae ain't coming back (which would be a shame). Furthermore, from what I see on TV and how certain people are treated alongside the rumors backstage, I suspect a lot of heat on Emma and a lot of heat on Enzo, though I can't imagine WWE would go as far as releasing the latter.
You know, speaking of budget cuts - and I'm sure not many will agree - how about WWE reducing the PPV's? First of all, I can't imagine anybody paying 50 bucks each month for the actual PPV like the good old days so I'm not sure each PPV they produce indeed turns out profitable. I mean, last I heard, they were giving tickets away practically for free just to fill up some seats at Battleground cause no one gave a shit.
I wouldn't go as far as going back to the Big Four only format cause you certainly want the Money in the Bank PPV to stick around but other ones such as the aformentioned Battleground or Great Balls or Fastlane or (God have) No Mercy (on us) I think could easily be cut. Have PPV's every couple of months and make them special again, just like they used to be.
Let me put it this way: when's the last time they created unique setups for all these B level PPV's? Leave Wrestlemania aside (and correct me if I'm wrong) every single PPV has the RAW or SD setting with just different color lights and a small adjustment perhaps of the ramp where the superstars enter. I ain't no expert, but them not going through the trouble of creating these unique stages anymore speaks...budget cuts? And please don't tell me throwing a few tables, ladders and chairs around the ring during TLC is considered a...unique stage setup.
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