Are We All Idiots?

[Quintastic One]

Ok, most people on this board agree, WWE's product has been absolute shit recently. Inconsistent and incomplete storylines, pushing or not pushing the completely wrong people, the never ending chain of crappy guest hosts with even crappier angles involving Hornswoggle and DX. The same old main eventers (minus Sheamus who will be losing the belt next week anyway so he shouldn't even count) on every single PPV, and whenever they try to push a new guy it ALWAYS fails. Or at least has always failed since Jeff Hardy and Edge left/got injured.

BUUUUUT, RAW, Smackdown and ECW have been doing fine in the ratings. Wait, I take that back, ECW, the one show in the E' that actually HAS great wrestling, has been tanking in the ratings. Only one PPV they've done out of the past six actually drew less buys than the PPV the year before during the same month drew. So they're buyrates are increasing, their merchandise sales have been increasing, their ratings haven't been slipping noticably. For all we know they are perfectly financially secure and in no danger of losing any of their current fanbase.



So are we all idiots? As a collective, we, the IWC, do we truly know absolutely nothing about wrestling? Because every single thing that we find wrong with RAW, it's drawing. And it's drawing big. The fans love the shit that WWE is pulling out of their asses every single week. They can't get enough of DX, Cena, Hornswoggle, Undertaker, Rey Mysterio & others.

So is WWE really doing everything they should be doing and WE'RE actually the ones who are out of touch with todays wrestling fanbase? Is what we believe to be shit actually some of the greatest angles that wrestling has been doing for the past 8 years?

I mean, the proof is right there. Shitty booking is getting them consistent ratings and increasing buyrates. While proper booking on ECW is getting them shittier ratings and causing the brand to be considered to be shut down entirely. So soon, WWE might not feature much wrestling at all beyond comedy matches on a weekly basis. Because wrestling just isn't drawing anymore. Or at least, what we perceive to be wrestling.

So are we justified in our rants? Or has the wrestling business evolved without us, and we're just too old school and out of touch with todays wrestling to understand how the business works anymore?

 

[gatesoftanhauser]

I don't know how the ratings continue like they are. I know not a single person that watches wrestling anymore.

The product sucks ass, and it sucks ass big time. We're experiencing another 1992-1995 period where there's no incentive to watch because it's so awful, save for a few bright spots.

 

[Quintastic One]

I don't know how the ratings continue like they are. I know not a single person that watches wrestling anymore.

The product sucks ass, and it sucks ass big time. We're experiencing another 1992-1995 period where there's no incentive to watch because it's so awful, save for a few bright spots.

But my concern is, yes WWE is undoubtedly in our minds probably even WORSE than the product was in the early to mid 90's. But back in those days the horrid booking was a detriment to the product. It SHOWED that they had tanking PPV buyrates, nobody was tuning into RAW, and nobody was buying any merchandise.

But nowadays, WWE is not only not experiencing a draught, they're downright fucking THRIVING on crappy programming.

So is it truly crappy programming? Or has the wrestling industry been swept right from under our feet and had a total facelift under our noses?

 

[Colin Gimp]

tldr

and yes we're all young adults watching guys with nothing but underwear fake wrestle. for years and years we've watched. are we really just tricking our subconcious, you know with titles n fueds and 7 mins of women wrestling. when really the obv answer on why we watch is right there.

now i would use another word then idiots to describe us. the iwc . deliriously gay? mb you fags who write reports on shitty telivision. we've been singing this tune RIGHT after wm hollywood sick of reading it, go buy a aj styles t shirt

if not cum embrace it and cum suck uthers hammer

 

[Quintastic One]

THOR's Hammer?

 

[Kizza]

It's because they've worked out what gets ratings. Somehow, we hate the product so much, but I bet you watch RAW each week regardless, just cos it's WWE.

 

[Quintastic One]

It's because they've worked out what gets ratings. Somehow, we hate the product so much, but I bet you watch RAW each week regardless, just cos it's WWE.

I read the spoilers on angrymarks. The only show I actually catch on a weekly basis consistently is ECW and that's by Hulu. I'm like alot of people, boycotting RAW until they stop having guest hosts.

 

[Kizza]

But plenty of people in the "IWC" still do, no matter how much they complain about it. The only RAW I've personally seen during the guest host stuff is the Mark Cuban show. And a bit of the Slammy's.

 

[Great One]

Where's the actual ratings for the previous months (all the guest host shit)? + the PPV buy rates?

And I'd like to think it's all because of John Cena, tbh. I hate the smurf but if you actually watch a show, the crowd is DEAD and quiet throughout the show before he comes out.. sigh.

 

[Quintastic One]

But plenty of people in the "IWC" still do, no matter how much they complain about it. The only RAW I've personally seen during the guest host stuff is the Mark Cuban show. And a bit of the Slammy's.

I think the last RAW I saw all the way through was...the one where Dusty Rhodes was guest host. I tried to watch the one with Ricky Hatton and shut it offf halfway through and haven't caught an episode yet.

 

[Quintastic One]

WWE Hell in A Cell PPV, which featured three Hell in a Cell cage matches, drew around 300,000 buys, way up from the 261,000 buys that No Mercy 2008 drew.

- WWE Bragging Rights, which featured a Raw vs. SmackDown theme, drew approximately 200,000 buys. This is a big improvement over the event it replaced (Cyber Sunday,) which drew 153,000 buys in 2008.

Those were the latest two. Survivor Series' and TLC's numbers must not be available yet but I heard one of the radio cohosts of AMP say something similar to them being a success. Coulda been talking about ticket sales though.

I'll post the last few weeks worth of RAW ratings since I'm too lazy to have to search for all the ratings for every guest host show.

The 12/21 WWE Monday Night Raw drew a 3.2 cable rating (rounded up from a 3.18). Both hours of the show drew a 3.18 rating. There wasn't much competition for Raw in regards to the ESPN Monday Night Football game as that only did an 8.4 rating.


Last night's 12/14 WWE Monday Night Raw drew a 3.3 cable rating. The three hours drew a 2.95, 3.48 and 3.44. The show ended up doing a 3.5 in its normal two hour timeslot.

12/07
Last night's Raw did a 3.23 cable rating off hours of 3.18 and 3.28

The 11/30 WWE Monday Night Raw drew a 3.2 cable rating. The first hour drew a 3.28, while the second hour saw a drop to a 3.08.

11/23
Last night's Raw did hours of 2.6, 3.6, and 3.5, for a 3.2 final rating.

source: Nielsen Media Research

 

[Quintastic One]

So yeah RAW hasn't been doing STELLAR ratings but they've never dropped below a 3.0 consistently unless going head to head with something special going on with football.

 

[Great One]

Who was on 11/23? Damn.

 

[Quintastic One]

Jesse Ventura.

 

[C4]

It's just that pro-wrestling has come to an end.

*sniff* :'(