How to fix the ratings problem?

[The Sheik]

The easy answer is better writing, right? Maybe they need to do more than that.

They have huge stars like Roman Reigns, AJ Styles, Alexa Bliss ect.. but they can't put these people all over the show and expect to draw ratings.

This entire company needs to be repackaged. This company has gotten stale for years. It feels like I'm watching the same show since 2009.

 

[Mr. Roman Empire]

First off, why is the lead writer in WWE the same guy who wrote for "The Bachelor"? Seems like a recipe for disaster.

I think that there is a lot of things that are the cause of the decline in ratings. I think Vince has more focus on the XFL. I mean thats a 100+ million dollar investment, so can you really blame the guy? Not to mention hes 73 years old.

WWE is now trying too hard to cater to the fans and the networks at the same time. There is too many fingers in the pie and i dont think Vince is nearly as focused or hands on as people like to believe. I think that the writing teams are just sort of throwing things together and Vince is marking his stamp of approval just to keep things flowing.

 

[Death Walker]

The easy answer is better writing, right? Maybe they need to do more than that.

They have huge stars like Roman Reigns, AJ Styles, Alexa Bliss ect.. but they can't put these people all over the show and expect to draw ratings.

This entire company needs to be repackaged. This company has gotten stale for years. It feels like I'm watching the same show since 2009.

I like your thread here and you make fair points but yes for the last 6 years or more, they have been in BADLY NEED of new creative ideas as well as writing. And still today even with the changes (i.e. firing/quitting of employees), they still struggle in the creative/writing department. Is this the only issue? HECK NO lmao.

The way matches are booked also remains a major issue as they sometimes don't match up well or don't tie into storylines or just plain ol' suck big time. There's a shit ton of issues that are clearly shown time and time again so I agree a repackaging (or as I would put it, a reset) is VERY very necessary with the WWE and a lot of the wrestlers in their large 'over 200 wrestlers' roster (whether true or lie).

 

[InsaneAlphaBeta]

I like your thread here and you make fair points but yes for the last 6 years or more, they have been in BADLY NEED of new creative ideas as well as writing. And still today even with the changes (i.e. firing/quitting of employees), they still struggle in the creative/writing department. Is this the only issue? HECK NO lmao.

The way matches are booked also remains a major issue as they sometimes don't match up well or don't tie into storylines or just plain ol' suck big time. There's a shit ton of issues that are clearly shown time and time again so I agree a repackaging (or as I would put it, a reset) is VERY very necessary with the WWE and a lot of the wrestlers in their large 'over 200 wrestlers' roster (whether true or lie).

The thing is though, they have done resets, or atleast so called ones, atleast 3 in the last few months, and every single time they talk like its a brand new era, yet the moment they are done saying that, we get the same stuff yet again, the product is stale.

Realisticly a change in the writeing team wont be enough, Vince has the final say, so it doesnt matter how good your writeing is, vince can just say "Nah, i dont like that anymore, lets do this instead" and screw everything up 5 minutes before RAW goes on air.

Its sad because, perhaps if vince actually let the writers do their job, they might be able to do a good job, how is a writer supposed to tell a good story when someone above them is constantly making them change it? thats just not how great stories are made, and vince doesnt get this it seems. (With Bray Wyatt being the exception, his Firefly Fun House seems like Brays doing, which is likely way its easily the best thing on Raw lol)

Vince, perhaps rightfully so is afraid of AEW, if they werent afraid they wouldnt be freezeing contracts and doing everything in their power to stop their superstars from leaving, (And stopping both Kurt Angle and The Undertaker from being at Starcast and stopping Goldberg from going to AEW like rumors suggested) and so he (Vince) is in panic mode, and its damageing the show, and the rateings show it.

So how will it get fixed? honestly i dont think it will, i think generaly over time the viewership is just gonna keep dropping, albeit slowly, dont be surprised if we see a episode of RAW stay below 2 million viewers in the next few months. And that that becomes the new standered. Ya know, because vince is a *genius* as he said repeatedly on Raw.

 

[Death Walker]

The thing is though, they have done resets, or atleast so called ones, atleast 3 in the last few months, and every single time they talk like its a brand new era, yet the moment they are done saying that, we get the same stuff yet again, the product is stale.

When I say 'reset', I mean end for several months or years... completely then come back when they've properly planned everything out. Because in the current shape they are in (Like @Mr. Roman Empire said, "I think that the writing teams are just sort of throwing things together and Vince is marking his stamp of approval just to keep things flowing."), nothing seems thought our or planned but rather rushed and done a couple hours before going live. So yes, I remember a lot of those so-called "resets" and I would prepare 'The Reset' to start all the way over as a whole new re-invented wrestling promotion.

Realisticly a change in the writeing team wont be enough, Vince has the final say, so it doesnt matter how good your writeing is, vince can just say "Nah, i dont like that anymore, lets do this instead" and screw everything up 5 minutes before RAW goes on air.

Never said THIS WAS THE ONLY ISSUE! I said...

...yes for the last 6 years or more, they have been in BADLY NEED of new creative ideas as well as writing. And still today even with the changes (i.e. firing/quitting of employees), they still struggle in the creative/writing department. Is this the only issue? HECK NO lmao.

The way matches are booked also remains a major issue as they sometimes don't match up well or don't tie into storylines or just plain ol' suck big time. There's a shit ton of issues...

Everything else you typed I agree with and I only gave my opinion not an official solution.

 

[Grievous 3D]

1). Better Writing...
2). Interesting Stories...
3). A league ladder & points system meaning every match can lead to something bigger
& better & allow the company to slowly push talent up "the ladder" for possible title shots...
4). Releasing all the performers that want to leave the company...
5). Less reliance on veterans & has-beens...
6). A 2 hour RAW...

 

[InsaneAlphaBeta]

When I say 'reset', I mean end for several months or years... completely then come back when they've properly planned everything out. Because in the current shape they are in (Like @Mr. Roman Empire said, "I think that the writing teams are just sort of throwing things together and Vince is marking his stamp of approval just to keep things flowing."), nothing seems thought our or planned but rather rushed and done a couple hours before going live. So yes, I remember a lot of those so-called "resets" and I would prepare 'The Reset' to start all the way over as a whole new re-invented wrestling promotion.

Firstly my bad, i probably should have clarified, when i was saying realisticly, the writing team wouldnt solve the issue and vince and all that i was just giving my own thoughts aswell, not specificly talking about what you said, i knew what you meant, sorry about that.

But yeah, despite how much a reset of that magnitude would help WWE, i dont see Vince doing that under any circumstances, considering how recent things have gone, id expect them to do that, go through all that trouble, and vince does his thing the first episode back and they are back right where they started lol.

 

[The Sheik]

It's the same formulaic writing every week.. Who couldn't predict AJ/Seth would team up on RAW... 2 babyface rivals teaming up, happens every time.

They have too many wrestlers on the roster to make everyone happy. It's impossible, they hoard talent just so no other promotion can have them. They shouldn't worry about that.

Vince hates everything that's written for him so he changes it before RAW, so obviously nothing makes sense..

Shit like that needs to change. Not bringing Roman Reigns over to RAW, if he thinks that will help long term, he's fucking crazy.

 

[Grievous 3D]

Not bringing Roman Reigns over to RAW, if he thinks that will help long term, he's fucking crazy.

Bingo!

We have a winner!

 

[Death Walker]

Firstly my bad, i probably should have clarified, when i was saying realisticly, the writing team wouldnt solve the issue and vince and all that i was just giving my own thoughts aswell, not specificly talking about what you said, i knew what you meant, sorry about that.

But yeah, despite how much a reset of that magnitude would help WWE, i dont see Vince doing that under any circumstances, considering how recent things have gone, id expect them to do that, go through all that trouble, and vince does his thing the first episode back and they are back right where they started lol.

Ok cool, just seemed like you didn't understand certain lines I typed and chose my post to make your point. All is good though.

And I know Vince won't do a major reset like I stated would help but I, myself think that it is getting to that point with all the WWE shows and events. The man won't put aside his ego and pride, I believe most viewers/fans know this.

 

[Snowman1]

Quick reply. As an NXT fanboy, if I got their level of writing and programming every week, I still would be really hard pressed to devote 5 hours a week to WWE. It would still be straight YouTube clips for Raw.

Something has to change. Meltzer asked that Vince was asked why ratings were down in hour 3, I would counter with why did you force an hour 3 to begin with.

Start there.

 

[Mr. Roman Empire]

When you look at the logistics for WWE, and what their writing team has to do, its actually pretty extraordinary. They have to write 5 hours of television every week with like 100 performers, and broadcast it live. Not to mention they are working with talent who a lot are just athletes trying to act, instead of good all around performers and entertainers.

Thats crazy, and i feel like the writers are starting to show fatigue, and some of them are just gone now. I feel like right now is going to be a rough patch for WWE for an extended period of time until they can get the right people for the writing team settled. And with AEW coming in and creating that opposition and some competition, WWE will sink or swim on imrpoving their shows. And i believe that the shows will get better.

 

[Snowman1]

Even the talent though. If you're a top guy you're probably now wrestling 4-5 times a week, every week, travelling like crazy and it's easy to get burned out. Props to the wrestlers, too

 

[Mr. Roman Empire]

I think the moral of the story here is that wrestling will always be better when there is steroids and/or cocaine involved.

 

[InsaneAlphaBeta]

When you look at the logistics for WWE, and what their writing team has to do, its actually pretty extraordinary. They have to write 5 hours of television every week with like 100 performers, and broadcast it live. Not to mention they are working with talent who a lot are just athletes trying to act, instead of good all around performers and entertainers.

Thats crazy, and i feel like the writers are starting to show fatigue, and some of them are just gone now. I feel like right now is going to be a rough patch for WWE for an extended period of time until they can get the right people for the writing team settled. And with AEW coming in and creating that opposition and some competition, WWE will sink or swim on imrpoving their shows. And i believe that the shows will get better.

Not to mention the anxiety and pressure that comes from the stories you try to tell and the dialogues you write are always at risk of being entirely changed thanks to vince, imagine spending an entire week working on something, only to have it all changed a day before, all your work? the work of your fellow writers? out the window, now imagine that being every single week.

I cant imagine what they are going through. At some point you have to ask where does it lead? if your job is to write the show, but the show gets rewritten allmost every time before the show starts, whats the point in trying? they have to write a show Vince will like, not what fans will like, because it doesnt matter if we like it or not, if vince doesnt like it, then its gonna get changed.

It really is crazy.