NOTE: This is part two of Andrew’s two-part column. You can read the part one HERE.
Mr. McMahon, I have some ideas for you. I’ll hope you read this and with a clear perspective.
For starters, there are too many Pay-Per-Views. What is the slogan you used to say over and over? “Nobody does pay-per-view like the World Wrestling Federation.” I’ll say! You’re allowing fourteen pay per views per year to over-saturate the WWE Universe (or is it Fan Nation?) like clogged arteries from greasy, chinese food. That’s preposterous!
The pay-per-views no longer have the fans brewing in anticipation of watching blockbuster matchups, intense feuds culminating, and that perhaps something special can happen by creating a “can’t miss” atmosphere surrounding the pay-per-view the way it use to be.
By having an abundance of pay-per-views, it forces angles to be rushed and prevents characters from staying fresh. Because if the stories were built properly and a feud isn’t blown off after four weeks, the babyfaces and heels would have purpose against eachother but more importantly their characters would have longevity.
My solution is this: Slash nine pay-per-views off the 2010 schedule and go back to five pay-per-views per year—January: Royal Rumble, April: WrestleMania, June: King of the Ring, August: Summerslam, and November: Survivor Series—with the traditional 4 vs. 4 elimination matches if I may add. By doing this, you’ll increase more buys to those five because it would be “special” and moreover people can afford $29.95 x four and $49.95 for WrestleMania, especially in this economy.
WWE added more pay-per-views originally because they were involved in a war with WCW. Well now the war is done and you have monopolized the industry, which leads me to my next few suggestions Mr. McMahon:
First, bring back squash matches, with only one great main event per week. Your house show attendance will gradually increase (not overnight, but they will if you’re consistent with the formula). Perhaps, you can sell out Madison Square Garden and run shows there more than up to twice a year, Vince. Furthermore, it will put more emphasis on selling the pay-per-view when you build and build… and build your angles.
Second, cut back on the hours of television being produced each week. Just like the PPVs, less is definitely more. Maybe go live every other week to save costs. Forget the internet spoilers… if the product is good people will tune in regardless. Perhaps you can save more expenses by cutting down the number of writers when you have less programming to write. So, here’s my suggestion for TV each week:
