5 Ways to Fix the WWE Raw and SmackDown Ratings Slump

WWE.com

It’s live TV, provide the fans with a few shocks every now and again.

Right now the formula for Raw is pretty formulaic. Matches have to fit segments, commercial breaks have to be hit, the commentators have to plug all the stuff they need to sell to the fans, etc. But what if you throw a few curve balls in every now and again?

What about a surprise come back? A few weeks ago, we saw The Dudley Boyz make their return to WWE after a ten-year absence. When their music hit, the fans in attendance popped big time. There was a sense of excitement to see them come back because the fans needed a bit of something to get them going.

In the current landscape, there’s a man who is still sidelined by WWE, even though he’s apparently been medically cleared to return. Daniel Bryan was one of the most over guys on the roster when he came back earlier in the year, the fans love him and you still see the “YES!” chant most weeks on WWE TV. If you had a guy in the ring for an unannounced match and then Bryan’s music hit as the opponent, how big would the roar be!

There’s many guys who could easily be signed to bring a bot of shock value back to the company. Someone like Kurt Angle (who said he won’t return to TNA when his contract expires) or Jeff Hardy could be poached from TNA and thrown into feuds instantly on the upper end of the card. Imagine if John Cena returns to the United States title open challenge every week, and Kurt Angle challenges him for the belt?

What about matches that we’ve not seen before? In recent months we’ve seen the likes of Sheamus and Randy Orton face each other every week on TV. Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose vs. The Wyatts is one of the biggest feuds the company has now, but do we need to see them face each other every week? Why not have both teams facing other opponents then only face each other on pay-per-view when it matters for buy rates or viewers? The roster is big enough to have many combinations of teams put together to not have the same guys facing each other every week.

Hey, why not even bring back jobbers just so that guys can destroy someone without having to harm a rival in the build up to big matches?

How about using some of the legends that you have on your roster? We saw Edge and Christian come back to star on the Stone Cold podcast recently. They appeared on Raw before that and instantly it brought back a bit of shine to the show. There are so many men, and women that could be used in a similar way. Why not have Lita come back and take a Diva under her wing? Or have someone like Chris Jericho as the leader of a stable?

Next: Reason No. 3