5 Ways to Fix the WWE Raw and SmackDown Ratings Slump
By Carl Gac
WWE.com
If you want to improve the company, use TV time to its full potential.
In the not so distant past Raw and SmackDown were seen as equal. Nowadays SmackDown is a show that is far from a must-watch program. You could say at times it’s irrelevant.
Use SmackDown as the place where the “wrestlers” on the roster can shine. Cut out all the outside influences and just let the action in the ring do the talking. Two hours of matches that show the fans what their stars can really do would be a welcome break from the norm.
If you want to still see it as the lesser of the two shows, why not have the Intercontinental belt be the top title on SmackDown? Build it up as the title that the actual wrestlers on your roster are desperate to battle for. Allowing the likes of Kevin Owens and Cesaro to tear it up in the ring every week could benefit all of your TV output, not just SmackDown. Use the blue brand as a logical stepping stone from NXT to the main roster. A guy excels on NXT, gets a chance on SmackDown to show his talents then eventually shows up on Raw. Your crowd then knows who he is, cares about him and may just be inclined to buy his latest piece of merchandise or buy that ticket to watch him wrestle.
Push your big title matches onto Raw and PPV, while SmackDown is the place where you could hold a one night tournament or a number one contenders match is the star of the show. Allowing the fans to see the lesser known, or lesser pushed guys in an environment where you can edit out any mistakes or botches, will only help the roster improve.
In the past we’ve seen guys like Tyson Kidd and Cesaro drop back down to NXT and rekindle their passion for the sport and build some momentum. I can’t remember the last time I saw Jack Swagger do anything meaningful. Why not let him drop down to NXT for a while and gather some backing and get his sharpness back?
In short use everything at your disposal to show exactly what your “Superstars” have to offer, make your product watchable again Vince McMahon.
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