Promotions should explore Saturday morning wrestling shows

Remember Saturday morning cartoons? Waking up around 8 a.m. to catch shows like X-Men, Darkwing Duck, and other classics was an important moment in so many people’s lives. Another part of the weekend tradition was to catch professional wrestling that was broadcast late in the morning. While most remember that with fond memories, decades later thousands within the demo watch wrestling during “tougher” television slots of Friday and Saturday nights. That raises the question: “Should pro wrestling invest in Saturday morning television once again?”

For decades, professional wrestling has been a night affair. Shows come on during the week, often starting at 8 p.m. Fans can catch new content every day of the week. Many make it a point to watch all that they can, remaining glued to the television or streaming platform. The weekends can be packed with PPVs and PLEs, often running until 11 p.m. or even later if it is an AEW show.

However, there’s been a shift thanks to WWE that fans are welcoming. When WWE travels overseas for PLEs, those shows come on earlier in the day. Take WWE Clash at the Castle Scotland. This show’s start time was 2 p.m. EST. With a 3-4-hour show on the horizon, which would give fans an end time of 6 p.m. and plenty more time to enjoy the rest of the day. If the target demographic of 18-39 is the most important age group, imagine the positive response if they could watch great professional wrestling, and then enjoy the rest of their evening in their own way.

AEW Rampage and Collision continue to struggle with ratings each week. Overall, both shows are down considerable numbers compared to last year. While some fans will point toward the booking and structure of the shows, something must be said about the timeslot as well. Friday and Saturday nights are tough to book for when the fan base has extra time and money to go outside, especially during the spring and summer.

There’s another layer about Saturday morning television as well. Think about leveraging this time slot to build the next generation of fans. Pro wrestling is a big attraction to kids. Many of the top stars present themselves as beloved figures and heroes to children. Imagine giving parents the space to watch wrestling on Saturday mornings with their kids. The late weekday times can make that hard as young children have school and bedtime throughout the year. But on Saturday mornings they could sit with their parents and watch all the wrestling their hearts desire.

Change is the only constant in business. As WWE continues to experiment with its show times, it will be interesting to see if any of the major promotions would commit to a Saturday morning professional wrestling show.