What will WWE do when UPN kicks SD...

[Guest Dangerous A]

What is WWE gonna do when UPN kicks SD off? I am not saying it's going to happen tommorrow, but I think it may be soon. Figure that if WWE's numbers continue to slide and/or UPN either gets some hit shows or goes under, what does WWE do with SD and it's crew? Saturday night's on TNN? God, I hope not. I am asking this cause I think UPN will eventually do away with WWE and SD. I wonder what WWE's back up plan for this is.

[Guest MarvinisaLunatic]

Uh. Smackdown is one of UPN's highest ratings drawing shows. I doubt they'll drop it unless is goes below 1.0 ratings. If Smackdown goes below 1.0 ratings, WWE has bigger problems..

[Guest Hogan Made Wrestling]

Smackdown is still the highest or 2nd highest rated show on UPN (Enterprise beat it on a semi-regular basis last year). UPN paid a ton of cash to bring in Buffy, and SD was back to beating that a few weeks later too. UPN isn't NBC, shows don't need 10.0 ratings to stay afloat.

[Guest Jobber of the Week]

A station that airs shit like "The Parkers", "Girlfriends", and "Half & Half" all on one night is not going to be thumbing their nose at SD's current ratings, I assure you.

[Guest SP-1]

To give an opinionated answer to your question, D.A., I think something very similar to Saturday Smackdown! on the New TNN! would in fact take place. Though they may just take an existing program and change it into Smackdown! v.2 (like old school HEAT if I remember correctly).

 

I do doubt that SD! is going to be going anywhere anytime in the near future. I believe that if it continues to consistently put out better product than RAW (which, c'mon, I can do that on EWR so it isn't that difficult), it will draw more people in and just get even bigger. Quality should draw viewers, and I believe SD! can do that if it keeps this up. UPN would be stupid to kill it. But then, it is UPN we're talking about here . . .

 

SP

[Guest Vitamin X]

I already stated this in another thread, but I agree that if Smackdown does get cancelled, the WWF by then would probably have hit new lows in business and would probably sell the company, which could just as well help the business in general, as the McMahon hierarchy would be disassembled, Steph, HHH, and Taker would get fired, and we would have our wishes as we are the loyal fans and maybe they'd realize they'd have to start listening to us..

 

And that's why I'm happy about this 4,000 ticket sale report for No Mercy. Keep sales, merchandise, and ratings down and they'll get the message.

[Guest DeputyHawk]

from what i can make out, tnn is far more likely to drop raw than upn drop smackdown. i think one show, whichever one, getting dropped would be a blessing in disguise to them (well, perhaps not that much of a disguise the way the seem to be goading tnn, but whatever...)

 

the promotion is basically lumbered with two 2-hour weekly shows at the moment and is obviously struggling to fill them both with quality product. vince only reluctantly stepped up the product output to compete with wcw in the first place, and a return to just one weekly show would be a welcome relief, at least for me. maybe then feuds could be given proper time to build and we wouldn't be oversaturated with name matches to the degree that eventual payoff bouts mean nothing anymore.

[Guest bob_barron]

As Marvin said-

 

It's like UPN's highest rated show. It's not in danger of getting cancelled

[Guest HartFan86]

SD won't get kicked off until no one watches it. And that's 0.1 ratings.

[LooseCannon25 0]

UPN cancelling smackdown would be like NBC cancelling Friends or Frazier or Seinfeld from back in the day. WWE is UPN's top draw, besides that and maybe one or 2 other other shows they would be in big time trouble with big dissapointments like Buffy. I think the show which has a better chance of getting cancelled is RAW not only cause of ratings, but TNN is clearly unhappy with the product their putting out, and the controversial content. It's only a matter of time till they get fed up and kick WWE to the curb.

[Guest Jobber of the Week]

And that's why I'm happy about this 4,000 ticket sale report for No Mercy. Keep sales, merchandise, and ratings down and they'll get the message.

No, that'll just make the company reset the storylines and change directions again a few hours before a show. We've seen it before.

 

When people can stop marking out and popping for HHH's water spit, THEN they will get the message.

[Guest bps "The Truth" 21]

UPN is also handled by local affiliates.

 

I beleive that mine has already decided to drop it too.

[Guest DJ Jeff]

Since I live in Canada, I get Smackdown on The Score, and as far as I know, they aren't planning on dropping Smackdown. As far as UPN dropping Smackdown, I don't think it will happen unless it gets a 0.1 rating.

[Guest Olympic Slam]

I read in the newspaper the other day that the WB (UPN's alternate and whiter twin) is KILLING UPN in the ratings. So don't expect the higher ups in UPN to dump SD, a show which probably isn't doing as bad when compared to the rest of their weekly late night lineup.

[Guest Pop Culture God]

When, the WB is killing you...

 

it's time for another Star Trek show.

[Guest CanadianChick]

I don't think that either show is in danger of being dropped because they are both on stations that havve crap shows. WWE is the top draw for TNN and one of the top draws (save Enterprise and maybe Buffy) on UPN.

[Guest Zero_Cool]

What if RAW gets dropped from TNN?

 

You think Vince may go crawling back to USA?

[Guest Pop Culture God]

What if RAW gets dropped from TNN?

 

You think Vince may go crawling back to USA?

He'd rather go to Turner.

[Guest Zero_Cool]

But wouldn't standards and practices get in the way?

 

Also, does Turner even have power anymore, what with the merger and all?

[Guest Pop Culture God]

But wouldn't standards and practices get in the way?

 

Also, does Turner even have power anymore, what with the merger and all?

I said he'd rather go there, not that they'd take him. If Viacom dropped him, he'd sell the company.

[Guest wolverine]

WWE's contract with UPN runs through 2003 and the contract with TNN/MTV runs through 2005.

[Guest NaturalBornThriller4:20]

Let's put it this way,

 

UPN dropping Smackdown is like "The Parkers" becoming the highest rated Show on Television for the Week, even higher than "Friends"

 

It's not going to happen.