No Way Out buy-rate

[Spaceman Spiff 0]

http://corporate.wwe.com/investors/documen...Drivers_001.pdf

 

Yeah, I jacked the link off SK's blog, but thought it'd be appropriate here, too, since people were waiting on the NWO buy-rate to see if JBL was finally getting over as a draw. By the looks of things, it doesn't look like it. Barely beat Taboo Tuesday, and looks to be somewhere around 200,000 (give or take a little).

 

Anyone know if this is the final number? If so, hopefully the WWE gets the message that JBL isn't cutting it on top.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

http://corporate.wwe.com/investors/documen...Drivers_001.pdf

 

Yeah, I jacked the link off SK's blog, but thought it'd be appropriate here, too, since people were waiting on the NWO buy-rate to see if JBL was finally getting over as a draw. By the looks of things, it doesn't look like it. Barely beat Taboo Tuesday, and looks to be somewhere around 200,000 (give or take a little).

 

Anyone know if this is the final number? If so, hopefully the WWE gets the message that JBL isn't cutting it on top.

Why is the buyrate attributed to JBL only? The show was promoted horribly, and there were only like two matches that people were interested in. Not even Batista could save it.

[alfdogg 0]

He's been the champ for 9 months now, he's headlined every SD PPV since June and they've all had similar, if not worse, buyrates. I'm not a JBL hater by any stretch, but why wouldn't it be attributed to him?

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

Attribute it to the general crappiness of the product.

[MillenniumMan831 0]

Plus, not even the markiest mark gave The Big Show a hope in hell of winning anyway.

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

The one thing this does show is that trying to use a crazy gimmick to cover up a match that nobody wants to see isn't the sure fire thing some thought it would be. And by the same token, while this was a match that nobody wanted to see, a genuinely strong draw would have still been able to get people to pay to see him in action, because even the best can make chicken salad out of chicken shit. If it was below 175,000, I'd have said JBL was a negative draw. As it is, he appears to be only middle-of-the-road.

[Guest Dazed]

Amazing that a cheap buyrate increasing attempt (the barb wire) failed to work...

[algrim 0]

Reasosn why I thinked the PPV didn't have enough buy rates:

 

1) Too many Diva segments. They should've done one segment instead of three.

 

2) Not enough matches. I would've been happy seeing a Haas match instead of a Diva segment.

 

3) The ME could've been better, had they used the barbed wire.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

I'm not saying JBL is a drawing champion, he's likely not, but I just don't believe the NWO buys is JBL's fault 100%.

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

Reasosn why I thinked the PPV didn't have enough buy rates:

 

1) Too many Diva segments. They should've done one segment instead of three.

 

2) Not enough matches. I would've been happy seeing a Haas match instead of a Diva segment.

 

3) The ME could've been better, had they used the barbed wire.

Nobody buying the PPV would have known how many Diva segments there were going to be, how many matches there would be, or known how good or bad the main event would be.

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

I'm not saying JBL is a drawing champion, he's likely not, but I just don't believe the NWO buys is JBL's fault 100%.

I don't think it's entirely his fault either. I just think he does deserve his share of the blame.

[cbacon 0]

Reasosn why I thinked the PPV didn't have enough buy rates:

 

1) Too many Diva segments. They should've done one segment instead of three.

 

2) Not enough matches. I would've been happy seeing a Haas match instead of a Diva segment.

 

3) The ME could've been better, had they used the barbed wire.

Generally, fans don't know what exactly is going to happen on the card BEFORE they order.

[JN News 0]

I'm not saying JBL is a drawing champion, he's likely not, but I just don't believe the NWO buys is JBL's fault 100%.

Bradshaw is the champion, and it's the champ's fault whether or not the show is successful.

[natey2k4 0]

I think everyone remember the Hogan/Flair one and shat all over this one...

 

I personally am enjoying JBL's title reign... I wish he would pick up a few cleaner, more decisive victories.. but when is the last time we had a good Champion that can provide seriousness, laughs, decent matches, and a fresh look on top. Angle could be mentioned, but he's been champion enough times already.. JBL is doing a good job...

 

The Business is down altogether.. Wrestlemania's buyrate probably won't exceed very highly either... Give it another year or so.. and Batista may be the next Stone Cold and rocket launch the business agian.. or maybe we will need to wait for TNA to solidify its spot as #2.

[Tawren 0]

The reason I didn't order the show wasn't because JBL was main eventing - I'm actually a pretty big JBL fan - but that the rest of the card was total shit. I remember Eddy/Rey vs Bashams, Booker vs Heidenreich, some 5 minute cruiserweight thing, and a bunch of faceless diva crap. I'm not going to pay $35 for that. Especially when blowoffs to the PPV matches are given on free TV - see Booker vs Heidenreich from this weeks Smackdown and I believe there was a tag title rematch on the show after No Way Out. They need to stop doing things like that, stop wasting time on diva crap that nobody cares about, have bigger cards (there are usually 5/6 matches pre-announced for a PPV, maybe 7). Why not split that cruiserweight mess into a six man tag and a title match? Why not have the big Booker/Heidenreich blowoff at the PPV? It makes no sense and it is a waste of money to order these shows.

 

So yeah, JBL deserves some of the blame. So does Big Show, by that logic. But the "creative"/booking team deserves the lions share of the blame because it was their fault it was a shitty card that nobody in their right mind would pay $35 for.

 

That is why buyrates are sinking. Smaller, shittier shows for tons of money when the blow off matches are on free TV. Fuck that shit.

[algrim 0]

Had they hyped more matches 2 weeks before the event, maybe there would've been more buys.

[Gert T 0]

The three week turnover from RR probably didn't help either. I would also agree with the sentiment that you need to hype more than 2 matches until the week before the show. Or maybe they knew the 3 matches they made the Thursday before the PPV weren't gonna swing many buys.

[Guest Brian]

Buyrates are down overall, so it's not like more matches would have made that much of an impact. What should be really interesting is where numbers go with Mania, since it's as expensive is last year without the historic hype surrounding it, you have two floundering champs, and two new "stars" coming into the forefront.

[Sass 0]

Which SD! PPV drew the best buyrate while JBL was on the top of the card? What has been the lowest buyrate since his time as champ?

[humongous2002 0]

JBL hasn't draw a dime yet, he's always having the worst ratings for his segments, his p.p.v.s have the lowest buyrates (I think Armageddon had a decent buyrate but that was because the fans actually thought that either Eddie,Book or even Taker was going to win the title), and besides having top midcard level mic skills the fans don't buy him as a main eventer.

[Kahran Ramsus 0]

RAW's buyrates are almost as bad so it isn't just JBL. Is JBL to blame for Taboo Tuesday too?

 

HBK & HHH draw less than jackshit as well.

[Sass 0]

I still can't get over how Benoit's title reign was placed below the HHH/HBK feud. It was like Hogan/Warrior overshadowing Goldberg when he was the champ. That was something right out of WCW's books.

[Spaceman Spiff 0]

Which SD! PPV drew the best buyrate while JBL was on the top of the card? What has been the lowest buyrate since his time as champ?

Armageddon and No Way Out, respectively.

 

Going back to last May, 2 of the 3 lowest bought PPV's involved JBL in the ME (No Mercy & NWO).

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

Which SD! PPV drew the best buyrate while JBL was on the top of the card?  What has been the lowest buyrate since his time as champ?

Armageddon and No Way Out, respectively.

 

Going back to last May, 2 of the 3 lowest bought PPV's involved JBL in the ME (No Mercy & NWO).

Look who JBL was fighting at the time.

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

I don't know why anyone would have ordered NWO unless they have a group of friends that order every show and split the cost (like myself and co.)... it was a 3 weeks after the Rumble, which is a big PPV, and that was only 3 weeks after New Year's Revolution, which also drew well, and then you have Mania just around the corner.

 

I'm not trying to defend JBL (though I've come around to enjoy him) or the booking / promoting of the show (which was horrible), but there was just no reason to consider ordering this show a wise financial choice.

[Guest Shadow]

Hasn't NWO been a historically low drawing ppv anyways because most fans just spent their money on the #2 show of the year and are about to buy the #1 show of the year which is an extra 10 bucks...

 

I've always seen NWO as a nothing ppv with the exception of 2001(with Austin/HHH, Angle/Rock, Fatal Four Match, Trish/Stephanie) NWO always has weak cards or obvious results which causes the low buyrates.

 

This isn't 100% JBL's fault. The blame has to be "credited" to the lack of an overall appealing card, a crappy promoted show, weak card and a obvious result.

 

even the biggest marks knew JBL wasn't losing, that Cena was winning and that nothing else mattered.

[Spaceman Spiff 0]

Hasn't NWO been a historically low drawing ppv anyways because most fans just spent their money on the #2 show of the year and are about to buy the #1 show of the year which is an extra 10 bucks...

The last 2 years, yeah, but in '03 and '02 it did pretty good (in '02 it outdrew Summer Slam, and in '03 was pretty close to Slam).

[ISportsFan 0]

The last 2 years, yeah, but in '03 and '02 it did pretty good (in '02 it outdrew Summer Slam, and in '03 was pretty close to Slam).

2002 was a very special case -- it was Hulk Hogan's first WWE PPV since King of the Ring 1993. That really is more comparable to other special "non-big 4" PPVs like Invasion.

 

Jason

[Guest Shadow]

2003 also had the big return of Steve Austin after a 8 month hiatus and the Rock/Hogan II main event.

[Guest TheLastBoyscout]

The one thing this does show is that trying to use a crazy gimmick to cover up a match that nobody wants to see isn't the sure fire thing some thought it would be. And by the same token, while this was a match that nobody wanted to see, a genuinely strong draw would have still been able to get people to pay to see him in action, because even the best can make chicken salad out of chicken shit. If it was below 175,000, I'd have said JBL was a negative draw. As it is, he appears to be only middle-of-the-road.

Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels were middle of the road draws too.

 

There is no one wrestler who will draw or not draw. The WWE brandname will draw a certain section of fans no matter what, and until they stumble on the next big thing it will only draw a limited base.