Smackdown gets 3.6

[Guest]

Smackdown last night finished with a 3.6 rating and six share. Anyone who tries to act like, since the number is the same as last week, that it doesn't show a downward trend is fooling themselves badly.

 

Bluntly. This number was very bad. There was zero first-run competition against it this week as opposed to the season finales of three of the most popular television shows last week. Last week was also a regular show, while this week they hotshotted the Hulk Hogan retirement announcement. With the lack of competition and the hype of the biggest modern star giving his supposed farewell speech, the rating should have shown a marked improvement.

 

The ratings showed that the boy (and by the boy I mean both Hogan but even more, pro wrestling) has called wolf too many times. If the public doesn't believe that what is being hyped will be delivered, they won't care, and when they don't care, it no longer matters what you hype. WWE and all of wrestling need to put a moratorium on fake retirements, because they've been done, and as the rating shows, either nobody buys them, or the people who do buy them don't care about the character. Building a Hogan-Vince feud as the prime objective of TV today is like a man treading water in the ocean, trying his darndest to keep from drowning, and the people in the boat going by, instead of sending him a line to pull him to safety, send him a classic book to read that they all in the boat remember fondly.

 

The company needs to just accept that the ratings aren't going to improve right now and build angles that will peak six months from now with fresh faces and start getting them over as main characters. The ratings will drop more, most likely, as these new characters are being built. Accept it. The new characters aren't going to get strong quarter hours for months, so don't worry about it now. Tossing the split idea right now because of ratings declines would be the panic approach because it'll only make any turnaround more difficult. The split has been handled poorly and irrevocable damage has been done already in not treating them as separate companies so the big money down the line when interpromotional matches take place isn't going to be there as it should. But going backwards will only keep the focus of both shows on people who can't turn it around any longer, and will mean less one year from today. Be patient. Because this is probably going to take a while. And there are no guarantees that it will work, only that by not making changes, you guarantee it won't turn around.

 

The ratings may hold steady by making no changes, but most likely they'll drop anyway, just maybe not as much as figuring that from now until January is rebuilding and start figuring ideas for Mania and pray the key people don't get hurt and work to very slowly plant the seeds for that show. But every week of building around someone whose day is over is a week more of digging a hole deeper before there comes the day you have to start accepting it and digging out.

 

wrestlingobserver.com

[Guest Brian]

Well, hopefully it looks like they're setting up a bunch of new stars, but we'll have to wait and see. Meltzer's got a really good point; they have to shake things up and let these guys peak later on so that they can catch attention along the way.

[Guest Invader3k]

Meltzer made a lot of good points here. I especially agree with how the WWE has to accept the fact that the ratings aren't going to improve immediately anytime soon. They need to just choose a direction that's not based on old guys like Hogan and Undertaker, and go with it until 'Mania next year. Give Angle, Edge, RVD, Jericho, etc. the ball for a while and see how things go.

[Guest dreamer420]

Who cares.  The WWE's ratings were shit up until 1998 and it is stupid to expect the kinds of numbers they are pulling in weekly to be consistant.  Is the WWE any worse right now than it was in 1995 because things were fucking rough back then.  The ratings were shit, they had no talent (except for Bret Hart), and the match quality back then was pathetic.  But really how good can Diesel vs. Mabel be?  Here in 2002 the ratings are in a decline, attendance is down, and there is a a lot of bitching  on the internet.  Right now the WWE has the best roster of talent that has ever been seen in pro wrestling and they just need to figure out what to do with it.  The brand extension was a great idea but the Raw brand was fucked from the start, due to lack of good workers.  I believe that things will turn around for the WWE, and it is only a matter of time until that happens.  If the WWE made it through 1995 okay then they should be just fine in 2002.

[Guest bcu1979]

The company needs to just accept that the ratings aren't going to improve right now and build angles that will peak six months from now with fresh faces and start getting them over as main characters. The ratings will drop more, most likely, as these new characters are being built. Accept it. The new characters aren't going to get strong quarter hours for months, so don't worry about it now. Tossing the split idea right now because of ratings declines would be the panic approach because it'll only make any turnaround more difficult. The split has been handled poorly and irrevocable damage has been done already in not treating them as separate companies so the big money down the line when interpromotional matches take place isn't going to be there as it should. But going backwards will only keep the focus of both shows on people who can't turn it around any longer, and will mean less one year from today. Be patient. Because this is probably going to take a while. And there are no guarantees that it will work, only that by not making changes, you guarantee it won't turn around.

 

The ratings may hold steady by making no changes, but most likely they'll drop anyway, just maybe not as much as figuring that from now until January is rebuilding and start figuring ideas for Mania and pray the key people don't get hurt and work to very slowly plant the seeds for that show. But every week of building around someone whose day is over is a week more of digging a hole deeper before there comes the day you have to start accepting it and digging out.

 

wrestlingobserver.com

Amen to every single word! Meltzer pretty much said the same thing in the Observer a couple months back. The new main eventers may not catch on at first and they may even fail ultimately. But to keep the same three or four guys on top is a guarantee of failure.

 

Vince has to show the balls (or brains) to stop the bleeding and start healing the many wounds that have been inflicted upon his company in the last couple years. Because it's just like WCW. You could see the huge mistakes being made and you knew eventually it was going to catch up to them. But everyone was on such a high because things were going great that the naysayers were discounted as nothing more than Chicken Little's. And now here were are two years later and the WWE is in complete freefall and with (the possible exception of Goldberg) no more aces in the hole.

[Guest Anglesault]

Bull Dinky.

 

It's OBVIOUSLY Angle and Jericho's fault. So, to make it better, have Jericho cheat to beat lower midcarders and have Angle feud with maven. And Push test, damnit! That's the ticket!

[Guest dreamer420]

Vince has to show the balls (or brains) to stop the bleeding and start healing the many wounds that have been inflicted upon his company in the last couple years.

How?  Even Jim Ross states in the Ross Report that they have no idea how to turn this around.

[Guest bps "The Truth" 21]

Step 1:  Godbye Hogan, Taker and Nash

 

Step 2:  Pay someone to whack HHH and Stephanie.

 

It's so easy...I did it in 2 steps.

[Guest cobainwasmurdered]

c'mon be realistic BPS! if you find a hitman who's a wrestling fan you won't have to pay him!

[Guest bcu1979]

Vince has to show the balls (or brains) to stop the bleeding and start healing the many wounds that have been inflicted upon his company in the last couple years.

How?  Even Jim Ross states in the Ross Report that they have no idea how to turn this around.

I thought he said they did know what to do to turn the product around - i.e. - create new feuds, elevate new talent, etc. All those revolutionary ideas that no one's ever mentioned before - besides pretty much everyone on the internet and all the newsletters for the past two years.

 

It seemed like he was taking a shot at 1bob.com by saying the reports that they don't know how to fix the problem are false.  Since Scherer has said a couple times lately that the word backstage was that the WWF didn't know how to solve the current problems with their product.

 

I don't understand your question though. I was agreeing with Meltzer's opinions listed above as solutions to improving the current stale product.

[Guest Human Fly]

Do they really know? If they did why wouldn't they have done it by now?

[Guest]

I watched WCW religiously for the beginning of the nWo years.  But by the nWo Wolfpac, I lost interest in any of them.  It got old.  Stale.  A person can look at nothing for years, and then a bright orange card comes up, and they'll either see it as interesting or annoying.  But they'll get used to it.  Eventually they'll get tired of it and close their eyes.  The card drops and a blue car rises.  And the cycle continues.

[Guest]

Because, the inmates are running the jail. i.e., Wrestlers have Too much power.

[Guest Anorak]

That was probably one the most perceptive and concise accounts i've read recently about the WWE's current plight. The WWE really needs to roll its sleeves up and put their back into giving the whole product a real overhaul or things won't change. The numerous short term fixes they have tried in recent history have either backfired badly or simply ran out of steam and left them back at square one. I'm sure the situation can be salvaged in time but like Meltzer points out its clearly not going to happen overnight. This is no bad thing in some ways however as the WWE needs a decent period of time ensure it can devise a new strategy for things. It may be a bumpy ride with new ideas falling short of the mark in some cases but eventually something will hopefully 'stick' and point the way forward. Like the modern therapy cliche goes: "The first and most important step is admitting you have a problem". The WWE has been complacent for far too long, they have consistantly brushed off the fact their fanbase has been slowly slipping and refused to face up to it properly. A good first step would be actually putting some faith in some new faces to step up to the main event scene and establish themselves.

[Guest Ash Ketchum]

Because, the inmates are running the jail. i.e., Wrestlers have Too much power.

Just like in "The Last Castle", which my parents oddly are watching right now...

[Guest Raven_Effect01]

Step 2:  Pay someone to whack HHH and Stephanie.

I think Chris Jericho should be that someone, LOL.

 

Anyway, back to the topic.  I, like many others, agree with what Meltzer said and it'll take a while for WWE to bring the ratings back up.  They can't just get rid of the split or it'll be the panic approach.  Wrestling is in a down period currently, and WWE still doesn't have a consistent booking team that can build new stars properly yet, but they should start trying to, and possibly within several months, the lost fans may start to come back and ratings should go back up.

[Guest]

Anyway, back to the topic.  I, like many others, agree with what Meltzer said and it'll take a while for WWE to bring the ratings back up.  They can't just get rid of the split or it'll be the panic approach.  Wrestling is in a down period currently, and WWE still doesn't have a consistent booking team that can build new stars properly yet, but they should start trying to, and possibly within several months, the lost fans may start to come back and ratings should go back up.

 

I agree. this happens all the time in wrestling. hey whatever goes up must come down,

[Guest Human Fly]

I was watching a tape of Raw last night from the MacMahon/Helmsly regime. This was when Chyna and Jericho were Co-Intercontinental Champs. Jericho was mad about the situation and called HHH and Stephanie each a "jackass". Hearing it now after what all has gone on made the comment that much better.

[Guest]

If Vince wants good ratings. than he should bring back old school wrestling, bad gimmicks, and fire all the divas. Back then wrestling was successful because it was for the families, now because of the attitude era, the ratings have dropped. I think Undertaker should get rid of that gay biker crap and bring back the real Undertaker. Now that Mean Gene is back, old school family entertainment wrestling should come back. So should the bad gimmicks. I think Stone Cold should grow some hair and bring back "Stunning" Steve Austin. Justin Credible should bring back "Man-O-War" Aldo Montoya. Any wresting from the past that is currently in the WWE should go back to their old ways.

[Guest buffybeast]

If Vince wants good ratings. than he should bring back old school wrestling, bad gimmicks, and fire all the divas. Back then wrestling was successful because it was for the families, now because of the attitude era, the ratings have dropped. I think Undertaker should get rid of that gay biker crap and bring back the real Undertaker. Now that Mean Gene is back, old school family entertainment wrestling should come back. So should the bad gimmicks. I think Stone Cold should grow some hair and bring back "Stunning" Steve Austin. Justin Credible should bring back "Man-O-War" Aldo Montoya. Any wresting from the past that is currently in the WWE should go back to their old ways.

I don't think the return of old school family wrestling will change the current situation.  WWF needs to move forward, not backwards.

 

***EDIT***  I get the feeling that your statement was made in jest.  If so, then pardon me.

[Guest One Bad Apple]

You know, some of you people could just say you agree with the guy instead of regurgiating what he said and acting like you're a bunch of insightful genii.

[Guest]

I don't give a shit if old school wrestling doesn't change the situation. The WWE has been shit ever since the fucking attitude era started.

[Guest justcoz]

Yeah, the answer to all of WWE's problems are to return to family friendly programming where terrible gimmicks such us Spark Plug Holly, Aldo Montoya, Xanta Claus, Bastian Booger, Friar Ferguson, The Goon, Max Moon and the Red Rooster reigned supreme.  Let's turn HHH back into a blue blood, Stone Cold back to Stunning Steve, The Rock back into the Blue Chipper and The Undertaker back into a one dimensional no selling character who can stuff the cruiserweight division into a body bag upon his return.  While we are at it bring back Todd Pettengil!!!!

[Guest snowfan]

c'mon be realistic BPS! if you find a hitman who's a wrestling fan you won't have to pay him!

 

He'd do it for free....

[Guest Risk]

LOL!

[Guest The Man in Blak]

I don't really think the ratings plunge should be blamed on Hogan's retirement flop as much as bad TV over the last couple of weeks.  I really don't see wrestling fans, both casual and hardcore, calling each other up before each quarterhour to tell them whether to watch or not - I believe it's really a weekly process.

 

That being said, what Meltzer threw out there is a very solid plan for a long-term solution, and it definitely beats the "throw shit on the barn door and see what sticks" routine that the WWE is treading water with at the moment.