WWE are in a major funk.
The company are, of course, battling COVID-19 and have been forced to run events behind closed doors because of the global pandemic.
They have struggled to keep viewers engaged, though, despite the lockdowns in various countries.
Indeed, The Sun reported last week that the viewership of RAW is at its lowest ebb ever, with just 1.5 million average viewers.
This is fast approaching crisis point.
So GIVEMESPORT has taken a close look at exactly how Vince McMahon can turn the ship around, as it looks set, currently, to sail straight into an apathetic iceberg.
10 ways are listed below.
1 – NXT promotions
There are plenty of genuinely world-class wrestlers working in NXT.
Think of the likes of Tommaso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano, Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, and Keith Lee.
They’re all absolutely brilliant and they’d bring something genuinely new and exciting to the main roster.
Provided there is a plan for them, and they have the ability to give them an intriguing programme, promoting from within could see a bump in ratings.
2 – Push the underutilised
Big E is set for a singles push and that has led to an outpouring of love on social media and from WWE Hall of Famers.
And that just shows that there are plenty of wrestlers within WWE’s ranks that deserve a proper push.
One has to think that fans would be willing to watch if they knew that the likes of Cesaro, or Sami Zayn, or Andrade were set to receive a big push or a title opportunity.
Continuing to go with the same old guys isn’t going to bring people back to the product.
3 – Bring the nostalgia back
This may not go down well with the die-hard fans.
But it’s a fact that the casual fans are popped by seeing wrestlers from their childhood.
Bringing back the likes of Stone Cold Steve Austin or The Rock normally sees more people tune in.
Of course, it’s a short-term bump, but it’s proven to work.
4 – Write compelling, long-term storylines
It’s been too long.
There have been so many stories that have started and then ended without proper resolution – think of the Hacker on SmackDown for example.
But writing a compelling, long-term storyline is only going to bring people back every week as they look to see the next chapter unfold.
Remember Shawn Michaels v The Undertaker – that story lasted two years and was brilliant at every turn.
More of that please, WWE.
5 – Keep surprises as surprises
Why did WWE start announcing returns on Twitter?
It sucks the excitement out of weekly shows and means people don’t need to tune in to find out whether a new signing or a debutant will be appearing.
Back in February, for example, they announced that John Cena would be returning to SmackDown. Why? It made next to no sense.
Adding in the idea that literally anything can happen in the company is only going to help ratings.
6 – Prioritise work rate
Let the wrestlers wrestle in good wrestling matches.
It really isn’t hard.
When Paul Heyman was in charge of SmackDown, he prioritised pushing the SmackDown Six – Eddie Guerrero, Kurt Angle, Edge, Chris Benoit, Rey Mysterio, and Chavo Guerrero.
That led to multiple genuinely brilliant matches on the show and allowed SmackDown to beat RAW in the ratings.
Having the best wrestlers prove that they’re the best can only be a good thing.
7 – Stop scripting
Scripting wrestlers makes everyone sound the same.
Well, perhaps it wouldn’t if the writers could actually, you know, differentiate between babyfaces and heels.
But they can’t. Every good guy is very happy to be in the WWE and every heel is very clever.
That needs to stop.
Let wrestlers come up with their own promos – Steve Austin’s 3:16 promo launched the career of perhaps the best WWE superstar ever and was off the cuff – and you’ve suddenly got a reason to tune in.
8 – Let characters be themselves
On that note, letting wrestlers choose their own characters can only be a good thing.
The superstars who have endured the test of time are the likes of The Undertaker, Hulk Hogan, The Rock, Austin, and Chris Jericho.
They have all been allowed to hone and craft their own characters.
Compare that with the likes of Austin Theory, Angel Garza, Andrade, Cedric Alexander, and Ali.
What differentiates those superstars from each other? Absolutely nothing.
Let them be themselves, and suddenly we may have some compelling viewing.
9 – Change the presentation
Admittedly, RAW and SmackDown have a tough lot at the moment, given that everything is happening behind closed doors.
But that doesn’t mean that the presentation has to be quite so stale.
Every RAW show looks exactly the same, and feels exactly the same. It often begins with a promo, instead of a match, and we have three hours of okay matches, usually ended by an above-average main event.
That can change.
If we can move towards having matches taking precedence over talking, we’re getting somewhere.
10 – Pray that COVID-19 blows over quickly
This is just the reality.
COVID has wreaked havoc on the WWE schedule and has meant that they are scrabbling around to find ways to keep the product going.
Perhaps they could have taken a break but hindsight is 20-20; Vince needs to hope that COVID ends soon, and we get back to normality.