WWE’s recent television ratings have been a cause for concern, with both RAW and SmackDown experiencing a significant dip in viewership. According to legendary wrestling reporter Bill Apter, the timing of this ratings slump may not be a coincidence, but rather a direct result of WrestleMania XL. The wrestling extravaganza, which took place on April 8, drew in a massive audience of 2.860 million viewers on RAW, but since then, the numbers have been consistently dwindling.
On April 22, RAW managed to garner a mere 1.610 million viewers on the USA Network, a staggering drop of over 1.2 million viewers from the post-WrestleMania high. Similarly, SmackDown’s numbers on FOX have also taken a hit, plummeting from 2.603 million viewers on April 5 to 2.143 million on April 26.
Apter, who shared his insights on the latest episode of Sportskeeda’s The Wrestling Time Machine, believes that the lack of a unifying force like WrestleMania has led to a decline in interest among fans. With the dust settling on the biggest event of the WWE calendar, it seems that fans have tuned out, leaving WWE with a significant ratings problem on their hands.
Furthermore, Apter also criticized the build-up to the recent title match between Damian Priest and Jey Uso at Backlash France. He argued that Uso should have pinned Priest ahead of the event to create a more exciting narrative, rather than Balor taking the fall. This, he believes, would have added more fuel to the fire, creating a more compelling storyline that would have kept viewers invested.
Apter’s comments raise important questions about WWE’s ability to sustain interest and create engaging storylines outside of the WrestleMania season. As the WWE universe looks for ways to revitalize ratings, the creative team would do well to take heed of Apter’s suggestions and find ways to keep fans engaged and invested in the product.
In a sport where storytelling and drama are key, WWE needs to focus on crafting compelling narratives that resonate with fans, rather than relying solely on the hype surrounding WrestleMania. Only time will tell if WWE can revitalize its ratings, but for now, one thing is clear: WWE has a problem on its hands, and it’s going to take more than just a few flashy matches to fix it.
