In an article on Forbes.com regarding WWE’s declining ratings, former writer Court Bauer noted the following:
“WWE has been tracking downward in the ratings since I was at WWE in 2007. Fans are sophisticated. They’re selective. They are pursuing other outlets for pro wrestling. The climate is eerily similar to 1995 in that consumer appetite was sinking for WWE, but the hunger was still there. Fans, including myself, sought out something different and I found it in ECW and WCW. Technology has also helped move it along as with just two or three clicks you can be streaming something from anywhere at any point. I see wrestling represented on the streets of New York, I see it threaded through the cultural fabric today maybe more than ever before. WWE is like McDonald’s: they’re global, affordable and readily available anywhere, anytime but society wants more gluten-free, organic or just something different. Sure, McDonald’s, like WWE, is everywhere—ready to be consumed, but not many enjoy digesting it.”
The Forbes article also had comments from Konnan:
“Somewhere along the way, [WWE] lost their way. I work in Mexico and I help put together a live show, but it’s like a two-hour show and that’s it. They’re doing a three-hour show on Monday, and then a two-hour show and all that original content in WWE Ride Along and Table for 3. SmackDown is usually better because it’s only two hours and their storylines are better. A lot of times, at the end of the day, it’s what Vince McMahon wants, and it shouldn’t be what he wants, it should be what the fans want.”
