Opinion
Bonnette: Don’t panic!
So three weeks in, what’s the deal with the ratings newzzz!!!
So three weeks in, what’s the deal with the ratings newzzz!!!
The first week they did 1.409 million, then fell to 1.14 million in week two and to 1.014 million in week three. That’s a 28 percent drop in two weeks, which has caused some people to get worried. After all it was largely thought by some of AEW’s biggest supporters that the opposite would happen, that once the show started and people got to see this new company that was going to push the business forward from the perceived (and in some instances real) stagnation that had taken place with the WWE as the only major player on the board. But that hasn’t happened and instead they’ve been treated by viewers the way they do most other TV shows with numbers dropping from their debut episode. And now the first signs of panic have come in the form of an article on PWInsider explaining just how people need to go about watching in order to get the ratings back up.
As someone who has had no shortage of criticism towards AEW let me say…….relax. As the boss here Greg Demarco, I and several others have pointed out, they are in absolutely no danger of losing their TV slot. To reiterate a point that’s been made by all of us, TNT did not have a single show in the top 150 on Wednesday night before AEW debuted. This week AEW was fifth in the ratings, after being eighth last week and second the week before. Trust me, they are fine. As long as they stay in that 150 TNT will be happy. For some further context the portion of the simulcast from week two on TruTV that got 122,000 viewers finished in the top 150 on it’s own, so they’d have to fall below that to even be in danger. Just like with Raw and SmackDown, it’s way too early to start firing off the doom and gloom tweets and think pieces. Like years too early.
A few things to keep in mind when you read those ratings reports…..
Don’t read them on a wrestling website
At least 90 percent of the ratings talk on the internet is garbage. Go to a website that talks about television and puts things in proper context instead. Winning the demo is more important that the total audience number, for example, and being on opposite major sporting events or a huge news story is always going to take a bite out of your numbers. Anyone that doesn’t share that in their assessment and only focuses on the total audience number is being extremely disingenuous with you so don’t give them the clicks or shares they desire. If it’s a twitter account that you feel you have to address then respond directly and don’t RT them to give them more reach or potential followers, which is what they want.
Rating don’t equal viewership
The Nielsen ratings don’t tell us anything close to what they used to. They are a measure of how many people are watching a particular show during it’s first run on television during it’s official time slot on broadcast television. That’s it. They don’t count people who DVR and watch it later (there is a category for that but they don’t count for our purposes here), or watch it on Hulu, or stream it, or pirate it, or who watch the clips on YouTube, or in the case of WWE programming who watch it on the Network later. In the case of AEW there is a replay that airs right after the first run that doesn’t count towards the live number either (and it would be wrong to try and add that audience in because a lot of them are people who watched the first run just like with Nitro back in the day, or fell asleep with the channel on, etc.).
And for comparison’s sake the same logic applies to NXT in that that it’s on the WWE Network 24 hours later, people DVR it and watch it after they watch watch Dynamite live, etc. A lot of us have been making this argument for years in regards to Raw and SmackDown to deaf ears, so maybe now that there’s an entity whose success you are invested in it will take hold. The overnight ratings are a measure of who is watching a show during it’s live timeslot on the broadcast channel itself. That is all and nothing more. And yes that matters to advertisers but to the networks the main things are whether or not a show is profitable, does it reach a particular audience that’s good for the network, and is it doing better than anything else they could put there.
Ratings don’t equal quality
The Wire is considered in a lot of circles to be one of the best television shows ever created. It also had a really low viewership and would have been canceled in its first season had it not been on HBO, a network devoted to prestige television. On the other hand Love and Hip Hop, Basketball Wives, etc are among the highest rated shows on cable every week. The NFL Pro Bowl, maybe the worst professional football that makes it on TV, gets a bigger audience than the NBA playoffs which most observers say is the best basketball out there. If you’re of the belief that AEW’s Dynamite is better than Raw, SmackDown, or NXT and consequently should be on the road to out rating all of them then I imagine you’re somewhat perplexed at the downward trend. But you shouldn’t be, because that’s just how these things go.
There’s no objective way to judge quality anyway. Some people like certain shows because they’re trashy, after all. So do not despair because the total audience numbers do not reflect what the people who watch the show actually think of the show itself. The first to second week drop was to be expected as some people who made it a point to tune in for the premiere either didn’t stick around or switched up their viewing time to the replay or on DVR, and the second to third week drop wasn’t anything horrible. As the NBA season gets underway both AEW and NXT will likely lose some of it’s total audience and demo numbers, so if a big hit comes over the next couple week you should just shrug that off, too. That’s going to happen no matter how good either or both shows are just like how Raw loses viewers during football season to Monday Night Football and during April and May to the NCAA championship and NBA playoffs. And as you should not attribute those losses to the quality of WWE’s Monday night programming (although lots of you do), you shouldn’t treat any lost viewers on Wednesday nights as if AEW or NXT is failing to meet some standards of it’s intended audience.
So in closing…..just let it go. They’re not in trouble. You’ll know that’s a problem if the replay gets cancelled or they get cut from two hours to one or get moved to Saturday or something, which for the foreseeable future has zero chance of happening. As far as getting more people to watch, that’s on the guys who run the company and not you. If you’re enjoying it keep watching it and if anyone asks you about it talk it up. But do not seek validation of what you like in the viewing habits of other people because that’s just a losing battle. The idea that if it’s good enough they’ll come is misguided; the reality is that they’ll come if they’re convinced to come and nothing more, no matter how good you and your contemporaries think it is.
Opinion
Chris King: Was Randy Orton Simply Repeating History At WrestleMania 42?
Could the WWE WrestleMania 42 results for Randy Orton lead to repeated history at Backlash?
Could the WWE WrestleMania 42 results for Randy Orton lead to repeated history at Backlash?
WrestleMania 42 Night One is in the rear view, as Cody Rhodes retained his WWE Undisputed Championship. While Pat McAfee tried to involve himself in the title match, Jelly Roll took his ass out. Randy Orton utilized every single move in his arsenal and even the champion’s to win his fifteenth championship. Unfortunately, due to Pat’s shenanigans, Orton was unable to get the job done, and Rhodes secured the victory.
There have been rumors about Orton and Pat vs. Rhodes and Jelly Roll in a tag team match at this year’s Backlash PLE. It wasn’t until after last night that got me thinking, what if they repeat history when Orton won the championship in 2009? Orton, along with Legacy (Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, and Ted DiBiase Jr.), made it his life’s goal to destroy HHH and the McMahon family all the way up to WrestleMania 25. Orton punted both Vince and Shane and even hit a DDT on HHH’s wife. Stephanie. The psychological games weren’t enough though, as Orton didn’t win the title then either at Mania.
The next night on Monday Night Raw, Batista made his long-awaited return to the ring to help HHH against Legacy. In the weeks leading up to the event, Rhodes, Orton, and DiBiase Jr. would get the upper hand, destroying everyone. HHH would put his title on the line in a massive six-man tag team match alongside Shane and Batista versus Legacy. If Orton’s team won the match, then he would win the championship.
What if this huge stipulation were placed on the rumored tag team match, and Orton found a way to win the WWE Championship at Backlash? The WWE Universe might not be happy about the way Orton wins the title, but as long as Orton gets his fifteenth title, does it really matter? Maybe punting Rhodes was just the start of Orton listening to the voices and doing whatever he has to do to win the championship?
Opinion
Chris King Looks Back: WWE WrestleMania 36
Chris King takes a look back at one of the most surreal wrestling events of all time, 2020’s WWE WrestleMania 36!
Chris King takes a look back at one of the most surreal wrestling events of all time, 2020’s WWE WrestleMania 36!
As we get geared up for WrestleMania 42, one of my favorite things to do is go back and watch previous Manias and find that special magic again. Six years ago, we were living in a worldwide pandemic and nothing felt the same. WrestleMania 36 was supposed to be held in Tampa Bay but, unfortunately it took place inside of the Performance Center.
For the first time in WWE history, WrestleMania was split into two nights, which would become a constant going forward. Each night would feature a plethora of matches including Goldberg vs. Braun Strowman for the Universal Championship, Seth Rollins vs. Kevin Owens, AJ Styles vs. The Undertaker in a Boneyard Match, and Brock Lesnar vs. Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship.
On Night one, one of the greatest bouts with an incredible build would be ‘The Messiah’ Seth Rollins vs. Kevin Owens. Rollins had been fighting for the greater good flanked by The Authors of Pain and Buddy Matthews and blatantly destroying Owens on multiple occasions. Rollins portrayed the perfect manipulating heel here.
The resilient ‘Prizefighter’ was so sick of Rollins’ crap that he challenged him to a match at Mania. What started as a simple match, quickly turned into an all out brawl with no disqualifications. Both superstars fought all over the ringside area, and KO would climb off the huge WrestleMania sign and hit a massive elbow drop! Owens would pick up the huge victory over The Messiah.
Braun Strowman would challenge Goldberg for the Universal Championship in what was relatively a squash match. Roman Reigns was supposed to challenge Goldberg, butdue to health concerns, he took a hiatus from WWE. ‘The Monster Among Men’ would take four massive Spears from the veteran and retaliate with four running power slams to win his first Universal Championship!
The main event of night one saw The Undertaker battle AJ Styles in a really fun and chaotic boneyard match. This dream match was supposed to take place in front of 75,000 screaming fans but, this was truly the perfect ending to Taker’s illustrious career. Styles had some massive balls calling out his opponent by calling him by his official name and disrespecting his family. ‘The Phenomenal One’ just kept poking the bear all the way into their match. Watching Styles arrive in Undertaker fashion inside of a coffin and give a maniacal laugh was hilarious. All the games were over after Taker rode in on his motorcycle to beat his ass!
The Deadman would have to face off against The OC, and even his druids to shut his opponent up once and for all. Taker delivering a massive chokeslam and tombstone piledriver on the roof was a sight to see. Taker kicked Styles right into his own grave and rode off into the darkness, as usual! The Undertaker cross symbol blaring through the fire while Metallica plays was iconic! Taker would be so satisfied with the cinematic match that he would formally retire later that year!
Night Two of WrestleMania 36 was awesome and electric, as Edge faced off with his greatest former friend now rival Randy Orton in a last man standing match, John Cena faced off with ‘The Fiend’ Bray Wyatt inside the Firefly Funhouse, and Drew McIntyre looks to win his first-every WWE championship from ‘The Beast Incarnate’ Brock Lesnar!
Edge made his shocking return at the 2020 Royal Rumble, after a career-ending neck injury. Randy Orton was excited to see his former Rated-RKO partner but he quickly put a stop to a reunion in a disgusting manner. Orton delivering a vicious Concerto to Edge and hitting an RKO on Beth Phoenix brought back flashbacks to ‘09 Orton and his feud with Triple H!
‘The Viper’ came out of nowhere disguised as a cameraman to hit an RKO to start the match. Orton was a mastermind here playing the sinister antagonist to Edge’s comeback story. Both superstars went to war throughout the performance center in a hard-hitting performance. Orton choking out Edge while saying “I’ll always love you, man” was just vile and really fun to watch. Edge finally got the advantage in the gym area using the machines to gain some revenge.
They fought through the backstage areas, a boardroom all the way to the top of an NXT production truck. Orton hitting his signature draping DDT on the bed of a pickup truck was nasty. The Viper tried to Punt Edge’s lights out but, got hit with a massive spear. Edge got the final shot hitting Orton with a devastating Concerto to win the match!
John Cena entered The Firefly Funhouse for one of most spectacular cinematic masterpieces of all time. This match was a cinematic journey of John Cena’s history within the company, and looking back at his greatest failures. It was so interesting to see how his future could have been way different had he turned heel, instead of maintaining being a babyface who was shoved down our throats for years! Bray Wyatt as ‘The Fiend’ finally got his comeuppance after Cena refused to put him over at Mania 30.
Wyatt was red-hot at that time but, Cena gave him his greatest defeat of his career. The Fiend may not have been created if it wasn’t for this loss on the grandest stage of them all. Wyatt would defeat Cena and go on to become the Universal Champion months later.
The final match of the grand event was Drew McIntyre defeating Brock Lesnar to win his first WWE Championship. After Lesnar’s impressive performance at the Royal Rumble, McIntyre humiliated him by eliminating him and punching his ticket to the biggest match of his career. The way WWE hyped McIntyre is very similar to how they are hyping Oba Femi right now. They made him look like an unstoppable beast.
The match started with a free trip to Suplex City followed by a F5 for a kickout at one! Lesnar’s eyes grew wide as his opponent kept coming back. ‘The Scottish Warrior’ would not stay down and, The Beast was getting pissed. McIntyre would ultimately slay the beast hitting four massive Claymore kicks to win his first WWE Championship! Paul Heyman has a look of shock and disappointment as McIntyre poses with his title. What a way to end WrestleMania 36!
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