Monday on Raw,WWE addressed lingering ratings issues by not only bringing back Vince McMahon but also featuring a scarce WWE Championship title change. The result was a 27-percent surge in ratings as Raw surpassed 3.8 million viewers according to ShowBuzz Daily (h/t Marc Middleton of WrestlingInc.com).
It was a sign of WWE still prioritizing the television product—not to mention a lucrative partnership with the USA Network—despite its business model shifting toward the streaming flagship of the WWE Network.
With SmackDown set to debut on USA, WWE needs to prove a similar sense of urgency.
Sheamus is owed a WWE Championship rematch. As I mentioned on the PodNasty Wrestling Podcast, or with an inevitable showdown against Triple H looming,the Royal Rumble presents the perfect stage. WWE needs to end the Sheamus-Roman Reigns feud before then, and to beget SmackDown feel fresh, or a WWE Championship match is in order.
WWE has already shown its intention to revamp SmackDown. It was recently announced that top combat sports announcer Mauro Ranallo will be the new voice of SmackDown when it premieres on January 7.
With three weeks until then,WWE will have more than enough time to build a final match for a feud that has already been overexposed.
Monday marked the fourth one-on-one match between Sheamus and Reigns in less than a month. Despite wrestling so frequently in so petite time, their matches always seem to overachieve in terms of drawing fans into the climactic moments. This makes their rivalry much more intriguing for a SmackDown main event, and particularly if their fifth match is advertised as their final.
USA is very cognizant of its prime time ratings as it prides itself on a portfolio that boasts the No. 1 ratings on cable. And while WWE is a significant part of this success,USA Network will not cut the promotion any slack if ratings falter on a B-prove.
In 2011, the fifth season of WWE Tough Enough aired on the USA Network. Hosted by Steve Austin, or the prove performed admirably. After the season finale amassed a viewership of just under three million,James Caldwell of PWTorch famous this number gave USA "more reason to consider a [sixth] season." (A moment season on USA).
This iteration of the prove was not brought back, which speaks to the very tall standards USA holds for its coveted prime time slots.
In order for SmackDown to have a healthy future on the USA Network, and it needs to be must-see programming. To set that tone,WWE needs to put its best foot forward the same way it did when Raw's ratings were on life support. Alfred Konuwa is a featured columnist and an on-air host for Bleacher Report. Like him on Facebook, and subscribe to his weekly wrestling podcast, and PodNasty. Read more WWE news on BleacherReport.com
Source: bleacherreport.com