5 Ways WWE can make PPVs more interesting going forward
WWE recently changed their pay-per-view model by merging the Raw and SmackDown Live rosters for every major monthly event going forward, while also increasing the length of PPV main shows to four hours.
From a storyline perspective, the dual-brand news was largely received well by fans – the single-brand PPV events often had filler matches and were viewed as underwhelming – but there have still been complaints about how PPVs are currently being produced.
For example, the first dual-brand PPV after WrestleMania 34, Backlash, has gone down as one of the worst WWE events in recent memory, while many fans believe that a four-hour main show, plus a one-hour kickoff show, is far too long for a PPV.
In this article, we’re going to try to right the wrongs of WWE’s current PPV model by suggesting five ideas that can make future events a lot more interesting. Agree? Disagree? Let us know in the comment section.
#5 Be braver with main-event choices
WWE fans have been left disappointed by several main-event matches recently, most notably Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 34 and Samoa Joe vs. Reigns at Backlash, and sections of the audience have even started to hijack shows towards the end of the night if they don’t like the main event.
In the case of Joe vs. Reigns, their match was one of the least talked-about heading into Backlash and, regardless of the no-contest finish to AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, there’s no way it should have been the main event.
Even going back to late 2016, a non-title match between Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton headlined No Mercy instead of The Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler, which was by far the biggest story of the night, while the history-making Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte Flair match at Hell In A Cell should have been proudly advertised as the ‘main event’ instead of the third match of a ‘triple main event’.
Moving forward, WWE should be braver when it comes to their main-event choices, and instead of headlining PPVs with the biggest name on the card, they should close the show with the match that fans are most invested in.