“That’s the problem with wrestling” - WWE veteran Dutch Mantell highlights one of the major issues with the industry (Exclusive)
Former WWE manager Dutch Mantell (aka Zeb Colter) recently highlighted a significant issue that has reportedly led to a massive decline in pro-wrestling viewership.
In the latest episode of Sportskeeda Wrestling's Smack Talk, Mantell sat down with Sid Pullar III to review WWE SmackDown and AEW Rampage. He stated that the lack of off-season had caused a decline in interest among the viewers:
"What is the difference between pro-wrestling and pro-football other than once produced and one's not? What's the difference between pro basketball and pro wrestling? Or pro baseball or even NASCAR? The reason is they have seasons. The season begins and the season ends. Pro-wrestling doesn't have a season and that's the problem with wrestling. If you had pro-football every week, tell me what would happen to the ratings. When it's on all the time, you wouldn't want to watch it but that is the state pro-wrestling finds itself in. It's wrestling, wrestling and they just go to the next pay-per-view or the next week's TV," Dutch Mantell said.
You can watch the full interview here:
Recently, WWE announced a "new season" for both their shows. The idea stems from the main rosters' new superstars following the draft.
Dutch Mantell believes WWE should have an off-season
Mantell raised concerns that producing hundreds of hours of new content every year is a massive drawback that WWE and AEW face. He opined that having an off-season might help gain a newer audience.
WWE SmackDown & AEW Rampage (10/29/21) Review | Smack Talk w/Dutch Mantell twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1…
"Well, I would give credit to WWE here, they're at least trying to say a new season is beginning and I think need to have at least four to six weeks off season. You can still do TV and recap all that you've done all year round. I don't know if you can do that though because most of the contracts read new content because that's what WWE are. They are a content provider. If you count how many hours WWE does in a week, that's around 350 hours in a year. Now if you add in AEW, that's another 150 hours," Dutch Mantell said.
With so much talent on their roster, the promotions can easily have an off-season. They can even rest their top stars like Roman Reigns or Kenny Omega to let the up-and-comers have their day. In this way, the performers' health can be taken care of while adding an overall freshness to the product.
Do you think WWE and AEW should have an off-season? What do you think led to the decline in viewership for pro-wrestling? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
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