In my Keller's Blog today, I asked readers to submit their theories on Raw's rating crashing this week. The following are the first batch of those. Send yours to the email listed below...
Vince McMahon [artist Grant Gould (c) PWTorch]
Mat La Vore of West Palm Beach, Fla.: I think the reason for the ratings drop - more than anything else--is overall dissatisfaction with the product. Before the Chris Benoit tragedy, my friends and I used to get together ever Monday night for Raw. Then we took a month off. Since we started watching again, though, it's gone from a Monday night ritual to a very irregular get-together when we feel up to it (and even then we're spending more time watching funny videos on YouTube than we are watching the majority of the crap WWE is putting on). The main reasons for our lack of interest are we all find the overall product boring, and we are all a bit sickened by WWE's business ethics. To tell you how sick we are of WWE's business practices, we aren't going to buy tickets for Wrestlemania 24 -and it's only a three hour drive from where we live. And we all (four) had planned to definitely go. Now, however, none of us feel right putting a single dollar in Vince McMahon's pockets. The best way for WWE to bring up their ratings? Quit being such a slimy, scummy company and actually produce some interesting shows. Oh, and stop taking your audience for granted. Boring shows put on by scumbags just isn't something a lot of people are interested in anymore. Besides, "Heroes" is a much better option this fall.
John Lamerson: Reason why Raw ratings tanked? Why not? I mean, given my choice between Raw or a CBS sitcom, and I choose Raw. Given my choice between Raw and a good MNF game or Yankess-Indians, I choose the game. Wrestling used to be more entertaining to me. Matches were better, characters were better, promos were better, etc. I watched this Monday out of curiosity of John Cena being gone, and I didn't see anything special enough that I feel the need to watch next week instead of the ALCS/NLCS. Maybe it's just that the audience that grew to love WWE when it was WWF has just gotten too mature for the current product. I'm pretty sure I have.
Kevin Hoover - long time Torch reader: I usually catch Raw every Monday night, unless I have to work. Even if Raw appears like it is going to be lousy that night, I'll still watch it, from start to finish. This past Monday, however, was different. After the initial McMahon promo, our first match was Snitsky vs. Val Venis. I didn't even make it past the opening bell. I immediately relinquished the remote control to my girlfriend and went and found something else to do. At 11:00 p.m., I tuned back in to see the final five minutes when HBK returned, and I still didn't care. The product has gotten so bad, I can't stand to watch it. I don't care about the matches or the wrestlers that are being shoved down my throat anymore. There is no drama anymore. I truly feel that the WWE has nothing to offer me anymore. I still enjoy the occasional C.M. Punk match, but I can just watch those on YouTube or the WWE's website. I guess what I'm trying to say is that there is just no reason for me to tune in anymore.
Want your voice to be heard inside of WWE headquarters tomorrow morning? Or in TNA headquarters? This is the independent site many people in both groups read to gauge fan feedback. We still welcome your 1-10 score and comments. To contribute your thoughts on Raw Ratings, click here. Please keep your thoughts to around 10-15 lines if possible to increase your odds of being published.
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