WWE Reportedly Doing Fewer Pay-Per-Views In 2018

Are you a fan of the bi-weekly pay-per-views WWE has done throughout the course of 2017? Apparently, it could be a bit too much for the company to keep producing. Ever since the advent of the WWE Network, WWE has used this platform for a variety of content, including old-school pay-per-views, fresh new series such as Story Time and Ride Along, as well as hard-hitting interview shows such as the Stone Cold Podcast and Legends with JBL. Although the latter two are no longer active, the network has provided thousands of hours for both the old-school fans to witness nostalgia and the new-school fans to catch up on lost years.

While the network is generally a major bonus for wrestling fans, there was a major criticism from many members of the WWE Universe that the pay-per-views were way too frequent after the brand split, which diluted the product as a whole. To stay true to the essence of the split, WWE provided both Raw and SmackDown Live events each month, while combining the shows for the “Big Four,” which includes Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and Survivor Series. Typically, every other month had a pay-per-view twice within a four- to five-week span. This, however, could be ending soon.

Reportedly, WWE is going to lessen the number of pay-per-views in 2018. This is already occurring in a small fashion since the next Raw-exclusive pay-per-view is not scheduled to occur until Fastlane in early March, unless WWE changes the Elimination Chamber PPV from SmackDown Live to Raw in February.

In the days of old, there would be a considerable amount of time between pay-per-views. This was done to make sure that storylines were being properly built in order for the fans to spend their hard-earned money to receive a compelling and suspenseful show, leaving them wanting more. Now, however, there is an oversaturation of PPVs, which does not allow fans to properly invest in a feud, match, or even superstar in the time needed to make it have more of a marquee feel. With this potential change in pay-per-view structure, better builds can be done and stars and be properly developed.

[Featured Image by WWE]