A Proposed Test for Raw and Smackdown

[Ambiguous Turd]

Please read this post, first.

Source: PWInsider.com

There is some internal frustration within WWE regarding the poor SmackDown ratings as of late, especially because the company’s Friday night show is generally regarded as a higher-quality show than RAW as far as the wrestling is concerned.

One of the two factors being blamed for SmackDown’s low viewership is the fact that RAW is suffering right now. WWE’s research leads them to believe that a large portion of their audience only watches wrestling on Mondays now, and judges the entire company’s product based off that one show despite SmackDown being a complete 180 degrees different from RAW. Vince has been strict about wanting his three main shows (RAW, ECW and SD) to all have different feels to them, with RAW being the sports-entertainment variety show and SmackDown being the wrestling show.

The second factor being blamed for the poor ratings is the fact that SmackDown airs on MyNetworkTV. The network is in pretty rough shape right now, and starting next year the only new show on the entire channel will be SmackDown and everything else will be repeats of other shows from other networks.

A couple of things to comment on regarding this story.



1) Do I think that the quality of Raw is affecting the Smackdown ratings?

Somewhat. WWE's research states that a lot of people only watch Raw anymore, and being that the fans, thanks to WWE, have been conditioned to view Raw as the "A Show", that is the show fans base their opinion off of.




2) Is the fact that Smackdown is on MyNetwork hurting it's ratings, as well?

Only to a small degree. Nothing significant. Here's why.

Smackdown's final rating on UPN was a 2.4. That was on September 26, 2008, and was the final Smackdown shown on UPN.

However, Smackdown's highest ratings on MyNetwork have also been a 2.4, which it achieved several times. So, we know they are capable of getting that high. However, the show has gone down as low as a 1.6, losing .8 ratings points after being on that network. All of that is disgruntled fans who is losing interest with that show. Not Raw.

Also, based on the experiments conducted between USA and TNN, when Raw switched back and forth, wrestling fans clearly know what networks the WWE is on.

So let's put it this way. The 2.4 rating, which represented fans who watched Smackdown, were becoming disgruntled with Smackdown, and that is why they left, to bring the show back down into the upper 1.6's or so. And I predict that rating is only going to get smaller in the passing weeks and months.

However, the fact that Raw is also so poor, is not giving fans who exclusively watch that show, any reason to tune in to Smackdown, since those fans view that show as the flagship show, and aren't impressed with the quality of that show, either.

We have a lot of disgusted fans, to go around here. It isn't with just one program.




3) Is Vince McMahon successful with making Raw, Smackdown, and ECW all have completely different looks from one another?

In my opinion, No.

Because the changes aren't big enough for the casuals to even care.

The biggest mistake Vince made when he was switching over to HD, was only designing one universal set. Because when a Casual switches on any of the programs, they all have the same look, feel, and format to them.

You may have different announcers, but all of them have the same commentating style, thanks to Vince eliminating the Heel announcers.

You may have different wrestlers on different shows, but it still is essentially the same product you are watching.

And on Smackdown, the matches may run a little longer than Raw, but all this does is take away interest in the PPV's. It makes people question, "Why should I pay $45 for a PPV, when I can just watch the same thing on Smackdown?" So, in that respect, I think Smackdown is actually doing more harm to the WWE then it is good.




4) Is the fact that there are four shows on WWE each week, providing 6 hours of TV, resulting in over-exposure of the product, and therefore decreasing viewer interest in the entire product?

I definitely think so. There plain and simply is too much wrestling on TV, and the shows aren't differentiated enough from each other, for people to even care.



Now, I know from interacting with a lot of people, that they feel that:

"More Wrestling"
"More Wrestling"
"More Wrestling"

and less storyline is the solution to the WWE's problems. Given this report, I don't think so, but my solution to those that think so would be to put that theory to the test.

Let's put the current Smackdown Format on Raw, and let's put the current Raw format on Smackdown. Since WWE prides itself in having Smackdown as it's Wrestling show, and thinks that better quality wrestling and watering down of characters and storylines, is the solution ... then I call on WWE to swap the formats of the two shows, and let's make Raw the wrestling show.

I would love for them to do a complete swap, with the rosters swapping nights, as well ... but that would probably hurt the new Raw, without the star power of the current Raw roster. So, let's switch the formats, but still keep the same stars on the same shows.

Now, I personally think this experiment would fail miserably and result in little, if any difference. I don't think the ratings would go up, and more than likely would probably drop a little on Raw.

But, A) would you encourage Vince to try this experiment? And B) what do you think the outcome would be?

 

[kmkjunky25]

okay you bring up some points, but also look at it this way. i live in rhode island, none of the cable networks nor satellite prescribers have "mynetworktv" for us here. we r forced to either stay up late on staurday nite to watch a re-run on a syndicated fox station(i think not sure if its fox) or dvr it on that station when it comes on at 12am. so that culd possibly be a big portion of the problem.

i also believe the biggest problem with all of the ratings is that wwe does not have any true competition. i mean that in all due respect to tna fans. but if this was ten years ago, mr. kennedy is not released so easly, and everyone knows that angle is not released, nor is lashley able to walk nor rvd. wwe would have made sure to resign to resign them, or made it very difficult for the compettion to sign them.

hence, the problem with wwe is themselves. in my honest opinion wwe is saving their best storylines and ideas for when and if there is competition again. until then, why put out more than you have to. this is a business need us not forget, theser business descisions. yes wwe is making $$, not nearly as much they culd, but they r making enough of a profit where the mcmahons dont feel it necessary to unload the "big" great stroylines. would u if u had no serious competition? i think not.

so until there is competition, wwe will do what they have been doing since 2001 or 2002 when vince bought wcw. the only other way to change wwe is for the fans as a whole to boycott wwe and let it be known we want a better product. but overall the fans will not unify in this manner, so it is not really a viable option.

 

[RendarSelin]

You bring up an interesting idea. Like mentioned, many wrestling fans have been crying for more wrestling. Personally, I think Monday nights are in desperate need of more wrestling. Monday nights may be used for "sports-entertainment", but in my opinion, the wrestlers that are better on the mic (Edge, John Morrison, Chris Jericho, etc.) are all on SmackDown! (with the exception of Santino Marella). RAW is trying to aim more towards entertainment, but the wrestlers on the show are just lacking in mic skills.

Another item that wasn't touched on that may play into lower SmackDown! ratings is one main area: SmackDown! is taped, with results posted on the web Tuesday night. Personally, I don't care to watch a show where I already know the results. (A simple answer may be to stop reading spoilers...) I realize broadcasting shows live costs more money, especially for a show on MyNetwork TV with lower ratings.

Could a complete roster swap help? I would simply swap some of the roster. (Batista, Orton, and a few others to SmackDown!; Edge, Y2J, Morrison to RAW (imagine a Morrison/Miz feud that never happened...) However, with SmackDown! being better in many ways, I would swap the behind-the-scenes crew (writing, producers, etc.). Perhaps the crew that puts together a better show could elevate RAW to a higher quality level...thereby enticing people to perhaps check out Friday Nights.

 

[EZMoney20]

I do believe that Raw has an effect (even if just a slight effect) on Smackdown. Loyal WWE fans, who have been watching wrestling for years, have been programmed to view Monday Night Raw as "The Show." Remember, it was around long before Smackdown debuted.

On the flip side, however; I think the problem with Smackdown goes far beyond what Raw is or isn't doing. Let's look at some key problems. First of all, Smackdown is taped EVERY WEEK...days in advance...sometimes 2 weeks ahead of time. Now, for those of you unaware, there is this thing called the internet. It allows you to access information as far as the eye can see. I view this as a HUGE problem because most loyal wrestling fans (wrestling fans are extremely loyal) are all over the internet reading information about the WWE and the wrestling world. Whether it be rumors, breaking news, opinions, or match results, I believe a large portion of the wrestling fans are up-to-date on their wrestling knowledge. This in turn, leads to a more boring and obviously predictable Smackdown. I mean, let's face it. Someone could create the greatest movie of all time, but if you know exactly what is going to happen, it's gonna lose a lot of appeal. Now, does that mean you can't enjoy this great movie or more specifically, a great episode of Smackdown? No, of course it can still be interesting and exciting...but just not as much.

Another important criteria to keep in mind is that Smackdown is on Friday nights. Now, I know Smackdown is targeted more for younger viewers, but you still have to remember that no matter what demographic you're aiming for, viewers are still viewers. Whether five thousand 10 year olds watch Smackdown or five thousand 20 year olds watch Smackdown, it's all the same. And a large portion of wrestling fans are obviously teenagers and adults. On Friday nights, where do you think this demographic is? Sitting at home watching T.V. or celebrating the beginning of their weekend? Personally, I liked Thursday night Smackdown a lot more. In fact, it would probably prevent me from reading most spoilers because I would be home more often on a Thursday night than a Friday night.

Finally, I do think the WWE is being overexposed...waaaay overexposed. I've been a WWE fan for a long time, and I can remember what it was like before the start of Superstars, ECW, Smackdown, and even Raw. You usually got an hour or two of wrestling ONCE a week on Saturdays. If you were lucky, they'd give you an occasional Saturday Night Main Event. Then, they debuted Raw, and I thought it was so cool. And then came Smackdown...which I also thought was a positive. I could even handle an hour of ECW because it was supposedly different from the WWE and "more extreme." But now it's not, and we all know it's just the WWE with another title. But now Superstars is here. Are you kidding me? Not only is it overexposing the product, but the matches have absolutely no build up. In fact, they're completely random. And since they tape a whole bunch of matches weeks in advance (and I read the spoilers like most people), I'm completely confused which matches are going to take place which week.

Overall, I think the WWE needs to completely change their schedule and exposure. If I could overhaul their whole lineup (which obviously I will never be able to do, but it's fun to talk about it anyway), I would do the following:

- Monday Night Raw is fine...keep it Mondays from 9pm-11pm. It's the start of the week, and people love to get their wrestling fix.
- Thursday Night Smackdown...I like Smackdown on Thursdays for the reasons I stated above, but it has to be LIVE! We'll make it 8pm-10pm.
- Saturday Morning Rise...that's the name I came up with. It sounds kid friendly and the word "rise" would have a double meaning. One, obviously because it's in the morning. The other, not so obvious at first. This show would be an hour long, let's say from 10am-11am on WGN. It would basically be a combination of ECW and Superstars. It would consist entirely of wrestling with very few promos and storylines, if at all. And it would consist of up-and-coming wrestlers (aka wrestlers on the "rise") such as The Hart Foundation, Evan Bourne, Jack Swagger, etc. This would allow the new comers to showcase their talent with solid wrestling and ability without being overshadowed by the big guns. And in time, the WWE could build a Saturday Morning Rise webpage, just like they have for Raw, Smackdown, ECW, Superstars, but with more interaction for the fans allowing us to vote on our favorite up-and-comers so they know who we want to see and who we don't want to see.

So overall, I think the overexposure, scheduling, and lack of live Smackdown events are the major contributing factors to not only the drop in ratings, but the consistently lower ratings than Monday Night Raw.

 

[HansChristianFrankenstein]

It's simple: A very small percentage of the WWE audience wants more wrestling. It may seem big because it's what most Internet fans want but the majority of fans want Attitude-era entertainment. Rating's don't lie. Vince isn't stupid, he knows what the fans want but he didn't really create "Attitude", WCW and ECW did and WWE just did it better. But Vince hates all things he didn't create so until there's some competition and he NEEDS to do what really works, he'll continue using the family-friendly sports-entertainment style he created.

Sure WWE isn't doing as well as they were in the late-90's but they're still doing extremely well. Ratings are only one part of the business so in Vince's eyes, there's no reason to change.

 

[RendarSelin]

okay you bring up some points, but also look at it this way. i live in rhode island, none of the cable networks nor satellite prescribers have "mynetworktv" for us here. we r forced to either stay up late on staurday nite to watch a re-run on a syndicated fox station(i think not sure if its fox) or dvr it on that station when it comes on at 12am. so that culd possibly be a big portion of the problem.

Unfortunately, after WWE SmackDown! was removed by the CW (who wanted to target the teeny boppers), they really had no other options but MyNetworkTV. Oftentimes, ratings can also be severely dragged down by local sports events. Here in Canton (where our local stations are in Cleveland), WWE is often delayed until Saturday for the Indians or Cavs, depending on the season.

so until there is competition, wwe will do what they have been doing since 2001 or 2002 when vince bought wcw. the only other way to change wwe is for the fans as a whole to boycott wwe and let it be known we want a better product. but overall the fans will not unify in this manner, so it is not really a viable option.

Unfortunately for WWE and wrestling fans, TNA simply is not putting forth enough effort to truly compete. They often create a good product, sometimes better than WWE's flagship show (in my opinion), but TNA's marketing department seems to suck. Many casual fans are unaware of TNA's existance (ex: my brother who isn't an internet wrestling fan just learned of TNA the other day...). This is TNA's fault. TNA's marketing plan seems to be simply having their fans add their YouTube account and Facebook account and pass it on to their friends. Television commercials outside of Spike, billboards, radio spots, ads on mass transit, internet popups, etc...I never see any of these to advertise any local TNA events or iMPACT! in my area. How can people view competition without knowing the competition exists?

On the flip side, however; I think the problem with Smackdown goes far beyond what Raw is or isn't doing. Let's look at some key problems. First of all, Smackdown is taped EVERY WEEK...days in advance...sometimes 2 weeks ahead of time. Now, for those of you unaware, there is this thing called the internet. It allows you to access information as far as the eye can see. I view this as a HUGE problem because most loyal wrestling fans (wrestling fans are extremely loyal) are all over the internet reading information about the WWE and the wrestling world. Whether it be rumors, breaking news, opinions, or match results, I believe a large portion of the wrestling fans are up-to-date on their wrestling knowledge. This in turn, leads to a more boring and obviously predictable Smackdown. I mean, let's face it. Someone could create the greatest movie of all time, but if you know exactly what is going to happen, it's gonna lose a lot of appeal. Now, does that mean you can't enjoy this great movie or more specifically, a great episode of Smackdown? No, of course it can still be interesting and exciting...but just not as much.

Exactly! It's exactly like someone spoiling a movie ending. Who would have gone to see The Empire Strikes Back if they knew Darth Vader revealed himself to be Luke Skywalker's father, or Top Gun if they all knew Goose dies?

Another important criteria to keep in mind is that Smackdown is on Friday nights. Now, I know Smackdown is targeted more for younger viewers, but you still have to remember that no matter what demographic you're aiming for, viewers are still viewers. Whether five thousand 10 year olds watch Smackdown or five thousand 20 year olds watch Smackdown, it's all the same. And a large portion of wrestling fans are obviously teenagers and adults. On Friday nights, where do you think this demographic is? Sitting at home watching T.V. or celebrating the beginning of their weekend? Personally, I liked Thursday night Smackdown a lot more. In fact, it would probably prevent me from reading most spoilers because I would be home more often on a Thursday night than a Friday night.

Unfortunately, putting WWE on Thursday night would allow them direct competition with TNA iMPACT!. Not in WWE's best interest in my opinion (Males 18-34 have a choice to view a TV PG wrestling show or a TV 14 tv show...will often choose the latter). How about simply moving SmackDown! to Wednesday night? This leaves Thursday-Monday night of no WWE wrestling, leaving the fans in need of a fix.

 

[ECW Dan Selby]

I disagree with your post. People have complained for a long time, me included, that there isn't enough wrestling on tv. You say this will decrease people's interest in the PPV... Well, if I see crap shows with little to no wrestling, that makes me not want to buy the PPV... Why would I want to buy something after being turned off by it for 4 straight weeks? PPV's can still be sold via good, solid wrestling matches with sufficient build up. It's about picking the right opponents, choosing the right storylines to gel with it, and putting on a good show. Save the stipulation matches til PPV, have opponents faces off with friends/foes of the opponents etc.

I agree with the fact most probably watch Raw over SmackDown. Raw will be seen as the #1 wrestling show for some time (look at the past... since 2001/2002, that's the way it's been and it will take a while for this to be undone). What people see is a joke in recent weeks. I've had to force myself to watch the show, forwarded alot of it too (maybe with the exception of this weeks, it wasn't so bad).

One thing I would say however, is keep title matches off of Raw/Smackdown etc... Save them for the PPV. The occasional one every now and then keeps things fresh, but having some form of title match week in week out can sometimes make it a little disposable.

Selby

 

[Chill]

Personally, I would keep the format of RAW and Smackdown as they are now. I don't think changing the formats are going to have a drastic change on ratings and you are still going to have two shows that are the same as they are now only on different nights i.e. one based more on wrestling (only now on Mondays) and one based more on the entertainment (now on Fridays). If that change were to happen, I still think Smackdown would suffer the most ratings wise as it does now. I think the single biggest problem is that it airs on a Friday night, a night when many people chose to go out rather than watch TV at home and so naturally the result is that the ratings will suffer. Added to that the fact Smackdown is taped meaning certain people will look up websites such as this to find the spoilers for the show which does/will lead to people missing it come Friday night, I doubt that would change either if Smackdown was more entertainment based. If you like, these are almost outside circumstances beyond the WWE's control to a certain extent, as you could be producing the best show on a Friday night (and many I'm sure would argue that they are currently) yet if people aren't home to watch it, then unfortunately you see the impact on the ratings.

 

[ECW Dan Selby]

The best time WWE could have used to change their formats was when they bought back ECW, and they screwed it up completely. They could have offered a genuine alternative without killing their own brand. That's not to say using it as a developmental grounds isn't a good idea (like their doing now), because clearly it works. But why not use it as a developmental and as a genuine alternative? It's a shame because I really think they missed the boat with that one.

Selby

 

[Ambiguous Turd]

I disagree with your post. People have complained for a long time, me included, that there isn't enough wrestling on tv.

And now that you have Smackdown as a wrestling show, Superstars as a wrestling show, and ECW as a wrestling show ... do you still share that view?

You say this will decrease people's interest in the PPV... Well, if I see crap shows with little to no wrestling, that makes me not want to buy the PPV... Why would I want to buy something after being turned off by it for 4 straight weeks?

Because ever since I started watching wrestling, every thing had its purpose, and it worked like a machine. It was a perfect blend. On the weekly shows, the shows were primarily focused on the storylines, to get people to actually care about the characters, to make them want to see two stars wrestle on PPV or to go to a House Show to see them wrestle. In essence, the TV used the shows to push storylines to sell matches.

Today, what is being done, is that you want PPV quality matches on weekly television for free ... every single week. Vince is no longer relying on storylines to sell wrestling. Today, Vince is essentially relying on wrestling, to attempt to sell more wrestling on the PPV's. And people wonder why fans aren't enthused about PPV's anymore. There's your answer. Ho-hum. We just got done Backlash. Now, onto Judgment Day. Just finished Judgment Day, now onto Extreme Rules. Just got done Extreme Rules, now we got The Bash.

So, not only do you expect PPV quality matches for Free on Smackdown (and Raw), you even have the same talents who are wrestling on PPV actually wrestling on Raw and Smackdown leading up to the PPV. Do you not see how the intrigue level is completely diminished having the same talent wrestle each other in 12 minute matches on Smackdown, only to wrestle each other again in a 16 minute match on PPV?

It is people's mentalities like yours that is absolutely killing the long-term interest in the business. You expect PPV quality matches every week for nothing. And hence, the interest is diminished in the long-run of ordering the PPV's, when they can just get similar action for free on Smackdown.

PPV's can still be sold via good, solid wrestling matches with sufficient build up. It's about picking the right opponents, choosing the right storylines to gel with it, and putting on a good show. Save the stipulation matches til PPV, have opponents faces off with friends/foes of the opponents etc.

Yeah, but that's not even being done anymore. Now, we have the same two wrestlers wrestling on PPV, now wrestling on Raw and Smackdown, after their match has even been announced.

Right off the very top of my head, CM Punk and Umaga are wrestling at the PPV this Sunday. On Friday, the show right before the PPV, they are also wrestling each other.

The sense I get is that the stipulations aren't enough anymore. If any two talents are wrestling, they MUST be separated from wrestling each other in any match, whatsoever, leading up to the PPV.

I agree with the fact most probably watch Raw over SmackDown. Raw will be seen as the #1 wrestling show for some time (look at the past... since 2001/2002, that's the way it's been and it will take a while for this to be undone). What people see is a joke in recent weeks. I've had to force myself to watch the show, forwarded alot of it too (maybe with the exception of this weeks, it wasn't so bad).

So, am I to take it that since you think more wrestling is the answer, and Raw is the flagship show, that you are in favor of switching Smackdown's format over to Raw, and making Raw the wrestling-heavy show, and Smackdown the show that features shorter length matches, and more vignettes?

 

[ECW Dan Selby]

And now that you have Smackdown as a wrestling show, Superstars as a wrestling show, and ECW as a wrestling show ... do you still share that view?

Sorry, I should have phrased that a little better. When I said 'more wrestling on tv', I didn't mean more shows, I meant a little more in-ring action over segments/promos. I think Superstars is a bit overkill for my liking, amounts wise.

Because ever since I started watching wrestling, every thing had its purpose, and it worked like a machine. It was a perfect blend. On the weekly shows, the shows were primarily focused on the storylines, to get people to actually care about the characters, to make them want to see two stars wrestle on PPV or to go to a House Show to see them wrestle. In essence, the TV used the shows to push storylines to sell matches.

I agree - I feel the last couple of Impact shows have done this. And i'm not some TNA fanboy: I've been really quite critical of the show in the past for giving the wrong wrestlers air time and not even doing that properly. Recently they've got this blend you speak of right. The build for Kong/Love with the eliminations of the Beautiful People worked a treat.

Today, what is being done, is that you want PPV quality matches on weekly television for free ... every single week. Vince is no longer relying on storylines to sell wrestling. Today, Vince is essentially relying on wrestling, to attempt to sell more wrestling on the PPV's. And people wonder why fans aren't enthused about PPV's anymore. There's your answer. Ho-hum. We just got done Backlash. Now, onto Judgment Day. Just finished Judgment Day, now onto Extreme Rules. Just got done Extreme Rules, now we got The Bash.

No, I didn't say PPV quality. I just mean matches that arn't 2 minute squashes more than anything, and in the past couple of weeks on most shows i've watched (Raw/SD/ECW/Impact), this has been done. Smackdown and Impact have been the prime examples moreso. I see your point though, and I think the answer is a reduction in PPV's as I feel there is too many, but from a business p.o.v, i'm sure there's a good reason Vince does this.

Yeah, but that's not even being done anymore. Now, we have the same two wrestlers wrestling on PPV, now wrestling on Raw and Smackdown, after their match has even been announced.

Right off the very top of my head, CM Punk and Umaga are wrestling at the PPV this Sunday. On Friday, the show right before the PPV, they are also wrestling each other.

The sense I get is that the stipulations aren't enough anymore. If any two talents are wrestling, they MUST be separated from wrestling each other in any match, whatsoever, leading up to the PPV.

I think if you're looking at a longer term feud it's not so bad to have the opponents facing off one on one (if there's to be a twist/stip added for/at the PPV), or in tag matches. I'm particularly a fan of mixing up two feuds, something ECW did quite well back in the hay-day, as well as in the Attitude era. But it depends on the situation and where you want the two to go after the PPV.

So, am I to take it that since you think more wrestling is the answer, and Raw is the flagship show, that you are in favor of switching Smackdown's format over to Raw, and making Raw the wrestling-heavy show, and Smackdown the show that features shorter length matches, and more vignettes?

Nah I just think they could balance it out more. Have a decent mix of storylines/matches on both, but take the two shows in a slightly different direction creatively and create some unique selling points for each that they can boast of. I think competition brings out the best in everyone, just look at wrestling's hay-day of the late 90's and the Monday Night Wars. Internal competition is surely the best result Vince could have, creative wise. And if the shows are more competitive and the best is being bought out in everyone, then we have a much greater chance in generating interest in wrestling, full stop. So with that goes better TV ratings, higher attendances, and greater PPV buys.

Definately some valid points though, man.

Selby

 

[Thumz9814]

I would simply like to point out one thing.

I think the reason SD doesn't get as many viewers is because of it's timeslot. Think about it: when you get home from work/school on a monday night, what do you want to do? You just want to hang back and take your mind of the fact that you have to go back to work/school again the next day. That's where Raw comes in. On the other side, when you get home from work/school on a Friday night, what do you want to do? Party! You don't want to sit around and watch tv, you want to go out and have some fun.
Granted, not everyone thinks this way, but I think enough people live this type of life to where it affects the ratings. Other people, like myself, simply work friday nights, and can't watch it, so that's something to take into consideration as well.
I think if SD changed back to Thursday nights, or went to Wednesday nights (when nothing is on, in my opinion) the ratings would go up at least a little.
Something to consider.

 

[Ambiguous Turd]

I would simply like to point out one thing.

I think the reason SD doesn't get as many viewers is because of it's timeslot. Think about it: when you get home from work/school on a monday night, what do you want to do? You just want to hang back and take your mind of the fact that you have to go back to work/school again the next day. That's where Raw comes in. On the other side, when you get home from work/school on a Friday night, what do you want to do? Party! You don't want to sit around and watch tv, you want to go out and have some fun.
Granted, not everyone thinks this way, but I think enough people live this type of life to where it affects the ratings. Other people, like myself, simply work friday nights, and can't watch it, so that's something to take into consideration as well.
I think if SD changed back to Thursday nights, or went to Wednesday nights (when nothing is on, in my opinion) the ratings would go up at least a little.
Something to consider.

Where as I agree that Friday night is not the most desirable time slot, we need to stop acting like this change over to Friday Nights just occurred. Smackdown switched nights from Thursday to Friday on September 9, 2005. Ratings went as high as a 3.1 on Friday nights. So, this isn't some change that just happened. It's been about 4 years now.

Let's take a look at some year averages:

Thursday Nights:
2003- 3.32
2004- 3.18
2005- 3.02 (keep in mind, the show switched nights in September)


Friday Nights:
2006- 2.45
2007- 2.65
2008- 2.34



So let's say the show would probably do about .4 or .5 ratings points better if it was still on Thursday nights. Being the last few ratings have been around 1.6 and 1.7, that would still only put the show at around a 2.1 if it was still on Thursday nights.

 

[Thumz9814]

Well, I don't know where you got the idea that I was acting as if the change only recently occured, but I see what your saying. I knew the ratings have dropped some over the last couple years, but I was not aware of the severity of it.

 

[phemom]

One thing I would say however, is keep title matches off of Raw/Smackdown etc... Save them for the PPV. The occasional one every now and then keeps things fresh, but having some form of title match week in week out can sometimes make it a little disposable.

I disagree with this COMPLETELY....more tittle defenses are needed. This thread is based on SD losing casual fans. IMO it's 2 ways to get them either building huge stars (which doesn't happen in a day) or big matches that people don't expect. If you save them all 4 PPV's why watch weekly, just watch the last segment and kim until you get a PPV you want to see.....this would become an epic fail.

SD has the better wrestling....but the star power to casuals is low right now (especially w/taker taking a break). They need a Cena,HBK,Trips b/c right now SD is full of people casuals either don't know (Morrison,Punk,R-Truth) or don't respect in the position they're in (Jeff, Jericho,Shelton). Really to a casual all SD has is Edge & Rey...and that's not gonna cut it. SD will survive, but will need either from the content or the channel...