Should all PPV's be four hours now?

[HBK89Bill]

Lets be honest here. PPVs are the climax of WWE. The stories conclude and the big stuff happens on them. The entire industry is based on it. All the big payoffs are there. This is why its so surprising when a title change happens on Raw every once in awhile. PPV's are also the time when we as fans actually have to pay for the wrestling we watch. (Yes, most of us use free streaming to watch, but its the buy rates that WWE cares about and can actually measure) My theory is with the push of Raw to three hours and the increase of featured wrestlers and titles on the show. Wrestlers have more time on Raw and feuds are able to have multiple segments or prolonged segments. With all this time, is three hours enough time to capitalize on the development of the feuds. Would the payoffs be better if matches were able to use more time, or at least enough time. It would stop short matches for Divas title matches, tag matches or even midcard titles. Five more minutes of match is a big deal. Hell, two minutes of match is a big deal in some of those cases.

Is there nearly enough time to develop feuds that have a big enough payoff in a three hour show? I feel like it would improve match quality long term and tell better stories. How do you feel?

 

[The Gribbler]

If you cut down on the nonsense between matches then you would have plenty of time for payoffs. Really the amount of things that are unrelated in any way to the matches and the superstars actually involved in Pay-Per-Views that appear on them could fill a fourth hour.

Four hours is a long time to actually give a shit, if the show is put together well, is focused and they cut out the ******ed crap, then three is plenty.

Just My Opinion

 

[#heel420]

Ehhh I personally wouldn't mind it, but I don't think it should happen. Would they be charging $60-$70 for every ppv then? They haven't been using the extra hour of raw to develop more story lines. I would say that an entire hour is dedicated to replays of things we've seen multiple times, filler, and social media plugs. And the not so creative team has a hard time with story lines and character development as it is. And from the reports I'm reading on the WM29 buyrates(not good by the way) proves that the show can't sell it's self. Huge names on the card, but ultimately matches nobody cared about. If you give the fans a bunch of mediocre story lines they will not become emotionally invested in the product, and therefore won't spend their money to watch it.

 

[Kidpolean]

No I think that is part of what makes Mania feel bigger than a normal ppv...plus some of the ppv are terrible and I wouldnt want to sit through 4 hours of crap. WWE needs to get rid of the crappy wrestlers and comedy acts and let the real wrestlers shine. Raw should only be two hours and ppv 3 hours. I hate seeing Santino, Brodus Clay, 3MB, all the divas, Zach Ryder and more but I cant think of them now. The point is they need to be fired, if u aren't bringing anything to the table then you don't need to be on the roster. I would just about cut the roster in half, put everybody on both shows, take Raw back to two hours, and let the people with actual talent build feuds and have good matches instead of pointless dance offs and comedy acts.

 

[TheHitMark-SirJoseOle]

Fuck....to...the...NO! Pardon the immaturity of that response. But honestly, WWE couldn't even have the decency to put on a filler match that they advertised at this year's Mania. Don't get me wrong I am not a fan of Brodus Clay or Tensai. But at the same time, you pay for a four hour event, which I might add that even in spite of inflation is WAY too out of proportion in its value in ratio to what they're charging, when you compare it to pay per view events of yesteryear. It was very rare back in the day that matches would get bumped off of shows. I do remember it happening at WrestleMania X, again another filler multi-man tag team match, but just the same, when you paid for a PPV you most often got the matches you were paying to see. And they were able to get their point across in a much more succinct fashion. All the WrestleManias of yesteryear rarely needed four hours, the lone exception was WrestleMania IV when Savage won the tournament for the vacant World Title.

Anyway, WWE shouldn't even have the same number of PPVs it used to, their charm and presentation of quality in their storylines I feel suffer from this saturation of the market. Imagine making filler events like Elimination Chamber and Money In The Bank four hours, it'd just be a clusterfuck and a bigger waste of people's money. No offense to the OP, but this is just something I can't agree with. WrestleMania alone is pushing it with their four hour format, the other PPVs would only suffer more if they followed suit.

 

[HBsam31]

I don't think they should take them all to four hours. I think the four hours adds to the special feel that Mania has. I personally don't even like the three hour Raw let a lone another hour added to each ppv. I think if they cut down some of the backstage stuff during the three hour ppv, and focus just on matches that that would help a bit. I think they should leave they ppv times as is for now.

 

[thebarber]

If Raw was to return to 2 hours, and the maount of ppvs dropped back to 6-8, then yes I would like the ppvs to be four hours, and Wrestlemania could be five hours. This should eliminate any timing issues for the cards. Would also make them more appealing to purchase if they were treated as special and not a glorified raw or Smackdown

 

[rge2010]

I think 3 hours is suffice for every PPV bar Mania which eneds to feel extra special. We usually see around 7/8 matches per PPV, its a shame there isnt more but thats due to all the recaps and advertising WWE do.

In fairness it is a business and only having 7/8 matches means hardly any squashes.

 

[Mustang Sally]

Would they be charging $60-$70 for every ppv then?

Probably, yes. Extra time in a telecast means higher costs to produce it.

Honestly, I like that Wrestlemania is the only PPV to go 4 hours. It eases the pain of seeing my cable bill at the end of April when I remember we got to see 4 hours of entertainment. That's a lot of bang for the buck.

Also, that only the one PPV is that long helps make it special. Unlike a couple of folks in this topic, I have no problem with the pageantry that goes on during the show; the change-ups add spice to the proceedings. To me, WWE has always been a modern version of vaudeville; they throw so many forms of entertainment at us that we never know what's coming next. Typical of some of the people on this forum, they detest anything new and different, even as they claim to want it.

But, no..... WM should be the only PPV of that length. It's bigger than every other monthly special, so it's only reasonable that it be longer.

 

[klunderbunker]

For the love of all things good and holy NO.

The last thing WWE needs right now is more content as the product is so watered down from producing something like seven hours of TV a week. They can barely fill up a three hour Raw without a ton of recaps or stupid moments backstage, so adding even more time to PPVs isn't going to make anything better. On top of that, Wrestlemania is supposed to be special, not like every other show. It's the same way with TV: three hour Raws used to be something huge and special. Now it's every week and it's just too much. Leave them as they are.

 

[ccugrad1]

Hi guys, I am new to these forums! I personally believe all PPV's being 4 hours would be a bad idea. Let's be realistic, in a 4 hour broadcast, there should never be "timing issues" with anything. All of your matches you have scheduled should be on the broadcast without any trouble whatsoever. To see a match completely removed from the card and from what I have heard, other matches time adjusted, I am sorry, there is something seriously wrong.

 

[OneTooManyPunts]

I'm not interested in four hour PPV's at this point simply because right now, WWE is not capable of producing and sustaining a three hour weekly broadcast, let alone a four hour PPV.

I could easily see WWE peppering four hour PPV's with way too much filler, and way too many under promoted mid card matches, killing any steam or heat that the big draw matches would garner.

Keep the PPV's at three hours, promote and build the matches with meaning, and keep the comedy and filler for the weekly broadcasts. People that are actually paying for the PPV's are paying because they want to see good wrestling presented on in a grander form.

 

[MCMG]

I think the Extreme Rules PPV suggest 4 hours would be a good idea. There are going to be some serious talent left out because of the even being only 3 hours; however, some PPV's can barely fill 3 never mind 4.

When looking at the entire year, there are some opportunities for 4 hour ppvs -Elimination Chamber, Extreme Rules, HIAC, Summerslam and Survior Series could all easily fill 4 hours without there being a dilution of quality which makes it value for money. The price is indeed an issue as an extra hour will increase the price which would reduce buyrates.

At the end of the day is the extra talent used, Cesaro, Rhodes, Sandow, Kofi etc. really really going to make some one pay more for a PPV. Personally, I would be pissed if a had to pay more for a PPV just to see the aforementioned superstars.

 

[jrush1978]

I would be ok with a tier system. And am probably in the minority here as usual. I think 3 hours for the lower tier PPVs is perfectly fine. Maybe have SummerSlam and either Survivor Series or Royal Rumble be 4 hours. For WrestleMania I would go all out 5 hours. Go almost Super Bowl-ish and have a 20 minute intermission midway through to let the crowd rest, grab a smoke, bathroom etc as well as watching at home. Could even have a big time musical guest play then like a halftime show.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

NO!

Why in the world would you want a PPV to be four hours? Want to pay more money for a show that's probably not going to good as Monday Night Raw the next night?

Please. The main gripe with the IWC is how Raw is too long. Imagine that problem with EVERY PPV. What if Main Event went to two hours or Smackdown goes to three hours. It's overexposure and that's what's making the WWE unbearable to watch sometimes. The thing that wrestling had going for it all those years was lack of over exposure. It was great to see wrestling once or maybe twice a week for an hour at a time. It made it that much more special when a big event took place.

Now, the WWE wants to make every event a big event and expects us to watch it. Making PPV's four hours would be absurd and for those that will argue 'What about thoez that needz to be on PPVERZ? If you're not good enough to make a two or three hour show, then find another line of work or a promotion that will put you on their TV. Adding TV time shouldn't help.

 

[ChicagoMade Punk]

WWE needs to properly manage their time before chalking up extra hours. Thats why raw sucks so much lately. Hell its having a hard time keeping me awake the last few weeks. Only thing really exciting was the raw after Mania. Now we are back to the same VKM sucks balls week by week crap that they feed to it. WWE make the iwc happy and do this. Everyone else = more time. Cena = no time.

 

[Headman]

I agree with the previous poster. Going to three hours certainly hasn't made RAW any better. It actually seems like it's dragging on until you get to the final segment. Wrestlemania being 4 hours don't really help that show either. There's just too much wasted time.

 

[d_henderson1810]

I wouldn't want all PPVs going four hours but I love to see Wrestlemania each year go five hours, or even four and a half hours.

I remember that WMXX went five hours, and it is one of the better Wrestlemanias. They seemed to fit everything in, and gave time to all their quality matches.

By being five hours, you could have ten matches, with the main three matches going 30-40 minutes each, fit more superstars onto the card, and still have time for pointless concert numbers.

With four hours, it seems that the WWE can't fit everything in. They need to have less crap and more time for matches. But if the booking isn't good to begin with, it doesn't matter what length of the PPV, it won't capture the imagination as well as a solidly booked PPV.

 

[HBK89Bill]

I think some of you are really underestimating the effect of a four hour ppv. We are talking about longer matches and better stories in the ring and that includes Cena matches. It's not about making me happy or the IWC happy. It makes the company better. It gives the tag division more time, develops divas wrestling and gives midcard matches longer than seven or eight minutes. More time builds everything. Look at Elimination chamber of this year. It went three hours but could have been a much better ppv.


Pre-Show Brodus Clay and Tensai (with Cameron and Naomi) defeated Team Rhodes Scholars (Damien Sandow and Cody Rhodes) 04:06

Alberto Del Rio (c) (with Ricardo Rodriguez) defeated Big Show via Submission. Singles match for the World Heavyweight Championship[5] 13:10

Antonio Cesaro (c) defeated The Miz via disqualification Singles match for the WWE United States Championship[6] 08:21

Jack Swagger (with Zeb Colter) defeated Chris Jericho , Daniel Bryan, Kane, Mark Henry and Randy Orton Elimination Chamber match to determine the #1 contender for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 29[7] 31:18

The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins) defeated John Cena, Ryback, and Sheamus Six-Man Tag Team match[8] 14:48

Dolph Ziggler (with AJ Lee and Big E Langston) defeated Kofi Kingston Singles match 03:55

Kaitlyn (c) defeated Tamina Snuka Singles match for the WWE Divas Championship[12] 03:14

The Rock (c) defeated CM Punk (with Paul Heyman) Singles match for the WWE Championship. If The Rock was disqualified or counted out, he would lose the championship.[11] 21:02

Add another hour of content and break it down. The divas match gets five more minutes. It most likely wouldn't be good, but would put the emphasis on the division and would make it better long term. Add the pre show match to the card and give it ten minutes. Damien Sandow and Cody Rhodes actually get on the ppv and aren't subject to a 4 minutes squashing. Those two deserve better. Del Rio and Show was fine in my opinion. Who wouldn't watch Cesaro wrestle for at least five more minutes. Chamber match was good, but could easily have been extended if the show needed it. The Shield match is fine in my opinion. So Dolph Ziggler and Kofi getting a 4 minute match is cool with everyone? The MITB winner can't get better than that? Add at least five more minutes to that. Anyone notice the Intercontinental championship isn't even on the card? Add ten minutes there too. With entrances, video packages, backstage segments, twitter plugs and 30 to 35 more minutes of match we are looking at somewhere around 45 minutes and an hour. That pay per view is so much better with an extra hour.

We get more time with the wrestlers we like and perhaps we have to suffer through some we don't, but you don't sit through the crap on Raw now to get to what you want to see? Sure, we are paying for it and WWE would raise the price, but they are offering more content and an hour of possibilities. Some PPV's would be different. The royal Rumble could have more entrants, Multiple chamber matches, more survivor series elimination matches and etc, but most importantly. It gets more talent time on the ppv. It gives them something to do.

 

[CripplerBenoitFan]

I would love to see 4 hour PPV's. That would be quite the event. I love the way you broke it down there. The growing roster may need it one day, especially with the new developmental facilities in Florida. They are digging in their heels for the future... maybe in the future we could have 4 hour PPV's? I for one would welcome it. More wrestling = happy CBF

 

[Dysturbed]

I think some of you are really underestimating the effect of a four hour ppv. We are talking about longer matches and better stories in the ring and that includes Cena matches. It's not about making me happy or the IWC happy. It makes the company better. It gives the tag division more time, develops divas wrestling and gives midcard matches longer than seven or eight minutes. More time builds everything. Look at Elimination chamber of this year. It went three hours but could have been a much better ppv.

With all due respect, and as others have said, I think that you are potentially overestimating the effect of a 4 hour ppv if done as frequently as you suggest. What is the likelihood that enough people would be willing or able to frequently pay the extra costs involved in the extra hour, if it involved 11 additional ppvs at that price? In theory an extra hour means extra time for the things that you said, but you seem to be assuming that what WWE could do with that extra time is what they would actually choose to do on a consistent basis. How often do people notice, mention, or even complain about the product by saying what WWE should or could do (with the extra hour of Raw, with a story line, with a specific wrestler, etc) while knowing that (often with good reason but also often with questionable reasoning) they don't? That isn't a complaint about the product, but an observation about how they seem to go about certain things, despite what fans (at least online) argue for.

Like I said, you mention some good things, but if people can't afford to see those things, then it isn't necessarily as effective for the company as you are advocating, at least from a financial perspective. Sure, streaming is always an option, which would mean that the people who usually pay can visually see the added development (just as those who don't usually pay can do) but that doesn't help the company make money from ppvs, which is one of the primary points of why a "pay" per view involves them hoping that people "pay." In one respect, if someone that normally pays for a set amount of ppvs per year starts to pay for less less (due to the added price), the added price for the ones that they do get, can still involve them them paying the same amount per year, just while ordering less ppvs but that still involves assuming that people will view things in that light when making their decisions of whether or not to order. Then there are the other things that people mentioned.

Summing that up...you have a good idea in theory, but if actually executed, it is a potentially flawed concept. I appreciate that you feel differently.