SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)…
As much as the empty-arena venue is a significant contributor to Smackdown’s alarming viewership slide since the week after WrestleMania, another factor is just the thin star power.
Roman Reigns is gone from the brand without explanation, and Reigns had been pushed for years as the top star in the company more often than not. WWE hasn’t offered even a smidgen of an acknowledgment that he isn’t there or why after pulling him without any fanfare from the WrestleMania main event against The Fiend.
Meanwhile, a brand that kicked off its run on Fox with Ronda Rousey and Brock Lesnar now is headlining with Otis vs. Dolph Ziggler and anchored by an ice-cold Braun Strowman, thrown into the top babyface spot with a Universal Title win after no build up and weak foll0w-up. Smackdown’s roster depth is weak due to post-WrestleMania absence of special attractions, but also wrestlers self-quarantining or opting out of participating for health reasons.
The top active male singles babyfaces are as follows:
The top active male singles heels are as follows:
The tag team depth chart looks like:
The women’s depth chart is:
That’s a weak list of top tier stars and certainly factors into the viewership drop-off, especially if viewers were already predisposed to skip it until crowds return. The question is now whether fans will return once WWE returns to staging Smackdown in front crowds. Also, how quickly will WWE and Fox want to find a way to return fans to the stands, especially with Florida opening up live sporting events to crowds with certain restrictions later this month? Will WWE shake up the format or try to bring more big names onto the show to try to reverse the staggering decline in viewership the last four weeks?
I don’t expect WWE and Fox to continue on without some significant changes before the end of the month. It’s hard to imagine they’d resign themselves to several more weeks of sinking ratings without trying something new.
RECOMMENDED: WWE Smackdown viewership on Fox continues to slide with episode headlined by Otis vs. Dolph Ziggler, perspective on downward trend
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