Summertime is a very interesting time in the world of sports. Basketball season is just ending. Football season is slowly getting ready. And Baseball is somewhat ignored by most casual fans. So, you can say that summertime is really a slow time for sports. One entity that is always consistent (or try to be) is professional wrestling a.m. “Sports Entertainment”. Unless someone gets injured or suspended, there’s no offseason in pro wrestling. Shows are proceeding no matter what and the opportunity to make money is there. As the WWE gears towards its summer state, its some things the company should fix or bring back to heat up their summertime product. Here are some things the WWE should do to improve their summer content.
Bring back King of The Ring
Back in the day, well back before I was born. King of the Ring was a very exciting time for WWE fans. In the 90’s it was added as the 5th major PPV in WWE’s lineup and it worked. Superstars were put over and legends were made. In the 00’s and 2010’s, this event was pushed to regular TV and it flopped. The WWE should have only one June PPV and it should be King of the Ring. It would be a good lead up to Summer Slam and something to look forward to every year.
Have more rivalries pushed
What makes the summer time so great is the excellent plotlines and productions put on by movie companies. Blockbuster movies within the last few years have forced other companies to do the same. The WWE should follow suit. Some of its best stories and reveries should be in the summer time. Jokingly, heat makes people madder and some wrestlers should get a little more aggressive during the summer time. It’s two months after WrestleMania and fans need a true reason to turn in. Rivalries and plotlines are the way.
Utilize a 3-Hour RAW
Monday Night Football, Prime Time TV, NBA Playoffs, NHL Playoffs…here are some of the things MNR must compete with on Monday nights within the last few months. The company does a great job but could do better on Monday Nights. RAW should better less talking and better matches. It’s possible and for a Wrestling fan in 2017, that should be the way to success.
Capture the Attention of a Younger Audience
You want to know why I like SmackDown better than RAW? I could watch a full episode of SmackDown when I used to be in the early ages of school since it was Friday. Parents across the country aren’t fond of children watching 3 hours of TV on a school night during the year. Even for me, watching Wrestling during the summertime meant I could watch all the content. And since children could stay up a little bit later, the company should take advantage of more viewers.
Take Advantage of Slow TV Programming
Summertime TV programming is a drag for some people. Most shows are on break and a few shows can really capture the attention of America. Due to this, the WWE needs to take advantage. The only thing they are competing against is themselves.
Saturday Night’s Main Event / Saturday PPV
The UFC and Boxing world has proved that Saturday PPV’s work. I think that at least one PPV on the WWE Schedule should be on a Saturday. And the summertime is the right time in my opinion. There’s no college basketball or football to compete against. And Saturday’s in the summer time is just overall slow for most people. Nevertheless, the WWE should use it. Even bringing back Saturday Night’s Main Event for one night would be awesome to see.
Outdoor Events
Imagine a large 70,000+ stadium that is full during the summer time. Doesn’t that spell M O N E Y for Vince McMahon?? As we’ve seen with Summer Slam and other events, the WWE can easily fill out a stadium. Doing this in the summer will create so much buzz for the company. Book it Vince.
Less Scripting
Remember the Summer of CM Punk? That and a few other occasions has been drilled in the fans minds when WWE Superstars create their own buzz during the summer time. It should be tried again, let the Wrestlers do what they do best.
Bring back Bash at the Beach
King of the Ring, Bash at the Beach, and Summer Slam should be the WWE’s three summer PPVs. WCW used Bash at the Beach correctly and they gained a lot of buzz through it. Our current summertime slate isn’t anything to look forward to. For most fans, they look at the Money in the Bank match and Summer Slam, that’s it. That needs to change.
Collab With Other Companies
In last year’s Cruiserweight Classic, we had wrestlers from so many companies. Progress, Revolution Pro, WCPW, New Japan, AAA, Ring of Honor, Evolve, All Japan PW, and so many places. The same will happen for the WWE’s Women’s tournament. And since the WWE has a lot of extra time in the summer, this should be the time to involve other companies. Spread the wealth.
