Low Raw attendance.

[r.]

According to Dave Meltzer on the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, around 3,000 paid fans attended the show, an attendance Meltzer described as “brutal”.

He said:

“This was the second smallest crowd I believe since the pandemic. They were just over, a little over 3,000 paid. That’s pretty brutal. I think the only one that was lower was the San Francisco one. So yeah, brutal."

“They had less people than AEW had (in) Raleigh for (last) Wednesday and Friday’s show. But WWE – it looked better. They’ll go in there with 4,000 people in a building, and they know how to set it up and everything. It looked fine on television, it wasn’t even dark or anything.”

["Evil Brood" Jackson Vanik]

I'm sure there are a few reasons why but a noticeable gap has grown between RAW and SmackDown's attendance. Day of the week matters and having the biggest star in the company helps but I also think the run of shows over the past year have really made RAW a cold product that fans are just not going to pay to see. Just look at the massive difference between SmackDown's sold out crowd in Philly last year and RAW doing under 6K there this month.

[Finish Uncle Muffin’s Story]

Jan 18, 2022 15:05:36 GMT -5 "Evil Brood" Jackson Vanik said:

I'm sure there are a few reasons why but a noticeable gap has grown between RAW and SmackDown's attendance. Day of the week matters and having the biggest star in the company helps but I also think the run of shows over the past year have really made RAW a cold product that fans are just not going to pay to see. Just look at the massive difference between SmackDown's sold out crowd in Philly last year and RAW doing under 6K there this month.

I'd like to think fans are finally fed up with the concept of attending a 3 hour RAW. I can't get through them in-person anymore. I honestly think any wrestling company asking its fans to sit around for 3-4 hours of TV tapings is just asking for too much. Even Dark/Dynamite/Rampage in one night is a lot. I don't know how people did the marathon Superstars tapings back in the day.

[Tiffany Stratton's Daddy]

I've been a fan since 2004-05 (really since birth thanks to my dad) but I've never attended a WWE event, let alone a Monday Night Raw. It's just something we've never been able to do. My first televised wrestling event was AEW Fight for the Fallen in Charlotte this past summer.

A friend of mine had the opportunity to go to the first Raw of the new year and I told them if there was a Raw, this would be it. Off the Day 1 show, first Raw of the year, that was their best opportunity to see Raw and actually enjoy it.

I say this because... the days of saving up to see Raw live is over. If it's a random Raw in June, why would you want to go see it? Talent's released, the stories aren't coherent or competent, there seems to be minimal care putting the show together each week. You don't even know what you're watching because the script changes hours before the show EVERY WEEK.

The reason attendance is low is WWE doesn't give you a reason to buy tickets. I've never been to a WWE event, mainly because of money/schedule/circumstances in the past. But over the last few years when all those are in my favor now, I'd rather pass on WWE. If I want to go to a wrestling show, AEW will be my go-to. I know after a ticket, I'll be happy I spent my money towards something entertaining and enjoyable.

[Feyrhausen]

Jan 18, 2022 15:07:45 GMT -5 Finish Uncle Muffin’s Story said:

Jan 18, 2022 15:05:36 GMT -5 "Evil Brood" Jackson Vanik said:

I'm sure there are a few reasons why but a noticeable gap has grown between RAW and SmackDown's attendance. Day of the week matters and having the biggest star in the company helps but I also think the run of shows over the past year have really made RAW a cold product that fans are just not going to pay to see. Just look at the massive difference between SmackDown's sold out crowd in Philly last year and RAW doing under 6K there this month.

I'd like to think fans are finally fed up with the concept of attending a 3 hour RAW. I can't get through them in-person anymore. I honestly think any wrestling company asking its fans to sit around for 3-4 hours of TV tapings is just asking for too much. Even Dark/Dynamite/Rampage in one night is a lot. I don't know how people did the marathon Superstars tapings back in the day.

3 hours is too long and from what reports say too much sitting around while video packages play.

[YAKMAN is ICHIBAN]

Frankly it just sucks and I'd have to seriously consider whether I would go even if it were free, not even worth the hassle of parking at an arena.

[Tiffany Stratton's Daddy]

Jan 18, 2022 15:07:45 GMT -5 Finish Uncle Muffin’s Story said:

Jan 18, 2022 15:05:36 GMT -5 "Evil Brood" Jackson Vanik said:

I'm sure there are a few reasons why but a noticeable gap has grown between RAW and SmackDown's attendance. Day of the week matters and having the biggest star in the company helps but I also think the run of shows over the past year have really made RAW a cold product that fans are just not going to pay to see. Just look at the massive difference between SmackDown's sold out crowd in Philly last year and RAW doing under 6K there this month.

I'd like to think fans are finally fed up with the concept of attending a 3 hour RAW. I can't get through them in-person anymore. I honestly think any wrestling company asking its fans to sit around for 3-4 hours of TV tapings is just asking for too much. Even Dark/Dynamite/Rampage in one night is a lot. I don't know how people did the marathon Superstars tapings back in the day.

Back in July, we sat through 1 hour of Elevation, 2 hours of live Dynamite, and 2 hours of Dark. There was a little burnout midway through Dark, but seeing the bigger names like the Lucha Bros, Orange Cassidy, Mox, etc made staying worth it. That burnout also could've been from that day. I woke up that morning, worked all day at camp, and we had car issues on the way to the show... and knew we had to find a ride for a 2 hour drive back and work the next morning.

But I'd sit through 5 hours of AEW rather than 2 or 3 hours of WWE programming at this point. I just know the show was thought with care and effort and the talent won't mail it in.

[eJm]

I think the slightly sad thing about it is that if nobody came to Raws and Smackdowns, it wouldn’t affect their bottom line a single bit. Hell, what the pandemic demonstrated is that, if anything, they saved a boatload of money doing the Thunderdome shows and still made a lot from TV deals and merch.

Like, it doesn’t feel like they’ve been catering to live crowds for a while but it feels doubly so when it feels like they honestly don’t need them.

[Push R Truth]

between their bad product and the corona surge I wouldn't go if I was handed free tickets

[gl83]

Jan 18, 2022 15:07:45 GMT -5 Finish Uncle Muffin’s Story said:

Jan 18, 2022 15:05:36 GMT -5 "Evil Brood" Jackson Vanik said:

I'm sure there are a few reasons why but a noticeable gap has grown between RAW and SmackDown's attendance. Day of the week matters and having the biggest star in the company helps but I also think the run of shows over the past year have really made RAW a cold product that fans are just not going to pay to see. Just look at the massive difference between SmackDown's sold out crowd in Philly last year and RAW doing under 6K there this month.

I'd like to think fans are finally fed up with the concept of attending a 3 hour RAW. I can't get through them in-person anymore. I honestly think any wrestling company asking its fans to sit around for 3-4 hours of TV tapings is just asking for too much. Even Dark/Dynamite/Rampage in one night is a lot. I don't know how people did the marathon Superstars tapings back in the day.

Not to mention the format of: Wrestler A making his/her entrance to the ring, commercial break, backstage segment, backstage interview, vignette, Wrestler B makes his/her entrance, commercial break, finally after 20 minutes the match between Wrestler A and Wrestler B begins.


Now, imagine doing that over the course of a 3 hour show.

[koreycaskets]

In the Attitude Era three hours could of worked . Even just for go home shows before ppv's. As a huge Attitude Era fan and someone who went to a couple of Monday Night Raws in Toronto I always wished the shows were longer.

I guess being there live though the shows were longer than 2 hours because of dark matches, Jacked, Metal, Shot Gun etc.

[asuka007]

Raw is THREE HOURS, with MAYBE an hour worth of actual content of substance.

I know how tedious it is to watch on TV. I cannot imagine what it is like being there live.

[Deleted]

No reason to pay to go either Raw or SD because it's the same show every week.

Hell no reason to go for free.

[asuka007]

Seriously, how much stuff of real substance actually happened last night? How many things felt like they really progressed?

KO now being a US Title challenger is pretty much it.

[Feyrhausen]

Jan 18, 2022 15:22:16 GMT -5 eJm said:

I think the slightly sad thing about it is that if nobody came to Raws and Smackdowns, it wouldn’t affect their bottom line a single bit. Hell, what the pandemic demonstrated is that, if anything, they saved a boatload of money doing the Thunderdome shows and still made a lot from TV deals and merch.

Like, it doesn’t feel like they’ve been catering to live crowds for a while but it feels doubly so when it feels like they honestly don’t need them.

The only thing that might be affected is their quasi sports feel. Being a live sports show is the justification for their inflated rights fees. They got a pass during COVID but they would probably be forced to keep up live shows with crowds now.

[eJm]

Jan 18, 2022 15:40:41 GMT -5 Feyrhausen said:

Jan 18, 2022 15:22:16 GMT -5 eJm said:

I think the slightly sad thing about it is that if nobody came to Raws and Smackdowns, it wouldn’t affect their bottom line a single bit. Hell, what the pandemic demonstrated is that, if anything, they saved a boatload of money doing the Thunderdome shows and still made a lot from TV deals and merch.

Like, it doesn’t feel like they’ve been catering to live crowds for a while but it feels doubly so when it feels like they honestly don’t need them.

The only thing that might be affected is their quasi sports feel. Being a live sports show is the justification for their inflated rights fees. They got a pass during COVID but they would probably be forced to keep up live shows with crowds now.

Oh, likely, but I could also imagine a scenario where they build it as safe and innovated, expanding interactivity and other dumb buzzwords investors like.

[bob]

it's as if having a boring and brutally bad show for months on end ruined interest in attending live events, that and the whole pandemic thing

[06vwgti]

Sitting in an arena with "Entrance then another thing" doesn't sound like fun, at least at home I can use all that time for a break on other things

[Cyno]

Even if Raw and Smackdwon were consistently solid shows, I'd be nervous as hell about attending live events with the COVID numbers we're seeing lately.

[Bo Rida]

In recent years how many people are leaving shows happy and thinking I must come again next time wwe are in town?

More likely to have been heels winning for 3 hours and hometown heroes actively being beatdown and made to look stupid. There's no motivation to return.