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KEY MOMENT OF WEEK: Lance Cade pins Shawn Michaels with former rival Batista in the mix Sep 30, 2008 - 6:01:58 AM
On Monday 15th of September Raw drew a 2.6 rating, it's lowest in eleven years. Fears about the dwindling interest in the WWE's product could hardly be allayed by this week's 3.1 rating, especially considering that the main event featured Shawn Michaels' second match since July.
There are numerous problems with the WWE's creative process, but this Monday's main event revealed a key deficiency about the way in which the organisation books its matches.
The match in question featured Shawn Michaels and Batista against Chris Jericho, JBL and Lance Cade. Not many would have expected Cade to get the victory, but that is exactly what happened when he pinned Shawn Michaels. Although unpredictability is an important aspect of a successful wrestling show, the fact that Cade does not even have a match at No Mercy illustrates how worthless pinfalls have become.
In the rush to fill five hours of television a week, the WWE has forgotten several important aspects of booking a successful feud. Saving Shawn Michaels' wrestling appearances for pay per view was a tremendous tactic by the WWE, as fans had no choice but to part with their money to see him so much as lock up with Chris Jericho. However, much of the work was undone by not only putting them in the same ring on Monday, but also by jobbing Shawn Michaels to Lance Cade.
If fans are given the message that the outcomes of matches are inconsequential, then there is little incentive to spend money on Pay Per Views. Events such as No Mercy are sold to audiences on the basis of match quality, but often WWE fans can watch similar in the main event on Monday nights for free. One of the matches on the card, Rey Mysterio vs. Kane, was a Raw main event less than two weeks ago.
In addition to this, one of the teams in Monday's main event Shawn Michaels and Batista, had a bitter feud less than six months ago. This was not referenced by the commentators, or hinted at by the way in which the two interacted with one another. Viewers who bought One Night Stand on the basis of the Michaels-Batista stretcher match must have been wondering why they bothered.
Next time the WWE management is pouring through its market research, they would do well to remember that there is more to producing a wrestling show than simply hitting the key demos. There is a multitude of problems with the WWE product that need fixing. Making pinfalls more meaningful would be a good place to start.
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