Cody Rhodes/All-In
For most, life after WWE is a departure from the “big time.” Not so for Cody Rhodes! Since his 2016 exit, the second-generation superstar has become one of the biggest names in professional wrestling not under Vince McMahon’s thumb!
In September, Rhodes orchestrated one of the most talked about events of the year: “All In.” The extravaganza sold out Chicago’s Sear’s Centre, uniting arguably the greatest collection of names not signed to WWE under one roof, delivering fans of indie wrestling a WrestleMania-sized pay-off.
Headlining the event, naturally, was Rhodes vs. NWA World’s Champion Nick Aldis. In an epic feel good moment, Cody upended the Brit to claim the title his dad wore thrice, etching their place as the first father/son duo to ever hold the NWA championship.
The success of Rhodes since departing WWE has been a headline-making story for several years now. He’s captured the Ring of Honor and NWA World titles, become a bona fide superstar in Japan and — with The Young Bucks and members of The Bullet Club — an internet darling.The group’s “Being The Elite” web series is burning up YouTube.
These appear to be only the beginning. Reports that Rhodes and company turned down massive offers from WWE late-in-the-year support speculation the collective will launch their own wrestling promotion in the new year.
Trademarks for “All Elite Wrestling” have been filed, talent is obviously being collected and Rhodes & Co. are said to have financial backing from the son of an NFL franchise owner. If things continue in the direction they appear to be headed, 2019 could be a dream come true for “The American Nightmare.”
WWE Ratings Plummet
Not all of pro wrestling’s trending stories of 2018 were particularly “good news;” just ask the WWE. As its homegrown NXT soared, its bread and butter programs sagged. The sports entertainment juggernaut saw weekly viewership dips outside its network unlike any in years past!
Countless times over the last twelve months, audience numbers for flagship Monday Night RAW reached new lows. The Dec. 3 episode became the brand’s least-viewed broadcast in some 25 years, narrowly holding an average 2.29 million viewers, placing fourth in its cable time slot.
Some blame goes to the NFL, which routinely causes audience fluctuations, but not all. It is a culmination of record numbers of viewers tuning out, an ongoing trend throughout a year which saw the once-powerful program limp a months-long path of decline.
In the grand scheme, WWE is unquestionably still pro wrestling’s Goliath. It routinely has viewing numbers drop hour-to-hour which surpass even its next highest competing brand’s peak audiences, so it isn’t an indication of the company faltering within the industry itself.
It would, however, appear to indicate growing fan dissatisfaction with the weekly TV product — which hits a publicly-traded company where it hurts most: The pocketbook. Advertisers pay based on a program’s audience reach, and when those numbers start to erode by the quarter-million, profits go with them.
It seems WWE took note. They ended the year with the McMahon family returning to television, acknowledging its disgruntled audiences and promising fresh starts, stories and opportunities in the months ahead.
They have yet to address a the ratings impact of a Universal champion who both sees himself as and is treated like a special PPV attraction. And unquestionably keeping Roman Reigns (empathy for his current medical condition aside) as the sole contender for over a year, virtually ignoring all other contenders with the exception of Braun Strowman, did not help.
What the future for WWE TV will look like is anyone’s guess. However, both audiences and the McMahons themselves have made it clear something needs to give.
Whether audiences tune in to watch, though, remains to be seen.
