A more edgier product

Word is that there is a big push within WWE to make the current product edgier. While not Vince McMahon's idea, he is said to be on-board with listening to ideas as he recognizes numbers are down across the board.

With ratings down, the goal is to give the audience something different compared to what they've been seeing over the last couple years. According to several WWE sources, fans can expect to see a more wrestling heavy programming going forward.

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As a fan of the Indy guys coming through into WWE of late this can only be good news allowing them to showcase their talents both in the ring and on the stick.

Great news. Looks like WWE are concerned about their numbers and realise they need to act to change this. Interesting to see if it works (I expect it will).

I think we can thank Crips and Mr H for this change after the booking thread. COINCIDENCE?! I DONT THINK SO

I genuinely had no idea about this when i made my comment on the booking thread last night.

It will definately help ratings, but like crips said in the article and ive never disputed his point - there needs to be substance to storylines too. Give the fans a fued with a decent backstory and a bit of creative genius mixed with an edgier approach and the audience will lap it up.

Is that too much to ask?!

WWE made a business driven decision to go down the PG route, they started to target a new demographic and thus the product needed to adapt to facilitate that decision. So on a strictly business based theory I can understand the reasoning behind it but as an older fan Im desperate for something more edgier and I think the majority of fans are too. From the looks of this wwe are starting to understand this and again adapt with the times. Proof will be in delivery though, I will wait with bated breath!

They're cleverer than you give them credit for

Kids who grew up watching the superhero era (or whatever it was called) were given the Attitude era when they hit their teens/young adulthood as a retention strategy. Then WWE cultivated a new child audience with the PG era, who now need THEIR edgier stuff. It's basic product lifecycle stuff. Get a population of kids in, retain them on a 20 year cycle, then do it all again.

It's not like they just turn up in the boardroom and see viewing figures are down, prompting mass confusion and panic.

It was mentioned on the podcast (I do listen to it) that what could be done is stick most of the product that's aimed at the younger audience on the Main Event programme, the likes of Hornswoggle, Clay (minus the ho's bum shot), Ryder etc, by doing so you're not losing the PG audience but simply providing a child friendly one and one targeted at a more mature audience.

They could have Smackdown as a kid friendly show and trial the more mature, edgier material on Raw. Could even advertise weeks in advance that Raw will no longer be a PG product so parents can't moan!!!

Has anyone on here watched Saturday Morning Slam? Its horrendous, but the kids lap it up. They could put every second of kiddy nonsense on there, give Cena a few appearances, and they would probably keep most of the little audience. When I watched as a teenager Raw was the edgy show and Smackdown was the more child friendly product that recapped and followed on major stories but blurring the major violence and language. That formula can easily return.

The Slam Is Good When You Have D Bry On There, Same Would Be With The More Technical Wrestlers, As There Is The No Head Shot Rule It Makes Them Wrestle More And Show What They Can Do