They're pushed as top stars but are both on the wrong side of the heel/face alignment. They sell merchandise but don't sell out arenas. Thus, Styles and Reigns are, in a rather odd way, polar opposites who are somehow so much alike. Raw's average TV rating dipped from 2.48 to 2.22 last year while SmackDown's increased from 1.62 to 1.90, but it's worth noting that SmackDown moved to a live format on Tuesdays last year so that, and not Styles, is probably the best explanation for blue brand's spike in ratings. Both are slightly down from the 6,000 and 5,500 the year before." That average means that 2016 was WWE's worst year for live event attendance since 2006, and the Observer also notes that Raw's average live event attendance dropped more than 35 percent from October 2015 to October 2016 while SmackDown shows headlined by Styles and Ambrose averaged 1,000 fewer fans than when Cena was thrown into the mix.īeyond showing the drawing power of Cena, these numbers paint an odd picture of the business that Reigns and Styles do.Īlthough both superstars appear to sell a ton of merchandise, neither superstar has proven to be a house show or ratings draw. The results, however, have shown that neither superstar has been able to move the needle in that category.Īccording to WWE's Key Performance Indicators and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, in 2016, " Average attendance at a domestic live event was listed at 5,800, but factoring out WrestleMania, it was 5,300 for Raw & Smackdown shows. With Cena's new status as a part-timer and other top draws like Goldberg, Lesnar and Undertaker rarely, if ever, working house shows, Styles and Reigns have been booked as the main eventers for live events for their respective brands. Similarly, a marketability study conducted last year placed Reigns alongside Cena, Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker as WWE's most popular superstars.īut while Reigns and Styles have both proven to be incredibly popular stars who are strong merchandise movers, there isn't any full-timer in WWE who has been a major draw at live events or on TV, including Reigns and Styles. Google search data also suggests that Styles is the most popular star to debut on WWE's main roster last year, placing him above established names like Bayley and Finn Balor. 3 seller at a "major retailer" that year as well, not to mention Styles quickly selling out of both his signature gloves and his first WWE t-shirt almost instantly after his debut last January. 3 merchandise mover in 2015, him being the No. That data seems to be backed up by Reigns being WWE's No. 3? Well, those spots belong to Reigns and Styles, respectively. Recent data indicates that Cena is, far and away, the top merchandise seller in WWE. Perhaps most importantly, though, Styles for Reigns is an even trade, more so than Reigns for John Cena, Styles for Rollins or any other blockbuster trade you can come up with. Likewise, it could cement Styles as the babyface that he should be while also opening up a wide variety of fresh feuds, matches and storylines for both superstars after most of their options have been exhausted on their current brands. the top babyface spot on its flagship show. If WWE sends Reigns to the blue brand and moves Styles to Monday nights, it stops Reigns from being a square peg that WWE has forced into a round hole, a.k.a. On the other, you have Styles, who has done tremendous work as SmackDown's top heel since the brand split but has grown to be so respected by the masses for his incredible in-ring abilities that he's essentially a heel in name only. On one side, you have Reigns, who WWE continuously pushes as Raw's top babyface despite overwhelming resistance from the very vocal minority. In fact, you could argue that, out of all the superstars currently in WWE, the two most miscast stars are, in fact, Reigns and Styles. There are also rumors that WWE could be holding another draft this summer, which could be yet another way for WWE to freshen things up by swapping two superstars, Reigns and Styles, who are a lot more similar than one would think. It freshens up talent, and it gives us a much longer range in terms of the use of those talents and the IP that goes with them. So in essence, if you haven’t seen a Roman Reigns on Smackdown, then when he does, then that’s really a big thing. You have fresh talent coming from one brand to the next. But at the same time, we’re introducing new viewers. There is some crossover, which is what we wanted. It’s working extremely well, it’s working exactly like we thought it would.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |