WWE On The Decline:? Reduced House Show Schedule May Be Due To Declining Attendance, Revenue

A new report says declines in revenue and overall attendance were the driving motivators for WWE restructuring its house show schedule going forward.

Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer spoke about the changes in a weekend edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. He said the declining revenue and attendance at live events was partly to blame for the dramatic fall WWE’s stock took over the last week. These declines led to a perception of WWE’s popularity declining, as well, leading to the house show schedule re-shuffling.

Instead, WWE will run fewer live events across February in the hope that fewer events will drive up interest back up once it is “less saturated.”

Meltzer’s report comes a few days before WWE’s next financial earnings call on Feb. 7. It also comes four days after it was announced longtime co-presidents George Barrios and Michelle Watson were let go, leading to the 28% stock plunge.

“I would like to thank George and Michelle for their 10+ years of service and contributions to the organization,” Vince McMahon said in an official statement. “I am grateful for all that was accomplished during their tenure, but the Board and I decided a change was necessary as we have different views on how best to achieve our strategic priorities moving forward.”

There have also been concerns about the stock dropping further after the upcoming earnings call.

While 2019 was reportedly an extremely profitable year for WWE between its new TV deals and the Saudi Arabia deal, every metric has shown the company’s popularity to be declining. TV ratings have gradually been dropping, along with show attendance and merchandise sales, leading to speculation about WWE’s actual market value.