WWE's ratings take another dip: Is the company in for a huge free fall?

WWE HQ in Stamford, Connecticut

See what happens when you try too hard?

After what I thought was an extreme case of overselling on the part of WWE, the company that has had poor ratings of late continued to take another plunge downward with a weak performance on Monday night.

Even with the return of Sting to a WWE ring and his first match on Raw, a Divas controversy and the go home show before Night of Champions, there was no chance of salvaging what was ideally a flat show on the season premiere. And to be honest, it does not look like there is an end in sight to the leaking vessel that is besieged by poor booking and continually long-running programs that have become stale and uninspiring.

What in the name of Vincent K. McMahon is going on here? Where is the build, the shock and awe and the chance to see something new on a weekly basis? It essentially left the circus about the same time Edge retired from the business. I’m not making the correlation that the wrestler has something to do with the beginning of WWE’s downfall. What I am saying is events over the years have contributed to leaving creative teams in peril. That’s why there has never been a real move to replace John Cena once he decides to finally stop performing. Based on numbers, this is only going to get worse.

The September 14 show drew a final cable broadcast rating of 2.42, according to Nielsen Media Research and TVByTheNumbers. This number was down slightly from last week’s Labor Day broadcast, which drew a 2.44 rating.

This week’s show went head to head against the first regular season edition of Monday Night Football, which is historically a very difficult time slot. However, past year’s editions of RAW up against week one Monday Night Football have fared better. Last year, RAW drew a 2.88 rating, a 2.91 rating was earned in 2013, and the 2012 broadcast of RAW drew a 2.98 rating.

This reflects a general trend in television ratings for WWE in 2015, which have been down across the board as compared to previous years.

I wasn’t a fan of any segment Raw produced on Monday night, and wasn’t shocked by the ending of the Divas Title match between Nikki Bella and Charlotte, but wasn’t thrilled by it either as the match was typical of a women’s match in WWE until the ending when the ghost of Dusty Rhodes rose from underneath the squared-circle.

OUCH!

WWE has gotten itself into a cluster of sorts it might not be able to get out of. Not because of effort but because of circumstance. Here’s a theory…

Since WrestleMania, the company has erased its relationship with its pioneer Hulk Hogan over racial slurs and bad press. Dusty Rhodes and Roddy Piper both passed away – topics we still talk about. There has been bad press about the Divas and their so called revolution. Twitter rants by current WWE stars have made the rounds across the globe. Dolph Ziggler is being buried and may have had his career come to a crashing halt. There is still no Daniel Bryan. Jimmy Snuka has been charged with murder. And did I mention there is still no Daniel Bryan?

These kinds of social media darlings and plans of action by the company only make things worse, and when the time comes to try and make a big splash, here comes the NFL again in full force, competing on both Monday and Thursday nights. Can you say programming nightmare? The holidays are approaching, it only figures to get worse.

The addition of Sting, the Dudley’s, potentially Bryan if he is cleared to wrestle and another top star or two may be temporary solutions. None of them would add to the current situation in the long run. And no, Jeff Hardy making a return will not help – only make it worse.

So in reality, the circumstance has become WWE’s own worst nightmare and if should want to improve its standing, the product has to be better. But if the product is better, then it will mean more opportunity with the current roster. It’s a double-edged sword this company seems unwilling to take.

Or is it willing to take the chance, but is worried about the social media hit it might endure.

Either way, the ratings are still falling. That is all we all need to know about how things are moving in the business of sports entertainment.