WWE's updated their Investor Relations site with update financials, including the buy numbers for Taboo Tuesday: Up a bit from last year, around 200,000 buys.
Comparing Fiscal 2006 (So Far) to 2005 with approximations:
-Backlash '05: 305,000 [2004's Backlash counted in Fiscal 2004, but '05 drew better] -Judgment Day '05: 255,000 [Up slightly from '04] -One Night Stand: 345,000 [Well up from Bad Blood in '04] -Vengeance '05: 410,000 [Hundreds of thousands better than the '04 Bash] -The Bash '05: 230,000 [More or less the same as Vengeance '04, maybe down a couple thousand] -SummerSlam '05: 540,000 [100,000+ better than '04] -Unforgiven '05: 225,000 [Down slightly from '04] -No Mercy '05: 225,000 [Up slightly from '04] -Taboo Tuesday '05: 200,000 [Up slightly from '04]
Stuff we can grab from this: -So far, they're drawing better now than they did last fiscal year. Everything's either the same as last year, or drawing a LOT better (SummerSlam, Vengeance, One Night Stand]. -Smackdown's PPVs still draw less than RAW's PPVs, but there's less of a marked difference now.
The real test is upcoming: -How well did Survivor Series do in the wake of Eddie Guerrero's death, the piss-poor promotion, and the weak card? -How well will Royal Rumble & WrestleMania draw now that it seems that they might lose their "Only time RAW & Smackdown fight" specialness? -How well will the secondary PPVs left (Armageddon, New Year's Revolution & No Way Out) draw with them seemingly tossing out gimmick matches (The Cell for Armageddon, the Elimination Chamber for NYR) or interpromotional matches (the recently-announced Batista/Mysterio vs. Kane/Show, as an example)?
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How well did Survivor Series do in the wake of Eddie Guerrero's death, the piss-poor promotion, and the weak card?
I would expect higher than we'd all expect it is, since there was an obvious mulligan given to the WWE for buildup, plus the fact that SS is a big-4 PPV.
-How well will Royal Rumble & WrestleMania draw now that it seems that they might lose their "Only time RAW & Smackdown fight" specialness?
To me, the whole interpromotional thing is kinda secondary to the event/gimmick themselves. I haven't bought either because it's Smackdown vs Raw at the Royal Rumble or WrestleMania, I bought them because they're the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania, which might be my two favorite events of any given year.
-How well will the secondary PPVs left (Armageddon, New Year's Revolution & No Way Out) draw with them seemingly tossing out gimmick matches (The Cell for Armageddon, the Elimination Chamber for NYR) or interpromotional matches (the recently-announced Batista/Mysterio vs. Kane/Show, as an example)?
To me, the gimmick matches are needed more at PPVs like this, not less...since nothing that's not a Big 4 PPV will automatically draw on brand-name specialness. So if you need to throw in an elimination chamber match to draw your late December/early January PPV, so be it. Plus there's the knowing that putting up the EC worked quite well last year in that spot.
"He's too much of gentleman to assume that the lady he is with would have a disease and he's man enough to raise any offspring that should arise. HE IS AL WILSON."[-DEAN~, 7/22/05]
The big thing with this stuff is that while WE gripe about the shoddy writing, the horrible guys being pushed, the talented guys being buried etc etc, WWE management looks at the numbers and can say 'we're going in the right direction, let's stay the course.'
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I just love that they telegraphed the conclusion of "The Young and the Wrestlers" before it finished with this look at the rookie girl. And is this the first time they have used an actual match as part of the "spotlight" on a girl....