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Is it fair to blame CM Punk and his "Pipebomb" for Casual Audience leaving WWE in droves since 2011?

5K views 55 replies 41 participants last post by  Opinionated 
#1 ·
Is it not? I mean CM Punk started the whole "breaking the fourth wall" "Shooting" type promos and almost entirely normalized it on the show. Yes, it used to be done before but only on occasions, but post Punk it became normal and regular occurring. One obvious consequence of this is the casual fans unable to connect with the whining and backstage shooting...just left the product altogether reflecting the current ratings. Ofcourse it didn't help the fact that WWE went all-in indy catering pushing nobodies and barely relevant names as main eventers of the show. WWE Network is total mark central, shows like Austin's podcast featured open talks blatantly laying the backstage process of talents getting "pushed" and "buried" and whatnot. Not to mention NXT, WWE's own version of indy.

I mean how exactly is this drawing casual fans? What relevance does all these backstage drama being laid out on the show holds to a casual audience who just wants to enjoy a tv show for 3hrs once a week and forget all about it until next week?

Isn't WWE's biggest purpose to represent pro-wrestling in a mainstream capacity? Why aren't they doing it? Why are they trying to be a replacement of Roh instead?

Isn't it fair to blame Punk for starting this phenomenon and nurturing this mentality both within the fanbase and the locker-room? How has this benefitted WWE?
 
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#6 ·
No.

First off, the "casual audience" didn't leave in "droves" in 2011. They left in droves around 2001-2002 and have been leaving at a steady pace since then.

Second, Punk's angle was one of the only hot angles in WWE at the time, and really one of the hottest angles in wrestling. If anything was keeping people interested in the product it was him. If Punk was involved in WWE losing viewers it was because they pissed away all his momentum by having him job to Cena, Del Rio, Kevin Nash, and Triple H (am I missing anyone?? fpalm) when he was at his hottest.
 
#9 ·
2001/02 is the time when the wrestling boom ended. That's a different case. Attitude era was an exception, ofcourse WWE was never going to sustain that level of success.

What I'm talking about the last decade or so when WWE went from having a healthy casual fanbase to almost no casuals anymore. That trend started when Punk came to prominence. Internet fanbase especially gained ton of notoriety thanks to Punk and "shoots", and at the same time Casuals started leaving in big numbers returning only when someone like The Rock was on the show. No WWE can't even draw with the Rock anymore. That I believe is the ultimate "Punk effect" he left in WWE.

Punk's angle being hot is a myth, yes it was hot to internet fanbase but for casuals it was bust. The RAW ratings during the angle itself, you may look it up, were falling weak after week. Summerslam 2011 which featured Punk's big return and match with Cena drew one of the lowest Summerslam buys ever. Mark Henry's MITB angle with Cena utterly outdrew Punk two years later, hell even Ryback was far more hotter than Punk, going by the numbers, a year later. Aside from a two week merch sales numbers, there is nothing that indicates Summer of Punk angle was a big game changer in any way shape or form...unless you consider the negative detrimental long term effect of killing Casual fanbase he managed to achieve for WWE.
 
#10 ·
I hadn't watched a single second of WWE programming since 2003 before that "pipebomb." I actually tuned in afterwards since word of mouth was claiming he potentially went off script. I think if anything, Punk's worked shoot had the opposite effect. I believe more fault lies with creative dropping the ball. When I realized it was going nowhere, they lost me for another 3 years.
 
#15 · (Edited)
Punk's failure to raise the ratings is largely due to the company not being fully committed with him (his big angle going nowhere, him playing second fiddle to Cena, etc.). He would never be floundering with no direction otherwise, and it is almost impossible for a directionless wrestler, no matter how over or how talented he is, to effect to the business to the point where the ratings rise back up.

I could have argued that ratings after 2011 fell more rapidly because casual fans were confused with/bored of what was happening (a shit storyline both in itself and fucked up even more by backstage politics), and a portion of hardcore fans were put off by Punk's de-push and stopped watching. Fact is in kayfabe, Punk never followed up on his pipebomb after his return, and accepted being second in place to Cena despite being the WWE Champion. And the audience were supposed to believe he is some savior of the masses? Knock it off with that shit. He was never given the chance and therefore shouldn't get the blame.
 
#19 ·
since the advent of Netflix, WWE network, Disney thing and so on the ratings mean nothing.

if you tivo a program live, does that count as watched live? not sure, but in all seriousness the ratings cant be compared like for like across that time period.
 
#23 · (Edited)
Think thats a bit harsh to be blaming punk for the casuals leaving considering it's been dropping since 2001 but it's made the fans worse now that fans think anyone can be champion and they think know better than the wwe themselves. It's just made the fans online into big headed critical ass wipes who think 180 pound nobodies from NJPW can main event wrestlemania, LMFAO.
 
#25 ·
The pipebomb actually generated some interest in the product.

The audience is shrinking because the product is garbage and has been for a while, its not that complicated.
 
#30 ·
everyone left after summerslam 2002 when Austin and Rock were gone and Brock Lesnar got the strap

me personally I left after 2009 which was a horrendous year for WWE but it had been going downhill since Wm17.

the only other thing I can think of is CM Punk holding the strap for 14 months and making it a complete mid card belt solely to put the Rock over. that had to piss some people off.
 
#31 · (Edited)
Wasn't viewership in the fall down from 2010? I mean I enjoyed the Summer of Punk at first like many people on here, but they found a way to screw it up after Summerslam. Yeah, I even liked Big Kev's return and the ADR cash in. It got people buzzing which they currently have trouble doing ATM. Go back to the Summerslam 2011/Post Raw threads on here. Lots of buzz even outside this site.

The year+ long Punk reign and pushing Bryan over Batista for Mania 30 didn't help matters tho TBH.
 
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