L. Anne Carrington  

Show Notes

• Archived Blog Post

  Date / Time: 6/4/2009 1:54 AM UTC

  PPV's in Excess?
  

  
  
  I was just thinking about Extreme Rules coming up this Sunday and then I looked at my calendar, realizing that yet another PPV will be on the horizon not three weeks after that.
  
  Now pay per views can be good or bad, but is it me or are the gaps between them getting closer and closer?
  
  I remember the days when there were fewer of these events and plenty of time to build up to them.
  
  These days, however, we don’t seem to have that luxury anymore, with the exception of a rare occurrence here and there (for example, the gap between No Way Out and Wrestlemania).
  
  With PPV’s coming closer and closer, there is the first factor of not having time for good feuds to build; it seems such feuds recently are put together willy-nilly, only to have most of them tossed aside once the PPV is over and the cycle is repeated.
  
  Matches being made for pay per views these days also seem rushed. It just takes on an appearance of “all right, we have three hours to fill; let’s throw in this match or that one.”
  
  They just don’t seem as carefully planned or the anticipation built up the way they had been even as much as ten years ago.
  
  There is also the issue of the same titles being defended all the time. Two or three times is good, but a little goes a long way. There are at least a couple of titles I can name off the top of my head that I can’t even tell any reader the last time said titles were defended at a PPV.
  
  I couldn’t do this column without mentioning the cost factor. Even though there are places in other parts of the world that the PPV’s can be seen for free (or in some establishments such as bars, a minimum food/drink order cost), outside of those, PPV’s run anywhere from $40-50 here in the US (and even more for Mania each year).
  
  With these programs running two to three weeks together, ordering these shows, especially when it turns out either a match one was looking forward to being scrapped or the card changed at the last minute, causing some disappointment once said money was spent on a particular PPV.
  
  Personally, I would rather see about six PPV’s a year, with plenty of time to build up good feuds, see a strong card put together instead of random matches, and see more anticipation among fans.
  
  But I guess I am being a bit nostalgic here, since it seems to be more about economics than putting out a quality pay per view these days.
  
  I like being entertained, but I also like things with a bit of thought put into it, as well as something that interests me in the weeks leading to the big event. Perhaps then I would be willing to open my wallet a bit more often.
  
  Let me know your thoughts and opinions—should PPV’s be placed further apart?
  • Tags:
  • Wrestling
  • Pay Per Views
  • WWE
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