Former WWE Writer Compares Company To McDonald’s – ‘Not Many Enjoy Digesting It’

WWE is the worldwide leader in sports entertainment for a reason. They are everywhere you look and there are some people out there who aren’t aware that any other type of pro wrestling exists because WWE has done such a good job taking over the marketplace.

Court Bauer recently spoke to Forbes where he was asked about WWE’s dwindling ratings. WWE losing fans is not a new thing at all and has been a trend. However, this slump might not have been too noticeable until the numbers got scary low.

He said that WWE is like McDonald’s in a way because they are everywhere and ready to be consumed. That doesn’t make the product any easier to digest in a time where fans are gravitating toward special interests that WWE doesn’t cater to.

“WWE has been tracking downward in the ratings since I was at WWE in 2007. Fans are sophisticated. They’re selective. They are pursuing other outlets for pro wrestling. The climate is eerily similar to 1995 in that consumer appetite was sinking for WWE, but the hunger was still there. Fans, including myself, sought out something different and I found it in ECW and WCW. Technology has also helped move it along as with just two or three clicks you can be streaming something from anywhere at any point. I see wrestling represented on the streets of New York, I see it threaded through the cultural fabric today maybe more than ever before. WWE is like McDonald’s: they’re global, affordable and readily available anywhere, anytime but society wants more gluten-free, organic or just something different. Sure, McDonald’s, like WWE, is everywhere—ready to be consumed, but not many enjoy digesting it.”

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WWE isn’t going away. Vince McMahon will likely never close the doors on his company even after he is no longer a part of the picture. They have built up an empire at this point that will be difficult to take down. It still might be a good idea to figure out what is working in the current pro wrestling scene and try to gain influence from that and not take it only to give WWE’s spin.

Fans are tired of Vince McMahon’s take on a popular idea. Only time will tell if WWE will get that or if they’ll just keep assembling metaphorical Big Macs for the public to consume.