5 Things I picked Up From Attending WWE Friday Night Smackdown ( And More ).
Ticket Prices Are An Industry Wide Problem.
Over the past five years, a lot has been said about Ticketmaster, and their pricing system in the way of dynamic pricing. Lets just put it this way. I get that big acts have ever increasing road crews, which means that prices have to get bigger. Case and point. In July i'm seeing both Luke Combs, and. My Chemical Romance at Wembley Stadium, and combined both tickets I've paid came to nearly £3.00 euros. Why am I using music as an example? well that's real simple. WWE are no differant. I spoke to fans in the que waiting to enter Wembley Arena last night, and the concensus was the same felt all around. The Prices have gone away from the fans, and families. I understand that TKO want to make a profit, but it shouldn't come at the hand that feeds them.
Fans Are Fed Up With Cody Cena.
The divide that fans are seeing when it comes to Cody Rhodes is a real thing. I usually ignore a lot of what gets said on twitter when it comes to Cody, but after hearing the boos first hand last night. I don't think it can't be ignored anymore. If you're going to turn Cody heel, then now is the perfect time to do it. It's very telling when you witness this in person. I'm a unapolagetic fan of Cody, and even i'm saying that his time as a babyface is nearing it's end. WWE need to take note of this. This is just the same way to describe what happened to John Cena back in 2008, when fans started to tire of his babyface act. Moments like this should be studied, as the consumer is who feeds WWE's main family base needs to feel like they're being listened to.
The Thing To Do If You Want To Get Instant Heat.
As the show went on, the in place ad breaks for the USA Network delay feed became more and more evident. I don't have an issue with ads personally, but when there used for sport washing purposes, then that's when I've got to draw the line. The response from when the visit Saudi Arabia ad aired was at one point deafening in the arena, with chants of. You sold out.
Ilja And Sami. You Always Save The Best For Last.
I haven't watched the show back yet on Netflix, but what I can say is this. I loved Sami Zayn vs Ilja Dragonov. The Match had a sense of excitement that I felt radiate throughout my body. I bought every near fall, and every submission attempt. I loved this Match. Sami gave a speech to the fans after he took his place in the Fatal Four Way Match for the no1 contenders at Saturdays Main Event, for Drew Mcintyre's WWE Undisputed World Championship. It's amazing to think that Sami has such a rich history with this City, and it's fans, so hearing him say that he wants London to host Wrestlemania is quite heartwarming, even though I don't think this will ever happen, due to the fact London Mayor Sadiq Khan has said in the past that he's focusing more on bringing in the NFL Superbowl.
A Blinding Night For The UK Scene.
I've said this before, and I will say it again. Drew Mcintyre has been one of my favourite things in WWE for over the past few years, so seeing him bring home the Gold was an emotional moment that fans in attendence lapped up, ( Me included ) as the chants had started from before the broadcast had even gone live. His promo led to a dual with Randy Orton, that had me out of my seat. Over the past few years I think it's remarkable how HHH has breathed life into his career. Both men went through their history together, and that's when you enter stage left Mr Jacob Fatu. For taking out The Miz. In the Main Event Match taping before the show went live. Southamptons Nathan Fraser worked a banger against Rey Fenix. Leon Slater had an awesome showing against Carmelo Hayes in the United States Open Challenge, and did I hear a mention of WCPW from Cody Rhodes.
Overall View From Last Night.
This was a great show, and a good choice for my first ever WWE TV Live Broadcast, and I would definately go to another one, but their was one big gaping problem. Staffing issues at Wembley Arena. I think that they were under staffed, and when you ad that in with the fact that I think some members of staff were told the wrong things. For example the merch que only had two people working the main area in the foyer, when there was a very large que. This was unacceptable. Im not sure whether this was poor management, or bad organisation from WWE, but either way this needs to be looked at in the future. I must reiterate this isn't the fault of the main collegues. It's up to the arena to have a back up plan. This looked bad from the point of the people who were standing around me. Do Better WWE, and. Wembley Arena.