The days of “B show” PPV events are over for WWE and their fans.
The company confirmed on Saturday that following WrestleMania, they will no longer be presenting brand-only PPV events. We had previously reported this was likely the case due to a May PPV being confirmed by the venue as now featuring RAW and SmackDown stars.
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With word getting around the internet about the plans in a matter of days, WWE issued the following release.
After WrestleMania, you’ll get the best of both brands – Raw and SmackDown LIVE – every month, on every pay-per-view. Catch every event streaming live on the award-winning WWE Network.
WrestleMania 34 – April 8, 2018
WWE Backlash – May 6, 2018
WWE Money in the Bank – June 17, 2018
WWE Extreme Rules – July 15, 2018
SummerSlam – Aug. 19, 2018
WWE Hell in a Cell – Sept. 16, 2018
WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs – Oct. 21, 2018
Survivor Series – Nov. 18, 2018
WWE Clash of Champions – Dec. 16, 2018
Also of note here is that the company has changed up their calendar to now feature just one PPV event in every month for the rest of 2018. They had previously scheduled 14 PPV events for this year; this will bring them back down to the more optimal 12 events in a calendar year.
Battleground and Payback were the events removed to get them down from 14 to 12 events. Two other events were then moved around, with Extreme Rules moving from September to July and Hell In A Cell was moved up two weeks to space it out more nicely between SummerSlam and TLC.
It has also been speculated that the company will move to make every PPV event four hours now to accommodate the larger roster size they will be trying to place on the card. Even with that extra hour, many of the mid card talent that currently are able to make the PPVs with the brand-only shows will be relegated to the kickoff show or off the card entirely.
When you’re trying to fit a lot into one broadcast, the move makes sense. Then again, one of the biggest complaints among WWE fans is that the shows are too long and this will only make that issue worse. It’s also at odds with Vince McMahon himself, who proclaimed at his press conference in announcing the return of the XFL that watching events longer than two hours can be laborious.
