The 4 Biggest Reasons WWE Is Riding an Unthinkable Hot Streak

WWE's widespread success throughout 2023 is unprecedented in the sense that it has universally improved all areas of the company–including what we see weekly on television.

Fans have experienced a roller coaster of emotions in the last 18 months between Vince McMahon's faux "retirement," Triple H taking the reins, McMahon working his way back into the fold, and WWE ultimately falling under new ownership.

In the end, we're left with a hot product that most audiences can enjoy, simultaneously resulting in record-breaking ticket sales, merchandise numbers and brand partnerships.

That's in addition to the surge in international premium live events, which were among the most memorable shows the promotion produced in 2023.

Viewership isn't anywhere near what it was in the Attitude Era or even in the years that followed, but that hasn't stopped from WWE making more money than ever before off newly-announced television rights deals for SmackDown, NXT and soon Raw.

In short, business is booming for WWE, and the rest of the wrestling landscape has also been reaping the benefits to a certain degree.

It all comes down to a simple formula that WWE has managed to master this year: providing something for everyone. If they can continue to hone in on that, the unthinkable hot streak they're riding right now is bound to take them to even greater heights in 2024 and beyond.

The Electric Atmosphere of WWE Live

The sheer excitement that live crowds have for WWE right now radiates through the screen. Smart booking and excellent wrestling are obvious factors in the success of any show, but an energetic audience can be the biggest difference-maker of them all.

This year's installment of Backlash emanating from Puerto Rico was a prime example of that. It would have been a solid show at best had it happened almost anywhere else in the United States, but the atmosphere in the building that night made it one of the most memorable shows they've done in years.

Bad Bunny and Damian Priest stole the show with their San Juan Street Fight, complete with appearances from Puerto Rico's own Carlito, Savio Vega and other members of The LWO and The Judgment Day. WWE knew their audience, booked the bout for that specific show and it paid off exceptionally well.

The same can be said for Sami Zayn's Montréal homecoming at the onset of the year over Elimination Chamber. Although he didn't walk away as the new Undisputed WWE Universal champion, the immense amount of fan support for Zayn gave that match a magical vibe it wouldn't have had otherwise.

Even the average episodes of Raw and SmackDown feel more fun because of the live crowd's unparalleled enthusiasm. The current product is family-friendly, but unlike in years past, it doesn't limit the stories they can tell and the many demographics and audiences of all ages, paces and genders they can appeal to.

Catering to the Casual Fans Is of Utmost Importance

It's easy for fans online to get caught up in arguing about match outcomes and the like to understand that the "casual" audience is equally important to the hardcore fan base, if not more so.

A casual fan can defined as someone who doesn't watch the product religiously but generally follows along with what's going on, will attend an event for a good time when WWE comes to town, and doesn't follow the behind-the-scenes stories too closely.

With social media being so prevalent in modern times and everyone having a platform to express their opinion, it's difficult to determine how much of WWE's current audience consists of casual fans. But it's safe to assume that WWE's fan base is far more "casual" than AEW's or any other promotion for that matter with WWE being the biggest and most world-renowned brand of wrestling.

That portion of the audience, no matter the size, is essential to WWE's continued growth. Those are the fans who may attend an event, become lifelong fans if they have an enjoyable experience and will be more willing to spend money on merchandise or a Peacock/WWE Network subscription.

That would explain the simplicity of some of the shows to ensure the stories are easier to follow but engaging enough that they'll be willing to tune in consistently.

Keeping the Hardcore Fans Happy

As imperative as it is for WWE to continue catering to the casual fans, the power of the "hardcore" segment of the fan base–those who do watch religiously, routinely critique and are in a position to influence the opinion of others–can't be understated.

The term Internet Wrestling Community, or IWC for short, is outdated because of the aforementioned rise of social media and the internet as a whole. However, depending on the market WWE is in for any given event, the die-hards are the ones who can sometimes have the loudest voice and can dictate the direction the company heads in creatively if they don't approve of what they're seeing.

WWE heavily hinted at being under the impression years ago that the hardcore fans would never tune out entirely no matter how many times they phoned it in creatively. Triple H said as much during a July 2014 Raw promo. Per Fightful, viewership numbers year after year have indicated otherwise as the audience was indeed leaving in droves.

It's a tall task to get those fans back if they've lost faith in the product, but following a strong string of shows in 2023, it appears rebuilding that goodwill with the audience has seemingly been a top priority for the current management in place and rightfully so.

Recent positive feedback to WWE programming is proof that listening to the fans–instead of doing the exact opposite of what they want and ridiculing them for it by outright insulting their intelligence–can have its benefits after all.

Is WWE's Hot Streak Sustainable?

There is a worrying feeling among some fans that the bottom will eventually fall out in the sense that, even if WWE keeps thriving from a business standpoint, the product itself could soon revert to its previous creative lows.

WWE has historically had its fair share of peaks and valleys, but provided Triple H remains in charge of the company's creative direction and doesn't give the reins back to Vince McMahon in any capacity, there's no reason to think the weekly shows will ever be as abysmal as they once were.

International fans are clamoring for more, and with premium live events already scheduled to take place in Australia, France and Germany in 2024, it's safe to assume that aspect of things won't be slowing down any time soon.

Of course, there is always room for improvement, especially when it comes to making Raw and SmackDown more must-see consistently and getting newer talent over with the audience.

All things considered, WWE is balancing everything fairly effectively, and their surge of success this past year has shown that the approach they're taking is working. Staying ahead of the curb is key, and by putting the fans first and delivering a product more and more people can get invested in, they're setting themselves up for an even brighter–and more profitable–future.

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Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.