WWE Officials Not 'Pleased' with Quiet Fans at Hell in a Cell and Raw

If you saw the 2012 Hell in a Cell pay-per-view and/or the Oct. 29 edition of Raw, you probably noticed that the live audiences at both shows were more unenthusiastic than usual.

Undoubtedly, the Atlanta crowd during the Hell in a Cell event mostly kept to themselves even during the two world title matches.

For instance, when Sheamus went back and forth with Big Show and Ryback tried to feed on CM Punk, the live attendees seemed like they would rather be somewhere else. Even when Ryback "Shell Shocked" Punk on top of the cell, the reception was mild at best for a spot of such caliber.

The next night at Raw, the Charlotte crowd seemed equally bored with the festivities, which were capped off with the revelation of the participants who would be headlining Team Foley vs. Team Punk at Survivor Series 2012.

Suffice it to say, according to Bryan Alvarez's subscribers-only Figure 4 Weekly Newsletter (via WrestleNewz.com), the WWE brain trust was disappointed with certain members of the WWE Universe:

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WWE officials weren’t pleased with the crowd reactions at last night’s RAW in Charlotte, North Carolina. That’s two nights in a row as they were very down on the Hell In a Cell crowd in Atlanta on Sunday night. 

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Is this an aberration of sorts or should WWE be concerned about a fanbase that may be growing more indifferent to the lackluster product?

In order to argue it's the former case, one (as in a WWE official) could point to the reason that there may be some fans from the former WCW hotbeds of Atlanta and Charlotte who still haven't gotten over the demise of the Turner-owned company.

Of course, this type of rationalization ignores the fact that WCW closed shop 11 years ago, as well as the times when attending fans from both cities exhibited a loud appreciation for WWE shows.

The likely culprit, for all intents and purposes, is WWE's unimaginative and predictable product, which has become more excruciating to bear than ever before.

Ironically, in its attempt to freshen up the main-event scene, WWE's force-feeding of Ryback, down to his mannerisms, only seems like a pale and insulting imitation of Goldberg.

How fitting, then, that as team members of the Survivor Series main event were unveiled to a pin drop that the Charlotte crowd finally awoke to chant "Goldberg" at the "conquering" hero, Ryback.

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