5 Ways WWE Can Keep Fans Interested During Final 2 Months of 2020

The Road to WrestleMania is undeniably the most interesting time of the year in WWE. It kicks off with the Royal Rumble and culminates on The Grandest Stage of Them All.

Things normally slow down a bit until the build to SummerSlam, but everything comes to a screeching halt in the fall months. WWE seems to struggle with the remaining stretch at the end of the year, and fans struggle to stay tuned.

Considering how bad 2020 has been for so many people, though, the company cannot afford to treat November and December the same way it always does.

Here are five ways WWE might be able to convince fans to keep watching for the next two months.

Embrace the Battle for Brand Supremacy

Credit: WWE.com

As Survivor Series is one of the Big Four events in the WWE calendar, casual wrestling fans are more likely to tune in leading up to it, meaning this current period is key.

WWE has to hook viewers and convince them to stick around after the Nov. 22 pay-per-view. The way to do that is to embrace the battle of brand supremacy between Raw and SmackDown.

This is supposed to be the one time of the year when the rosters clash, but it has been hurt by the WWE draft and the Brand-to-Brand Invitational making crossovers a regular thing.

Fans need to feel and see that something big is going down. It isn't good enough to sit around the writers' room, pitch "some people attack some other people on the opposite show" and consider that a job well done.

Let's see some power struggles within the rosters and more hard-fought qualifying matches for spots on the teams. All the champions and team members should be the best of the best, right? Let's see that. Make it so it feels like Godzilla vs. King Kong, rather than red shirts vs. blue shirts.

Hype up potential equals. Who is SmackDown's answer to AJ Styles? Is there anyone on Raw who can stand up to Lars Sullivan?

If Randy Orton spends his next few weeks busying himself with Drew McIntyre and Bray Wyatt, rather than anything in opposition to Roman Reigns, why would fans be excited to see them fight?

Survivor Series is a fun gimmick when done well and an interesting time of the year if it feels different.

Add Stakes to Matches on Television

Credit: WWE.com

These three matches meant so much more since they had a purpose to them.

Fans know the title belts are just props, but they are willing to play along. That only goes so far, though.

WWE struggles with a simple truth: The more fans are told wins and losses don't matter, the harder it is to convince anyone that a particular match means something.

Jeff Hardy vs. Elias at Hell in a Cell meant nothing because we all knew they weren't done feuding and whoever won would probably just lose the next match to even things out.

There must be stakes and consequences for fans to be invested in. They need to be legitimate, too. Ariya Daivari claiming he'll give $10,000 to anyone who beats him on 205 Live, only to then say "never mind" is a cop-out no one cares about.

However, a No. 1 Contender's tournament to determine who fights for a specific title means all the matches leading up to that point serve a purpose. They aren't just wins for the sake of wins or losses WWE will sweep under the rug.

Survivor Series itself should have something tangible on the line rather than just bragging rights. If the winning roster received the No. 30 spot in the Royal Rumble, fans would be more interested in the outcome of each match on the card to examine the possible outcomes.

The more people have to gain and lose, the more drama there is for viewers.

Utilize Fresh Matches from the Draft

Credit: WWE.com

One of WWE's biggest problems that was made significantly worse this year is how repetitive everything has become.

Nikki Cross vs. Bayley, Andrade and Angel Garza vs. The Street Profits, and The Hurt Business vs. Ricochet and Co. were among those feuds done way too often throughout 2020.

Hang on, though...WWE just held its draft. So, there are plenty of fresh options for new feuds and matches to see.

Unfortunately, the continuation of the Mysterio family storyline onto SmackDown from Raw proves WWE isn't willing to let some things end, even when they've already gone on for months.

Moving all of those Superstars to the opposite brand wasn't an actual change. Switching the ropes from red to blue but still having Murphy and Dominik in there with Rey and Seth Rollins isn't good enough. Seeing that will not entice any casual fan to tune in.

New isn't always better, but it's at least exciting to see something different.

Spice Things Up with Flashy Gimmicks and Spectacle

Credit: WWE.com

There is far too much WWE programming in general, which can feel like a never-ending loop.

Raw has the same feel as SmackDown every week, and the other WWE shows aren't wildly different to the main roster, either. However, the company doesn't have to try too hard to end that monotony—a little window dressing goes a long way.

The most recent example was NXT staging Halloween Havoc last week. There were some enticing gimmicky matches there, and it played off the nostalgia of WCW.

WWE should do more of that, as the ratings for NXT beat out AEW Dynamite in a rare upset because of this special.

Bring back the Slammy Awards, for example, or make the Thanksgiving episode something special.

Have Retribution win a match to give them carte blanche to create chaos on the next episode of Raw. Advertising a show of total anarchy can spark curiosity and attract attention.

Put in the Effort to Be Truly Entertaining

Credit: WWE.com

People don't watch television shows that aren't entertaining.

The most important idea here is the simplest to understand—but seemingly the hardest for WWE to be willing to do. Simply put, the company has to try harder and the writers can't rest on their laurels.

If fans aren't responding to an angle, your responsibility as a writer is to change it, end it or find something better to present to the audience. Interference and disqualifications to end matches is not enough.

How can the same team responsible for great things such as Randy Orton's return as The Legend Killer and Roman Reigns becoming The Tribal Chief also churn out garbage like the split of Zelina Vega, Andrade and Angel Garza that took forever just to fizzle into nothing?

Fans can tell when WWE puts no effort into the show. If Vince McMahon and company don't care, why should anyone else?

Anthony Mango is the owner of the wrestling website Smark Out Moment and the host of the podcast show Smack Talk on YouTube, iTunes and Stitcher. You can follow him on Facebook and elsewhere for more.