Six Reasons The Evolution PPV May Be In Danger

In what is now a matter of weeks, the WWE will host the first ever all women’s pay per view entitled Evolution. After five years’ worth of the company re-building the division and creating a new image attached to women’s wrestling this historic event is a celebration of female superstar’s past, present, and future and fans have every reason to be excited or do they? Over the past month the WWE has given its audience great reason to have doubt and in today’s blog post we are going to be exploring the reasons why the WWE and fans should be worried about one of the most important pay per views in the history of this business.

THIS POST WAS PRE POSTED BEFORE THIS WEEKS EPISODE OF RAW

Poor Ticket Sales

To kick-start today’s blog post we must discuss one of the biggest issues the WWE are having regarding the Evolution pay per view; ticket sales. It’s been reported for weeks now that tickets are moving slow for the historic event and while today we will be discussing why exactly that may be the news itself is worrying. Will the WWE sell enough tickets to prove the Evolution itself is working? Will the poor ticket sales leave doubt in the minds of Vince McMahon and higher-ups regarding giving women these kinds of opportunities and more in the future? And what will the audience look like come October when the PPV rolls around? In a dream world, these tickets would have sold out amazingly fast proving the demand for more women’s wrestling and moments like this when in reality has what we have actually seen may have proven that now may not be the exact right time to host this event?

A Weak Build

One of the main reasons why ticket sales have been so weak without a shadow of a doubt falls to the build. We are around a month or less away from this historic event, yet we rarely hear the WWE even mention the word “Evolution”. We have two confirmed matches as well as knowledge that every women’s championship will be defended but it just isn’t enough. Without talking about it and without building a strong build how are tickets supposed to sell? Fans haven’t been given enough reason to invest their money into this show and that’s the problem. We’re seeing a lack of consistency, the WWE struggling to keep up with just how many shows they are providing, and with so much coming up it's clear the Evolution pay per view has fallen into the background. For things to turn around in terms of ticket sales and fan interest the WWE are really going to have to turn up the heat and create an epic build, however, it's clear they are seriously running out of time!

Injuries

Now, this one may not be as big of a deal as the many other points we are going to be touching on today but the news of several female superstars suffering injuries is a worrying issue for the up and coming Evolution PPV. Both Sasha Banks and Alexa Bliss have been said to be on the injured list and while neither appear to be serious it is a big topic of discussion and something that could shape how well this event goes. Banks and Bliss have played a huge part in the progress of women’s wrestling and the journey the division has been on and it’s vital they are amongst those competing next month. If either of these women or any other important figures are to miss out on this event then it could seriously rock a night that should be epic, to say the least.

Too Dependent on the Bella Twins

The past month saw the Bella Twins make their return to the WWE. With Brie competing on both RAW and Smackdown LIVE and Nikki sticking to Monday nights the two have been thrown back into the spotlight massively and have clearly made a return to play a huge part in the Evolution pay per view. Now, I’m not denying just how big of stars these two women are. I’ve gone on record before to say that the pair have been a huge part in where the division is now and the women’s Evolution a unique way and their popularity amongst a certain demographic will ensure great viewership, however, it’s also been made clear that the WWE is relying on the two former champions far too much. Fans and news outlets are convinced Nikki is set to face Rousey in the main event and Brie is likely to be given a big part in the night also. While both women defiantly deserve a spot on the card it’s clear there will be women apart of this even in a greater position to play the roles Nikki and Brie are likely to play and with Brie’s recent worrying performances it further proves the point that a big mistake the WWE is making is depending far too much on the Bella Twins.

A Disappointing Card

 To say that the Evolution card is disappointing is a little harsh considering we’ve only had a few matches even announced but looking at responses online to those that have been made official it really is divided. The first official match announced was, of course, Alexa Bliss vs Trish Stratus which while it does make sense in terms of a passing the torch vibe there were so many other opponents that man fans favoured as an opponent for Stratus including future hall of Famer in her own right Mickie James and Revolution standout, Sasha Banks.  Fans can also expect to see Mickie James vs Lita which again while is a dream match for many and a showing of two of the best of the best there has been more fitting opponents noted for both women and so many fans have expressed disappointment. Now, I do believe there would be far more of a hype and a positive response if the WWE simply built these matches up properly or in fact at all because of as of right now we have had next to no build what so ever.

Crown Jewel

I know. This one is going to divide opinion but hear me out. I was one of the few people who struggled to invest and support the Greatest Royal Rumble event but when the WWE announced the first ever all women’s PPV it was proof the company has not forgotten about all the hard work they had put into building the women’s division up to where it is right now, however, the recent news that the WWE will be hosting yet another show in Saudi Arabia I was massively disappointed and actually seriously frustrated. Of course, there is plenty of money to be made here, millions even but the lack of ethics is something that doesn’t sit right with me. You cannot host a historic, important, and vital pay per view like Evolution around the same time as a pay per view where women are not allowed anywhere near. Now, I know the ignorant comments will flood in saying that this just shows that’s its all fair and the men have their PPV and the women have there’s but that is not the case here. Evolution is about celebrating the history of women’s wrestling, the superstars, and the future that holds for women in this industry and its almost a mockery and an insult to then host Crown Jewel so close to this event. We have all seen the WWE defend their actions to hold shows in Saudi Arabia and again for a business side of things I get it, but the timing is awfully bad and outrageous and has hindered the build to this historic show. It’s also pretty telling and revealing that the WWE has pushed and focused more on Crown Jewel, a network special announced only weeks ago compared to the Evolution pay per view over a year in the making.

Arguably one of the most passionate blog posts I have ever written I have to say that I really enjoyed writing this and next week I will have part two where will flip things and discuss the six reasons why fans should be excited for the Evolution pay per view and what we still must look forward to! For now, any comments can be left below regarding the conversation surrounding this event!

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