April 22, 2002 Observer Newsletter: Relationship between wrestling and television, more

Television and pro wrestling in many ways are a marriage of necessity, that usually ends up as a bad relationship. In rare cases, when the product is hot and mainstream, and the ratings preclude what some would consider the negative stigma, the relationship is tremendous. Usually, that isn’t the case.

We are in, and have been for the past year, in probably the most unique time period for pro wrestling since television became an industry staple more than 50 years ago. We’ve got one major company, with several shows that air nationally, two of which are huge successes. With football out of the way, Raw is almost always the highest rated show of the week on cable, which is quite a feat considering how much landscape that entails. Smackdown is UPN’s highest rated show, and some have credited it with saving a network that appeared doomed before acquiring the show.

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