After a promising start WGN has canceled WWE Superstars. On April 7, 2011 the final episode will air ending the show’s very short run of only 2 years. The first episode showed much promise as it featured The Undertaker vs. Matt Hardy in his first match after an epic main event vs. Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania 25.
Unfortunately the WWE Superstars declined not only in ratings but in substance soon after the debut episode. The show attempted to stand on its own creatively with separate storylines from the big two (Raw and SmackDown!) but the push just did not work. Ratings mean everything in TV and Superstars just didn’t have them.
WWE has attempted to add a third show to their lineup in the past but all suffered the same fate as WWE Superstars. WWE’s version of ECW is a prime example of a show that just couldn’t cut on it’s own validity. Whether or not WWE watered down the product is irrelevant in this argument. ECW was dubbed the third show and never really got enough ratings or even the chance at ratings that Raw or SmackDown bring in. Another show that was killed is Sunday Night Heat.
[adinserter block=”2″]Now this show showed real promise much like Superstars. It aired on Mtv and even aired live on Sunday’s before pay per views as a lead in show. This show held it’s own for quite awhile and actually kept guys like Al Snow, Stevie Richards, and Raven on television. But it was not enough and Sunday Night Heat went away as well. Other shows like Shotgun Saturday Night, Jakked, and Metal were all were canceled as they didn’t even come close to holding a good rating.
So what does the cancellation mean to WWE? Well for starters after WrestleMania we can expect to see some talent cuts for sure. Superstars like Zak Ryder and the Usos could be in real trouble if they don’t catch a push on Raw or Smackdown. Even stars like Goldust and Kozlov may be in jeopardy of losing their jobs. On the other hand Superstars who do come over to the big shows will have a chance to break out as bigger stars. Curt Hawkins for example may be someone who gains a spot on SmackDown and gains more notoriety. The advent of internet shows in WWE could be a saving grace for WWE Superstars with no place to go. Look at what the internet did for NXT. Of course the internet is not the best place to be if your trying to become champion some day but hey you still have a job!
[adinserter block=”1″]What does the decision to cancel Superstars mean to WGN? It means the channel will stay white noise on basic cable. A show like Superstars was the only show that brought something different to the channel. In fact some DirectTV subscribers may even remove the channel from their package. DirectTV only offers WGN in their larger channel packages and not always in HD. Why would a WGN viewer keep the channel if they can view the same old re-run shows on TNT, TBS, and TV Land?
The short answer is they won’t. It sure seems to me that the decision to cancel WWE Superstars was made in haste. Unless WGN has big plans for the future they sure should have kept Superstars in their lineup. There are plenty of stations out there that would gladly welcome WWE programming. So WGN’s loss is someone else’s gain.
Adam Smerecki is a life long wrestling fan and an accomplished writer and radio host. Adam has written for numerous wrestling sites including the Franchise Shane Douglas Official website and hosts Turnbuckle Talk on WUMD in Detroit, MI. Currently you can catch Adam’s wrestling figure reviews on http://tnarevolution.com and of course here at The Camel Clutch!
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