WWE and TNA should look to UFC in their approach to PPV promotion

It is no question that the PPV industry is in decline in the wrestling industry, with increasingly negative numbers for both WWE and TNA being revealed every so often.  Though streaming is a big part of the problem, it also comes down weakly promoted PPVs, something that can be easily changed.

WWE have tried to spice things up by introducing several "gimmick" PPVs, in where the main events are based around popular gimmick matches.  Hell in a Cell, Elimination Chamber and TLC are a few examples of this. TNA have stayed true to their typical 12 PPVs a year, most of them inseperable from the others and all with a late 90's Attitude Era-style tacky name.  Sacrifice, Hardcore Justice and others that I can't even remember.

Neither of these approaches to PPV's is the right idea and what both WWE and TNA need to look to is how UFC promote their PPV names.  UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem, for example. I'm not suggesting they start with event names such as "TNA 132" or "WWE 1049 (did you know: the longest running PPV series in history!)".  Instead, start booking PPV's around the main event of each show, and come up with a new PPV title each time.

For example, can you remember the main event of WWE No Mercy 2008?  I'd hazard a guess that you don't (congratulations if you do, you win this prize), but the main event of that PPV was a brilliant ladder match for the World Heavyweight Title between Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels, as part of their epic 2008 feud.  But if WWE had gone with a PPV name like this:

No Mercy: Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels

It is much  more likely you would remember that PPV in the long run and it would give PPV's a much bigger feel to them than they already have.  To make it even better, each PPV should have an individual name, rather than re-using names such as No Mercy, Unforgiven, Backlash etc. over and over again, to the point they become forgettable.

Look at the WWE PPV Badd Blood.  The name, until 2003, was only used once in 1997 and everybody who has been watching wrestling since that era will be able to tell you that was the PPV of the Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker Hell in a Cell match, because it stands out in the memory.

Of course, both TNA and WWE should keep their big annual PPV's - for WWE, they have to keep Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, Summerslam and Survivor Series, the traditional big 4.  Make the other 8 as part of this system.  TNA should keep Lockdown, Slammiversary and Bound For Glory, but for sure they should start a new system of PPV naming.  Why do they think fans want to see PPV's like "victory road" or "turning point" every year - names that just scream "this PPV is worthless"

Another thing that would benefit PPV's by simply changing the format of the name to something like UFC does, is that it would promote an ultimate main event on each show.  Of course in wrestling, every match is - or at least supposed to be -  booked to be exciting and part of the overall show which you watch from start to finish.  In UFC or boxing, viewers often tune in just to see the main event fights.  Wrestling shows have got to a point where they often have 2, 3, sometimes even 4 big main events on one show.  The problem is, this doesn't make the whole show seem bigger - it just waters down all the main events and suddenly the PPV is smaller, not bigger than it should be.  If each PPV had the ultimate main event promoted in its title, this would make each card feel unique and seem like a big deal.

This is obviously not the only thing that could help PPV business, as online illegal streaming is the biggest problem that wrestling promotions face, but I think it is a small step that could benefit either TNA or WWE.