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Bruce Prichard Says WWE Is Cutting PLE Match Counts to Boost Watchability

He points to the shift from pay-per-view buys to streaming, new compensation norms for talent, rising TV rights fees.

Overview

  • Speaking on his Something To Wrestle podcast on Jan. 8, Prichard said “ten matches on a card is hard to watch” and argued that less is more.
  • WWE premium live events now typically run about five matches, with WrestleMania remaining a two-night exception to fit more bouts.
  • Prichard said the streaming model ended pay-per-view buy bonuses for wrestlers, reducing pressure to load up event cards.
  • He framed weekly television as equal in value to PLEs, noting nearly six hours of Raw and SmackDown each week driven by rights fees.
  • Reports contrasted WWE’s shorter cards with AEW’s longer major shows, which often approach four hours.