Bruce Prichard Explains WWE’s Shift to Smaller PLE Cards – Bruce Prichard has shared new insight into WWE’s ongoing shift toward smaller match cards for its Premium Live Events, explaining why the company now views shorter lineups as more effective in the modern wrestling landscape. Speaking on the latest episode of Something to Wrestle, Prichard discussed how fan viewing habits, streaming platforms, and television value have reshaped how WWE structures its biggest shows.
Prichard reflected on the era when pay-per-views regularly featured lengthy cards packed with matches, arguing that those shows were often overwhelming for viewers. “I go back in time; ten matches on a card is hard to watch,” Prichard said. “When you look at the presentation and you put so many things in a ten match card, at the end of the night, what do you remember? You’re most likely going to remember the main event, but there may have been an angle in the third match and a hell of a match, but you have forgotten because you have seen so much other shit. Good, bad, or indifferent. I think less is more.”
According to Prichard, the transition from traditional pay-per-view to streaming has fundamentally changed WWE’s approach. “The PLE streaming aspect of the business has changed that completely,” he explained. With performers no longer being compensated based on buy rates and strict time limits no longer required, WWE has greater flexibility to focus on pacing and impact rather than volume. “Talent is not paid on pay-per-view buys. There is no time allotment. They don’t really want more than three hours. It’s a different time and a different way people consume,” Prichard said.
He also addressed the long-standing desire among talent to appear on WrestleMania, noting that a crowded card can actually diminish those moments. “‘I need my WrestleMania moment.’ You have a moment next month in the main event. ‘I want to be on WrestleMania.’ Where? It’s going to get lost here and we’re doing this here.”
Prichard emphasized that weekly television now carries equal weight to Premium Live Events due to lucrative rights deals. “Television is just as valuable as the PLEs with rights fees,” he said. “To be on television to a huge number of people versus PLEs, that has changed. Every time you’re on screen is valuable.” With WWE producing nearly six hours of main roster programming each week between RAW and SmackDown, those appearances now rival major events in importance.
Bruce Prichard Explains WWE’s Shift to Smaller PLE Cards
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