“Terrible”: Tony Khan Criticized for Not Following Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson WWE Rating Formula With Mercedes Mone After Surprise Raw Return

Since Dwayne Johnson has made an electrifying comeback in WWE, the storyline has become more exciting. Surprisingly, Johnson returned and joined the Board of Directors this January, in the TKO group that owns WWE and UFC. From being ‘The People’s Champion’ to becoming the ‘Final Boss’ he has garnered millions of fans. This, in turn, increased WWE’s ratings, and it evidently gained more viewership over time. 

However, the same can be said about the rival company- AEW. Tony Khan has signed multiple great talents since 2023. Despite their efforts, it appears their ratings still need improvement. Now many are questioning Khan’s marketing strategy for Mercedes Mone, also known as Sasha Banks.

Bryan Alvarez talks about WWE’s “clever” advertizing

Apart from Johnson’s return, Sasha Banks has also re-entered the professional wrestling scene under the name Mercedes Mone as she joined AEW. Touching on these matters, Bryan Alvarez discussed the marketing strategies used by both the rival companies.   

In an interview with F4WOnline Alvarez said, “The thing is, they’ve had advertizing for The Rock every time he’s been on Smackdown; they’re advertizing The Rock for next week’s Raw. I thought it was extremely clever on a show where he was not advertized to have him make a surprise appearance. So, if you missed it as a viewer, you’re like, ‘I need to watch this show every week’.” He was impressed by WWE’s strategy with The Rock as compared to Tony Khan’s and criticized the latter’s low marketing tactic.

“AEW should have done this with Mercedes when Mercedes came out, and then they were gonna have her appear again at the end of the show. She should have made it so clear she was coming out at the end of the show, but she didn’t. And if you look at the rating pattern, everyone turned the show-off, and the final quarter did, like, it was terrible,” he continued.  

Alvarez clearly showed disappointment and was expecting more. Despite the anticipation surrounding the Bank’s final decision between AEW and WWE, numerous promos were aired. This led to a lack of excitement upon her actual debut event. 

ALSO READ – “Genius”: Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Heavily Praised for ‘Final Boss’ Gimmick Online Despite Attacking Cody Rhodes in Surprise Raw Return

He also expressed how WWE initially indicated that The Rock’s appearance was over for the Raw night. But then he emerged as a last-minute surprise at the show’s end. Alvarez talked about the correct way to do marketing. 

Alvarez weighs in on the right way to advertize

According to Alvarez, it’s all about balance. While consistent advertizing is crucial, sparingly sprinkling in significant surprises – perhaps around 5% of the time – adds that extra magic. It’s essential not to rely solely on big surprises, according to the professional wrestler and martial artist. Instead, he suggested strategically saving them for when they’ll have the most impact. “Advertize! Advertize! Advertize! Advertize! Advertize! And 5% of the time do some gigantic surprise but you shouldn’t be doing a giant surprise 100% of the time. Like save your surprises, use them for when you need them,” he opined. 

 What do you think about Alvarez’s advertizing point of view? Do you agree with him? Let us know in the comments section below. 

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