Summary
- A WWE fan may have highlighted why PLEs have felt off lately.
- They discovered that almost half of all PLE matches from the past 12 months had a screwy finish.
- That includes a run-in, someone using a weapon, or the referee being knocked down.
The quality of last weekend’s Backlash card has divided fans. Some thought it was a solid enough show with a couple of standout moments and matches, while others don’t think it was good enough. Not great if you believe the latter coming off a WrestleMania that generated a similarly divided reaction, and if one fan’s findings are anything to go by, it might be the outside involvement in so many matches that’s making WWE PLEs feel less than for some people.
WWE Fan Breaks Down How Many PLE Matches Have Included A Screwy Finish
Shared on the SquaredCircle subreddit by tvcneverdie, apparently, almost half of WWE’s PLE matches over the last 12 months have involved some sort of screwy finish. The fan responsible for studying the data and sharing their findings uses a much snappier word to describe that aspect of the wrestling business, but it’s one I can’t type here. You’ll see why once you’ve taken a look at the Reddit thread.
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After feeling like there were a lack of clean finishes during this year’s Backlash, the fan did a deep dive and collected statistics from every WWE PLE held during the last 12 months, from 2024’s Backlash up until last weekend. They noted which matches included outside interference, a referee bump, or the use of a foreign object, and figured out what percentage of PLE matches included them from the past year.
Almost Half Of WWE’s Recent PLE Matches Didn’t Have A Clean Finish
If you too felt like there have been a lot of matches that fit into those categories recently, you’d be right. The fan’s findings revealed that almost half of WWE’s PLE matches from the past year have featured either a run-in, someone using a weapon, or the official doing down. 47 percent, to be exact, which, I think we can all agree, is far too high, and likely why some PLEs haven’t been hitting for a lot of fans lately.
The worst offender from the last 12 months was 2024’s SummerSlam where six of the seven matches on the card didn’t have a clean finish. To make things even worse, that number can be considered a conservative one when you note what hasn’t been included. The fan who collated the numbers omitted finishes where heels cheated by using the ropes for leverage or grabbing their opponent’s tights, and it also doesn’t include matches like the Royal Rumbles where interference and rule-breaking are inevitable.
Pro wrestling matches don’t need clean finishes. The beauty of the business is that those calling the shots can do almost anything to make a story interesting, or to keep a story moving past any given match or PLE. However, if you’re messing with matches and their results so much that fans aren’t only starting to notice, but are curating detailed breakdowns about how often you’ve been doing it, it might be time to dial things back a bit.
