Bray Wyatt’s WWE Return Credit For 33% Increase In Extreme Rules Viewership

After weeks of teasing and anticipation, Bray Wyatt returned to the big screen at the end of WWE’s Extreme Rules PPV. It seems that his return piqued the interest of many old fans.

Prior to Wyatt’s return, WWE played an acapella version of “White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane at live events and in between commercial breaks of televised events. QR codes could also be seen scattered throughout locations on Raw and Smackdown. There was certainly a buzz about the situation, and ticket sales showed this as well.

During the Q3 earnings call, Triple H dubbed this the White Rabbit project and explained why they did it and how it could inspire something similar in the future.

“One specific initiative that led to success on socials and led to linear viewing success as well is what we internally called the White Rabbit project. A multi-week-long campaign that played out across television, socials, and in arenas. We started the campaign by introducing moments into our live events, in arenas with no mention of our direct digital, social, or linear platforms.”

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“We let our fans discuss it amongst themselves and try to figure out what was going on. We then started to weave in more elaborate elements including QR codes within episodes of SmackDown and Raw. And when they went to those QR codes it led viewers to more clues like interactive games and puzzles that they had to figure out. It would also lead them to cryptic messages to decipher that literally led you further down the rabbit hole.”

“The buzz and excitement continued to increase as we moved forward. The QR codes and links leading to the September 23rd SmackDown drove viewership to the 9 pm hour by 20% alone as viewers tuned in to see the campaign. This was the most-watched episode of SmackDown since March of 2020.”

Triple H then went on to claim Wyatt’s huge return led to a 33% increase in viewership. He further explained the role that the White Rabbit project played behind Wyatt’s return and how it was best for business.

“The project would culminate by leading you to Extreme Rules and the incredible return of one of our biggest superstars, Bray Wyatt. Bray Wyatt’s return at Extreme Rules resulted in a 30% increase in total viewership and became the most-watched Extreme Rules in history. Monday Night Raw just two nights later also benefitted increasing our audience to nearly 2 million, an increase of 14% week over week.”

“[…] On the day of Bray’s return, his newly-released t-shirt from Extreme Rules became the top-selling item – not just among WWE merchandise – but across Fanatics’ entire network of e-commerce sites.”

“The WWE White Rabbit project is a perfect example of how we can use a multimedia approach to drive engagement, excitement, and ultimately, revenue. Look for us to do more of these strategic creative stunts and extend storylines to different platforms that are executed beyond just our traditional television windows. WWE truly is 24/7 programming.”

We’ll have to see what’s next for Bray Wyatt. He will be at WWE Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia as well, but his weekly home is Friday Night SmackDown.

Did Wyatt’s return reignite your interest in WWE too ? Let us know how you feel in the comments below