Stevie Richards has questioned WWE’s decision to move Main Event to Rumble, suggesting the company is too quick to chase new opportunities without building on the brands it already has.

Speaking on The Stevie Richards Show, the former WWE star asked why the programme needed to leave YouTube. For Richards, a substantial rights payment would be the most obvious explanation, although he remained doubtful about the wider strategy.

“Why wouldn’t you just put it on YouTube? Main Event. Why would you? Why would you? Unless they are paying you a ton of money.”

Richards also questioned whether Main Event could help Rumble attract a bigger audience, particularly given its position among WWE’s weekly shows.

“I don’t know why they’re betting on WWE content to put Rumble over the top, but especially when it’s the B or C show, or whatever it is… My goodness, what are we doing? Why would you fragment it?”

After discussing the programme’s relatively modest YouTube audience, Richards suggested that launching something new might have made more sense than moving Main Event to another service.

“No, it can’t be worth the time and the effort. And dare I say, why call it Main Event? If you’re going to go to Rumble, just switch it to a brand-new show.”

The conversation also explored whether the arrangement could help WWE strengthen its media portfolio. Richards questioned what the deal might be worth, although no confirmed financial terms were established during the discussion.

“I can’t imagine that Rumble or whoever are paying $10 million over three years to host the least-watched show in WWE’s catalog apart from the volume.”

When his co-host suggested WWE could be “padding the portfolio,” Richards acknowledged the possibility, replying: “Maybe. That as well, yeah.”

His criticism then widened to WWE’s handling of its smaller brands. Pointing to Evolve replacing NXT Level Up, Richards argued that the company can be too willing to leave established identities behind.

“They don’t remember. That’s why we go back to the belts too, and that’s a whole different discussion. It’s like they just ignore legacy for just that immediate dopamine trend of, ‘This is what we got here, and this is what we got here,’ and forget about that. That was yesterday.”

Main Event’s Wednesday night slot on Rumble has also prompted speculation about Evolve’s future. However, WWE has not announced any changes to Evolve, and the scheduling overlap alone does not confirm that changes are coming.

Tags: WWE, Stevie Richards, Main Event, Rumble, WWE Evolve, NXT Level Up