WWE Executive and head of WWE’s creative team Casey Collins attended New York Comic Con and talked about the company.
“40% of wrestling fans are women,” said Collins. “That has helped influence some of the storylines we currently have going right now, as well as some of our marketing efforts.”
Collins also pointed out that, through the years, wrestling has become a multi-generational sport (or, if you prefer, a form of entertainment). In the early days of the WWE (back when it was the WWF, for example), wrestling was mostly the domain of white men. And that was reflected in some of the now-iconic characters that were — and are — a terrible stereotype in some cases (The Wild Samoans and The Iron Sheik, for example).
But today, many of these men now come with their children — and in some cases, their grandchildren — to see the WWE live, to watch it on TV, and to engage with their other properties. What’s more, as the diversity of the audience shifted to become more inclusive, Collins noted that having their voices be heard became key.
