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What RAW Has Become

Hey Scott, wanted your thoughts on this and perhaps some fodder for blog discussion:

One of the reasons that RAW has become so less interesting to me is the fact that the shows have become so stale and follows the same formula every single week(not a groundbreaking statement I know).  I remember when RAW's use to be unique and different.  Now they are basically all the same and as you put it, '3 hour infomercials for their upcoming PPV.'  It's Opening Segment which usually sets up the main event(by of course the general manager), you do have your random matches thrown in just to kill time, a ton of backstage segments that lead to nothing, an angle at the end of the first hour to set up the 2nd hour main event, countless recaps and WWE app plugs and the main event usually resulting in Cena standing tall(and I'm not a Cena hater).  Even the matches follow a formula.  I DVR the show and anytime someone gets thrown outside the ring I immediately get ready to fast forward cause I know they are about to go to a commercial.  I mean RAW's the night after PPV's should be the most unpredictable yet they have been the most predictable over the last few years:  Winner of the PPV main event/champion opens the show, a wrestler interrupts saying he is the #1 contender, followed by another wrestler saying the same thing and so forth.  Finally the GM comes out and makes a Triple Threat/Four Corners/singles match to determine the #1 contender for that RAW's main event and that gets us our main event for the next PPV.  I guess my question(s) is, do you think they will ever change this formula?  Are you tired of it?  Are your bloggers tired of it?  Do the writers/Vince see how stale RAW has become because of it?  Or are they just lazy and only care about getting people to buy their PPV's?

Being a three hour infomercial for the PPVs isn’t the problem, it’s the point.  If they WERE constantly pushing towards their PPV, I’d be happier with the show because at least it would have a point.  Instead they’ve been become focused on TV revenue and monetizing the brand through apps and rights fees and burger sponsorships, so now it’s not even a show about accomplishing.  That’s why we’re getting crap like As The McMahons Turn when the ratings drop and two months of Ryback-Cena matches that no one cares about.  The problem was really shown leading up to Extreme Rules, when they had six weeks of build and two weeks’ worth of build material.  The rest is a bunch of stuff to fill three hours.  That’s why they’re killing their own PPV business and trying to launch the network. 

Comments

  1. Here's my problem with Raw, it's boring as fuck and it's the same thing every week. Also it feels more like a terrible SNL variety skit show and not wrestling.



    This show really needs a group of guys causing chaos and and shaking up the company.



    Oh and cruiserweights and Tony Schiavone are needed on Raw.

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  2. I have nothing to say about Raw because I haven't watched it in nearly two months.


    Unrelated but I've never watched a hockey game until last nights Stanley Cup finals and goddamn that was a wild game. An awesome first game to watch.

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  3. One of the main problems with Raw is that they never change up the match ups. If wrestler A is facing wrestler B at the PPV, for the next 4 weeks leading up that PPV, A and B will face each other every single Raw. Then by the time the PPV rolls around, I'm sick to death of them both.

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  4. RAW needs a creative booker like Vince Russo. If we are honest, it's the same formula since when Russo left. Only the hardcore edge is a little bit lost since the current PG era.

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  5. Bad things about Raw:
    Non stop app shilling
    Non stop rematches
    50/50 booking
    Too many commercials
    It's 3 hours
    Desperation to be validated with their Did You Know bs
    King & JBL are crap commentary
    Predictable, stale, boring, crap, shit,
    Have to be stoned to get through it

    Good things about Raw:
    The Shield
    Team Hell No

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  6. I was saying this about a year ago. Here's a little video I put together on it:

    http://fnbodyslams.webs.com/apps/blog/show/19257985-why-russo-isn-t-the-devil-

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  7. I wouldn't go as far as Russo but there does need to be some creativity. We blame the soap opera writers for the product...but really, the blame has to go to Stephanie, Vince and HHH since they're the ones in charge. In a television production, if a popular show diminishes in quality, writers get booted but so do show-runners and executive producers.

    Everyone says that HHH will fix the company when he gets the book but he's been Vince's right-hand for years (hasn't he been on the committee since 1997?) and things have gotten progressively worse creatively. You can't tell me he doesn't have the influence to say to Vince that some of his ideas are off the mark. You know HHH has some stroke with Vince, especially since he's booked himself on top for so long. And it's not just the PG-era. Wrestling fans can get by without the swearing, blood and sexual innuendo. We did for years before the Attitude Era. But we still need an emotional connection/reason to tune in every week and they don't give us one. A guy like Daniel Bryan has gotten over by himself to the point where they HAVE to push him and even then, we all wait with bated breath to see how they'll fuck him over.

    I have seen no evidence that HHH is a better wrestling mind than Vince. If anything, HHH kills hot angles by insinuating himself into the stories when there's no need to. And this isn't your typical "oh, this commenter hates HHH so he's just grinding his axe like everyone else" because as much as I dislike HHH as a performer, I'd easily support him as a backstage presence if there was proof of competency in delivering engaging angles on a consistent basis.

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  8. I dunno man, i'd say Triple H has been having some effect. The whole NXT thing seems to be working quite well, and I think a lot of the format was down to him.


    But I will say this - the ego gets in the way right now. We don't care to see him as much as we do.

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  9. Have to be stoned to get through itMost of what happens doesnt make sense

    Well maybe there's your problem. (Just kidding)


    I basically stopped watching after Wrestlemania, and tune in every now and then. The one thing about the show's predictability is that you know that about halfway through you can catch a good Daniel Bryan and/or Shield match.

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  10. Needs more Massive Headwound Harry.

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  11. Seriously. You can watch Raw and predict what most of the matches are going to be based on the matches last week. Guys get rematches for no other reason than they have to fill six hours of TV a week.

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  12. The point of the tv shows are twofold: Sell PPV's and build interest in house shows.

    The problem is, like WCW before them, WWE sees more "opportunities" to make money off of the TV show.

    This problem comes from their source of creative talent. They choose tv people, which is fine. But TV shows have a definitive start and end point and wrestling does not.

    Wrestling has infinitely more in common with comic books, which do not have as definitive an end point. One could argue that modern comics do have a general limit of seven issues per major story arc with a few tie ins.

    That'd be about two months of tv shows and PPV's.

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  13. You're right. If NXT was HHH's doing then it was definitely a check in his column. I mean, if HHH does indeed become the head of the company when Vince steps down, I want him to succeed and herald the company into a new creative era. I'm just worried that his own ego, his wife and the corporate interests will keep from doing so.

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  14. I know! I mean, I love The Shield and Daniel Bryan and the matches are great but they don't have to fight each other on RAW and Smackdown and Main Event or Saturday Morning Slam, too! Now we're at the PPV and some of the mystique is gone.


    What happened to angle advancement segments? Like when the Horseman broke Dusty's arm? Or Earthquake squishing Hogan? Or Rock throwing Austin off a bridge? Or Edge sleeping with Lita behind Matt Hardy's back? Sure, they're cheesy but those are the moments we remember just as much as the matches and they make us want to see what happens next.

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  15. I have no problem at all with the death of the PPV model. As a fan, why would I have a problem with that?


    No, the problem is they don't build to anything on Raw either. One of my favorite periods of Raw was the summer of 2004, when we got big-time main events seemingly every week, and the stories played out and advanced (Evolution vs. the World, Eugene's development, Benoit proving himself, etc.).

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  16. Too be fair Edge sleeping with Lita behind Matt's back wasn't advancing a storyline to begin with... unless the story line was Edge getting his dick wet...

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  17. Worst_in_the_WorldJune 13, 2013 at 9:42 AM

    The lack of a brand split is really hurting both shows. It's just TOO MUCH of the same guys twice a week. Nowadays when guys feud, they're basically getting into two altercations/matches a week. It's just overkill. Like, Daniel Bryan vs The Shield can sorta get away with it because their stuff is so damn good, but even with them the lack of a brand split just forces them to go at it way too much.


    So yeah, I think a strongly kept brand split would go a long ways towards freshening up both shows.

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  18. Massive Headwound Harry needs to be the G.M.

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  19. A tale as old as time! Worthy of the Bard.

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  20. IIRC the "book" on Vince is he cares about Raw and PPV and the rest is left to whoever wants it. And as many have said over the years, Vince will get a wild hair up his ass about something and DEMAND it happen and then change his mind the next week/day/hour. He's a egomaniacal, super-controlling schizo.

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  21. The solution most people have found to that is just not watch Smackdown.

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  22. You are SUPPOSED to build TV towards PPV.

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  23. and i say, make SD live and make RAW taped for a year. See what happens.

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  24. Haha, that one was a joke.

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  25. Wrestling at it's heart is suppose to be a bunch of wild characters and personalities blown way up. The 80's and 90's featured a collection of some really degenerate individuals, that's what made it fun. You took these crazed wildmen who chose to wear tights and pretend to fight men for a living and gove them a mic, magic happens. I don't know if the Wellness Policy is to blame or what but WWE is just a boring collection of guys, and maybe that is how they want things. I recently posted about how much more colorful the Miami Heat were than the WWE roster and I think that is a scary thought. Corporate needs to stop hacking these guys balls offs and let them be themselves a little bit. The scripted interviews are the worst, even Russo was smart enough not to do that.

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  26. Haven't you been paying attention to HHH's injury issues? We've already had three weeks of Massive Headwound Hunter.

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  27. IMO, the commentary makes it even more unwatchable. I don't mind JBL, but Cole and a face Lawler are just awful. I long for the days of a heel Jerry Lawler on commentary.

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  28. The lack of a brand split is the only reason why you can still watch RAW and SD and the PPVs. How boring would RAW and SD get, if you would have only half of the current roster?

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  29. Worst_in_the_WorldJune 13, 2013 at 1:05 PM

    I dunno, I'm just sick of seeing the exact same roster of guys twice a week. Like, Monday night it's Sheamus vs Sandow. Then Friday it's more Sheamus vs Sandow. Guess what will definitely be on Monday's show? SHEAMUS VS SANDOW. Rinse and repeat until they blow off whatever issue they have.


    I just think that when the brand split was really enforced (like, the last few years before they officially dissolved it the split was ignored constantly anyway), it at least made the viewing experiences feel different. Each show had some guys you're interested in, some that you hate watching, but at least it was a totally different set of feuds/matches than the other show.


    Basically, I'm sick of seeing Sheamus every goddamn show.

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  30. If they really split the roster, and Sheamus and Sandow would be on the same show, you would get Sheamus vs Sandow instead on RAW and SD for 4 weeks, only on RAW or SD, but for 8 weeks.



    The problem with the same matches is IMO not a problem of the same wrestlers for RAW and SD, but the bookers who are booking the matches.


    If I would be a booker and I would like to have a Sheamus vs Sandow feud, they would only face 1 on 1 at the PPV and during the weekly shows they would be booked against different wrestlers and I would drive the story on with angles and backstage segments and screwjobs and interferings in their matches, but the match itself wouldn't be on RAW OR SD.


    But if you book so, you need even more wrestlers to hold the level of quality, because if you get instead of Sheamus vs Sandow Sheamus vs Jobber A and Sandow vs Jobber B, it would be like before 1996. And don't forget that many are complaining about matches "which are making no sense", where the actual story is developed with a segment around the match or so.

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  31. Glad to see a new fan checking out hockey. IMO, nothing beats a hockey game, and that one was just great. I expect this series to be fantastic.

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  32. Actually with the rise of Daniel "anger management" Bryan, Bray Wyatt, Fandango, etc. I think that unique characters are making a comeback after all these years of interchangable bland name, black trunk types.

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  33. Worst_in_the_WorldJune 13, 2013 at 2:24 PM

    Right, I agree about the need for not having feuding-wrestlers to have matches against eachother on every show. That's totally a dumb booking problem.

    But I still think that the non-roster-split creates a situation in which the same 20 wrestlers are on EVERY EPISODE of every Raw or Smackdown. I just want some episodes of WWE TV that don't have Del Rio or Sheamus or the same fucking guys. It's just that the same entrances and move-sets etc twice a week is numbing. Plus it forces them to book two developments per week for every feud, which kind of kills off the feeling of anything being important.

    It's also crazy to me how many guys they employ and use on house-shows but who NEVER make it onto Raw or Smackdown. It's crazy when you look at some of those house-show lineups and realize that most of the roster (Alex Riley, PTPers, Yoshi, Hawkins, JTG, etc) never get into a match on TV.

    Plus, and this is where I think they've been doing damage the last two years, is that a brand split would allow mid-carders to get wins again. When the main eventers pretty much need two wins a week, that means that guys like Barrett, Cody, Sandow, Ryder, Cesaro pretty much job 99% of every TV show. At least a brand split would force them to spread the love again, and fill TV time by putting the midcarders over the lower-carders.

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  34. But nobody forces them to put the same 20 wrestlkers on every episode. They could use other guys.



    On the other side I think that only 4 shows is not enough to build up a PPV match. When they had only 4 PPVs a year, they had 3 months to build an Event. With a PPV every month, two shows a week gives them more time to develop the feuds, which is IMO a good thing.


    When they began SD in 1999/2000, they also had the same guys at RAW and SD, but the Shows never felt like the SAME, BUT Smackdown was more like an equal sequel to RAW and not a recap show, like today.

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  35. I wouldn't mind the death of the current model, but I'd be upset if there wasn't something to build towards each season. I'd be down with only 5 or 6 a year.

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  36. The 3 hours thing needs to die. The show is interminable.

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  37. The thing is, there is only a small minority of people actually complaining about the state of RAW. For most people, it's just mindless fun that doesn't particularly need to change. So, it doesn't.

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  38. Or split the roster and put Rock/Hogan and most of your good workers on Smackdown. There were times where Smackdown was definitely the better show of the two, and I don't mean just "workrate" oriented.

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  39. We're all avoiding the 800 MILLION pound gorilla in the room.

    aka, World Championship Wrestling.

    Wrestling has been on a slow, steady decline since March of 2001.

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  40. WWE has become 1995 WCW. You got Billionaire Vince, the stock holders, shitty announcers a lot of old timers hogging the spotlight etc. Imagine WM14 or 15 headlined by Roddy Piper, Hogan that's what we got now with the Undertaker, HHH, John Cena (Been on top forever).

    WWE is making money they are happy too bad I remember days where i'd be at school and look forward to Raw that night..

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  41. I get done work at 8 most nights. On Mondays I generally stop at the main office to drop off my keys, then I drive one of my crew members home, then I drive the entire lengths of two state highways over a distance of about 30 miles, drop off my work vehicle after filling out some quick paperwork, get in my car, drive the entire length of another state highway for a distance of about 20 miles, plus drive across town to get home. And I still generally make it back in time to watch the last HALF of Raw.

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  42. It looked like Pat Patterson got hold of the CAW feature on the WWE game.

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  43. I consider this blog's "Monday Night Open Mic" one of the good things about Raw. Reading the posters' commentary on the show as it's happening can be quite entertaining.

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