Since the much anticipated brand split earlier this year of SmackDown and Raw, it is inevitable for blog writers like myself to compare the two brands. SLTD Wrestling even have a Brand Warefare column comparing the shows each week (note my Foley-esc cheap plug). For the most part, we all feel like SmackDown Live is the much better show, with a great balance of established and rising superstars as well a different feel to the show.
That being said, Monday Night Raw is still branded as the flagship show by the company., despite the decline in quality and ratings. So as a “smart fan”, here are three changes I would make to Raw to increase the quality of the show and thus make Raw great again (sorry America).
Cruiserweight’s to Open The Show
At present the cruiserweight’s are featured on the show around the beginning of the third hour, after we’ve spent two hours watching the rest of the content. After that many matches and promos, the crowd both at home and at the event are tired and looking for a savage like moment to come (basically want to see the main event or go home). That doesn’t happen with the cruiserweight matches. Although they are high flying and have that wow factor, it just does not work positioned so late in the show.
Moving this segment to start the show (or at the very least earlier on in the show) in place of a 25 minute promo that we usually get, would get the audience in the mood for the night ahead. It also keeps the young kids who are most attracted to the cruiserweights watching at home, as it’s earlier in the evening. This worked well for when then cruiserweights were featured on SmackDown way back when. This point could become redundant however if the division does move to SmackDown during the Survivor Series bout.
Less Authority Figures
One of the reasons SmackDown Live and NXT run better as shows is due to the lack of involvement from the authority figures on the show. How many times have we see Foley or Stephanie McMahon come out and deliver an “impromptu” main event or match. This is not very realistic. Surely if you are in charge of the booking and the production of the show (in kayfabe terms) then you would have your matches and segments decided beforehand, or at least the main event of the show.
SmackDown and NXT work better because of less involvement – I know some of you are thinking we see Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan a lot, but these instances feel few and far between. SmackDown and NXT do feel like shows that have been thought out and not pieced together as we watch them.
Make Raw 2 Hours
Probably the biggest and most vital point of the entire post, to cut down the third hour of Raw and make it a two hour show. Currently we get Raw, SmackDown and NXT as a minimum on a weekly basis as well as a pay-per-view every two weeks – this is a lot of wrestling. Sure as wrestling fans we do enjoy watching, but that amount of WWE based wrestling is a lot to digest. There is no doubt that SmackDown and NXT work better as shows as they are easier to watch and digest. To sit through 3 hours of wrestling on a weekly basis, when a lot of the title matches and bigger fights are scheduled for PPV’s just becomes rather painful.
There are times when I feel like watching Raw for the entirety of the show is more of a chore rather than the enjoyment. At the same time, the roster depth is not there and that means we have to repeat all kinds of segments with similar superstars. How many times do we see superstars open the show, have a long promo, then a backstage segment and then in the main event or on commentary. That’s a lot of exposure, or overexposure.
What do you think? How can WWE make Raw great again? (Again, sorry America).
Recent Comments