Opinion
Kevin: RAW is Poor
Slipping ratings and growing rumblings in the IWC lead to a certain narrative. What has caused Raw’s poor perception?
Slipping ratings and growing rumblings in the IWC lead to a certain narrative. What has caused Raw’s poor perception?
Wrestling fans love to disagree on things. It’s almost our birthright; if someone has something to say, then you’d best believe that I am going to use my voice to tell you just how and why I think you’re wrong. I’m not saying this is great behavior, and in fact I really wish wrestling fans got along more even in disagreement, but it is what it is.
But at the moment, there is one irrefutable truth in wrestling. A fact, not an opinion but a cold hard FACT that even the most polar opposite of wrestling fans agree on. Whether you’re an 8-year old Roman Reigns die hard, or an NJPW superfan, there’s one thing we could all agree on:
RAW sucks.
I mean, this is what they want us to consider the A-Show? Tune into Monday Night RAW on a weekly basis and recently, all you’ll be in store for is three hours of mediocrity, with repetitive, boring segments and matches that aren’t anything special. It often feels like you’re watching a rerun.
So let’s think here. RAW hasn’t always been so bad. How do we shake off the doldrums, cut the crap and restore the flagship show to its former glory? It won’t be easy, and it may not be immediate, but I believe that there are plenty of ways to make RAW a good show again, or at least a watchable one.
Without further ado:
1. No more authority figures (or less of them) – I hate authority figures in my wrestling. I really don’t see the point for them in a world where we all realize that matches aren’t actually made on television, they’re made by writers and bookers behind the curtain.
So why must we subjected to at least three or four segments a week of Vince McMahon slowly losing in mind in front of our very own eyes? It hasn’t been very entertaining, and it certainly is something that we could all do without.
This is a formula the WWE is in love with, the idea of a corrupt power figure that lords over the roster with an iron fist, holding people down and doing what’s best for themselves. Does that sound the least bit entertaining to any of you? I’m over it. Even with a face like Kurt Angle or Mick Foley in charge, their role isn’t the least bit important and is a disservice to those two great workers.
Abolish authority figures. Keep them off the screen, or else you’ll be keeping plenty of fans tuned in to Monday Night Football, or whatever else airs on Monday nights.
2. Stop cutting 15-minute show-opening promos – There are currently two contracted WWE figures that I would enjoy listening to for upwards of 15 minutes: Paul Heyman and John Cena. As neither of them are Baron Corbin or Stephanie McMahon, I think RAW would do well to minimize the promo times to start the show. Not saying that you have to do away with them entirely, because it’s very possible to open the show with a succinct, solid 3-4 minute promo and get right to the action.
Or, you know, just open the show with a match and try to cut down on the Authority’s promos entirely? Food for thought.
In the meantime, however…
3. NXT call-ups – NXT is the hottest act on WWE TV right now. SmackDown is the A-Show, but NXT (along with its UK counterpart) has to be considered the A+-Show at the moment. But at its core, it’s still a developmental system first and foremost, designed to make superstars and get talent ready for their eventual call-up to SmackDown or RAW.
With RAW in desperate need of some fresh faces, where better to pull from than Full Sail? I know we’ve had a wave of guys come up already, but have we really seen an impact from anybody besides Lacey Evans? Even Ricochet and Aleister Black haven’t gotten the chance to live up to their full potential yet. Guys like Velveteen Dream, Matt Riddle, Adam Cole and the Undisputed Era are already primed, in my opinion, to make an impact on the main roster very soon, and while you can’t overstock one show with all of the NXT talent, a couple of new faces from NXT could be just the shot of life that Monday Night RAW is in desperate need of right now.
4. Fresh matchups – This is the big one for a lot of folks. Ask 10 wrestling fans what they think the biggest problem with Monday Night RAW is right now, and I guarantee at least half of them will say “repetition.”
We see the same feuds and matches week in and week out. I count myself as one of thousands who are frustrated with seeing Corbin, Lashley and Drew McIntyre team together for the 10th time, or McIntyre taking on Roman Reigns yet again. It’s not about the match quality, especially in the case of the latter, but we just don’t want to see the same thing over and over again.
That signifies lazy booking on the part of the WWE creative team. There’s so much talent on the main roster, and so many fresh matchups to be had. Find them, book them, and let the magic happen.
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Opinion
Chris King: The Wyatt Sicks’ Wasted Potential By WWE
Chris King takes a look at the WWE and their wasted potential of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks faction.
Chris King takes a look at the WWE and their wasted potential of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks faction.
It’s that time of the year again, folks; it’s unfortunate and downright awful that so many WWE superstars got released today. I’m not going to list all of them, but I am going to talk about one of my favorite factions,
The Wyatt Sicks. Nikki Cross, Joe Gacy, Erik Rowan, and Bo Dallas (Uncle Howdy) were something special. After Bo’s brother Bray Wyatt’s tragic passing, WWE felt like there was a hole that needed to be filled. Wyatt was one of the most creative and brilliant characters, and Bo would be taking over his brother’s concept and bringing it to life. In 2024, at the end of an incredible documentary highlighting Wyatt’s career and struggles, Bo appeared on the screen portrayed as Uncle Howdy. The last time Uncle Howdy was seen on-screen was at the 2023 Royal Rumble, where Wyatt defeated LA Knight in a Pitch Black Match. Howdy jumped off a structure onto Knight.
This post-credit scene sparked so much speculation and excitement that Wyatt’s brother would carry on his legacy and possibly debut the faction that was Wyatt’s concept. On the June 17th episode of Monday Night Raw, The Wyatt Sicks made their dramatic debut ,destroying the backstage area as well as “murdering” Chad Gable. It was such an iconic arrival for Howdy as he made his menacing walk from the back into the audience who were chanting “Holy Shit.” The Sicks and American Made (Chad Gable and The Creed Brothers) battled for months, with The Sicks being victorious. On the September 9th episode of Raw, The Sicks defeated them, with Howdy getting the win with Sister Abigail.
The following year, The Sicks would move over to Friday Night SmackDown, and it seemed like WWE had a plan in place. They would win the tag team championships from The Street Profits and start to look dominant. Now, what should have happened next is Howdy should have won the United States title. The Sicks could have held all the gold over on the blue brand, but it never happened. The Sicks entered into a never-ending feud with The MFT’s (Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, JC Mateo, and Talla Tonga.) It started off exciting, and the WWE Universe was red-hot for their interactions.
After months of repetitive matches and The MFT’s stealing their lantern, the feud grew tiresome and boring. Even Tama asked Solo why they are still holding onto the lantern, as it was destroying them as a whole. Finally on the SmackDown before Mania, Tama
gave the lantern back to Howdy against Solo’s wishes. Please explain to me why both factions fought almost every single week instead of just having one final blowoff match at WrestleMania.
It should have been either a massive street fight or a falls count anywhere match on the grandest stage of them all. Instead, it turned into a meaningless week-after-week extravaganza that benefited no one. The MFTs won the rivalry, and The Sicks don’t even work for WWE anymore. This was the same criminalized creative process that Wyatt dealt with during his first run in the company.
We’ll never know how much of a dangerous force The Wyatt Sicks could have been in the WWE. For all their careers’ sake, I hope they stay far away from the company for as long as possible. Every superstar that was cut deserves better!
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Opinion
Chris King: Bloodline Saga: Is This the Right Call For WWE?
Chris King questions the WWE’s logic in setting up Jacob Fatu as the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns
Chris King questions the WWE’s logic in setting up Jacob Fatu as the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns is once again World Heavyweight Champion after his dominant win over CM Punk at WrestleMania 42. On the following night on Monday Night Raw, The OG Bloodline came back together as a well-oiled machine as The Usos stood side by side with Roman. With the WWE Universe asking who would be the first to challenge “The Tribal Chief,” Jacob Fatu shocked the world by answering the call.
Fatu is running hot after his impressive win over Drew McIntyre and feels like he is ready to become the new world champion. This bloodline segment ended Raw, and it picked right back up on SmackDown with even Solo Sikoa and the MFTs involved. This is now two shows that have been centered around The Bloodline saga, and it’s made me question whether or not WWE should be retelling this story.
The Bloodline (Roman Reigns, The Usos, and Solo Sikoa) ran WWE for over four years as Reigns’ henchmen, doing his dirty work to retain his title. Even though Roman has declared he doesn’t want Jey and Jimmy to serve him, it sure seems like WWE are spinning their wheels. Fatu could add a whole new chapter into the story, even if he’s not able to beat Roman at Backlash. “The Samoan Werewolf” could be forced to do the same thing as Jey did all those years ago and fall in line.
In my opinion, I feel like Fatu should be challenging for the Undisputed WWE Championship because that’s a title I feel like he should win. I understand standing up to your blood and trying to prove you’re the best, but I don’t think this is the right move. It feels like 2022 all over again, as The Bloodline is the central focus on both shows. If Fatu doesn’t win, what happens to all his momentum he’s been building over the last two years?
Why did WWE make this the best choice for storyline purposes? Why couldn’t creative have come up with a different challenger for Roman? There are so many other superstars that could challenge The Tribal Chief, such as Rusev, Bron Breakker, Gunther, or even a returning Sheamus.
I just can’t help but question WWE’s logic here, and it kind of reminds me of all the times The Shield reunited. Could WWE be pushing the same storyline too many times here? Could the WWE Universe get tired of this rinse and repeat cycle of The Bloodline Saga?
Are we about to see all the weekly episodes solely focused on The Bloodline again? Will it be cinema… Yes. Is there still money in The Bloodline… Yes. Was it the right call? That’s to be determined!
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Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)
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