WWE’s flagship Monday night show – Raw – has been on the air since 1993. While a dip in viewers would surely be expected of any programme with so many years under its belt, Raw’s contemporary ratings are at rock bottom. They’ve never been lower, and they may fall further still.
It’s painful to watch. During its 1999-2000 peak, WWE Raw was pulling in the mega ratings. The 10th May 1999 show (albeit unopposed as WCW Nitro didn’t air that night) pulled in an unrivalled 8.1 rating for an estimated 9.2 million viewers. Such figures are a far cry from this week’s tally. Despite WWE’s most profitable quarter ever, 27th July 2020’s Raw was watched by a pathetic 1.62 million people.
On the surface of it, the impressive quarterly results seem to make up for the dismal ratings. But it’s worth remembering that WWE’s television deals come with big guranteed money. And if recent reports are to be believed, USA and FOX are becoming increasingly frustrated with the disappointing return on their investments. So while things might be rosy for now, lets reserve judgement until 2024 when the TV deals are up for renewal.
The record low viewing figures shouldn’t come as a surprise to the company or long-time fans. Things have been on a downward trend for years, and almost nothing has been done to reverse the negative trajectory. Sure – some blame could be placed on the Covid-19 pandemic and the loss of live crowds. The shows certainly aren’t as fun as they were before and lack energy. But the problems are far more deep rooted. So how did we end up here? I’ve ranked WWE Raw’s biggest modern-day mistakes to try and get to the bottom of it…
4. Reliance on the same old history
In an era as bland as 2014-present, WWE can’t help but go back to the well at every opportunity. From the near-constant reminders of the Hulkamania and Attitude Era heights to the nonstop callbacks to fan favourite stars of old, WWE’s reliance on their familiar past has grown tiresome.
On every Monday night show, there seems to be some reference to days gone by. As a kid back in 2005, I remember Hulk Hogan’s return and subsequent feud with Shawn Michaels. As they played clips from the 80s, it felt like ancient history to me. I can only imagine what younger viewers in 2020 think of the old stuff.
The problem is, it’s the same moments, characters and storylines being routinely referenced. As noted, the mid to late 80s and late 90s are the promotion’s go-to time periods, but there are ‘highlights’ from the Ruthless Aggression and PG eras that WWE love to harp on, too. Everything in between is mostly forgotten about. Yes – history is important. It provides context and prestige, but it does nothing to build new stars or stories. Today’s wrestlers are often compared unfavourably to their predecessors and it all just comes off as a desperate attempt to remind viewers of ‘when we were cool’.
3. Tired, squeeky clean production and presentation
If you watch WWE Raw today, you’ll be watching the same show you saw 10 years ago. If you watched it in 2010, you were watching the same show you saw a decade earlier. Despite minor visual and graphical changes (largely due to 20 years of technological advancement), the look and feel of WWE Raw has been the same forever. They ‘perfected’ the formula a long time ago, and now its production is distinctly clinical and plastic in its presentation.
There’s no ‘edge’ to it anymore – everything looks perfect and overproduced. This goes hand-in-hand with the heavily scripted promos, cheesy nicknames and excessive promotion of the WWE brand. It doesn’t feel exciting or innovative and doesn’t do much to convey the ‘anything can happen’ vibe they love to talk about. Changes are long past due – give us something new to look at.
2. Nonsensical booking
At this stage, what more can be said about the state of Raw’s booking? It’s bad – and it’s been bad for a long, long time. Fans’ repeated pleas for improvement have been ignored, and the company continues to press ahead with its on-the-fly plans and creative decisions. Just this week, the Drew McIntyre vs. Dolph Ziggler main event ended up as a non-title match despite advertisement to the contrary the previous week. Quite why a rematch was even warranted in the first place is unclear – Drew won decisively at “The Horror Show at Extreme Rules” (*groan*).
Wins and losses mean nothing. There’s no rhyme or reason to who gets a title match or what they’ve done to earn it. Feuds often devolve into dull affairs involving wrestlers trading victories, and things abrubtly end when plans are changed at a moment’s notice leaving storylines unresolved. Years ago, Vince McMahon introduced the Attitude Era when he said “We in the WWF think that you the audience are, quite frankly, tired of having your intelligence insulted”. Suffice to say, he hasn’t heeded his own advice to rectify these disastrous ratings.
1. Failing to create new stars
WWE has no stars – and by extension, nobody of any note is appearing on Monday Night Raw. Of course, Randy Orton is great. Drew McIntyre is pretty damn good, too. But they’re not enough. Orton has been a mainstay at the top of the card since 2004 – 16 years ago. And as great as Drew is, WWE don’t do much to help cultivate his star power (did you know he was fired a few years ago?).
Just as with their most famous historical moments, WWE love to remind you of Raw’s former stars. But what relevance do guys like The Undertaker, Stone Cold, Ric Flair, Big Show and Mark Henry have today? You can’t dispute their greatness way back when, but it serves no purpose to constantly remind viewers how much better the old guys were than the current crop of talent.
WWE tried as hard as they could to make Roman Reigns the face of the company, but he failed to make any significant breakthrough (if only they had a vocal fan base that could have forewarned them), and it’s tough to imagine ratings rebounding when he returns. Fans have also lost faith in popular NXT superstars – their repeated mistreatment and watering-down on the main roster has left viewers feeling apathetic to even the most exciting wrestlers. Until WWE can focus on newer performers and stay the course while they develop, it’s hard to see people tuning back in any time soon.
Is there anything you think we’ve missed in our list of the biggest mistakes made with WWE Raw? Let us know in the comment section and don’t forget to check out our other Pro Wrestling articles…
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Featured Image Credit: WWE
