What’s Wrong with RAW?
The Katz Files – Arnie Katz
What’s Wrong with RAW?
The Kingfish Arnie Katz wrestles with the controversial question: What’s wrong with RAW
<RAW currently commits the one truly unpardonable sin of a professional wrestling show. RAW, which used to be War, is now a Bore. They can make those two hours seem like two years == and, too often, that’s exactly what they do.
The ratings continue to drift down as viewers slowly, but surely, turn away from the 120-minute mess that RAW has become during the second half of 2009. This weakness in the face of the renewed challenge from TNA, could spell a very tumultuous 2010 for the McMahon clan.
The 11/30 edition of RAW showcased all the problems in vivid detail.
Let’s look at a few of the worst ones:
Talking Heads
Talking Heads is a kick-ass rock band, but a very poor way to put on a supposedly action-oriented show. The ratio of talk to wrestling is always lopsided in WWE, but at least the palaver used to be interesting.
The opening scene on the 11/30 RAW dragged on and on with much of anything new being said by any of the four men involved. Someone needs to remind DX that even Jack Benny needed writers; HBK and Triple H desperately need something interesting to say.
The booking for Chris Jericho and Big Show is, to say the least, inconsistent. RAW spent weeks building up a rift and now it’s as though that never happened. They did better than DX in the interminable segment, but at times it was like watching Ric Flair wrestle himself.
And what did all that boring chatter lead to? The bottom line was a handicap match with a blatant (and utterly predictable) screwjob finish. And what will that lead to? Why, to another handicap match on next week’s RAW that will also end with a predictable screwjob finish. What a great way to saddle two episodes of RAW with “who cares?” main events/
>B>The Guest Hosts
A few of the guest hosts have done pretty well, but they mostly gum up the works with clueless adlibs and time-wasting sketches. Vern Shroyer, besides being as fresh as last month’s leftovers, added nothing to the program while taking mic time that could’ve been used to push some actual wrestler.
It’s not as if the guest host concept has worked. The ratings have continued to trend downward, because people who like one host are not necessarily going to like the next one. If everything a guest host does adds up to a match involving Mark Henry, it has been a waste of time.
Cherche La Femme
Is WWE afraid that the fans will assault its female wrestlers on their way to the ring? It seems they are reluctant to send their women into the squared circle in anything smaller than pairs – and most commonly in groups of three.
If the women in WWE can’t work decent singles matches, it’s time to get some new women. If WWE has some women who can work, and I think they definitely do, those women should be given ring- and face-time to develop their characters and get some juice into the matches.
Time for a Change
In what seems an indecently short time since this year’s talent shuffle, the RAW roster is alarmingly static. Injuries were a good excuse for a short while, but the lack of outstanding heels who can work good matches is now too dire to ignore.
Randy Orton is the only rulebreaker with any fan interest/ Chris Jericho is only used on the show in storylines involving the tag team title, so that leaves other high-visibility heel positions to Rhodes, DiBiase and, occasionally, Big Show.
WWE is trying to build up Sheamus, but forthcoming his match with Cena seems premature. The world’s whitest man is more over with Triple H than with the fans, which is not a recipe for pay per view success.
WWE must find more wrestlers, both heels and babyfaces, who can work the ring and the mic. It doesn’t matter whether they comes from the indies or WWE’s development promotion in Florida, as long as they get in there and generate some excitement.
That’s all for today! I’ll be back tomorrow with my weekly TNA Notebook. I hope you’ll join me then – and, please, bring your friends.
– Arnie Katz
Executive Editor
Crossfire4@cox.net
(12/3/09)
December 3rd, 2009 at 9:30 pm
I am getting sick and tired of Randy Orton and his Legacy being in the WWE. After Tables Ladders and Chairs pay per view you and your legacy will be not longer in the WWE and to be kick out of the WWE. Randy Orton is so mean and nasty and he punts people in the skull and Randy Orton you are such a jerk and a fucking asshole
December 5th, 2009 at 4:15 am
Right now, What is wrong with Raw right now is a bunch of shit…The immensely horrific garbage that has been the Raw theme song since they got rid of the Union Underground theme. The Guest Host shit which has been mostly pure dogshit since they came up with the idea as they are so out of fucking place with not only wrestling but Pop Culture in general. If these fuckers think that people gives a shit Verne Troyer, Freddy Prinze Jr., Ricky Hatton, Kyle Busch, ZZ Top, Cedric the Entertainer and Anything that relates to Access Hollywood or that bitch from that show whatever her name is, they must be high on Heroin…But if any one of those people are of any relevance to pop culture currently, Then I like to know. The Talent…If Sheamus or what I like to call Scamus is the number 1 contender for Cena’s title…then there is a problem…They are no more fresh heels for Cena to feud against on Raw. Scamus is far too green to be given such a push and has proven nothing. He is not over whatsoever, The fact that Triple H likes him tells you a lot of things but they are things you probably already know…There is no depth on that roster and the quality of the talent isn’t that great either. The Biggest problem with Raw is of course, Booking or writing, The backstage shit…Why Does Gerwitz or these other motherfuckers have a job…They write nothing but crap, and amazingly, Vince McMahon approves of the shit…I swear to everything I stand for I could write or better yet, Book a better show/product than these fuckers…There is a reason why these MTV Rejects no longer write for MTV. They have these Road Agents who were former wrestlers…and a lot of them are Legends like Arn Anderson, Barry Windham, Mike Rotundo, Dean Malenko and etc…I guarantee they can write a better product than this…Why aren’t they writing…and it doesn’t help that Johnny Ace prefers bitches from Magazines then actual talent…When TNA fires Vince Russo and brings in a real fucking booker…The WWE is going to be in big trouble…That’s what I have to say
December 6th, 2009 at 2:56 pm
I Wish Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, And Ted DiBiase Leave WWE For Good Where We Never Have To See Them Again .
December 7th, 2009 at 10:01 am
I think that the guest host concept on RAW is a joke, in fact it almost if not completely makes GM’s in general look like nothing more than figure heads with veteran superstars and staff behind the curtains doing all the real work. I mean when, in the being of a show, people come out a complain about whatever then the GM evently comes out and makes that the main event for the night and the controveries don’t make most of the matches any less predictable. Also, divas need to go something that we haven’t seen since Jacqueline was WWE Cruiserweight champ or since Chyna was WWE IC champ which is for divas to go after title other than the Women’s and Divas’s title. It’s like WWE is being so sexist in that way. And as far as the morals of that go well if they were willing to do it once than why not again?