RAW Review: WWE Is Still Stuck

Well, I didn't expect WWE to exactly retaliate against AEW. I mean the latter just started. Certainly, WWE was going to try right? 

Nope, I was wrong. What a shame. The show is in a sad state. Yeah, Ricochet/Cesaro was okay but not memorable. Rollins/Zayn are an okay main event but the show as a whole seems bored. The "wild card" rule blurs the lines in a horrible way. "The Firefly Funhouse" is an attempt at doing something different. I personally think it's pretty bad but I know others admire it. The 24/7 Championship has massive potential but the lack of hardcore aspects and the same locations being used is disappointing. 

Sami Zayn directly mentioned AEW tonight. Something that we didn't think was going to happen at all on WWE television. That was a shocking highlight. Yet that is a bad sign. When your competitor is mentioned it shouldn't be the most groundbreaking part of the show. 

My writer Dom Bouchard has been tweeting up a storm. He's obviously disappointed in the state of the WWE. Here are two of his tweets that got some attention. 

#RAW and why in the fn hell every time there are luchadors they are usedike jokes and act like 10 year olds.@KalistoWWE and @LuchadorLD are mazing wrestlers and deserve respect

— Dominic Bouchard (@domghosthunter) May 28, 2019

@WWERoadDogg so happy to hear you are working in NXT where real wrestling is and the only way wwe will be able to compete with @AEWrestling because with the way raw and smackdown is now structured they will only keep losing viewers

— Dominic Bouchard (@domghosthunter) May 28, 2019

Both were liked by who Dom tagged. Dom brought up the point that Kalisto is no longer used as a wrestler and that the luchadors in general are used as cheap jokes. Dom's second tweet basically confirms Road Dogg is going to work in NXT. Which is fantastic news for Road Dogg, as he will be a valuable addition to NXT's creative and development team. If you look at these two tweets it is hard to ignore WWE has morale issues. More for Kalisto than Road Dogg. The locker room isn't feeling appreciated. That's not good especially with the looming threat of AEW.

Overall, RAW's Memorial Day episode was brutally boring. Hey at least we get Brock Lesnar jamming out pretending his briefcase is a boombox? I'm sure SmackDown tomorrow will just be more of the same. The "wild card" rule sucks out all the fun. It really does. I use to get excited to watch SmackDown to see The New Day, Daniel Bryan, Andrade, and others. Now that feeling is gone when you realize RAW stars along with Roman Reigns/Shane McMahon will take up majority of that screen time. 

WWE has a lot of time to turn it around though. The FOX deal doesn't kick in until this fall. AEW doesn't start weekly TV until the fall. Will AEW affect WWE's viewership? Unlikely but still a new wrestling product could attract fans of old and new. 

As I end this depressing RAW review blog. One question remains for WWE. 

How can you make the product exciting and fun again? 

It will be fascinating to see how this plays out. 

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