wrestling / Columns

Missing Nothing When Missing WWE Raw

November 1, 2017 | Posted by Jeremy Lambert
Stephanie McMahon WWE Raw 103017 Image Credit: WWE

I turned off this past Monday’s Raw after the opening segment, where Stephanie McMahon returned to dress down Kurt Angle before leaving. Based on Larry Csonka’s report, I didn’t miss much. I turned it off for that very reason. I didn’t feel like I would miss anything if I watched the NBA or 90 Day Fiancé.

I’m only one viewer, albeit one with a Nielsen box, and I’m not canceling my Network subscription. But it seems like a problem when I can turn off the show without a second thought, feeling that I won’t miss anything.

Obviously, things are different now than they were 10 years ago. While I turned off the show, I remained on Twitter to keep up with some NBA scores. In doing that, I also kept up with Raw. Today, I watched Braun Strowman’s return segment on YouTube. It’s never been easier to access WWE-related material thanks to their 300 social media accounts. Even when you miss something, it’s almost impossible to not keep up.

But how much of it matters?

That feels like the real problem here. We all miss shows (except Csonka) and we all find out what happened. But how often do we seek out something we missed and feel like, “I can’t believe I missed this. I have to tune in next week”?

It doesn’t feel like it happens often.

It’s Survivor Series season. It’s the one time a year where Raw faces SmackDown. This year, instead of a 5-on-5 match, they’re going to do that, plus having the champions face each other. It’s a nice little hook, but what does it really matter?

Last year, SmackDown won the 5-on-5 Survivor Series match. They didn’t get anything. Shane McMahon was happy his team won, thanked Raw for a tough battle, and moved on. The Undertaker, who threatened Team SmackDown prior to the event, was nowhere to be seen despite Dean Ambrose aligning himself with Team Raw to eliminate AJ Styles. The match had no significant impact on brand supremacy.

There’s little reason to believe this year will be any different. A team will win, champions from one side will win, comments will be made, but nothing significant will come of it.

When Stephanie returned on Monday, she gave the same speech she gave this time last year. “You’re doing well, but you can do better or things will change.” And Kurt Angle stood there and said nothing. He could have gone off on Stephanie for failing to show up since April despite being the commissioner of the brand. Shane McMahon can get brutalized by AJ Styles and fall off a 20-foot cell through a table, but still show up the next week. She falls 3-feet through a table and is out seven months.

Stephanie is like that NFL general manager who hires the coach, but then drafts poorly, makes bad trades, and overpays for free agents and ends up firing the coach when he can’t win more than five games.

And if Stephanie’s act is tired, Kane’s act belongs on life support.

WWE booked Finn Balor vs. Cesaro on Monday. On paper, it was a match that promised good action. Yet, I didn’t stick around because it didn’t matter. Cesaro was unlikely to win a singles match that didn’t advance a tag team story and Balor was decimated a week prior at the hands of Kane.

Also on the show was Seth Rollins vs. Kane. Again, a match that looked fine on paper, but it was another sacrifice for Kane.

In 2017. Kane has been around for literally 20 years and he’s still going over talents that are supposed to carry the company for the next 10 years. Why should anyone get behind Balor, Rollins, or Ambrose when they’re nothing but fodder for a 20-year-old gimmick?

Even their attempt to make Braun Strowman a monster came at the detriment of what should have been a major angle. Strowman returned after spending one week in the back of a garbage truck. Commentators speculated that he would be out for months. One week. And he went after the messenger, not the perpetrator of the crime.

This isn’t a lack of Brock Lesnar or even a lack of Roman Reigns problem. Yes, it’s a problem that things continue on as normal despite the presence of the two biggest stars on the show, but that’s a whole separate column that Steve Cook can write.

This is a fundamental problem. Matches don’t matter, it’s the stories that matter. But even the stories don’t really matter when they are glossed over or don’t develop. But it’s not the stories that matter, it’s the character that matter. But really, the characters don’t matter when they too don’t develop and their motivations don’t make sense. Ok, characters don’t matter, it’s moments that matter.

And that’s the issue. WWE creates moments. Not memories.

I’m on Twitter @jeremylambert88 if you want to chat wrestling, sports, or Taylor Swift.

article topics :

RAW, Stephanie McMahon, WWE, Jeremy Lambert