7 Ups And 5 Downs From WWE Raw (May 25)
Show features short matches, but some nice moments, plus an audience and a new champ!
We might be reaching a point where the empty arena experiment is wearing thin.
This observation isn’t just from this writer’s perspective, but also from WWE’s point of view. The company changed things up Monday, scattering NXT developmental wrestlers throughout the arena, spaced out and behind clear partition walls to provide audience noise throughout the program.
Raw’s 11th consecutive show from the near-empty Performance Center felt tired at times, even with the energy infused by the live audience. It’s starting to become a grind, even with WWE doing a lot better with the shows than they were two months ago. But the wrestling itself was lackluster. Segments fell flat. And the lack of star power is dragging the show down.
Even though Raw earned passing marks this week, we’re reaching a point where WWE is going to need to figure something out that changes how its programming is presented. This column has been giving a fair amount of leeway with grading Raw and the PPVs thus far, but eventually, that leeway is going to run out when the show isn’t as good as it can be.
Still, there were some fine moments Monday night, like crowning a new champion, a new partnership, and an ascendant star.
Let’s get to it…