10 Best Backstage WWE Stories From Bruce Prichard's Podcast

4. "Down, Dirty, Gritty, Raw" (Monday Night Raw)

monday night raw first episode
WWE.com

"Down, Dirty, Gritty, Raw". Believe it or not, that was once a working title for WWE's flagship Monday night program, and it very nearly became the show's actual name. No Monday Night Raw, but instead a moniker to rival 'TNA' in the embarrassment stakes. Worse, USA Network top brass liked it.

Basil DeVito, a WWF executive and part of the naming process, didn't. He much preferred ditching all the other unnecessary adjectives in favour of the more straightforward 'Raw' name, and Vince McMahon agreed. Then, after McMahon tagged 'Monday Night' onto the start of it, the new show had a definite title.

Take that, USA. One of your core programs might not be around 25 years later had you had your way.

Telling friends that you'd be tuning into the latest episode of 'Down, Dirty, Gritty, Raw' might have had them asking if that was on a premium channel or if your parents were away for the week. To Prichard, the WWF struck a winner by discarding the extra words and instead focusing on what day the show would air and what it'd be like (Raw, uncut and a departure from usual WWF fare).

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.