10 Biggest Turning Points For WWE In 1997
8. Raw Is War Is Born
EFFECT: The format for virtually every future Raw was also born
Taping four episodes of Raw in one night was over with. Running shows in undersized auditoriums was also history. From that point on, Raw would cease running in anything less than a mid-sized arena. If WWE was going to stand up to Ted Turner's money, they had to puff out their chest and be a big boy themselves.
The TitanTron has been a standard for the last 19 years, as has the stage and ramp in its looming shadow. WWE has never taken a step back from their increases in production value since that time. Even if the show is bad creatively, as has been the case intermittently since the last true boom period, it'll still look pretty.
That's not to mention the long-winded opening promos on every show, but not every idea can be a winner.