10 Massively Dubious Wrestling Records

3. Blowing Gunsmoke Up Our Ar*e

John Cena Ric Flair 16x
WWE.com

WWE has for years cooed over the "fact" that Monday Night RAW is the longest-running weekly episodic show in television history.

It isn't.

The Simpsons is a weekly episodic show. It debuted in 1989, a full four years before RAW, and continues to this day. It is equal to RAW only in that both shows are pale imitations of themselves. RAW has produced more episodes, granted - but that is not what WWE is marketing. Moreover, RAW lags well behind gameshows like Wheel Of Fortune and Jeopardy!, which are fairer comparisons in terms of rotating casts and production set-ups. "The Longest Running Weekly Episodic Television Show 9With No Off-Season)" is an awkward caveat the company just decides to ignore.

"SmackDown has become the second longest running weekly episodic program in primetime TV history, behind only WWE's “Monday Night Raw,” the company wrote in 2010 in a statement on its website. It was another lie, one designed out of desperation to cling to a mainstream usually content to ignore wrestling as a genuine cultural institution. Ironically, if WWE accepted its wrestling heritage, they could accurately crow about its success.

Only, they couldn't; Portland Wrestling ran between 1953 and 1992, dwarfing RAW's longevity.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!