10 Notable Changes Made To WWE Raw In 1997

9. Entrance Stage/Ramp

Steve Austin Vince McMahon Raw 1997
WWE.com

It goes hand-in-hand with the Titan Tron to complete a nifty-looking set, but in its fresher days, the reinforced metal grating provided an element of danger to the shows.

Whether it was Bret Hart sending Steve Austin off the side of the stage after whacking him with a crutch, or Hunter Hearst Helmsley flinging Cactus Jack skull first into the ramp's unforgiving surface, the introduction of metal augmented the idea of a 'War Zone".

It was also a nice way to differentiate themselves from WCW Monday Nitro, who pretty much kept the ground-level aisle until 2000.

As far as eye-catching set-pieces go, it beats the hell out of six-sided rings that fans demanded some companies bring back, only for said companies to watch their viewership continue to peter out.

Contributor
Contributor

Justin has been a wrestling fan since 1989, and has been writing about it since 2009. Since 2014, Justin has been a features writer and interviewer for Fighting Spirit Magazine. Justin also writes for History of Wrestling, and is a contributing author to James Dixon's Titan series.