10 Reasons WWE Raw Is Lucky To Still Be On The Air
8. Steroids
The original steroid scandal altered WWE's aesthetic so drastically that Monday Night Raw may not have even made it to a one year celebration, let alone 25. Hulk Hogan was one of the last holdovers from a bygone era when he redbuted in the Manhattan Center in February 1993, and even he looked shrivelled compared to the python-toting monster that departed just under a year earlier.
Winning the title at WrestleMania 9 wouldn't increase his visibility on the new flagship either - he was as mentally checked out with the product as much of the fanbase.
Representative and reflective of the industry's overall decline at the time, WWE was about to embark on the leanest commercial years of its existence all whilst advertising a weekly live broadcast designed to be an edgy alternative to the 'Prime Time' formula of the past.
Smaller men and smaller audiences would prove to be what made the early editions so memorable, but it wasn't a type of pro wrestling Vince McMahon was genuinely comfortable promoting had he not already committed to making the idea a success. The 2018 Chairman almost certainly wouldn't have given the daring concept half the breathing space it once received.