10 Things We Learned From Bruce Prichard’s Creation Of WWE Raw Podcast
6. Fans Were Originally Going To Eat Dinner At Ringside
Picture around 600 people wearing tuxedos and flashy dresses as Doink The Clown sprayed water from a fake flower into the eyes of Crush and Max Moon wrestled Shawn Michaels. The WWF did imagine this, and discussions took place regarding the overall look of Raw. McMahon was interested in a classy affair with ballroom tables.
Much of that had to do with the ballroom setting, obviously, but it would have been a poor fit for the cartoonish action the promotion ran at the time. Also, what's sophisticated about a program called Raw? Wasn't the whole point to make it grittier and less reliant on slick production? Bruce Prichard thought so.
He said he was horrified when Vince started talking about putting tables around ringside in lieu of fans with WWF t-shirts, signs and foam fingers. A 3-course meal with fine champagnes from around the globe didn't really go with The Undertaker vs. Damien Demento in a 2-minute squash.