10 Things Wrong With Every Episode Of WWE Raw
2. Nothing To Look Forward To
The December 14 edition of NXT was built, sublimely, around the No. 1 Contender's match scheduled for the week after. Every man who qualified was presented with unerring conviction - with the crucial exception of Tye Dillinger, whose depiction was left intentionally unassuming so as to not undermine his lovable nearly-man schtick.
The pre-match hype video, on December 21, did so much to promote it, but even if it wasn't particularly well-produced, the message would have still been clear: this match is going to be so good, so major, so meaningful, that you have to make time to watch it. The match itself felt like a big deal purely because it was promoted, in advance, as a big deal. Wrestling is all in the hype.
When was the last time a match on RAW was as anticipated? Granted, NXT runs far fewer special events. It is necessary - and easier - for the brand to imbue a weekly show with such stakes and importance. But SmackDown! has an equally stacked Pay Per View schedule, and is still written to generate intrigue, week to week. It's not a tactic WWE can use too frequently - it would diminish the unmissable aura of Pay Per View - but that's no excuse for the inert state in which RAW too often finds itself.
The problem with presenting matches on RAW in such throwaway fashion is that they are fated to become disposable. If a match isn't worth the wait, how good could it possibly be?