10 Things You Learn Binge Watching Every WWE Raw From 1996

by Jamie Kennedy

1. WCW Nitro Improved WWF Raw

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McMahon might not have brought Warrior back at all had he not been battling the oncoming threat of WCW Nitro on Monday nights. After initially palming the competition off and treating it like a short-lived pest, Vince realised that he had to change his style if Raw was going to remain on top.

By May, he was going all-in on a more raunchy product.

Angles like Goldust planting a kiss on Ahmed Johnson (which was controversial and shocking for the time) and Diana Hart alleging that top babyface Shawn Michaels had tried to sleep with her showed the way. Then, the WWF had Brian Pillman pull a gun on Steve Austin and tried smoke and mirror tactics with the return of "Razor Ramon" and "Diesel" later in the year.

Some of it (those cosplay fakes, for example) was rubbish, but 1996 Raw was a vast improvement generally over the seriously lame 1995. Nitro, even before it pipped Raw in the ratings for the first time in June, was pushing McMahon to try different things. That was for the best.

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What caught your eye from Raw's fourth year on the WWE Network? For more like this, check out 10 Things You Learn Binge Watching Every WWE Raw From 1993, 10 Things You Learn Binge Watching Every WWE Raw From 1994 and 10 Things You Learn Binge Watching Every WWE Raw From 1995!

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Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.