10 Things You Learn Binge Watching Every WWE Raw From 1999

1. SmackDown Instantly Diluted Raw's Appeal

Vince McMahon WWF Champion
WWE

SmackDown debuted as a pilot in April 1999 before becoming a full-blown accompaniment to Raw starting with the 26 August episode. It was great for fans (more content in an era when people couldn't get enough), but the company had to stretch angles out across multiple shows rather than saving everything for Mondays.

That posed problems.

Vince Russo, who was still the head writer, experienced some 'Taker-ish burn out of his own around this time, and he was infamously horrified when McMahon told him to hire a nanny to take care of his kids. His apathy towards the new Thursday night show was evident on screen too; from late-August onwards, Raw took a bit of a nose dive in sustained quality before Russo left for WCW.

It's obvious when watching each episode back-to-back today. '99 marked the first time Raw's stronghold on weekly WWF output had been threatened, and nobody seemed quite sure how to make it work.

What caught your eye from Raw's 1999 on the WWE Network? For more like this, check out 10 Things You Learn Binge Watching Every WWE Raw From 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1998!

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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.