10 Things You Learn From Rewatching LAST Time WWE Raw Lost In Ratings War

7. Everybody Felt Like Stars

Steve Austin Ken Shamrock Raw 1998.jpg
WWE.com

It's night and day when comparing the WWE product of today to what the company put out 22 years ago. One of the most clear and obvious differences upon a rewatch of the *good old days* is that everyone back then felt like a star.

In a two hour broadcast, no single featured performer ever felt close to an afterthought. Sure, not everybody had as much attention on them as Steve Austin, but you could see that the creative forces of the time were doing their best to let you know what each and every wrestler was about. Even if somebody didn't necessarily feel like a legitimate star, they still at least felt relevant and that the company had a modicum of plans in place for them.

When looking lower down on the food chain, 'Man's Man' Steven Regal was trying to get himself involved in the European Title picture; Darren Drozdov was trying to prove himself as a suitable member of the Legion of Doom; Tiger Ali Singh was against the Godfather and his pimpin' ways; the Oddities and Kaientai were overflowing with personality; and Gangrel... good lord, Gangrel and THAT entrance still kicks just as much ass all these years later.

In comparison to today, the current WWE product is full of wrestlers are are just, well, there. As in, they have no purpose, they have no direction, and they're simply disposable bodies on a roster that only gives any significant storylines to those higher up the card.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.