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

4. Fans Gave A Sh*t!

Steve Austin Ken Shamrock Raw 1998.jpg
WWE Network

Even though October 26, 1998 saw Raw beaten out in the ratings war by Ted Turner's WCW, it's not like today where the WWE product so often fails to illicit any semblance of a positive response from arena crowds. Well, when fans were allowed to be in attendance, of course.

Back in '98, you're instantly struck by how boisterous the in-attendance fans are. From the first minute to the last, Raw is consistently soundtracked by screaming fans. It's not just your marquee names like Steve Austin, Vince McMahon, the Rock and Kane who draw huge responses from the crowd, but every match on the card is full of chants, wild cheers, ferocious boos, and then there's the delightful visual of signs, signs and more signs dotted across Madison, Wisconsin's Kohl Center.

Simply put, people cared.

With a roster of widely varied characters, short matches that stopped audiences becoming bored, and the sort of storylines that were designed in the same mould as The Jerry Springer Show, there is an energy on display 22 years ago that has long been absent from WWE.

That's not to say that there haven't been wrestlers who fans have cared for over the past two decades, it's just that the fan investment and fan interaction of today are so vastly below the levels they were the last time WWE was toppled in the ratings.

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.