10 Things You May Have Missed From WWE Raw (Jul 2)

6. Vader's Shout-Out

Vader Sign Raw
WWE

Last night was relatively quiet on the fan sign front. One obnoxious MAGA banner cropped up several times throughout Raw's opening stages, but was duly confiscated. Aside from this, the most notable effort was the "VADER' sign that appeared intermittently, which wouldn't be worth pointing out under normal circumstances, but is on the back of a strange directive issued by Vince McMahon last week.

The Chairman reportedly banned all mention of the legendary Vader in the wake of his recent passing. An odd move, as while 'The Mastodon's' best work took place away from WWE, he's generally regarded as the most legendary wrestling "big man" of all time. The company kicked last week's Raw off with a tribute slate and uploaded a vignette to YouTube, but that was the extent of it.

As the sign technically goes against the company line, it's surprising that it wasn't taken away. Still, good on that fan for showing love where WWE did not.

Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.