12 WWE Raw 25 Impulse Reactions

8. Smile And Wave

WWE Divas
WWE

Ahead of the Raw 25 show, the question was asked of WWE as to how they'd go about using the countless names already announced for the event. The query turned out foolish on two counts; the prospect of a surprise was quickly quelled, and the company had absolutely no intention of creatively making the best of the raft of performers at their disposal.

After trotting out some old authority figures to literally smile and wave (in a spot that Eric Bischoff at least made palatable with his trademark cheekbone smirk), the WWE then profiled the 'Divas' of yesteryear they've since done everything in their power to distance themselves from in the wake of the Women's Revolution.

The collection of General Managers at least allowed for yet another frosty face-off between Daniel Bryan and an entering Miz, but the mammoth response to Trish Stratus as the female headliner highlighted how miscast the crew were in their restricted roles.

Kurt Angle had earlier hosted a party in his office for Jonathan Coachman, Brother Love, Harvey Wippleman, The Brooklyn Brawler and The Boogeyman, whilst The Godfather introduced former 'Sexual Chocolate' Mark Henry to his real life wife. Even that was more appealing than the sub-Hall Of Fame presentations.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation for 10 years. Alongside the production of daily written, audio and video content covering WWE and AEW, he also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot on the UK's wrestling podcast charts with over 10,000 episodes and 70,000,000 total downloads. He also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House!, Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast, and has guested on long-running Sunderland AFC podcast Wise Men Say. With WhatCulture, he has provided in-person coverage of some of the biggest pay-per-views and Premium Live Events in wrestling history, including WrestleMania, Survivor Series, All In & Double Or Nothing in destinations such as New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. He has also been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana, 411Mania and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in music and culture magazines The Crack, Pilot as well as Sunderland AFC's premiere fanzine A Love Supreme. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it every other Saturday at the Stadium Of Light, and at Cribs gigs nationwide.