13 Ups And 23 Downs For WWE In 2020

3. Raw Underground Fizzles

Earlier this year, Raw ratings were in the toilet (though they would sink even further before the year was out), so the company brass decided it would take drastic action.

Suddenly and without warning, there was Shane McMahon on Raw welcoming us to a new concept: a Fight Club-esque segment called Raw Underground, where NXT wrestlers and under-utilized superstars gathered to compete in shoot-style fights in a rope-less ring. Shane jumped around like a child off his ADD meds, yelling into the mic about the “matches,” randomly declaring them to be over.

Rules were never explained, and wrestlers would randomly jump from inside the squared circle to taking their feuds to Raw Underground, where apparently things were more “real.” Sure, there was potential there for some superstars to jumpstart their flagging careers (guys like Riddick Moss actually got some exposure there), but as with most poorly thought-out ideas, WWE brass quickly lost interest, and two months after it debuted, Raw Underground quietly disappeared.

Raw Underground wasn’t patently offensive, but it came about at a time when the company felt it needed to do something drastic to improve the product. If anything, it exemplifies the company’s inability to have a coherent strategy or long-term planning about anything. It’s among the most “2020” things of the year.