18 Reasons Why Last Night's WWE Raw Was An Absolute Mess

14. Lukewarm Lafayette

Heavy Machinery are the bushwhackers now and it sucks bye
WWE.com

The Lafayette crowd were deathly silent last night, greeting even the show's biggest moments with polite golf claps and faint, sporadic mini-chants. Who can blame them, though? Not only were they served one of the most shambolic Raws in recent memory, but it was a night built mostly around four wrestlers most of them probably haven't even heard of.

WWE gave them no reason to care about Gargano, Black, Ciampa, and Ricochet. They plopped the quarter down with minimal context, and the Cajundome may as well have been a room full of Conor McGregor's, blurting "who the f*ck is that guy?" as the developmental prospects were trotted out.

The NXT bubble is greatly overestimated by those within it, as outlined by the excellent Voices of Wrestling during the show:-

This doesn't account for the silence that much of the non-NXT portions of the show were met with, of course, but it turns out lumbering heels slapping restholds on popular basis isn't conducive to creating an atmosphere either...

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.