25 Ways WWE Has Ruined Raw
25 years of self-destruction.
Raw's 25th anniversary show is almost upon us, and WWE have stacked the deck for the occasion.
Not only will next week's episode be simulcast from Brooklyn's Barclay Center and its old spiritual home in Manhattan, but the company have secured an incredible lineup of special guests, with everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler all booked, ensuring a fun nostalgia trip.
WWE's flagship show has grown immensely since its 11 January 1993 debut, with Raw outlasting countless eras, TV deals, performers, and industry-wide paradigm shifts. It's the crown jewel of WWE programming, an iconic wrestling institution, and even with the company's long-term ratings skid, it's hard to imagine the sport without it.
But Raw isn't what it used to be. The show's problems are legion, and while the brand was never perfect, its peak passed many moons ago.
Swinging from sublime to unwatchable several times throughout its lifespan, the brand's name is as synonymous with failure as it is success. WWE have battered, bruised, and broken Raw beyond recognition, and while their flagship show hasn't sunk yet, 25 years of bad decisions have left it a bloated, sterile heap...
25. Mid-Match Commercials
WWE programming has been crammed with an absurd amount of commercial breaks for years, with Raw and SmackDown barely able to string 15 minutes together before cutting to adverts. We can accept this to a certain degree (the company has to make money, after all), but the timing is often terrible, and WWE regularly slice matches up to accommodate them, causing all kinds of problems.
Mid-match commercial breaks disrupt the bout's flow, distract the audience's attention, and undermine the performers. WWE's in-ring restrictions mean it's hard enough to tell a cohesive in-ring story as it is, but constant breaks make it even tougher for the wrestlers, who are often forced to slap on a resthold and relax for a couple of minutes while TV viewers sit through adverts.
Building a TV show around ad breaks can't be easy, and some compromises have to be made, but this habit burns potentially good matches every week.