4 Ups & 8 Downs From WWE Raw (Dec 19 - Review)

1. Another WWE Crowd

Another week, another hot and cold WWE audience.

This isn’t some problem with WWE turning the crowd mics down too low – the fans were plenty loud for the main event. But for ridiculously long stretches during Raw, fans were about as quiet as an audience at the opera. They don’t react to good mat wrestling, counters, various exchanges or other normal spots where wrestling fans typically interject.

Oh sure, they get up for highspots, crowd favorites hitting signature moves and other moments – they aren’t zombies – but it’s very disconcerting to hear how quiet WWE crowds are, even when the action is actually pretty good. It’s an apathy that defies logic considering these are paying fans, not a papered audience.

One easy comparison: Listen to the fans during the Chris Jericho/Action Andretti match on Dynamite last week. Those fans were hot for the entire bout, not just a few spots, but the entire match. They literally made that match something truly special. Even at their hottest, a WWE Raw crowd is maybe one-quarter of that level of enthusiasm.

It’s a problem of passion, energy and fan investment. WWE might have better attendance, but if you’re watching on TV and judging on which crowd is having a better time based on noise, there’s literally no comparison.