5 Ups & 7 Downs From WWE Raw (Jan 16 - Review)

1. Another Dead Crowd

The Miz
WWE.com

WWE is going to have to reckon with a problem at some point that is going to be really difficult to fix: While they are filling arenas, the fans are not very vocal at all. In fact, they are eerily silent for large portions of WWE programming.

This week’s Raw was yet another example of the sounds of silence or underwhelming reactions. Mia Yim and Iyo Sky’s match played out to something barely bordering on polite murmurs. Mustafa Ali and Solo Sikoa – the opening match of the show – was way quieter than it should have been. Bianca Belair got some cheers, but she barely got an audible “EST” chant.

We’re way past the point of giving a pass and suggesting it might be how the crowd is miked. Fans are paying money to come to a WWE event and sit on their hands at points where you’d expect them to be invested or at least reacting to what they’re witnessing. Go to any sporting event and listen to the crowd when there’s action. They’re up and cheering, booing, or at least chattering.

Sure, the fans came to life for the main event, but where were the other 2.5 hours? It just drags everything down tremendously and makes you question what you’re watching.

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Contributor
Contributor

Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.