It was only a matter of time before we got a dogs breakfast of an episode of Raw, and that came in epic fashion Monday night. The post-WrestleMania hangover was in full force as WWE limped toward Extreme Rules with a show that more closely resembled the old WWF Wrestling Challenge program in terms of in-ring action. Raw looked like a creatively bankrupt program that threw a handful of bad ideas out there to see if anything would stick and little did. Its a shame because WWE seemed to be stringing together some decent programming since WrestleMania XXXI and was managing to at least not slide off a cliff as they have in years past. Mondays show painted a very clear picture of why WWE desperately needs a new direction: bad jokes, huge logic gaps, repetitive matches and poor booking permeated much of the three hours. There are more than enough talented wrestlers on that roster to make for a compelling and enjoyable three hours, but WWE seems to rely on tired tropes and miscast performers to fill the time. So did WWE get anything right Monday night? Well, even the worst Raws still have redeeming qualities, but this weeks edition overall scraped the bottom of the barrel. Lets find out what rose to the top and what sunk like a stone.
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.
