5 Ups And 7 Downs From WWE Raw (May 4)

6. MITB Branding

If you ever needed proof that WWE is way more about marketing that athletic competition, look no further than the constant branding the company undertakes with its product.

Case in point, the Money in the Bank PPV coming up this Sunday. WWE’s marketing geniuses went all-in on two catchphrases, which the announcers beat into the ground Monday night: “Climb the corporate ladder” and “The risk is worth the reward.” They must’ve said the two phrases a dozen times Monday night as they plugged the MITB ladder match.

It’s understandable that phrases like those will get attached to a match and repeated, but when they’re repeated ad nauseum over a three-hour program, it feels like someone is getting royalties every time an announcer blurts it out or worse, when a wrestler uses it in a promo – as Rey Mysterio did.