During the Monday Night Wars, ratings were broken down by the quarter-hour to determine which segments were working and which werent. If something was causing fans to flip channels to the competition, it probably wouldnt be seen on television again, at least not in the same form. That insane level of scrutiny was neurotic, but it also kept the writers and talent on their collective toes. Without that competition today, WWE Raw has fallen into some trappings that would have spelled doom 15 years ago: lengthy, boring opening promos, DQ finishes galore and main events that end without a conclusive finish and/or a group beatdown. Fans got some of that Monday night, but the show was bolstered by an incredible match in the middle of the program between John Cena and Cesaro. It also didnt hurt that the tremendous Kevin Owens was on commentary. But overall, Monday nights Raw produced some exciting moments aided by a red-hot crowd and other instances that leave you scratching your head. The build to Battleground, which is three weeks away, slowed down, as no new matches were announced and existing feuds were simply reinforced. That left Raw as a placeholder more than anything. So what flew high and what treaded water? Lets find out
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.
