7 Ups And 5 Downs From WWE Raw (March 23)
WWE improves upon last week's effort, minimizes missteps.
After an eerily quiet Monday Night Raw last week, WWE returned Monday with its second edition of the empty arena program from the Performance Center, but they managed to address some of the glaring issues, making for a more enjoyable show.
Having the hard camera opposite the entrance ramp put something visual in the background rather than focusing on empty seats. Having managers, tag partners and commentators constantly chattering filled the void nicely. Having superstars deliver promos that fit the atmosphere and really talk like a real human being made things feel more genuine. Airing classic matches that were out of mind but relevant felt more like a treat than a rehash of recent history.
It was overall a good episode of Raw as the company continues to steam toward a two-night, empty-arena WrestleMania in unprecedented times. We certainly aren’t enjoying a normal build to the biggest show of the wrestling year, but at this stage, we might as well set all of that aside and just go with it. That means grading on a bit of a curve – it was only the third empty arena show, so WWE clearly is still working out the kinks, while trying to abide by public health criteria.
Overall, Raw was certainly watchable Monday night, and it did a decent job of moving closer toward Mania, so that’s all well and good.
With that said, let’s get to it…