8 Things WWE Want You To Forget About The Raw After WrestleMania
Not All Fun And Games
You won't have missed Michael Cole and Corey Graves reminding you over and over again how the post-WrestleMania 34 edition of Monday Night Raw might not be like a regular edition of the broadcast as New Orleans' Smoothie King Center played host to another raucous night in 'The Big Easy'. They wouldn't have let you.
In a desperate bid to take back a bit of control over one of the most news-heavy nights of the wrestling calendar, WWE have in recent years lionised the show by paying lip service to the crowd rather than trying to suppress them. And largely, it's worked. The days of Randy Orton, Sheamus and others having matches completely destroyed are long gone in haze of back-slappery doled out by the organisation to the heady hardcore extending their stay by an extra day.
The shows haven't lost their lustre, but the jagged edge has been smoothened as a result. Now a major music festival rather than an underground arts event, 2018's event alone reflected an atmosphere more homogenised than that on display at events such as Joey Janela's Spring Break, Matt Riddle's Bloodsport or even the prior Saturday's NXT TakeOver.
Though the cult appeal is gone, the entertainment largely remains. WWE will almost certainly profile the events on and off screen for another excellent Network project, and will likely continue using the show as a vehicle to introduce and promote various talents kept under wraps before the 'Show Of Shows'. It's not always been wrestling's least private party though...
8. The Good Old Days
WWE's rewriting of their own history is no new phenomenon, but the idea that the post-WrestleMania buzz has been hardwired into the company's rich history is yet another myth-turned-legend by the organisation's history realignment.
Throughout the 1990s, the organisation did occasionally shoot major angles in the aftermath of the 'Show Of Shows' (more on that later), but that was only due to the hard reset nature of WrestleMania itself. Interviews with older stars highlight the lack of prestige placed upon even working on 'The Grandest Stage'. The lights were brighter and the paydays were higher, but WrestleMania was nothing more than another town on another night for those grinding their bodies to dust for the good of the McMahon empire. Consideration of catering to special crowds wasn't remotely on the agenda, not least in the pre-Raw era of marathon Superstars/Wrestling Challenge television tapings.
That's not to say WWE weren't cognisant of the value of a Monday television broadcast just 24 hours removed from their biggest show of the year. Back then though, valuable airtime was instead deployed to extract every last dollar from audience pockets. WrestleMania certainly wasn't 'free to all new subscribers', and nor was a potentially intriguing replay...