The Titantron and surrounding LED displays give the impression of importance, yes, but judging by the ratings decline over time, Vegas-style brightness isn't something that many fans actually care about. In fact, it's pretty played-out but this point and the look of Vince's shows needs to change. I'm not saying that Monday Night Raw needs to feel like it's taking place in a dimly-lit warehouse, but let's be real: such gaudy lighting isn't required to put on a great show. Yes, Kevin Dunn may feel like he needs to earn his $4m per year salary by lighting up Raw like a Christmas Tree, but it needn't be so. Shows like Beast in the East, Live from MSG, and Roadblock switched to house show-style lighting, and it gave each event a unique feel. I'd argue that Roadblock felt fresher than, say, Fastlane or TLC, as a result. It looked different, and different is good. The murky darkness of Lucha telecasts adds a gritty, malevolent feeling to the air. I understand WWE is more about show than conflict, but conflict sells more than show. They could take a page out of LU's lighting book and perhaps apply it to certain shows and supercards of their own.
Justin has been a wrestling fan since 1989, and has been writing about it since 2009. Since 2014, Justin has been a features writer and interviewer for Fighting Spirit Magazine. Justin also writes for History of Wrestling, and is a contributing author to James Dixon's Titan series.
