Where Vince McMahon Is Going Wrong With WWE
In which Vince McMahon buries the concept of 'TGIF'...
To determine where Vince McMahon is going wrong with WWE, let's first determine what the company is getting right.
Monday Night RAW, somehow, given the chaos that mired it post-WrestleMania 35, feels like a show with purpose and direction. On this week's show, in a stunning development, virtually the entirety of next week's episode was promoted in advance. In one blast of sensible decision-making, WWE put a temporary end to the last minute rewrites memes.
Following a poor and barely perceptible start, Paul Heyman's RAW feels now like its own animal. It's an easier watch on a structural level. Story beats are plotted and tracked throughout the show as a hook, an incentive, to watch to its conclusion. The new squash match directive has created a badly-needed tier of star talent and has ended the counterproductive monotony of overlong 50/50 programmes void of stakes. This may yet materialise in matches between pushed stars that may breed actual anticipation.
Heyman has proved himself a canny operator all over again. His sensationalist soap opera has sought - and grabbed - both headlines and ratings. In the background, insidiously, he has started to win over the critics and the hardcores by pushing super-talented acts with conviction and encouraging them to bring the elusive banger back to WWE TV (Aleister Black Vs. Buddy Murphy). He's writing for the audience of one and the jaded fandom alike. Since Survivor Series, RAW has delivered a run of improbable consistency.
Beyond RAW, NXT continues to deliver.
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