Why WWE RAW 25 Was A Complete Disaster
When WWE finally delivered live action in Manhattan, it barely warranted the descriptor. Bray Wyatt entered, finally at home as the New Generation goofball character he is, and proceeded to delete Matt Hardy in a five minute match bereft even of house show quality. House shows are meant to be fun, at least: this was an emphatic waste of a character WWE spent an age negotiating. It acted as a microcosm for the entire show. In that regard alone, it was helpful.
Back in the Barclays Center, WWE framed the Divas of yesteryear in much the same way the company wheels out the Hall of Fame class at WrestleMania. The Bellas, Maryse, Kelly Kelly, Jacqueline, Torrie Wilson, Terri Runnels, Maria, Trish Stratus and Michelle McCool all waved to the crowd as Lillian Garcia announced them as the “greatest female WWE superstars of all time”. Never mind that Lita, Victoria - bigger stars and better wrestlers - were conspicuous by their absence. WWE has spent the better part of three years demonising their contributions to the product in order to market the ‘Women’s Revolution’ of comparatively good women’s wrestling. This was dreadful, utterly hollow spin.
Chris Jericho pointlessly reassumed his “List” gimmick in what was confirmation that he isn’t the cleverest wrestler on the planet. Or maybe he still is; this didn’t matter, and won’t resonate, like so much of the show. Which would be fine - it was a celebration of the past, not the present - if it was entertaining. It really wasn’t.
Incredibly, despite the shambles that was the Christmas Day RAW, WWE again paired Elias with John Cena. Wrestling should be somewhat predictable. Constructing coherent storylines and compelling you to doubt the outcome in the midst of high drama is part of the appeal. There was nothing appealing about Elias getting the better of Cena in a tepid, surprising exchange. This was a highly visible platform on which to map out the Road To WrestleMania. Instead, WWE opted to remind fans of the most tedious match on the most throwaway, unwanted RAW episode of 2017. More worryingly still, they have not grasped how poorly-received the match was. So much of RAW25 was morbidly fascinating, if nothing else. This…this was astonishing in the worst possible way.
The Dudley Boyz returned. They had already completed an underwhelming run in 2016, which underscored the wider problem: this was no reunion years in the making. Nostalgia is predicated on brevity. When over-exposed, it dilutes itself. It was wonderful to see Mean Gene Okerlund interacting with AJ Styles, even if the Phenomenal One appeared more like a fan than a star - but really, it just reinforced how little personality there is backstage circa 2018.
RAW25 was hyped as a gigantic celebration of the shows’ illustrious history. In translation, it only served to remind the fandom of why we are hurtling towards an abysmal future. In that respect - and so many others - it was a catastrophe.
And, in the end, WWE actually f*cked The Revival. They actually f*cked The Revival, as if they were the Ascension circa 2015, confirming the most satirical prediction offered in a cynical display of hedged betting.
More on that imminently…