With just under a month until WrestleMania, Raw aired in front of a super-hot Chicago crowd - and despite the much-anticipated return of Shane McMahon, the episode was largely filler. Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar, and The Undertaker were all absent, Shane and Vince McMahon got their bad blood out of the way in the opening segment, and the show once again revolved around the Dean Ambrose-Triple H mini-feud. Still, it wasn't a total wash. The New Day and Y2AJ had the best Raw match in ages, and an exciting contest between Kevin Owens and Neville ended with the official main roster debut of Sami Zayn. The McMahons may be dominating TV heading into WrestleMania, but with any luck, the company is sowing seeds that will grow into a stronger product during spring and summer. Optimistic? Maybe so. Still, it's hard not to hope for a turnaround when each week's show is filled with tropes (and in some cases, characters) that have been shoved down our throats for nearly two decades. Something's got to give after WrestleMania, because if this show was any indication, we're not getting a respite leading up to the show. Raw was full of hints and red flags that the product is in huge trouble. Here are some you may have missed:
Scott Fried is a Slammy Award-winning* writer living and working in New York City. He has been following/writing about professional wrestling for many years and is a graduate of Lance Storm's Storm Wrestling Academy. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/scottfried.
*Best Crowd of the Year, 2013
