main event Raw can’t save an otherwise 2017

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cehbharat2's picture
Start: 
2015-11-04 (All day) - 2015-11-20 (All day) UTC
Event type: 
User group meeting

Right now, Monday Night Raw isn’t working like it’s supposed to. It’s barely making its stories work, it’s keeping talent like Neville off of television (even though there’s a goddamn Cruiserweight division sitting right there!), and it can’t seem to build off of or towards its brand-specific PPVs. Raw seems to have an issue with balancing its talent. There’s obviously a ton of superstars who deserve the time Raw can afford, and yet almost every single week since the brand extension there’s hardly been a memorable segment. Where Smackdown! Live seems to be making a show that’s necessary to tune into every week, playing to the strengths of live television and using the format to tell compact 2-hour stories, Watch WWE Raw is operating like its content is going straight to YouTube, with decent four-minute chunks surrounded by a ton of filler.
The problems are in the way WWE is laying out its feuds, and there’s no clearer example than whatever is going on between Roman Reigns and Rusev. As the opening segment progresses, after Lana has spit a bunch of truth at Reigns and he’s responded with ball jokes and smug laughter, Cole mentions that “this has been going on for months.” It’s meant to be a reminder that these two really don’t like each other and haven’t been able to resolve their issues no matter how many hands they throw. But, as is too often the case with WWE programming, the words being said don’t match what we’re seeing on the screen.

We’ve been told over and over again that this feud is “personal” and yet we haven’t seen a single thing since the wedding celebration that would suggest Reigns and Rusev feel that way. That’s a flaw in character work, and a huge flaw in WWE’s ability to look at its feuds with clear eyes. Reigns being the bad guy here isn’t just smark nonsense; it’s evident in the crowd reaction, in his inability to get people to laugh at his dumb jokes, in the fact that Lana can out promo him any day of the week. When your story is built on a shaky foundation, it’s only a matter of time before it all comes crumbling down, impending Hell In A Cell or not.

Rio Grande do Norte

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