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UNCUT, UNCOOKED, UNCENSORED: WHY LAST NIGHT'S RAW WAS AN EXCELLENT FIRST STEP IN THE NEW ERA

By Mike Johnson on 2016-07-26 11:20:00

The original Raw slogan, way back in 1993, was "Uncut.  Uncooked.  Uncensored."

That was very appropriate because for the first time in a long time, Monday Night Raw felt like a show where anything could happen. 

Sure, the "Anything can happen in WWE" tagline gets used all the time, but last night, there was a distinct difference between the WWE product that we've seen in the 21st century and the three hours that seemingly blew right past us last night.  Many weeks, Raw has felt like a chore to get through.  Too long, filled with meaningless segments (often taking way too much time to set up segments for later in the show), there were many weeks where what is supposed to be the flagship WWE TV series felt plodding and listless.

That was not the case last night.   For one, the show felt energized in many respects.  There was great athletic wrestling where some of the best talents in the company battled for the goal of being the first WWE Universal champion.  While I am not thrilled to see yet another title belt, the creation of the belt gave the show a focus and gave us a prism through which we got to watch what appears to be the start of the ascension to Finn Balor to a top role for the brand.  Balor's work and wins brought a newfound energy to the show, but the work of everyone in the Four Ways and especially Roman Reigns in the main event against Balor, was nothing short of excellent.  You felt like you were watching talents going out there to win, taking risks to do so and being physical and aggressive. Compare that to some of the matches we've seen on Raw that not only felt bloated but took place with no real respect towards protecting talents or making the wins mean something.  This was a huge breath of fresh air.

Of course, there was no greater example of talents taking risks and going all out last night than the crowning of Sasha Banks as she knocked Charlotte from the women's championship throne.  Just an all out incredible match, literally taken from the blueprint that was created by NXT several years ago.  For all the talk of a Divas Revolution over the last year or so, last night felt like the best singles women's match on the main roster in a LONG time, and not just because they had a good, athletic bout.  It hit on all the hallmarks of a great rivalry, there was an emotional ending with Charlotte's decree that Banks would never beat her and a batsh** insane dive that scared the hell out of me from Banks.  Charlotte then whipped out a sick moonsault to the floor on top of THAT.  This was not just the ascension of a new champion - it was the official ascension of the women's division as it was finally let loose.

Then, on the heels of that, by the way, the Cruiserweights are coming too!  If this is the type of wrestling we are already getting on the new era of Raw, how much fun is going to be when the Cruisers begin appearing?

The production tweaks were also a welcome sight.  The dizzying tilting camera shots during punches and strikes were gone.  There were new angles that WWE shot from.  The live post-match interviews felt off the cuff and felt like wrestling interviews, as opposed to the usual drawn out opening segment monolouges that often sapped the energy out of the viewer.  Byron Saxton was great in the role.  Last night felt like viewers were watching a live wrestling event and seeing what was taking place before their eyes as it unfolded organically, as opposed to a TV series that featured some wrestling around the characters.  There's only a slight difference between the former and the latter but in this case, the former works as a way to keep the viewer interested.  The commentary, featuring discussion of Balor's accomplishments before being signed by the company and a focus on not just the stories that were being told but the action in the ring, hit a nice balance.  Smackdown has a lot to accomplish to match or surpass how fresh Raw felt.

The elimination of the authority figures being centerpieces of the show and the storylines was also a nice change.  While Mick Foley and Stephanie McMahon appeared, it was to set the stage for the matches and the WWE Universal title picture, nothing else.  They were not antagonists or interfering in matches.  They didn't cause the Raw train to derail with 3-4-5-6 appearances.  They were once and done.  That is great because, in my mind, the day of the authority figures being such a regular part of the storylines needs to go away so it can be fresh again.  If the company needs antagonists, hire some managers.  The days of Jack Tunney appearing when something needs an official proclamation and then staying out of the way to let wrestlers wrestle and fight their grudges out sure seems like a novel idea in 2016.  WWE came closer to that last night then it has in forever.  I love Mick Foley and I think Stephanie McMahon is a hell of a talker, but I like the idea of saving them for when they are needed -as opposed to what we saw during the Authority era of Raw.

Of course, least we not forget the great return of the squash match.  We had noted in the Elite section of PWInsider.com weeks ago that this was something that had been discussed, with the idea that once they split the roster, WWE would not have the ability to slow things down a bit when needed and use that sort of presentation to help audiences learn who some of the personalities were and spotlight them without sacrificing competitive matches and even potential future matches.  In a world where WWE seemed to run things on fast forward at times, the breathers that came with the Nia Jax and Braun Strowman matches were not only welcome but they made each of them look like fearsome, future players while also providing some insight.  Jax pulling her opponent up when she obviously has her beat - a surefire sign that she is a sadistic villain.  James Ellsworth cutting a promo that as long as he has two fists, he has a chance for an upset?  That is some great Frankie Williams-like stuff there.  When Strowman enters the ring and Ellsworth nearly crumbles into the corner in fear and sadness...just a genius way to show how monstrous Strowman is.

Overall, a strong first showing for the new era of Raw.  WWE likes to brand things and when they started with the New Era, I looked at it as just another hashtag.  Last night showed that this isn't lip service.  Now they need to stay the course and see where it takes them.

Thumbs up, WWE.  Raw felt like a show that you wanted to keep watching.  That's not to say that there wasn't silliness - what's up Sonny Boy! - but even with that, for the most part, it paid off.  We saw the Pokemon Go hunt lead somewhere.  Sonny Boy was used to get heat for the Club at the end as they disrespected New Day.

Raw will never, ever make all of their viewers happy but last night, they showed a hell of an effort and there was far, far, far more good to great wrestling and good to great stories coming out of the show than one could have hoped for.  There was a surprise title change, lots of fun wrestling, old school squashes and more.  It was every bit of the variety show that WWE likes to proclaim themselves to be, but it was within the confines of a pro wrestling show and universe.  That's all one can ask for - except that I want to ask that they do this every week. 

To me, it felt like a 2016 version of the Monday Night Raw I used to attend every week at the Manhattan Center in 1993 - you felt like you never knew what was coming next, you never knew which way the stories would go, you got to watch interesting characters develop, you saw some good wrestling and it was FUN. 

FUN is something that Raw has been missing.  It was nice to see that element back.  The quality of Battleground and Raw has me excited for Smackdown tonight - and I can't wait to see if they can follow the last two night up to bat and hit it out of the park as well.  If they can - and both sides can continue - I'm all in for this New Era and the Monday/Tuesday War!

Mike Johnson can be reached at MikeJohnsonPWInsider@gmail.com.

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