Do You Still Get Excited For Raw?

[BestSportsEntertainer]

The popular opinion is that Raw is not as good as it used to be. I agree with that, but I still find it enjoyable. Otherwise, I wouldn't watch it. Though I don't always enjoy Raw, I always love watching it. It's kinda hard to explain, and maybe I'm only watching for nostalgia or potential, but I still get excited for it.

Do you still get excited for Raw? Do you experience this same feeling as I explained above? Any other comments you would make on the subject?

 

[George Steele's Barber]

Some times if there is a decent kayfabe or non-kayfabe storyline taking place. Those moments are few and far between. Don't get me wrong, Raw has exciting moments but I don't get excited about watching the show. Those great moments just happen to be surprises and how can you get excited about exciting surprises when those surprises are few and far between and you don't expect them to come.

Recently, I was kind of excited to see what they were doing with New Day but WWE killed that. Before that I was probably most excited to see how fans would react to Roman Reigns during his WM run. I couldn't care less about the run itself but I was somewhat excited about the pops and boos. I was kind of exciting about Sting being on Raw. Before that the lead up to the Survivor Series was really well done and kept me interested. That one actually had a decent payoff. On the other end I was really excited about the Bella being a servant but that was terrible.

Going back further i was excited about hearing how the smarks would handle Punk's departure. I was excited for Hogan's return. I was excited for the Raw walkout story. I was excited for Raw 1,000 and the 20th Anniversary. I was excited for Chris Jericho's return where he continuously trolled the audience. I was excited for Bret Hart being on Raw for the first time in over a decade. I was excited for the Rock's return. I was excited for seeing how bad Eva Marie would be in the ring. I was excited for Cesaro's push. I occasionally still get excited to hear Heyman talk.

That's all I can think of now. Clearly the thought of watching Raw does not get me too excited right now since I am posting of this forum instead of watching the show.

 

[Jeff Deliverer of Mail]

I like it, but they do go in ruts of the same matches week after week. Its currently Shield vs Shield \ Authority every week. I'd like to see more random matches. Or more surprises , even for cheap pops to break up the manotiny. Like Vince McMahon marching down to the ring when Step /HHH are mouthing off to the fans. Cena and his US Open Challenge is something that has opened some newness and a breath of fresh air to the show. RAW and the WWE in whole are lacking in a serious faction IMO.

Plus the commentating staff just HAS to change. We need a new main commentator and interesting color commentators.

 

[Jtrivera]

We went from The Rock, Austin, Jericho, Foley, Taker, to Sheamus, Wyatt, Reigns, Ambrose, Rollins.

Raw sucks now, and I think it's due to lack of character development. Or lack of direction. Regardless wrestling in general isn't what it used to be. The only thing that was entertaining me at the moment was the tag division with Kidd and cesaro vs New Day. Now Kidd is injured and the only reason PTP has the tag titles are due to massive publicity (Father of the year, and leader of the Rainbow troop) yeah PTP are Champs because they're "good" I just miss the good old days haha. Evolution vs the roster, Smackdown having Heyman as the Dictator, brand wars, and characters that matter.

 

[HBKperfect23]

I haven't been nearly as excited since they've switched to the 3 hour format. From Post-Mania until MiTB Raw has pretty good with the shield feud and Cenas open challenge. I've enjoyed it but wouldn't say I was excited.

Honestly the last time I was pumped and couldn't miss raw was 2001. It's just an overkill of ppvs and TV. I feel like they should have a2 hour Raw be the only show and 6 ppvs a year, add network specials when you need them. Then, I could see getting excited for a can't miss Raw.

 

[The Samoan Heritage]

We went from The Rock, Austin, Jericho, Foley, Taker, to Sheamus, Wyatt, Reigns, Ambrose, Rollins.

Raw sucks now, and I think it's due to lack of character development. Or lack of direction. Regardless wrestling in general isn't what it used to be. The only thing that was entertaining me at the moment was the tag division with Kidd and cesaro vs New Day. Now Kidd is injured and the only reason PTP has the tag titles are due to massive publicity (Father of the year, and leader of the Rainbow troop) yeah PTP are Champs because they're "good" I just miss the good old days haha. Evolution vs the roster, Smackdown having Heyman as the Dictator, brand wars, and characters that matter.

Yea basically this. I wouldn't compare them to a roster over 15 years ago but 5-6 years ago Wwe had the legends (Taker, Michaels, Jericho) The stars(Hardy, Cena, Edge, Orton) and the future(MVP, Miz, Punk, Umaga, Carlito, Morrison, etc) and even though this was no where near wwe's best they continued tto try to do new things. Now the "legends" are Show and Kane (who people are sick of). The stars are Orton, Cena, and Sheamus?(who people are sick of) and the future consist of Rollins, Reigns, Ambrose, Wyatt, etc (who people are also getting tired of after continuing to watch them do the same thing EVERY SINGLE RAW).

I would say wwe's roster having lack of depth has cause me to lose interest but its not. Besides Wwe had a lack of "star power" for many years on Smackdown and was still able to keep my interest. They threw Jeff Hardy and Triple H on Smackdown and gave guys like Khali, Kozlov, Kennedy, etc chances to shine.
Wwe's lack of direction for ALL of its wrestlers, their lack of character development for MOST of the entire roster, and the constant booking of the same matches and segments every single week has caused me to lose all interest In Raw. This Raw I watched the first hour and couldn't watch it anymore. Wwe is just all over the place. Wyatt is looked at as a big deal but constantly loses. The Divas are never given a chance its constantly Paige and The Bellas. The tag scene never get any stories and its just become #1 contenders feud with the champions. Guys like Harper, Sandow, Cesaro, etc can actually add something to Raw and would be a breathe of fresh air but instead they are constantly missed used. And the main event scene is The Shield/Authority every single week with an occasional Lesnar/Hetman reference/addition.

 

[ilapierre]

So many of you here say RAW sucks now but that it didn't suck all that bad before or that it goes through ruts. Unless it's the lead up to Wrestlemania, I can't watch RAW at all. I haven't been able to watch any WWE whatsoever since 2002! Some of you commenting here weren't even born when I stopped getting excited about RAW.

 

[SJ5522]

WWE's overall product freshness would benefit from:
-scrapping SmackDown and putting NXT in its timeslot
-2 hour Raws except the shows before the PPVs + night after Mania can be 3
-make Superstars a watchable B-show with some actual storylines rather than a show full of recaps while almost exclusively showcasing the least relevant guys on the roster. guys like Heath Slater cant really get past their reputation if they're giving nothing in particular to work with

but I anticipate tuning into Raw and always do, I can come up with a hell of a lot of complaints but I know I will see something I will enjoy to some degree

 

[Prince Vee]

I always absolutely gets excited for Raw. But in the recent weeks with my busy schedule and work load I still would start watching Raw with the same anticipation but in the middle of the Divas match i always would feel like I should take a little nap and would close my eyes and eventually passing out and missing the rest of the Raw oops.

Seriously talking, WWE Raw always excites me. No matter where I am or how busy I am, I would never like to miss it. Because they got their moments. For instance, I would watch the whole 3 hours just to see the action of Kevin Owens, moments of Dean Ambrose, The dirty work of the New Day (I really love them) etc., No one can deny the fact that WWE got their moments to excite the fans every week in one way or another.

Cheers!!

 

[Mustang Sally]

I still love the whole thing and believe most of the reason for it is that I just sit back and let them entertain me, rather than watching with a critical eye and looking to tear apart as much as I can. I'm not looking to love or hate the show; just to enjoy watching it.

Naturally, there are aspects of the show that are better (and worse) than others....and I note them, often making reference to these factors the next day on this forum.....which is part of the fun.

But I've enjoyed watching Raw for so many years that it's a regular part of my life, even though I'm often taping it and viewing later (I'm not going to miss the opportunity to go out just because Raw is airing on Monday night).

Yes, many of you claim to love WWE even while detesting everything that goes on there. And yes, we're not supposed to respond to those people by saying: "If you hate it so much, don't watch".....although that seems a logical response to someone's rant on this forum.

But yes, I still get excited. The ring wrestling, the pageantry, the storylines, the colorful characters......I'm happy to say I haven't tired of it one bit.

 

[Navi]

I usually watch every week, unless I'm working and then it's DVR'd and fast forwarded through the bad parts when I get home.

Am I excited? Not really anymore, find it's mostly the same old, same old every week. Very seldom do they manage to surprise me. Cena's open challenge, Kevin Owens finally showing up, and Ambrose are the 3 main reasons I tune in now.

I feel like I'm watching is a replay week after week. It always starts with the Authority in some form taking up the first 20 minutes. Last night was especially bad, as it was filler and not needed at all. And in the middle we have pretty much the same people feuding with the same people they feuded with last week. The ending is always the same. The Authority will come out and beat down the faces. Once in awhile the faces will get their comeuppance but then the heels will take over for another 3 weeks.

Been waiting for a possible face turn by Kane, as the story line was leading up to it, but that has gone by the wayside, and now that's just boring again. With the roster they have, they should be able to put on an entertaining show, but it always somehow falls short. Maybe I'm just jaded, but see a lot of people saying the same thing, so can't be the only one.

The WWE needs a shake up in their creative department, or at least give their heads a shake to clear the cobwebs. When reports come in that house shows are better than the flagship show, you have a problem.

 

[Kizzani]

I still enjoy it and I still get excited SOMETIMES, Usually after a pvp event. Raw gets a lot of flac from people because things do go the way they want. One of the biggest problems is the dirt sheet websites like this one.

Now before we get started understand I love this site, so much information that you wouldn't normally know, but that is the downside. When things happen like fake injuries, scripted stories and more can all be found here. But people complain about spoilers for Game of Thrones or whatever movie/TV shows you want to watch. Imagine if I actually had proof that when "Walking Dead" comes back rick dies in the first episode, people would lose their crap on these forums. So reading these sites changes how you look at the show.

So back to it, I stopped reading articles about Raw, about WWE unless it is unrelevant to the shows. I read all the behind the scenes crap for TNA and other promotions since I don't care about them.

Raw tried to build stories, but it is hard to get into it when you already know who is going to win. If people want to enjoy raw stop reading about what is going to happen.

 

[hatehabsforever]

Do I still get excited about watching RAW? Frankly no, I do not, and it's been quite some time since I have.

Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy watching the show. I watch it pretty much every week, and for the most part, despite my spurts of negativity, I typically still enjoy it. At any given time there are stories/characters that I really enjoy, stuff that I despise, but in an appropriate way, and things that I simply don't like at all. Perhaps that's always been the way, and I have a romanticized memory of the way things used to be. It's still, by far, the best professional wrestling program out there, and I don't see myself stopping watching anytime soon.

But for me personally, the excitement is typically gone. Even on a week that I'm enjoying the show, even while a storyline is progressing that has really caught my attention, there's no "excitement" anymore. The anticipation isn't there. The buzz, the must see moment, that's gone for me. Which is unfortunate. Back in the day, I was anticipating Monday Night RAW over the weekend. I couldn't wait for the show to start, because you never knew what was going to happen, who was going to be there, etc., There was, well, excitement about what the show would offer. Now, even when I like the show and am pleased with the storylines, the excitement meter is way down. Perhaps it's WWE Creative's fault. Maybe it's the talent. Perhaps it's the Internet, unrealistic expectations, concerns (appropriately so) about the health of the talent, or dare I say it, maybe it's me starting to show my age. I imagine it's a little bit of all of that.

I still love watching Monday Night RAW. I enjoyed it last night, I'm sure I'll enjoy it again next week. But "excitement", not so much, and I'm don't see that feeling coming back anytime soon.

 

[BestSportsEntertainer]

But for me personally, the excitement is typically gone. Even on a week that I'm enjoying the show, even while a storyline is progressing that has really caught my attention, there's no "excitement" anymore. The anticipation isn't there. The buzz, the must see moment, that's gone for me. Which is unfortunate. Back in the day, I was anticipating Monday Night RAW over the weekend. I couldn't wait for the show to start, because you never knew what was going to happen, who was going to be there, etc., There was, well, excitement about what the show would offer. Now, even when I like the show and am pleased with the storylines, the excitement meter is way down. Perhaps it's WWE Creative's fault. Maybe it's the talent. Perhaps it's the Internet, unrealistic expectations, concerns (appropriately so) about the health of the talent, or dare I say it, maybe it's me starting to show my age. I imagine it's a little bit of all of that.

I still love watching Monday Night RAW. I enjoyed it last night, I'm sure I'll enjoy it again next week. But "excitement", not so much, and I'm don't see that feeling coming back anytime soon.

*slow clap* Wow, you said it best. This is basically my exact feelings.

 

[MC_Live]

I used to get excited about RAW. I used to think "ok, Raw is on tonight!" I'd sit down at 8 and watch the whole show. But over the last few months I found that I was watching the show more out of some weird sense of loyalty than I was watching because I was excited or interested. I'll watch Raw. But I'm not excited by it, and I'm only interested in it a fraction of the time. To me it's become just another show, and not even a show I'm crazy about. I love Arrow and the Flash on CW. I get excited for those shows. They don't come back until October, and I've been excited for the season premiere's ever since the season finale's last month. But Raw? It's more like Family Feud to me. Sure, I'll watch it, but I'm not going crazy over "Oh boy Family Feud is on tonight."

It's sad, because I want to see what guys like Ambrose and Rollins and Cesaro and New Day are doing. But none of it is good or interesting. Most of it sucks, and means nothing. RAW is just too formulaic and boring now. It's the same people doing the same thing every week. 20 minute Authority promo in the beginning. Meaningless Divas match. Thrown together tag match. Main event with Authority, who also had about 4 other segments the entire show. I want it to be good. But it's not. It's terrible. Lately I've been DVR'ing Raw and watching it on a delay. I've found that much more enjoyable because I can skip the crap I have no interest in, which is sadly like more than half the show. I'm a completist, and I used to want to see everything, just so I can see everything. But I don't care anymore. Which sucks.

So that's the end of my little rant. I think if WWE overhauled the product, and cut RAW to two hours with better writing, I could get excited again. But for now, it's just another show. And not a good one at that.

 

[LionheartY2J]

The trouble is that everything's recycled.

On top of the face mountain is Dean Ambrose. He could be effective, but the problem is that they refuse to allow him any momentum. Has he even won a big match yet? He's basically a compilation of unused CM Punk and Daniel Bryan plans.

Roman Reigns: He got some boos at Royal Rumble, and suddenly they got scared to push him too hard.

And I think Randy Orton still exists, but there's been nothing to confirm nor deny that as of late.

On the heel front, there's Rollins. Not taking anything away from him, he's great, although a bit carbon copy of heel CM Punk. But his stable? Weak, if not pointless. Kane is 50 years old. And yeah, he can choke slam the shit out of anyone unable to move. And J&J Security? I don't know who selected two guys who are essentially wrestling's version of the 33 year old Middle Infielder/Long Reliever who have spent 12 seasons between 15 teams AAA affiliate for such high profile positions, but it does nothing. Even in the NWO, the lackies weren't completely indistinguishable.

And what it comes down to is that the final half hour of every RAW involves these two factions with essentially the same outcome. Sometimes Bray Wyatt will pop up as a reminder that he still exists. And every few months, Brock Lesner will make an obligatory appearance.

I know that this may not be a popular idea, but they might want to consider getting John Cena back in that main event picture. At least he generates something of a reaction.

 

[Shotaro]

The short answer is no.

The longer is answer is that I'm bored of Raw right now. As much as I like The Shield guys they're still tethered together at this point. Their fates are seemingly tethered together such that if one fails all of them will. I mean honestly we're coming up on every PPV this year featuring them in the main event even though they have very little left to tell story wise. Hell Roman and Dean were apparently "back of the queue" for title shots and yet every Raw it's still the same matches recycled. It feels like the company just goes into a massive holding pattern between shows featuring Brock Lesnar who is in all honesty WWEs only draw only they've booked him as being SO destructive that no-one cares who his opponent is because there's no way in hell they're going over clean.

The Tag Team division is still very much in a developing state and is hurt massively by two of the most over teams having a man injured.

In the past few years they've had two or three guys who could've become face of the company and in one case they blew it and in the other he's been so badly injured there's a non-trivial chance he may never get back between the ropes.

They book guys seemingly for pushes then have them go on massive losing streaks. Even worse they put accolades on people no-one cares about and keep trying and failing to push the same people and not allowing anyone to seemingly get over organically (except the two guys who could've been the faces of the company if they hadn't gone wrong)

WWE is not yet in trouble, but it is in a massive downward slide. When your developmental division is more exciting, more engaging and has better characters than your main show you know you're in trouble. When that same division is 100% run by the heir to the throne it's time to step aside and let them take over.

 

[Pedigree1]

Me get tired of Raw?? Come on i have watched wrestling for damn there 35 years now i highly doubt i am gonna stop now.. Raw is what it is now.. This past Raw was entertaining to me,Rollins playing santa claus giving Kane a trip to Hawaii,J&J a Caddy and everyone Apple watches..

I have watched Raw since episode 1.. I am not going to stop until either I die or they cancel Raw.. Its a part of my life.. I get excited,the stories,the characters,the buildup,everything..

 

[PeterSellersSTL]

no - I've learned to temper my expectations - but I still get wowed by RAW on occasion, unfortunately those times number in the single digits.

I thought last night's show was a solid B- though, but still an hour too long.

I am excited about the talent, and where they might be 3 years from now. I feel like WWE is getting more things right these days.

Of course back when I did find raw exciting week to week it was the attitude era and I was in high school and could get excited about RAW on Monday talking to other wrestling fans. And look forward to talking again the next day.

I'd be excited to go to Lisa Von Marie's (Victoria) restaurant in Chicago "Squared Circle" to watch RAWs there. That would help a lot week to week.

I'd say it's 70% WWE's product and 30% the community. And I still like a lot of what WWE is doing and the talent they have. Being a wrestling fan in 2015 isn't that bad at all really.

 

[Faaahn Daaahn Gooooo]

eh. i dont look forward to it really. its all just a habit, as ive been watching since i was 4 non stop(28 now) mainly, my son is into it so we watch it lol