The **NEW** Monday Night War

[Steamboat Ricky]

Most will agree that the competition between Nitro and Raw is War during 97-99ish rocketed professional wrestling into the mainstream, as well as creating the most entertaining wrestling programming the industry has ever produced. But since Vince bought out the competition and no organization has proved capable of competing with him, WWE, or more largely, the entire wrestling business, has become stale, lacking that storyline with which the masses can relate and brings ratings through the roof.

While WWE seems to be doing fairly well, still, focusing on bringing in profits from other sources, television ratings are still where the rubber meets the road in terms of making money in the business when television broadcasts are involved. But the ratings continue to flounder, even through numerous attempts to get the public more involved. Poor storylines and direction can be blamed for this, but there is another program that takes away from Raw ratings more than any other entity...Monday Night Football.

The question I pose is this:


Could Raw compete with Monday Night Football head to head? Is there a way for Vince to exploit something that attracts people to both Raw and MNF and use it to his advantage? Does Raw have the talent, creativity, and leadership necessary to compete with THE giant of monday night television?

I don't think that it could compete with MNF directly. The great thing about Nitro v. RIW was that they both were fighting each other, and thus lifting each other up. Together, they were strong enough to compete with MNF. However, Raw all by itself I do not think has the muster to compete with the real-life drama that occurs in the National Football League.

Thoughts?

 

[Monkey_Mania]

I don't really think there is a possible way they could compete. For one Raw is on cable. Monday Night Football is not. Monday Night Football is exciting to watch and not predictable, Raw has been a chore to watch and Predictable outside of the last two title changes. Wrestling is not a "real" sport. Football is. People will always watch football, wrestling is something they can tape.

So no, I can not see a feasible way that they could compete. It's possible, but very unlikely.

 

[CCS]

I dont see RAW ever competing with Monday Night Football. MNF is a staple of American media. Most men young and old come home after a hard days work and sit down to relax and watch some football. I dont see WWE bieng able to stop that tradition no matter what they do. Wrestling is a popular sport but theirs no way they could beat MNF in ratings. The NFL is Americas sport. WWE has no chance.

 

[Steamboat Ricky]

Yes, but what is being ignored is the fact that WWF was pulling 8.0 ratings during MNF in 99. So, I think that it has been established that competition IS possible. Furthermore, with MNF on cable now...why couldn't it compete? It's sharing the same timeslot...and USA is just as accessible as ESPN. MNF being "An American Staple" is not a legitimate reason that Raw couldn't compete. Pro-wrestling is an American staple, as well. Everyone knows what WWE is...the only thing remaining is..."why should they watch?"

 

[Monkey_Mania]

There is a very good reason. They were up against WCW Nitro. They had to do something. MNF wasn't even in there sights at that point. If they solely focused on Monday Night Football then they wouldnt stand a chance. Because there is nothing they could do to change anything because of the differences. However if another company were to actually compete on a big level like WCW did then its possible they can match MNF in ratings. But they could NEVER compete.

 

[Steamboat Ricky]

Nitro wasn't pulling jack for ratings in Fall '99 during "Rock, This is Your Life." Raw was pulling 8.0 ratings because of The Rock, Austin, dare I say Trips, a great undercard, and some freaking good writing. Nitro surely had a role in getting WWF to those numbers...but to say that Raw wasn't sustaining itself at that time is folly.

 

[mvk112]

I know that they would never consider this, but what would happen if they moved Smackdown! to Monday nights as well? It would create true head to head competition, and both shows would have to bring their 'A' game every Monday night. If both rosters were completly healthy, it would make for some good programming -

RAW Main Event Level - Cena, Batista, Jericho, Orton, HBK
SMACKDOWN Main Event Level - Triple H, Undertaker, Big Show, Edge, Umaga

RAW Mid Card - Rey, Kane, Punk, DiBiase, Rhodes, Manu, JBL, Marella, Khali
SMACKDOWN Mid Card - Kennedy, Benjamin, R-Truth, MVP, Kozlov, Carlito, Jeff Hardy, Kendrick

Like I said, though, it would never happen because I don't think it would combine to get as many ratings as they get on separate days.

 

[klunderbunker]

Not a chance. Wrestling fans are a very small niche of people. The NFL is the undisputed king of sports in America. Hell, preseason games, with college players that will never see the light of a regular season game in their lives get packed houses. MNF is an American institution. There's what, 6 or 7 ESPNs? Everyone watches it at sometime or another. Think of it this way. How many average people, not wrestling fans but just average people, can tell you the names of 5 active wrestlers right now? I bet that if you asked 50 people, a good amount would say Austin and Rock, and some would call if WWF. Ask the same amount of people to name some stuff about football, and they'd all pass. Football is just flat out too big for WWE to take on. Just not going to happen.

 

[joejoe]

I don't really think there is a possible way they could compete. For one Raw is on cable. Monday Night Football is not. Monday Night Football is exciting to watch and not predictable, Raw has been a chore to watch and Predictable outside of the last two title changes. Wrestling is not a "real" sport. Football is. People will always watch football, wrestling is something they can tape.

So no, I can not see a feasible way that they could compete. It's possible, but very unlikely.

1. Monday Night Football is on cable. It's on ESPN.

2. Often times Monday Night Football is predictable and doesn't have very exciting games to wach. Since Sunday Night Football moved to NBC those games have been the ones to watch.

3. Vince and the WWE would be able to compete with Monday Night Football if they ended the brand split. If you had wrestlers from all three brands on Raw there would be new storylines and angles, new wreslters for people to watch who normally don't watch ECW or Smackdown, and an overall better product.

So although it won't ever happen, ending the brand split would be the only way the WWE would have a chance against MNF.

 

[mvk112]

I think the only way the brand split will end is if there is a legitimate #2 promotion in the U.S. taking viewers away. They are putting on 5 hours of new programming every week with 3 different sets of wrestlers. It's giving the wrestlers alot of exposure, maybe at the expense of the television ratings. I think more people would tune in to 2 hours of Raw and 2 hours of Smackdown with a combined roster that put the guys at this level -

Main Event - Cena, Triple H, Undertaker, Batista, Jericho
Upper Mid Card - Edge, Orton, HBK, Umaga, Big Show
Mid Card - Rey, Punk, Kane, MVP, R-Truth, Kozlov, Carlito, Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy, DiBiase
Lower Mid Card - Marella, Benjamin, Kennedy, JBL, Chavo, Rhodes, Manu, Khali, Kingston
Cruiserweights - Noble, London, Kendrick, Primo Colon, Jimmy Wang Yang, Hurricane

Then you'd have the tag team guys in there as well (Cryme Tyme, Jesse & Festus, Morrison & The Miz, Hawkins & Ryder).

 

[Steamboat Ricky]

I know that they would never consider this, but what would happen if they moved Smackdown! to Monday nights as well? It would create true head to head competition, and both shows would have to bring their 'A' game every Monday night. If both rosters were completly healthy, it would make for some good programming -

RAW Main Event Level - Cena, Batista, Jericho, Orton, HBK
SMACKDOWN Main Event Level - Triple H, Undertaker, Big Show, Edge, Umaga

RAW Mid Card - Rey, Kane, Punk, DiBiase, Rhodes, Manu, JBL, Marella, Khali
SMACKDOWN Mid Card - Kennedy, Benjamin, R-Truth, MVP, Kozlov, Carlito, Jeff Hardy, Kendrick

Like I said, though, it would never happen because I don't think it would combine to get as many ratings as they get on separate days.

??????


Ummmm...regardless of what kind of kool-aid WWE has you drinking, Raw, Smackdown, and ECW are the same freaking thing. All show up on the same show, are run by Vince, and profit for WWE, Inc. So, moving Smackdown to Monday night wouldn't do anything except confuse the crap out of people.


Everyone is conceding that MNF is the king of Monday nights. It is, but you still are blatantly ignoring that competition has occurred in the past. Please, address the topic with that in mind. Why or why could it not compete again?

 

[mvk112]

In my mind, similar competition is what pushed WCW and WWF to the heights they were in the mid to late 90's. They were competing against each other moreso than MNF, competing for the wrestling fan and that competition drove them to great ideas and storylines.

I think they just became comfortable knowing that they are the only game in town, figuring that wrestling fans will turn in to whatever is put out there. Thus, the lack of fresh ideas.

And I do know they are the same thing, I was just trying to figure a way to add some true head to head competition between the two. I think what they should do is just combine the roster and put out 4 hours of good programming focused on the top talent in the company. There is no reason they put Triple H, Batista, Cena, Jericho, Undertaker, etc. on television twice a week instead of once.