Grading WWE programming

[Doctor Awesome]

As a fan of pro wrestling for 25 years, I have witnessed so many changes, well, all changes and progressions in the indusrty through the modern era. I'll also admit proudly that I'm a nostalgist that hasn't been terribly happy with the WWE product over the last several years, but am really starting to enjoy MOST of the programming once again.

I remember being a young kid in tampa, with the benefit of a sattelite dish @ home, being glued to the tv from 9am saturday morning-11pm sunday night getting all wrestling programming from wwf, nwa, wccw, uwf, awa, cwf, fcw and even lucha libre. even though the quality of the programming was pretty terrible for wwe (by todays standards) there was enough programming to showcase alot of talent. i know alot of people say that these days they have flooded the market and have too much programming, but with a very large roster, and a developmental territory, i think it's just right. so my question or task to you all is this; how would you grade WWE's current programming, either on an individual brand level that you would like to discuss, or as a whole???

i am going to break down my thoughts on each brand and go from there, elaborate, agree/disagree as you will.

1.RAW- from a company standpoint it is the flagship show. it airs live, has a large following and has been a staple since the 80's (Primetime wrestling). the top established stars, several with crossover potential call this place home. heavily laden with storylines and gimmicks, it is the sports entertainment show that aims to grab the casual fans and sponsors with things like the guest host gimmick.
Grade - C+

2.SMACKDOWN- if you are a up and comer, this is your show! with a good, competetive midcard, talent is given time to develop and get good pushes that help thrust them into the main event on a far greater level than RAW. in many wrestling fans' eyes this has become the top wrestling show to watch. less talk, good wrestling and guys seemingly do not get buried here (they get drafted to RAW for that lol).
Grade - B+

3.ECW- once you get over the name and realize that this is not the ECW that paul heyman and todd gordon created, it is really easy to enjoy the show. though, it's actual use is very similar to the old ECdub, in that, the matches are longer and pretty much all good, this is where guys go from FCW to make their bones and work their way up the brand ladder. it is a perfect mix of sound veterans and young up and coming talent where on a given episode anyone can beat anyone else for the most part. christian is doing a great job as champ and over the last few weeks the character development has been very very good. i look forward to this show more than any other each week right now.
Grade - A

4.SUPERSTARS- i like the concept, bringing back the old saturday morning show, but not having squash matches makes it even better. it's a good outlet to make sure all talent gets tv time and the chance to put on good matches. they review the other shows, pump up ppv's and wrestle. they did a good job here and i like the mix of talent. more brand vs. brand matches would be a good way to kick it up, too.
Grade - A

so overall, i have been very impressed with programming the last several months. for me, RAW is the only hit or miss, but 3 out of 4 isn't bad at all. look forward to hearing from you guys and girls.

 

[ILL-RELLIL]

Nice to see a true wrestling fan. Here are my grades.

RAW: D+
Why: Same shit for the past couple of years already. An hour and half for promos and the wrestling is so average its predictable. The hornswoggle b.s. made me hate this RAW even more. I wish JBL would come back and kick his ass. Swagger, MVP, Carlito, Miz, Primo, and Bourne deserve better. The host gimmick is shitty. Love it when Jeremy called Summer Slam "Summer Fest".

ECW: A
Why: Its something new and yeah, ok, its not that hardcore version from the past. If WWE didnt have to go PG, we would see table and more blood. Anywho, Christian is the best champion in the WWE. He always puts on a good show and his matches help others grow such as Ryder. By the way, their match pretty awesome. Most underrated feud in the WWE was Sheamus vs Goldust. Smash mouth wrestling is something they brought and I liked it. Promos are short and sweet. My favorite show by far.

Superstars: N/A
Why: Dont have it, dont watch it.

Smackdown: A-
Why: What a two hour show should be. Lengthy matches, good promos, and the rise of new superstars. Punk, the best heel in the WWE. My lord, this man can make you sit there and just be amazed at him. The divas are worthless there, Khali just fuckin sucks. I hate they had to bring Kane down to his level. Morrison is thee best performer in the WWE. His match with Ziggler will steal the show, I promise you.

I had a lengthy review of each show but this bitch erased it, so I had to cut it short. =[

 

[KKarvox]

I'd say:

Raw- B
Some really great performers, and the gueast host thing= ratings, so that's good for everyone. Good mix of wrestling and gimmick stuff. Common things people don't like, Chavo vs Hornswaggle which is hopefully over, stale main event scene, but thats not the fault of the superstars.

Smackdown B- Great show for pure wrestling, but like someone else said i think, there aren't a ton of strong fueds going on for the last few months, alot of the matches seem random, but are still good wrestling wise.

ECW B- i'd give it an A, if it weren't for one thing. This is supposed to be were the next big things come out of, where the new stars are created, or old ones are repackaged. But not one person has come out of ECW and jumped right into main event fueds, even though they are good wrestlers and talkers, but they aren't developed on ECW. They need to build them up stronger before being traded to the main brands. It's like the ECW title is below the IC and US titles, since the ex-ECW champions all either resume the position they had before, putting guys over, or they are put in mid-card title fueds.

I don't watch superstars all that much.

 

[healyz84]

I like this idea of rating the shows. I have also been a fan of pro wrestling for 25+ years, and for many of those years the only way I got a chance to watch any wrestling was either live (which i felt was better way back in the day because the wwe actually came to small towns) or by vhs. When Raw came to network tv, I thought I was in heaven. In the total existence of raw, I have never missed a single episode. For SD! it depended on who was carrying the show. When it was on UPN, I could watch it until the switch to digital. On the CW I could never watch it as Canada didn't carry that for the longest time. Now that its on the Score, I finally get my fill. I don't watch superstars as, being canadian, it is difficult or impossible for me to get a hold of a channel that carries it. If ecw were to change its name, I would be more of a fan of it. Instead of calling that show ecw, they should call it by ecw's old weekly televison show (the name eludes me right now). If I do recall, the weekly show did not last long, but I used to love it. That would make more sense that to call a show by a promotion. It would be like instead of superstars, you called it wcw. Sounds idiotic... Anyway here are my grades:

Raw: D- It pains me to give Raw such a grade, as to me Raw should be the greatest show in pro wrestling. When the wwe had its brand split, I at the time was unable to watch SD!, so Raw became my show. When they would have SD! vs Raw feuds, I would always cheer for Raw. Sadly, Raw has become very stale. The good matchups on the show are not given the time they should, and when you have two stars match up, you can guarantee about 90% of the time that it will end by DQ, Count Out, or it won't be a clean finish. The guest host concept, while at first intriguing, is utterly horrible. Too many of these hosts have no knowledge of the wwe "summer fest, urg!" or they bring back older guys (slaughter) who I don't care about anymore because he was around too long in commissioner roles or anything else. Now with hearing it will probably go on till December at least, it kills me inside. It kills the momentum of the show and its boring!! The storylines surrounding the show are stale and boring. I really do think they need to bring back the old stable system of the attitude era to create excitement. Legacy is a good stable and all, but its small, and really, since the RR, I have lost interest in it. Nothing creates more hype or excitement in a show then having a stable and having guys who you don't expect joining the stable. Then you have the stable vs stable fight, and its always good tv. The other problem with Raw is the same guys in the main events. I am tired of Orton, Cena, HHH being the only guys in the title picture. Put some of the younger talent in these matches. Out of these 3 guys, only Orton is under the age of 30. HHH can't wrestle for ever. And Cena and Orton have shown they are injury prone, with serious injuries in that. I would be utterly surprised if both of these guys are still around by the end of 2009.

SD!: B+ This show actually makes me excited to watch every week. The only problem with the show is that its not live. I like watching the up-and-coming stars (Morrison, Ziggler, PunK) putting on extraordinary matches, and mixed in with the veteran talent (Taker, Mysterio). The only other thing that SD! lacks is an overarching storyline, which I hope with the heel turn of Teddy will rectify this.

ECW: B- This show is good because it is the starting point for the developmental guys. Its fun to watch the new breed of wrestlers before they become stars, to pick a few guys out and become fans of them, and follow their progress. Match that with some of the veteran talent who are to help bring these guys up, and it makes a good show. It does not hurt that they put on good, long matches. The only problem with this show is its air of mediocrity. When I am watching ecw, I feel what I am watching is only B and C level wrestlers. Granted, many of these guys are amazing performers and just don't get the McMahon push (Christian), it still does not help the product overall. When you only get 1 match for a ppv, and it generally does not last more than 5 minutes, and its suppose to showcase the best guys on your roster, its kinda sad. I feel bad for the ecw announcers who have to sit through about 2 hours and 45 minutes of ppv doing nothing. This is the only problem of the show, this and its small roster and 1 hour show (should be 1 and a half hours) and the name of the show. Change it WWE!! Its not ECW, it should not be called ECW!!

Superstars: N/A I can't give this show a rating because I have never seen it, not able to. I do like the concept though, throwing actual good matches from all shows onto 1 program.

 

[Aversion]

Smackdown!- B+ because for the last few months, i can only remember Ziggler vs. Morrison/Mysterio, CM Punk vs. Jeff Hardy (Gone now.), and Kane vs. Khali. The one that caught my attention was Ziggler vs. Mysterio, but i suppose Ziggler/Morrison will work. Basically, this has the best wrestling, but terrible storylines, and no one besides Jericho can talk well.

Raw- D/D- because like everyone already said, the main event is very stale every single week, as it always includes Cena, Orton, Triple H. I look forward to the end of Cena/Orton in 2 weeks. After that, it will be at least a C show. Also, the mid-carders are pretty decent here, like Kofi, Miz, Swagger, and Bourne.

ECW- A - ECW is the best show right now. It may only be 1 hour long, but a lot of things are great. A few things that caught my attention: Hurricane vs. Burchill: This is probably one of the feuds of the year. Great wrestling, and it made the "return" of Hurricane exciting. Christian vs. Regal: THe match at Breaking Point was probably the best match that there was. Christian vs. Ryder: Twice now, Christian has made Ryder look like a main event-er. Both matches were great, especially the one about 2 months ago. The one for the title 2 days ago was also great. Lastly, The Abraham Washington Show: This is the best (and only) talk show in WWE right now. It is hilarious. He may be the best on the mic this year. I love how the screen says "APPLAUSE" or "LAUGH".


Extras:
iMPACT!- A+++- This is seriously the best wrestling show right now. Almost every week there is a hardcore or tables match, which i love. The only problem is that The MEM always opens the show with a promo.

 

[Dagger Dias]

RAW
Raw used to be the best show but ever since after wrestlemania 25 it has gone down in quality. The guest host crap has destroyed raw in my opinion. If Cena, Orton, and a couple of the divas (Beth, Kelly) went over to smackdown then I would never watch Raw ever again. That's all it would take and they are the only reason I put up with it anymore.

D -


ECW
ECW has been great ever since the new talent initiative started. I look forward to seeing it every week because it has new feuds and superstars compared to seeing the same crap over and over again on Raw. Now if only it would get a second hour it would be the best brand.

B +


SUPERSTARS
I can't rate this show because it is on a channel no one has ever heard of and one that my tv does not have.

N/A


SMACKDOWN
Smackdown has been awesome ever since the Batista/Taker feud in 07, and has kept getting better. Truly the "A" show and friday nights are incomplete for me if I don't get to watch it. ALMOST perfect. There is almost nothing wrong with it right now. Maybe more promos?

A -


Kinda off topic, but TNA Impact also ranks high for me. I would rate it under Smackdown and before ECW.

Final rankings:

1. Smackdown
2. Impact
3. ECW
4. RAW
5. Superstars (can't watch it, don't have the channel.)

_

 

[gregfj2]

From the original post, I only disagree with ECW. When I finally got Dish and now cable I was so excited. But with the new time slot I could care less. Even if it was earlier then I enjoy Superstars much more. For me ECW is flat and they sound like they're putting themselves to sleep also. With only 1 hour there is no time for filler segments or Raw Rewind - that's what Jakked/Metal/Velocity were for. Later start, shorter show, same commercial breaks - you'd better START with action and don't stop. Or I just won't waste my time. Even if I could only see Christian/Dreamer/MORRISON who I love or even Undertaker only during last 10 minutes of ECW every week, I still would not stay up for it. ScyFy is not doing WWE any favors - the shows b4 ECW are boring. Not crazy about MyNetwork TV either, but the quality of Smackdown is just too good to miss.

Raw is the Red show, Smackdown is the Blue show. I have yet to see anything on ECW that makes it unique and not-to-miss. Guess what, WWE? That's why I checked out TNA and am now regular with them. ECW was THAT boring to me. Great job on Superstars, brilliant concept. I wish they would bring back a Saturday show with performers they refuse to A-list.

Great topic and love the 25-year fan perspective. I give Raw only B, but some nights A-. Smackdown also only B because of network more than product. ECW can have a C but easily higher if not so late. Superstars is A but needs to stick with the 'random' bookings suggested in the opener. SNME gets a B-. I wish it was on more often. Primetime tv sucks so why can't you sell a WWE show at least every 3-4 months? Package some dark matches like steel cage or whatever and sell your big names. If you can't then your business model needs tweaking like the fans always gripe about.

 

[Beards17]

raw gets a really big F
the guest host idea was the dumbest idea ever and they need to put a stop to it quick! i mean c'mon jermey piven??? cedric??? then dennis miller??? wtf??!! itas cool when the get legends to host, the best host so far was the million dollar man,hes awesome! Raw needs to clean up it act.

ecw gets a C+ cuz all the newcomers all are a boring and kozlov and jackson are hugging each other instead of killing each other. BORING!!!!! either one of those two needs to be ecw champion, what happened to kozlov so eager to be champion, oh i guess he has a crush on jackson. http://forums.wrestlezone.com/images/smilies/banghead.gif

superstars gets a B cuz i never watch it but when i do it always seems to be good.

Smackdown gets an A cuz they dont have stupid quest hosts. the bit with vince giving long a hard time is great! the matches are awesome, no cena or miz(god awful), and they have morrison who is gonna be one of the future superstars to carry this company, and hey got the undertaker!! he needs to become world champion quick and hopefully the hell in a cell ppv will see him reign smackdown in darkness once more!!!
so Raw sucks Smackdown rules! oh yah west coast fans wtf is up with smackdown not being broadcasted after those giants game!! i mean its taped already, why does samck down have to be a incompetent networks!!

 

[theawsomes1]

you guys are all getting upset that wwe isnt as good some say that ever since wrestlemania it hast been good. The reason you are upset about the wwe is becaue it is not to the road to wrestlemania yet. once they gt to the royal rumble the get some good stories and mor heated rivalries. so just wait wwe will inprove it just takes a wile.

 

[Saddler The Great]

I like this post...mainly because it isn't the same reptitive crap saying "Why Cena should be heel" or "The Attitude Era should be back"....I liked Cena heel and LOVED the AE, but thats the past so MOVE ON PPL

Now back on topic, I will now grade each show and explain why I gave it that grade.

Raw: D+ - Raw has been so stale and boring the last couple of months it is unreal. I HATE the guest host idea, I think it is corny and it has absolutely nothing to do with WWE, and I CAN'T STAND the fact that people who aren't even affiliated with WWE are guest hosts (Ced the Entertainer). I didn't mind when BOTCHtista or Million Dollar Man were hosts because they created interesting segments (like Ted slapping his father) and actually MADE SENSE. I know htat this brings in ratings but i think it's really stupid and that if they would fix some of the other stuff I will state below, they wouldn't need guest hosts. I also hate the stale ass main event for Raw the last couple of months. Like people said before, it's all HHH, Cena, Orton...Raw seriously needs one....JUST ONE new fresh, charismatic, young superstar to come into the main event scene and freshen it up...and at last, I HATE the repetitve Chavo and Hornswoggle gimmick matches...it's dumb, predictable, and just ******ed...In conclusion, I hate watching Raw every week and knowing that on the show its going to 1) start off with a promo -- 2) have 2 random divas facing each other -- 3) Have 2 random mid carders facing each other -- 4) Controversy between Legacy and Dx -- 5) Guest host backstage segments -- 6) Chavo vs Horny -- 7) Jericho or Big Show vs. Henry or MVP -- then 8) Finally the main event featuring Orton and Cena....That has been the card (in different order) for Raw for about the last month and a half. It sucks to give Raw a low rating because ever since I was a child I use to be so AMPED for Raw every week...now I just Predominantly watch MNF and then when its on commercial tune in to Raw for 5 mins....

Smackdown: B+ - I like Smackdown because it has a fresh main event scene, good up and coming talent, and some pretty fresh feuds, like Ziggler/JoMo, Taker/Punk with Teddy being brought into the feud, Truth/McIntyre, and now BOTCHtista and Rey/JeriShow (check spoilers). It also has good/entertaining promos from Punk as well. Unlike Raw, I won't know what is gonna happen on the show before even watching it and know who's gonna win each match. The only things that I do not like about SD! is that REALLY SHITTY Khali/Kane feud, which should and hopefully be done because I heard Khali is getting knee surgery or something. I also don't like the fact that it is not live...It would be much better if it was and there were no spoilers (I know people are thinking "then don't read 'em idiot" but they're too irresistable lol) and I also HATE the time slot...most of the time I see SD, I catch the rerun because I'm always out of my house at 8 on Fridays, and i'm sure many other WWE fans are too. And at last, A little bit more star power would help, but with the return of Taker, and now BOREtista, and his up and coming feud with Rey and JeriShow, that won't be a problem anymore.

ECW: B- - I like what ECW has become...the show for young talent trying to make it to the A and B shows. ECW also has pretty good matches and is straight to the point (only being 1 hr long) The thing I reaaaallllllyyyyy dislike about it is basically what healyz84 mentioned before...the fact that it is basically treated like shit on PPVs and gets like 2.3 seconds of air time. How the fuck does WWE expect to raise new talent if people who don't really watch ECW, don't know who the hell these people are. Maybe if ECW had AT LEAST 1 other match on PPVs, non-ECW fans would see that there is talent and would tune into the show more....DUHHHHHHHHHHH

Superstars: N/A: I live in Canada...and I don't think we get the channel...

And that is pretty much it for my grading of each show!

 

[TheChampionOfTheWorld]

The only show I really watch every week is Raw. I try to catch ECW and Superstars, but if I miss them I can't say it bothers me. Here is my breakdown of the shows.

RAW: B
The Good: I think there are some real positives going on with the program at the moment. I really like the DX vs. Legacy fued, I think it is going to elevate Ted and Cody to the next level. I like how there is some prestige in the United States Championship, good to see a few legit contenders and seeing it defended on TV. I really think Swagger is going to be a future World Champion, sooner rather than later. I think Miz & Kofi have an opportunity to shine as well. MVP and Mark Henry and fueding with the Big Show and Chirs Jericho. It is obvious that this is to give MVP the rub he needs to become a main eventer. We have a good WWE Championship storyline going as well, Orton and Cena have good chemestry. Each time Orton has a match he develops more of "The Viper" personality, he is becoming more ruthless and dangerous with each program. You can even see a battle going on with the Womens Championship, I don't think many people are too high on Fox, but there are giving her a rub, if it doesn't pan out they will just have her lose and never be see again, like so many others throughout the years.

The Bad: The Celebrity Guest host's. At first they were cool, but they really serve no purpose from a wrestling standpoint. They are only there to draw ratings and get the common viewer to check out Raw. While I understand the importance of rating, I think if they continue with the guest hosts much longer it will hurt their program. They need to just hire a GM and then do the guest hosts like once a month, hype up a certain individual for a few weeks and then you might see a difference in the ratings. 7 days isn't enough.

The Ugly: Chavo vs. Hornswaggle. Can they just end this already. They have done so much damage to Chavo. I know they like to do comedy segments, but I would rather have DX get another 20 minutes of promo time than the amount of time they waste with this program. And the majority of the time this is the guest hosts portion of the show. How embarrassing.

ECW: A
The Good: Christian as champion is a great sight. He has the ability to make anyone look good, example being Zack Ryder. He looked pretty decent this past Tuesday, not sure what they are going to do with this because it looks like Regal wants back into the title hunt. I would like to see Ryder be apart of the title hunt maybe with a triple threat match with Regal and Christian. I really like the Sheamus character, I think him and Shelton could have a decent program. Gregory Helms and Paul Burchill have good program going on right now too. I really like the whole "Talent Initiative" giving new young fresh faces, ECW is the perfect place.

The Bad: Vladimir Kozlov, I don't know what it is about him, but I just don't like him. He was built like a monster and then couldn't win. He has no personality, hopefully Regal can help him out as the mouthpiece of their group.

The Ugly: None!

Superstars: A

The Good: Gives the talent on all three brands a chance to get to TV time.

The Bad: Lack of Title Matches. I would like to see championship matches (non-world title) on the program. Even if they don't change hands, still makes the program feel more legit. Give people a reason to tune in.

The Ugly: None!

Smackdown: N/A

I don't get My Network TV in my area so I don't get to watch Smackdown. I really like a lot of the talent they have on their program. I think CM Punk may be one of the best in the business. The Undertaker is always great. I am a big fan of John Morrison. I like Ziggler and Mysterio too.

Overall: I think the WWE is finally starting to use storylines a little more in the programing and I think it is truly benefitting all the superstars. I don't always agree with the results the have, but it wont stop me from watching. I think they need to continue to develop their midcard talent into main event talent, because of a lot of their storylines are starting to run stale. There are only so many times we can see Cena-Orton, Triple H-Orton. Hopefully come Wrestle Mania someone will get a rub to the next level, like Benoit at 20, Cena & Batista at 21, and Mysterio at 22. They haven't really elevated anyone in a while and I think this year would be the perfect time to put over a fresh face. I hope, if I could only have one would be MVP.

 

[Dagger Dias]

you guys are all getting upset that wwe isnt as good some say that ever since wrestlemania it hast been good. The reason you are upset about the wwe is becaue it is not to the road to wrestlemania yet. once they gt to the royal rumble the get some good stories and mor heated rivalries. so just wait wwe will inprove it just takes a wile.

Not exactly, when I said that it hasn't been as good since wrestlemania 25, I knew that "the road to wrestlemania" is usually the best part of the year, I have been watching for a few years now (have not missed a single RAW since July of 2006 and was a casual fan catching it often before then too).... so I know that it goes down in quality a bit. You're very right there.

Here's what I really meant. It has gone down in quality since wrestlemania 25 but from april until july it was still tolerable. The commercial free raw was the last really good one. Shaq's was ok but I have DETESTED the celebrity guest idea from day 1. Knowing this might last beyond december is what has destroyed raw, not what time of the year we are in.

Like I said earlier, Raw is so awful that if just 4 more people (Cena, Orton, Beth, and Kelly) were to go over to Smackdown then I'm not watching Raw anymore. It would take something huge for me to like Raw again after that, like Swagger winning the WWE title.

Just clearing up what I meant.
_

 

[ShepFoLife]

Great topic. I don't want to repeat what everyone says in each post so I will try to keep it short. First the grades then the reasoning.

RAW - B-
Smackdown - A-
ECW - C+
Superstars - N/A

RAW: I was gonna give it a C or C+ but because of it being live I had to push it up. Raw isn't always a great show. I think there are things that they need to do with some newer talent. But RAW isn't that bad. At first I would Youtube clips from Attitude Era Raw and say WOW, that was great. But I have 24/7 classics on demand and to be honest most '97-'98 RAWs had great moments but wasn't great as a whole. Sometimes it was boring and the wrestling was garbage. At least now they usually have decent matches but they are too short. WWE hyped up RAW too much where it doesn't live up to the hype. Pretty much the same format it's been using for years.

Smackdown: Great show, showcases a lot of younger new talent who have a long way to go. But thats a good thing. When Smackdown first started it was an expansion of Raw. Following the same storylines and pretty much format. After the brandsplit I stopped watching Smackdown cause it was the same as Raw with a few Marquee names. However for the past 4+ months or so the show became something different. Different style and different feel. Especially with the wrestling itself. Too bad it isn't live.

ECW: Maybe the grade isn't fair but to be honest I haven't watched it all that much. I guess because I don't watch it all the time I don't know whats going on and who some people are. But still a solid show. People should not compare it to ECW the company. If you do you will not appreciate what is going on.

Superstars: I don't have it but I don't think I'm missing much.


Summary: The WWE has improved in the past year. The PG rating is good/bad. Good because it changed up the programming but bad because well let's face it, it's not what it used to be. If you want the Attitude Era style a half hour of TNA will do. Still can't watch a full IMPACT but thats another story...PEACE OUT

 

[Ambiguous Turd]

Nice to see a true wrestling fan. Here are my grades.

RAW: D+
Why: Same shit for the past couple of years already. An hour and half for promos and the wrestling is so average its predictable. The hornswoggle b.s. made me hate this RAW even more. I wish JBL would come back and kick his ass. Swagger, MVP, Carlito, Miz, Primo, and Bourne deserve better. The host gimmick is shitty. Love it when Jeremy called Summer Slam "Summer Fest".

ECW: A
Why: Its something new and yeah, ok, its not that hardcore version from the past. If WWE didnt have to go PG, we would see table and more blood. Anywho, Christian is the best champion in the WWE. He always puts on a good show and his matches help others grow such as Ryder. By the way, their match pretty awesome. Most underrated feud in the WWE was Sheamus vs Goldust. Smash mouth wrestling is something they brought and I liked it. Promos are short and sweet. My favorite show by far.

Superstars: N/A
Why: Dont have it, dont watch it.

Smackdown: A-
Why: What a two hour show should be. Lengthy matches, good promos, and the rise of new superstars. Punk, the best heel in the WWE. My lord, this man can make you sit there and just be amazed at him. The divas are worthless there, Khali just fuckin sucks. I hate they had to bring Kane down to his level. Morrison is thee best performer in the WWE. His match with Ziggler will steal the show, I promise you.

I had a lengthy review of each show but this bitch erased it, so I had to cut it short. =[

I've been wanting to do a thread like this for some time now, but make it much more comprehensive in terms of the items that are being graded. In other words, not solely make it about the television shows. Maybe one of these days I'll get to it, but it is going to require some time to comprise, which is why I dread doing it.

Anyway, I'll play along.


Raw: D

If not for the Guest GM concept, I would probably rate the show an "E".

Recycled feuds seen over, and over, and over again.

Same 3 people rotating the title (Cena, Triple H, Orton).

Piss Poor effort made into creating and developing feuds.

No storylines at all.

Horrendous Commentary. (Vince McMahon's fault, though, not necessarily Michael Cole or Jerry Lawler).

Poor effort placed into Superstar Entrances. (See The New Generation and Attitude Era for how entrances should be done)

Feel as though you are watching the same show every single week.

Overdone, drawn out programs (Chavo/Hornswoggle) that do not appeal to the mass audience.

Bland superstar personalities (or in some cases, NO personalities) like Cody Rhodes, Ted Dibiase, Chris Masters, Gail Kim, Alicia Fox, Rosa Mendez, etc.

Piss Poor efforts at interviews (Matthews: Can I get your thoughts on blah, blah, blah). Why don't you watch some tapes of Mean Gene Okerlund to find out how interviews should be done.

Guest GM concept is unique, but only a short term solution. Take away this concept, and you still have the same show, with the same spots, with the same people in the Main Event, and the same people fighting each other, with the same promos, done every single week.

Just an awful, awful show. It pains me to see what this show has become after being such a staple of WWE for so many years.



Smackdown: C

Most of the shows are going to have a lot of the same issues that I have with Raw.

But Smackdown, typically features lengthier matches, which I prefer seeing more so on the PPV's. I want to get excited for the PPV's, and I can't seem to get into PPV's if I am getting the same stuff on a Smackdown.

Show has gotten better to me with the Vince appearances, and the introduction of the Teddy screwing Taker storyline. It isn't often we actually see storylines these days, so anything is a welcome change at this point. Plus, they have the Dolph Ziggler and Maria storyline with Dolph cheating on her behind her back.

Speaking of Ziggler, great job with elevating him.

Still a very limited roster, though, just like Raw. As much as I support a Roster Split, I can't support it given the current status of the company. There simply is not enough talent to spread across 3 shows. I've stated this for some time now, and Jericho apparently recently stated the same thing. Kudos to him for publicly stating that, as well. But this is seriously hurting the product at this point.

CM Punk is another plus for Smackdown as I enjoy the direction his character has taken.

The addition of Batista is another plus to help the Main Event.

Smackdown, similar to Raw, still has its share of faceless personalities, as well, which Vince doesn't give the fans any reason to care about. The Hart Dynasty, Eve Torres, Charlie Haas, and Layla.

So Smackdown is a step up from Raw, but I don't think it is the Saving Grace that fans make it out to be.



ECW: B

This show, surprisingly enough, is actually the highest scored show by myself.

The Abraham Washington Show segment is a huge plus as it helps dedicate mic time to people on the roster. It is also entertaining, and the addition of Tony Atlas makes the show that much better.

The William Regal vs Christian feud is intense. And I truly wish WWE had more feuds of this caliber.

The show actually features true characters and gimmicks like The Hurricane, Zack Ryder, and Goldust.

The Regal faction with his hired goons- Ezekiel and Kozlov are perceived as a true threat, unlike Legacy.

Yoshi Tatsu is an intriguing addition to the roster, as fans seem to like the high-flying, albeit stereotypical fun-loving Japanese wrestler. Hey ... whatever works.

Even Shelton Benjamin's personality is finally being developed thanks to his appearances on the Abraham Washington Show.

The only show that features jobbers, which is badly needed on the two main shows, to preserve the novelty of feuds and keep guys separated from each other. This helps prolong seeing the same guys constantly wrestling each other while still featuring talent that needs to be on TV.

Everyone on the roster consistently gets speaking time on the mic to get over.

Consistently good Main Event matches. Christian had a great match with Ryder this week.

I honestly wish this show would be expanded to two hours. This is the only show that seems to consistently be doing things right.



Superstars: D-


Just matches and recaps. Nothing else. That isn't enough for me to watch if it does not feature feuds or storylines.

Nothing ever noteworthy happens. You can completely tune out this show and you won't miss anything that happens in WWE.

Simply a very dull, boring show.