First, let's define the word "better" shall we? Do you want ratings and more merchandising sales and ticket sales right now?
The answer is simple, pander to the lowest common denominator. Make it Jerry Springer Gone Wild in the ring, backstage, and on your t-shirts. Swear, have sex, draw blood, talk trash like never before at very public figures who are tabloid favorites and invite them to join in the chaos. Afterall that's what the attitude era did and that's how they got to be the "best" ever right?
Wrong.
That's the difference between planning for the future and only caring about the now. Attitude era was unsustainable and in the end the results of what it did damn near killed it and had it kept up much longer it very likely would have. The attitude era was a slightly more drawn out version of WCW's sinking ship. WCW won the ratings war for well over a year and remained competitor much longer than that, but in the end it died for its' stupidity.
What the WWE is doing RIGHT NOW, is exactly what it needs to make Raw a better product.
1: They're appealing to social media and paying attention and using (to some extent) IWC's input at their own discretion to give them what they want.
2: They are marketing themselves as a family friendly product and giving back to charity in the form of The Make-A-Wish Foundation and Be A Star. 1 Family > 1 angsty teen.
3: They're getting back to basics. They've brought back the old Intercontinental Title as a symbol of that, but it goes way beyond that in subtle ways most people here are probably missing.
-R-Truth as a heel character is a good example of this. When was the last time you saw such an animated, over the top character that was over as a heel that people loved to hate? He's a throwback to the heels of the early 90's. He's obviously bad, and overtly attacks children in his promos. He's not a complicated sophomoric idiot that points at his crotch and moons the camera, he's a paranoid schizophrenic that claims little children are his ruin, and kids react to him more than anyone in the WWE, even John Cena, because he gets the children involved in his promos and taunts them with the "Don't 'WHAT!?' me!" comments he makes and as a result gets an even better callback from the crowd. This is all very classic heel tactics from the 2nd golden age and early new generation era.
-Disqualifications and Countouts and the lack of run-ins is another good set of examples. Back before the attitude era, and even before the steroid scandle, when the WWF was still a growing product and very successful, run-ins ending every match was unheard of. Run-ins in general were actually a rather special occasion and cause for discussion. DQ's and CO's ended matches as a way to keep interest in a feud without giving someone a clean victory and thus deciding the winner of the feud, and it worked far more effectively when the face, who tried so hard to overcome so many obstacles, like a cheating manager, or the heel walking away from the fight, finally DID pin his opponent that much more special, than if he won a best of 5 matches that spanned 5 pay-per-views and weekly episodic main events.
Right now, the WWE is doing exactly what it needs to, and people need to stop being so impatient, and realize that not everything you want is going to happen in 1 week and takes weeks, maybe even months to develop. All of this contributes for a healthier and sustainable revenue that can continue well into the future and which builds upon itself. That to me, is "better" than burning your bridges and killing your talent through reckless policies and driving away sponsors.
Raw is a better product right now, for the 3 practices I've listed, than it was at this time a year ago, and without changing a thing, it will continue to get better for those same reasons.
