1)First of all, for all the douchebags- This is not a "WWE sucks", "Attitude Era was better", "I hate the WWE" thread. So don't absurdly claim that "This thread reeks of....." like two individuals from WZ did, in another thread I had created about a few weeks back. If you do want to criticize me or my claims/opinions/experiences, make valid points. If you have nothing to say other than a half-hearted, completely absurd line, don't say it.
2)When one watches Raw, or any live sporting event for that matter, there's always unpredictability and surprises, since we don't know what could happen and who's going to win. And in the case of professional sports, that element is practically indestructible and inevitable on account of those being REAL and not scripted.
3)That being said, I really enjoyed Raw from last week, as did many others. It was only my second or third LIVE raw ever, so I've hardly known what it's like to watch Raw in 2000 and not know what's going to happen- what's Austin going to do next, and so on. I was really enthralled throughout the show, and savoured Roman Reigns winning the WWE WHC. I felt like- Okay, Raw's more fun when live. But they also put some effort in last week's episode. All the pieces of the puzzle fit in.
4)I also came to this realization-they can only create so many of these shocking/surprising/unpredictable experiences on Raw today, so as to make the viewer watch the entire show without blinking his/her eye. Back in the year 2000, they had so many stars and so much happening that you got to experience it almost every week. "What's gonna happen next? What's HHH gonna do? When is The Rock gonna show up? Will Mick Foley win the championship?, and so on".
5)Unpredictability also doesn't have to mean that there should be a Steve Austin who comes out every week and stuns people, comes out driving some Truck, and so on. We can't expect that in 2015, and we certainly shouldn't. But while watching Raw today, I was thoroughly bored. And once again, it's on the WWE because they thought, "We have a new champion, let's relax for another few weeks. They'll watch anyway".
Since I wasn't feeling surprised/shocked/enthralled by what I was watching, the whole experience of watching it live became like a tedious journey in a train with all the windows closed. NOTHING was surprising. Not an element. Everything was watered down, predictable to death. It's like they've done it a thousand times, could've done something else, and yet stuck to doing what's easiest- and hence, what's most lacking in vitality.
Instead of protracting my viewpoint any further, I'll just give you one tiny example of what I think they could do, a little thing, and let you guys take over:-
When Paul Heyman was going on about how only The Undertaker was man enough in 2015 to go against The Beast, why didn't Dean Ambrose show up? That's exactly what I was waiting for, someone to show up. I'm not saying Dean Ambrose was supposed to get into a programme with Lesnar right then. Lesnar is a seasonal commodity. But should that prevent Ambrose and Kevin Owens and the like to confront Paul Heyman and tell him that they've got it? That's how you create stars. You've got to have a guy like Dean Ambrose insinuating he's going to kick Lesnar's ass, for months, and it'd still be effective despite Lesnar not being there.
And this is where the creative team or whoever the fuck writes the show fail. These simple little things. This is what makes exciting TV. I'd have jumped up had Dean showed up and confronted Heyman. The arena would've been shocked. But no. Just go the usual way, let them say what they always say, move on to the next match, and end. Since the WWE isn't going to be creative with their show, I'm not really going to watch Raw Live each and every week because watching it live entails far too many commercial breaks and investment of 3.5 long/tedious hours. And I understand it's my own personal feeling and my decision.
I hope this should suffice to make some of you guys see my point, though most won't.
To end on a positive note- I loved the Seth Rollins segment, Seth Rollins himself, and the fact that Seth freakin' Rollins showed up
Now bring on all your positive/negative reactions.