Imagine Dragons’ hit song, “Radioactive”, talks about a new age, which is exactly what’s happening here at Wrestledelphia. My fellow beat writers and I were given options on what to write about and I wasn’t as quick on the draw as I wanted to be, so I’m covering Raw. My preference was Smackdown because let’s face it, Raw can’t touch it right now. That’s precisely the question I’m here to answer:
What is holding back Raw from reaching the same quality as Smackdown?
Instead of pushing the young talent that Raw has on its roster, WWE feels that the flagship show needs to be overrun by part-timers. Undertaker, Goldberg, Brock Lesnar and Triple H are some of the most legendary superstars in the sports entertainment world. These guys have paved the way for the newer generation of superstars looking for their shot to headline Wrestlemania. Unfortunately, the guys and gals who are busting their asses on a 300-day work year are not getting the big matches on the card. The part timers are taking the spots of those who deserve it more.
Why have two part-timers go at each other in the main event when you can have a part timer put over a full timer? Case in point: The Triple H and Seth Rollins rivalry. Since late August, Rollins and Helmsley have been telling a buzzworthy, intriguing story. No one saw Rollins going to NXT Takeover: San Antonio to hijack the show and call out the creator on his own turf. It was a magnificent plot twist that payed off very well. Even though Rollins’ injury is a minor setback to the story, it has been the hottest storyline on Raw since the Draft. Hopefully we get the payoff at Wrestlemania and Triple H puts over his successor.
The Raw roster has a lot of great talent on it that can put on five-star matches on a nightly basis. Rollins, Balor, Zayn and Joe are just some of the names that, given the right amount of time and push, can steal the show. Instead of having the best match ups in the main event, they are subjugated to the midcard area. Though they still steal the show, it would be more beneficial for their careers as well as the company’s future if they stole the show in the main event.
The decision makers tend to care less about what the fans want and more about what will make the company more money. The world did talk about Goldberg beating Lesnar in less than 90 seconds at Survivor Series, but having the rematch possibly headline Wrestlemania would be a slap in the face to all the work horses of each brand.
In volume II, we’ll look at the lack of women wrestling on Raw compared to Smackdown.
Jay Mackle
Latest posts by Jay Mackle (see all)
- Mackle: WWE Raw Is No Longer The Big Dog? - March 1, 2017
- Mackle: John Cena Deserves 16 Emmys, Not World Titles - February 2, 2017
- Mackle: Philly Screwed Out of WrestleMania, Again - January 25, 2017
