It’s a strange thing when you love two editions of WWE Monday Night Raw so much when you find the pay per view between them to not matter at all. I had originally intended to write this blog about the Old School Edition of Raw and Survivor Series, but then we got an eventful show last night and I feel that it deserves to be a part of this conversation.
First, let’s look at Survivor Series. Can anyone tell me what actually happened on this show? Yes, John Cena made his choice and we saw him count the three count and uphold his morals in the face of getting fired. This is not a bad story, although it is not near as interesting as Cena acting out of self preservation. The rest of the show was just kind of there. The only title change was the Diva’s title and it didn’t really matter to anyone. This show had a semi-solid undercard, but it is nothing people will be talking about in two weeks.
Now, look at the last two editions of WWE Monday Night Raw. On the Old School Raw show, we got a complete aesthetic change. This show had a very memorable promo exchange between Roddy Piper and John Cena. There were no really brilliant matches, but the entire show feels memorable just because it was so different. There were moments on this show (Jim Ross) that will be remembered for months or years to come. It also built anticipation for next year’s Old School Raw because it was that good.
This week’s Raw, even though it was back to regular school, was probably the most eventful show of the year. We had a WWE Championship change with a huge celebration. We had two Survivor Series rematches. We had the John Cena farewell speech, which was a great promo from him, even if no one actually buys that he is truly gone. This edition of Monday Night Raw was an event all unto itself. This is an edition of Raw that people will be talking about for years. In a decade, we will still remember the night The Miz cashed in and became WWE Champion.
So why do we order pay per views? They are supposed to be different from the standard TV show (like Old School Raw was) and they are supposed to be eventful (like last night’s Raw). Was Survivor Series either of those things? I would say that it was not. People who bought that show have to be disappointed that all of the big events happened a night after they threw down $50 for a show where nothing happened. Remember thar one of the biggest motivators in buying a PPV is satisfaction with previous purchases. If fans constantly walk away feeling disappointed, they will not be willing to part with their hard earned cash.
I’m not saying that WWE should not make Monday Night Raw and eventful show. It is important that the flagship show stays a must see event. I don’t think rapid fire title changes would help to make any of this valuable. I’m just saying that if WWE is going to keep putting on show like Survivor Series, they must make sure that enough happens on the show and not on the two shows immediately surrounding it that the purchase seems valuable. Most people do not have a spare $50 for PPVs, WWE’s job is to keep the folks that do happy.
If you agree with me or think I’m completely wrong, I encourage you to join the conversation on this blog at itswilltime.wordpress.com, where I’m currently being raked over the coals by my faithful readers.
