7 Ways WWE Monday Night RAW has improved with Paul Heyman in charge

Ladies and Gentlemen, his name is Paul Heyman, and he is the on-screen advocate for the Beast Incarnate, Brock Lesnar.

But, behind the scenes, he is the new creative director of Monday Night Raw. This is not Paul Heyman's first foray into being put in charge of a Pro Wrestling show. Far from it. In the past, Paul Heyman was the promoter of Extreme Championship Wrestling.

While the ECW brand was known for its hardcore matches, chair shots, and crazy characters such as New Jack and the Sandman, it was also known for being a showcase for some of the best technical wrestlers on the planet. Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko, Al Snow, and many others cut their teeth in the ECW promotion before going on to WCW and/or WWE.

Before that, Paul Heyman was known as Paul E. Dangerously, a manager who worked for WCW during the early days of the company. He managed men like Rick Rude and Steve Austin in his Dangerous Alliance stable.

Unfortunately, a variety of factors conspired against ECW, and Heyman was forced to sell the company to Vince McMahon. He did this primarily so that his employees could continue to be paid. Heyman became an employee of Vince McMahon but mostly worked on screen either as an announcer or as kayfabe General Manager of shows like SmackDown.

Now, WWE has turned to Heyman's creative genius once again to help bolster Raw's ratings. And it seems to be working. As the show went on, the ratings actually went up. The most logical explanation for this is that wrestling fans were contacting each other and saying 'you have to check out Raw.'

Here are seven ways that Paul Heyman has improved Monday Night Raw.

#1 The show opened up with an action-packed Falls Count Anywhere match

Braun Strowman and Bobby Lashley battle on the stage during RAW.

One of the main criticisms of RAW in recent months has been that the show often opens with an interview segment of some kind. While these can be entertaining, it goes against the standard practice of pro wrestling shows.

Fans pay their money to see bodies bouncing off the mat, or in the case of the July first edition of Raw, bodies bounced off of darn near everything.

Bobby Lashley and Braun Strowman continued their feud as they engaged in a brutal, brief, but electrifying (literally) Falls Count Anywhere match.

The match may have ended in a no contest when the two behemoths destroyed the stage, but the fans were absolutely delighted with the carnage.

#2 A return to form for Gallows and Anderson

Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson have been treated like a comedy act for months, but now they are returning to their roots in Bullet Club.

A few years ago, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson were one of the most feared heavyweight tag teams in New Japan Pro Wrestling. Charter members of Bullet Club, they plied their trade against the best that the land of the rising sun had to offer and captured the prestigious and coveted International Grand Prix Wrestling Tag Team Championships on multiple occasions.

This is a huge accomplishment for a pair of Gaijin wrestlers. Gallows and Anderson may have mentioned the cringe-worthy "hot Asian wife" of Anderson, but other than that, they seemed to have returned to their brutal, dastardly, and villainous ways.

Not only did they manage to get the Viking Raiders over when Karl admitted Ivar and Erik were 'legit', they also encouraged AJ Styles to embrace his darker side.

Which brings us to our next slide...

#3 A masterfully crafted heel turn

Ricochet may have won the match on RAW, but the war looks to be raging on after AJ Styles and his cohorts destroyed the One and Only post-match

AJ Styles was once considered a man who would never, ever, ever work for WWE. As in ever.

There was a whole litany of reasons why. For one, he was 'too small' for the WWE, being closer to cruiserweight than heavyweight. Second, he was 'too old' as he was creeping up on the big forty. Finally, he was considered to be an established star who wouldn't want to work his way up the WWE ladder, especially considering his age.

But never say never in pro wrestling. Not only did AJ Styles sign with WWE and make a tremendous debut at the Royal Rumble, but he has also gone on to become one of the most solid, entertaining, and consistent performers on the roster. He enjoyed a lengthy WWE Championship reign as a babyface on SmackDown Live.

Paul Heyman masterfully crafted AJ's heel turn, and he did it in just one night. With Gallows and Anderson egging him on, AJ embraced his darker side and attacked Ricochet post-match.

#4 Continuing the Nikki Cross push

Nikki Cross has been on a roll lately and seems to be headed for a collision course with Alexa Bliss.

Whenever a fan or critic praised NXT, they often mentioned one woman's name.

No, not Asuka, who has been on the main roster for years. Rather, we are referring to Nikki Cross. The Scottish-born wrestler has a unique personality and charisma all her own and fought Asuka to a standstill in WWE's first Last Woman Standing match.

Cross was so tough she was the only female member of the Sanity stable. Fans were puzzled when she was not brought up to the main roster along with the rest of her companions, but eventually, she did debut. She has been in a storyline with Alexa Bliss where Cross does not know that the Evil Queen is using and manipulating her.

Along the way, Cross has picked up wins over major stars, including WWE SmackDown women's champion Bayley and former champion Carmella. These have been clean wins in both cases, meaning Cross's star is on the rise.

Everyone knows that sooner or later Cross will figure out that Bliss is using her. When it finally does happen, look for Cross to go over huge and enter the title picture.

#5 The best use of Maria and Mike Kanellis yet

Real-life husband and wife Maria and Mike Kanellis were a major part of RAW.

Of all the odd signings WWE has made in recent years, Mike Kanellis in WWE was at the top of the list.

Mike is a decent in-ring performer, but he's on the cusp between cruiser and heavyweight class. Lacking the size of a heavyweight or the flying ability of a cruiserweight, he has been seen on 205 Live which may not be the best place for his talents.

But on Heyman's first night as creative director, Mike and Maria were utilized brilliantly to continue the angle pitting Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch against Baron Corbin and Lacey Evans. Maria seems to be a villain now, oppressing her husband during the segment on Raw.

Using every bit of the roster is key to keeping a wrestling show going, and Heyman has proven he can even utilize talent many had written off long ago.

#6 Drake Maverick's wife finally gets a name and full participation in the 24/7 Championship angle

Drake Maverick and his wife Renee Michelle

Longtime fans of Impact wrestling knew him as Rockstar Spud. Undersized, but with a huge heart and tons of charisma, he became one of the most entertaining aspects of the promotion until he was lured away by WWE.

Maverick has been involved in R-Truth's 24/7 title picture for weeks. Truth even showed up at Maverick's wedding to get his belt back. Sharp-eyed fans recognized the lovely lady in the red wedding dress as Mae Young Classic competitor Renee Michelle. However, she had been referred to only as Drake's wife in recent weeks, and hadn't even appeared live.

That all changed under Heyman's leadership. Now she is a full participant in the angle, and fans should expect to see more of her soon. We're predicting some mixed tags in the future pitting Drake and Renee vs. Truth and Carmella.

#7 Less filler, more wrestling

The Man Becky Lynch applies her Dis Arm Her finisher to a hapless Mike Kanellis.

The biggest change fans noticed about Monday Night Raw under Heyman's leadership was a bigger emphasis on wrestling matches.

Not only did fans get the falls count anywhere match to open the show, there was Viking Raiders teaming up with Samoa Joe to take on the New Day, a stellar two out of three falls match pitting rivals Miz and Elias against each other, and a United States championship main event match that was one for the ages. It had a false finish, a teased title change, high flying action, and a well-crafted heel turn.

In short, Heyman made sure that the wrestling in World Wrestling Entertainment was the emphasis of the show. Fans have responded very warmly to this new format.

Heyman was seen to be in the Gorilla position for most of the night, and frequently conferred with Vince McMahon. It looks like Raw is going to be in good hands.

There you have it: Seven ways Paul Heyman improved Raw on his first night. Questions or comments? Please leave them after the article and as always thanks for reading!