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Does anyone else feel like Monday Night Raw is on a downward spiral?
Whether that is due to the fact that WWE is probably still reeling after going through with The controversial, Crown Jewel pay per view, but also from the loss of many of their top superstars to injury or illness.
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Beyond that, they have one of the most underwhelming title pictures in all of WWE, which has been the norm for the show for several years.
Between all that and the flagship shows ratings dropping week to week as a result of this, one has to wonder what exactly the company is doing wrong with The red brand and how to get things back on track.
In the end, that decision will ultimately rest upon WWE and what they think is best for business, but their bottom line will suffer greatly if they keep ignoring fans.
As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments below and be sure to let us know what you like and dislike about Monday Night Raw right now.
Please keep in mind that these entries will be based on my criticisms of the show and might not be things you would see as wrong or that needs to change.
Disclaimer: The views in the article are the writer's and doesn't reflect SportsKeeda's stand
#5 The Authority gimmick
While The Authority gimmick does have its upsides, it's something that has been a focal point of Monday Night Raw for years now and the company seems hesitant to deviate from this form of storytelling.
With that being said, the gimmick has been so overdone in the last couple of years that the company is running out of new ways to tell the story.
Beyond that problem, there aren't really any superstars that are able or WWE is willing to set up in that position.
Of course, they were willing to put Roman Reigns in that position in hopes of making him the next top star at one time, but he wasn't an underdog and that's why it never seemed to work.
In the end, Baron Corbin and Kurt Angle competing for the power of Raw is something WWE has already done in the past with other superstars, which takes away from the uniqueness of it happening now.
In fact, WWE has stuck so much with the copy and paste method with this storyline that it's really become hard to watch.
Furthermore, the way WWE books these type of storylines, it's often months before the babyface finally gets the upper hand, and he could be given up on before that even happens.
It happened almost happened to Daniel Bryan during his championship pursuits in 2013, but the fans ultimately refused to give up on him, which turned the tide in his favour.
Solution: Stop focusing on Authority figures
In all honesty, its become insanely boring to watch WWE cut and paste the same Authority storylines over and over again on RAW.
Maybe that's just due to the way they try to incorporate it into multiple storylines at the same time, but it becomes tiresome watching a beloved superstar repeatedly fighting against the machine.
With that being said, WWE needs to switch things up a bit and stop relying on the control of Monday night raw to make things interesting.
In fact, why couldn't WWE switch things up a bit and have a superstar faction that controls RAW? At least that way, it wouldn't be the same tired authority figures fans have seen for years and it could be a chance to bring fans back in.
Beyond that, why not go back to an anything can happen and no holds barred type of show. The type of show that doesn't need an Authority figure to make things interesting.
That's not to say WWE has removed the authority figure entirely from their role or even not feature them from time to time, but they need to stop doing it in excess, which they have done for years.
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#4 Lacklustre booking in the tag team division
The tag team division on Raw and Smackdown Live have been a low spot for WWE lately, but it's odious the problem is much worse on the red brand.
In fact, between The B Show winning the titles, The Revival being screwed out of multiple title shots and Rollins losing the belts in a two on one handicap match, it's almost comical how bad things are becoming!
The worst part is that Monday Night RAW has some of the best tag team's in the entire company, but can't put together a decent storyline for them, Not only is troubling to see, especially since a lot of tag teams from NXT usually get buried on the main roster, it also makes it so the matches are as irrelevant as the women's division was five years ago.
Solution: start legitimizing the division more
Think about it! Why is WWE dropping the ball with great tag teams like AOP, The Revival, The Ascension, Roode-Gable and others when they should be finding ways to utilize them to tell better stories! Furthermore, why are they delegitimizing tag team with screwy booking that turns the division into an absolute joke
With that being said, WWE needs to do what they did with The United States and IC title and start doing open challenges for the title.
This way, WWE can showcase the strength of AOP, and give some other teams some valuable airtime in the process. The title being on the line also creates an electric feel to the show, which is a huge bonus for fans.
In the end, it all comes down to how they book things and continuing the string of lackluster booking they have been doing is only going to further hurt the division.
Maybe things will get better now that AOP is champion and looks to be setting up for a feud with The Revival, but what if even that can't save the division. Then what?
#3 Use of Nostalgia
There are a lot of problems with WWE relying on nostalgia to sell tickets, but one of the worst ones is that it sometimes takes away spots from younger talent looking to establish themselves.
Beyond that, a lot of the nostalgia acts in today's WWE is in their 40's or 50's which makes it hard to get behind the believability of the match.
As if that wasn't bad enough, relying on older talent also runs the risk of injuries occurring and the company needing to scramble in order to move forward.
With that being said, The Brothers of Destruction, And D Generation X are the biggest offenders here and should stand as an example of why WWE shouldn't do this type of thing again.
Not only was that evident by the fact that DX versus Brothers of Destruction had two very underwhelming matches at Super showdown and Crown Jewel, but also by all the time it took away from the younger stars.
If nothing else, WWE has always had a problem with building up their younger talent and they fell into the trap of not doing so once again this year.
Solution: Focus on younger talents
While this might have seemed like the obvious answer after the multiple paragraph diatribe on the previous page, it's all going to be useless until WWE gives them a reason to care for these young superstars.
Interestingly enough, WWE has done a great job of doing this with Drew McIntyre and could really learn a lot about how to script things from what they did there.
With that in mind however, WWE needs to replicate that success with other superstars and could probably do so easily by making things more personal.
Again this doesn't mean that WWE has to go all attitude era, but at least enforce the idea that anything can happen and absolutely anything is on the line.
Maybe WWE could bring back the Hardcore title and The 24/7 rule and use that to help establish a few of the company's top stars.
WWE could also bring in older acts and have them put over the younger talent, which would be a much better use of older talent then what they have been doing.
#2 Roman Reign's absence
Let's be honest here.
Whether we disliked or even hated Roman Reigns at times throughout his career, everyone's heart's collectively broke when our fighting champion announced that he was leaving to battle leukemia.
The announcement has since left Monday Night Raw with a huge gap to fill and no one besides Roman Reigns seems to fit in that spot.
As impossible as it might have been that anyone said that before the announcement, his battle with Leukemia has seemingly humanised him in the eyes of The WWE Universe and they are clamoring for his return.
Unfortunately for WWE, that means no one is legitimately able to fill that spot in the roster, but they can at least find a fill in while they wait for Reigns.
With that being said and the move also putting The Universal title picture in disarray, WWE needs to gain its footing again and it starts with naming a spiritual successor to Roman Reigns.
Of course, some might disagree, especially since it publicizes Reigns' fight with Cancer, it also gives WWE a chance to tell one of the most polarizing stories of all time.
Solution: Have Rollins and Ambrose fight for The Universal title
Think about it! Seth Rollins is one of the biggest babyfaces on the entire Monday Night Raw roster and Dean Ambrose is arguably the brand's top heel right now.
So why doesn't WWE find a way to put these two in the title picture and eventually work towards Rollins fighting for The Universal title in Reign's honor.
Not only does that allow WWE to continue to keep The Shield storyline going in a small way, but it also will help them cement Ambrose's turn as a heel in the most personal way possible.
In the end, Ambrose foiling Seth Rollins's chance to win The Universal title in Reigns' honor would hurt in the most personal way and would be must-see TV in the meantime.
In the end, you have to admit it would be one of the most compelling moments in WWE history if Rollins won The Universal title, dedicated the win to Roman Reigns and then got laid out by Dean Ambrose.
If nothing else, that's the feud that would sell tickets, drive pay per views and maybe even get fans in interested in watching Monday Night Raw again.
#1 Part-time Universal champion
It's no secret that this is the biggest problem with The Raw brand and while WWE temporarily fixed this when Roman Reigns won the title at Summerslam, Brock Lesnar won the belt back at Summerslam.
Unfortunately for The WWE Universe, there are now rumors circulating that Lesnar is only scheduled to compete at Survivor Series and WrestleMania 35.
Not only does that possibly mean The Universal title won't be defended until WrestleMania 35 it would also leave a plethora of top Raw superstars without something to fight for.
Beyond that, if Lesnar ends up not defending the title until WrestleMania 35, the title will become irreverent no matter who they put it on next.
Of course, some might want to label that as nonsensical hyperbole or just hating on Brock Lesnar, but that is legitimating the fate that awaits this title if WWE keeps booking part-time champions.
In fact, one has to wonder why WWE would even make the decision to have Lesnar as champion again when fans crapped on the idea the last couple of times.
Solution: Get the title off Brock Lesnar!
With that being said, WWE would really benefit from putting The Universal title on one of their popular stars like Finn Balor or Seth Rollins and try to continue on the storyline of a fighting champion.
At least this way, WWE can keep fans happy with a champion they actually want to see and help fill the gap until Roman Reigns returns.
Again, this would be an excellent spot for Rollins and Ambrose to fill and to be completely honest, they are probably the only two superstars that would do the most with the role.
Beyond that, they are the two superstars that The WWE Universe are clamoring to see battle it out, which makes the idea just that much more appealing.
Of course, it doesn't absolutely have to be Rollins and Ambrose, but WWE needs to put someone in there that the fans are going to care about.
Maybe that means putting the title on Finn Balor, Kurt Angle, or even Baron Corbin. The point is, WWE needs to get the title off of Brock Lesnar and start making it great again.
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