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With the 25th anniversary episode of Monday Night Raw on the horizon, we decided to re-watch the early editions of WWE’s flagship show to compare and contrast how the product was in 1993 to how it is in 2018.
The obvious observation was that the characters from 25 years ago were exactly that – characters – whereas many of today’s WWE performers are simply extensions of their real-life personalities.
Whether fans prefer the product now or they preferred it back in 1993, it sure makes for interesting viewing to see how Raw has progressed over the last quarter of a century.
In this article, we take a look at five things that WWE does better in 2018 than they did 25 years ago, and five things they did better in 1993 that they no longer do now.
#10 Better in 1993: The talking segments were shorter
How often have we all tuned into Raw or SmackDown Live and the show starts with an in-ring promo lasting 15-20 minutes to set up a match at the end of the night that most of us will have forgotten about a few days later?
Answer: a lot! Well, it wasn’t like that back in 1993. Promo segments rarely lasted more than 3-4 minutes and, much like NXT now, the biggest matches of the night were usually promoted by the commentators and replay footage as opposed to by the performers themselves.
#9 Better in 2018: The camera work and promotional graphics
You only have to catch a glimpse of a WWE show from 1993 to notice how much technology has advanced over the last 25 years.
The majority of matches from the early days of Monday Night Raw had one main camera with 2-3 more at ringside for closer shots, while the promotional graphics for matches looked like they could have been created on Microsoft Paint.
Fast forward to the present day and the all-around production makes shows appear a lot bigger and better than in 1993.
#8 Better in 1993: Vince McMahon was on commentary
As an on-screen heel personality, Vince McMahon was one of the most over-the-top characters you’re ever likely to witness on WWE programming – and the same can be said for his enthusiastic announcing.
The WWE owner was a regular commentator for the company between 1971 and 1997 and was the lead announcer for the first four years of Monday Night Raw, with his “What a manoeuvre!” saying becoming one of the most memorable commentary phrases of all time.
WWE’s current commentary isn’t necessarily bad but it felt a lot more fun when Vince was on the call.
#7 Better in 2018: The commentary teams
While we preferred Vince McMahon as the lead announcer in 1993 compared to today’s offering of Michael Cole and Tom Phillips, the overall announce teams on Raw and SmackDown Live are a lot better than the original trio that led the call on Monday Night Raw.
Vince as the main commentator and Randy Savage as the colour commentator was entertaining enough, but the addition of comedian Rob Bartlett just didn’t work. Bartlett knew little about WWE and his offensive jokes were massively out of place on a wrestling show. He only lasted three months before being replaced.
#6 Better in 1993: Kayfabe!
Kayfabe, an unwritten rule that wrestlers stay in character inside and outside the ring, was alive and well in 1993 and WWE’s performers were very rarely heard speaking outside of their outlandish personas.
As nice as it is nowadays to be able to hear what the people behind the characters think about their careers and storylines, it definitely made for a better and more believable show when fans had little-to-no idea what the performers were like in real life.
We can’t complain too much because it’s great to know what the Superstars are like outside the ring, but it does take away from the character somewhat when a good guy faces a bad guy and the next day one of them wishes the other “Happy Birthday!” on Twitter.
#5 Better in 2018: The quality of matches
With just 45 minutes of television time to fill (excluding advert breaks), the early days of Monday Night Raw often consisted of 3-4 short matches where an up-and-coming or established Superstar would defeat a lesser-known performer in convincing fashion.
Nowadays, with Raw lasting three hours, there’s more than enough time to produce quality, PPV-worthy matches on a weekly basis, and there’s an argument to be had that today’s WWE Superstars are better in-ring performers than any generation in the company’s history.
All in all, the quality of matches are way better in 2018 than they were in 1993.
#4 Better in 1993: Raw wasn’t three hours
Everybody reading this likes WWE, but there has to be a limit to how much we watch. In an average week, there are seven hours of programming just to keep up with current storylines, and that number often doubles during weeks when there are pay-per-views and NXT TakeOver events.
In extreme cases, like towards the end of August 2017, there was a nine-day span where WWE produced 28 hours of match-related programming, which is more than enough to be classed as a part-time job.
When Raw first began, it was a 60-minute show which mostly served as an advert to get fans to buy pay-per-views. While a 60-minute format for WWE’s main weekly show wouldn’t work nowadays, the modern-day format of three hours is far too long, even for die-hard fans.
#3 Better in 2018: Pay-per-views are a thing of the past
Re-watching the first-ever episode of Monday Night Raw, backstage announcer Gene Okerlund continually advertised the 1993 Royal Rumble and informed viewers that they had to phone their local cable operator to book the pay-per-view.
Nowadays, not only do fans not have to pay for every individual event, but they can sign up to the WWE Network for a bargain monthly price to watch live PPVs and over 9,000 hours of on-demand content, including 300+ past PPVs.
#2 Better in 1993: The youth movement
Twenty-five years ago, Vince McMahon wanted WWE to undergo some major personnel changes – a “youth movement”, as it was described at the time – and was keen for younger stars like Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Diesel and The Undertaker to headline shows instead of established names like Randy Savage and Ric Flair.
Fast forward to now, a time where WWE has a never-ending conveyor belt of talent rolling through the NXT ranks, and the company continues to rely on veterans for their biggest shows.
Aside from the reliance on part-timers at WrestleMania, the best recent example of this was the main event of Survivor Series 2017, when the four former NXT champions in the men’s five-on-five match were the first four to be eliminated.
#1 Better in 2018: Women’s wrestling
In 1993, the only women who regularly appeared on Monday Night Raw were scantily clad models who held up ‘RAW’ signs and walked around the ring before matches.
Needless to say, things are a little better now for female performers in WWE. The women’s divisions have never been more popular than they are in 2018, as proven by the upcoming women’s Royal Rumble, and some of the company’s most prominent Superstars are female.
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