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Coming out from an explosive start to the Paul Heyman era last week, the expectations for this week's episode of Raw were sky high by default. WWE gave the fans some hope after putting on an engaging show on last week's Raw. They looked desperate to regain the lost demographics, but it seems the company has taken a step back after seeing this week's show.
After putting on an Attitude Era style show last week, this week's show felt like a huge letdown. The only thing we saw as a continuation of last week was the cringeworthy Maria & Mike Kanellis segment which makes us wonder what could've happened within just one week.
The opening mixed tag team match and the main event match ruined the positive aura that surrounded the red brand last week. The fans are taken aback after WWE reverted to their PG ways on tonight’s Raw. With that in mind, let’s take a look at three reasons this week’s Raw was a huge letdown.
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#3 WWE might've decided to take one step at a time
There's no doubt that Paul Heyman had his input while WWE put together last week's episode of Raw. The opening match, Corey Graves' commentary, and the backstage segments had Paul Heyman's name written all over it.
There could be a variety of reasons behind WWE taking it easy putting together this week’s Raw. The first thing is they might not want to put too much pressure on the new Executive Directors right from the get-go, WWE will want them to have a dry run before taking over the reins.
The second thing is they might not want the morale of the other members of the creative team to go down. Internal politics will be there in all organizations, and WWE is no exception. If they make the product look better only after the arrival of Heyman & Bischoff, the other members of the creative team will feel down by default.
These might be the reasons WWE could've decided to take one step at a time before making the changes to their product.
See WWE RAW Results, Highlights of event, & more on WWE RAW Results page
#2 Maybe going non-PG might not be easy as we thought
It's been eleven years since WWE went PG back in 2008. The decision is self-inflicted by Vince McMahon & Co and reverting to a TV-14 environment is not easy as one thinks.
In the course of these eleven years, WWE has adapted to a family-friendly content ditching their edgier side. The percentage of their viewers in the age group of under 16 has been on the higher side. Reverting to non-PG will mean they have to lose their viewers in the under 16 demographic, and that could be a big blow in terms of merchandise sales.
WWE might've also gone too far in their corporate social responsibility with their Make a Wish Campaign & Anti Bullying Campaign. WWE couldn't show edgier content to the children whom they influenced to be a star and not a bully. The network and sponsors are also other areas of concern if WWE intends to go back to being non-PG.
Competition is making them contemplate the decision, and it became evident on last week's Raw. We can blame the above factors for WWE taking it easy on this week's show. It could take some time before WWE makes the changes to their product and step-up their game to compete with AEW.
#1 Heyman & Bischoff haven't taken full control yet
The fans expected immediate changes in the product after the news of Paul Heyman & Eric Bischoff’s appointment as Executive Directors of Raw & SmackDown Live, but things don’t work that way in the WWE, do they?
With Vince McMahon having the final say in whatever decision the new ED’s make, we can’t expect the changes to happen anytime soon. Paul Heyman himself said that changes to Raw from his side would take some time with Mr.McMahon still at the helm.
The same thing would go for SmackDown Live as Eric Bischoff will start his duties only on the episode after Extreme Rules. Vince McMahon would've never believed he would be in this situation had we told when he decided to go PG. AEW's sudden rise has put the WWE on panic mode, prompting McMahon to take each step with caution before reverting to non-PG.
Last week's Raw was to let the fans know of WWE's intentions to make the necessary changes to step up their game. We can expect gradual improvements in their product in the coming weeks after the Extreme Rules PPV. Vince McMahon wouldn't turn down every suggestion from Heyman & Bischoff, so let's hope good days are near for the hardcore pro-wrestling fans.
