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Monday Night RAW has entered a new era after the removal of Paul Heyman from the position of the Executive Director of RAW. His position was taken over by the Executive Director of SmackDown - Bruce Prichard.
One of the reasons believed to be behind Heyman's removal as the creative head of RAW was the declining ratings of WWE's flagship show. With Bruce Prichard now in-charge, RAW is focusing more on promos and segments as compared to in-ring action. Also, there is a heavier reliance on older stars instead of young talent.
As per Cagesideseats(via WOR), WWE is now trying to increase the ratings of each show without concerning themselves with the future.
WWE is now booking to get ratings for Raw each week instead of rebuilding for the future, per Wrestling Observer Radio.
Each WWE RAW to have a 'calling card?
Wade Keller of PWTorch speculated on his podcast that Bruce Prichard is trying to create a 'calling card' for each show. Last week it was Christian's in-ring return and this week it was 'Championship Monday'. However, he did argue if this model would be sustainable for the long-term.
Wade Keller was talking about this during his Raw review podcast and about how the show seems to be different since Prichard took the reigns. While the pieces were set in place by Paul Heyman, Prichard has upped the pace of the matches, but most significantly created a gimmick or “calling card” for every show. (H/t: The Sportster)
The idea is to build the show around something that is 'must-see' in order to boost the ratings of that particular episode.
While WWE RAW had seen an increase in the viewership last week, there was again a dip this week, although not too significant.
How Paul Heyman's RAW was different
Paul Heyman had focused on the future and wanted to build new stars. Heyman-era RAW saw the focus on young Superstars such as Apollo Crews, Andrade and Angel Garza as he tried to build these stars into the future of the company.
Do you think Bruce Prichard's approach is better than that of Paul Heyman? Tell us in the comments!
