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The WWE Draft Shows the Root Problems Won’t Be Fixed Overnight

wwe-draft-2016-bannerLast Tuesday’s inaugural edition of SmackDown Live featured the second WWE brand extension draft. Unlike 2002, which had the WWF stars and writers that carried it through the Attitude Era and a multitude of WCW and ECW alumni, the current incarnation of WWE is headed up by a select few wrestlers who are allowed to be stars and writers that have led WWE to viewership declining to record lows.

As part of the TV deal that WWE has with the USA Network / NBC Universal, the USA Network requested that changes be made to SmackDown to shore up its ratings. The call was made to go live on Tuesday nights (when WWE tapes the show) and break up the WWE roster into two separate crews in order to give people a reason to watch SmackDown in addition to Raw.

The problem is that the draft didn’t really do anything to make SmackDown important and worthy of appointment viewing.

Continue reading →

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WWE Raw Live Blog – Jan. 4, 2010

Tonight’s edition of WWE’s Monday Night Raw is live tonight from Dayton, Ohio. Tonight’s special guest host is the biggest one that the WWE has hired since starting the Raw guest host gimmick. While celebrities like Shaquille O’Neal and Bob Barker may have generated attention from the entertainment press, tonight’s host was one of the biggest stars of the Monday Night Wars when WWF and WCW generated combined cable TV ratings in the double digits. Tonight’s guest host is the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be. Tonight’s guest host is Bret “Hitman” Hart.

Check out the live blog after the jump. Continue reading →

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Monday Night Raw Live Blog – September 7, 2009

WWE’s Monday Night Raw comes live tonight from Chicago. The big news heading into tonight’s event is that coming on down to Raw tonight is guest host Bob Barker. The greatest game show host of all time will try his hand at hosting the bitter contestants on Monday Night Raw. Will someone leave Raw with a new car? Will someone leave Raw with some new gold? Only time will tell.

We’ll be live blogging tonight’s edition of Raw starting at 9:00PM with the preview show. Raw itself kicks off at 9:15PM. Continue reading →

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WWE Raw Live Blog – July 27, 2009

Tonight’s WWE Monday Night Raw has one of those big event feels tonight. Last night’s pay-per-view, Night of Champions, left us with a controversial finish to the WWE Title between Randy Orton, HHH, and John Cena that saw Orton retain despite tapping out during the match. You know that will spill over to tonight’s show which means it falls into the (large) hands of tonight’s guest host. Shaquille O’Neal will be the guest host for tonight’s edition of Raw and you that the man formerly known as The Big Cactus will have a big impact on tonight’s show.

We’ll be live blogging tonight’s edition of Raw starting at 9:00PM with the preview show. Raw kicks off at 9:15PM. Continue reading →

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Shaquille O’Neal To Guest Host WWE Raw

When I live-blogged Raw is Trump a few weeks back, I mentioned that The Donald was going to have a celebrity guest host in charge of Monday Night Raw every week. Just because Trump is gone doesn’t mean that the WWE have given up on celebrity hosts. Now, NBA and Twitter superstar Shaquille O’Neal will be the guest host on WWE Monday Night Raw next week. Continue reading →

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June 22nd Monday Night Raw Live Blog

Welcome to our second Monday Night Raw semi-live blog. Like our last live blog, we’ll be on a 15 minute delay because we’re watching Canadian TV. On tonight’s Raw, Donald Trump will hold court on the first Raw episode under his ownership. In his first act as Raw owner, Trump announced that tonight’s show will be commerical-free on the USA Network in America. Will the same hold true in Canada on The Score? We also have a big and likely bloody main event as Randy Orton will defend his WWE Title against Triple H in a Last Man Standing match. Anything can happen in the WWE, but will the same be said about Raw is Trump? Continue reading →

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Has Vince McMahon Lost It?

If you haven’t heard the news, you’re probably better for it. Vince McMahon has sold Monday Night Raw to Donald Trump. That would make it the third consecutive summer that Vince and the WWE has tried to stave off the summer ratings slump by pulling a stunt that tries to get them mainstream attention. Continue reading →

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WWE Monday Night Raw Semi-Live Blog

After all the arguing, insults, and general lunacy of last week, we’re set for another edition of Monday Night Raw. After the NBA announced the schedule for the Western Conference Finals, the WWE were thrown out of Denver’s Pepsi Center. Without a home for a couple of days, it was the home of the L.A. Lakers that stepped up to save the WWE. So tonight Raw comes to us live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles and we have all the action here as it happens. Continue reading →

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Breaking News: WWE Raw Going to L.A.

As reported by CNBC’s Darren Rovell, WWE’s Monday Night Raw will go live next Monday from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Rovell says that no money changed hands but I would find that hard to believe because Denver wrestling fans have been jilted and the WWE has to sell tickets for the show. The WWE had also entertained an offer from Madison Square Garden in New York. Continue reading →