WWE: 10 Reasons Monday Night RAW Has Become Stale

I hate winter. It is freezing over here in Quebec today, and it has to stop...right now!

Don't mind that overture, it is just Manic Monday here at Casa di Romano as we get set for another edition of the RAW supershow tonight live from Anaheim, California.

For decades, this now-legendary program has delivered some of the best matches and entertaining angles in all of pro-wrestling history. Just think of the original DX antics, the Attitude era and Lita in the main event, and you'd remember that it was all cutting edge television.

Unfortunately over the last few months, Monday Night RAW has become but a shell of its former glory, and if my word is not enough, then the recent rating scores would prove it. There are weeks where they plummet to a scary 2.8 average, and that is not good news.

In the following pages are some of the reasons, I believe, this show has become bland, uneventful...like my mother's chili.

There are many reasons why fans turn away. To each their own, they say.

I just went with 10 good ones.

Monday Night RAW: Out of Spice

I am a very hopeful person.

Every week I tune into RAW and expect the unexpected because I am quite familiar with the motto "Anything can happen in WWE."

What I realize after an hour of watching is that the show itself has become too smooth and nothing really gets my attention anymore.

Chris Jericho returning was the highlight of my year so far, and he didn't even say a word. It was well done and worthy of a master like Y2J. What else though? It is PG, and there are some things you can't do or get away with anymore.

That's too bad.

I need them to spice things up. Try other routes.

I will admit that making it a seemingly-unified roster was a smart move. Having Smackdown people on Monday nights is always nice.

It isn't enough.

Vince McMahon's Presence All over the Place

Vince McMahon is a genius. A revolutionary.

To do what he has done over the years merits some lifetime achievement award or something. He put pro wrestling on the map and has taken it to heights we have never dreamed before.

Though Monday night RAW is out of spice, McMahon took WWE in outer space.

Now.

He is obsessed with ratings. He is 66 years old and a multi-millionaire. Why hasn't he retired yet?

Dear Vince.

Your vision of the product may not be as it once was, and you are trying too hard. You pay people so well to do a hard job, and you pay people well to watch over the others as they do their hard job, why are you still butting in and making everyone nervous?

Not letting CM Punk escort someone somewhere and causing WWE to miss out on all that exposure—what a BAD DECISION. Nothing you can say would make my statement any less true.

Time for you to step away and let your grown children take over with a fresh, new outlook on things. They can't do bad because they learned it all from you.

Don't you have grandchildren who'd want to be with their grandpa?

The Announce Team Is Horrible

Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler are the voices of Monday nights. Sometimes you have Jim Ross or CM Punk in there.

Thank heavens for that because the first two just don't do the job right together anymore. They had a feud last year and haven't stopped bickering yet.

You are supposed to call the action as it happens and not discuss who's a better trender on Twitter or how hot Kelly Kelly is on the cover of Playboy. 

I remember a time when Jim Ross and The King were so awesome it made the two-three hour episodes of RAW fly by. Other great announcer duos made the difference as well over the years. Take Jesse Ventura and Gorilla Monsoon for example. Still the greatest team ever in my mind, or Gorilla and Bobby Heenan.

There has to be a certain chemistry here. If you don't have it, the show will be lessened, and everyone pays. 

Notice who doesn't figure in any pairings up there?

Michael Cole Drives People Away

Michael Cole the person: I don't know you, and therefore I have no right to point fingers.

Michael Cole the character: I hate your guts!

His voice is annoying, his commentary is horrible and his putting over people lacks any credibility. Why is he on both shows anyway?

We are forced to have him shoved down our throats, and it just takes away the desire to watch the entire broadcast.

The way he talks about the Divas division or how he over-promotes heels reminds me of slide two...Vince McMahon meddles in too many affairs and allows for this clown to carry on his duties.

Don't get me wrong, I like The Miz and other heels a whole lot, but even I cannot say the Awesome One is the greatest thing since sliced bread. 

Michael Cole would make a fantastic manager. His time on commentary needs to end.

He no longer generates real "I hate you" heat. It is more like "GO AWAY ALREADY" heat.

The Divas Division and Matches Are a Joke

What the hell is going on with the Divas?

Let me be clear: WE WANT A BETTER DIVISION NOW!

The demand is there, but people are discouraged from watching the girls because the writers and those who call the shots allow for this tragedy to continue.

Beth Phoenix is a wonderful performer and she deserves to have quality time on Monday nights. I don't care about Alicia Fox, or the Bella wh**** or Kelly Kelly's magazine cover.

I want to see Tamina take on the Divas Champion. I want to see the Divas of Doom destroy all the Barbies week after week until Kharma returns.

Do you really think Kia Stevens will permit this crap to be written in her career biography? NO WAY, JOSÉ!

Instead of bringing in Santino Marella for a match or having Hornswoggle speak, make a real wish come true and breathe life back into the Women's division.

Yes, I said Women's.

Kane should take that belt to hell with him and John Cena as soon as possible.

Too Many Filler Matches

There are so many interesting characters in WWE.

I fail to see the reason why some of them are left on the back burner while guys like Santino Marella get to pin Wade Barrett after "The Cobra" strikes.

Back in the day, there were barely any filler matches. Everything was there for a reason, and it usually served to advance a storyline.

We pay good money to have a seat in the house when the show airs, so why are we left making time to go pee or buy treats? We should be standing up watching non-stop.

Having four or five matches that end under 10 minutes does nothing but make us want to watch something else. 

Why couldn't they insert Drew McIntyre in that Sheamus-Wade Barrett equation? It would certainly be more interesting than Jinder Mahal. 

I understand it's PG and you need to entertain the kiddies, but if you are under 14, you shouldn't be up that late on a school night anyway.

Bring out the real talent and leave the rest on the shelf.

No Build Up for Pay Per Views

The Royal Rumble is two weeks away and we have what? Two matches announced? 

If pay-per-views are as important as they claim for revenue generation, then it still puzzles me why they are not promoted more in advance like in the past.

The CM Punk versus Dolph Ziggler thing seems rushed. The blond one just barely lost his United States championship, and I am expected to believe he is a worthy No. 1 contender? It makes little sense.

Often, we end up on the eve of the show itself, and the card is still not complete. Monday Night RAW used to be very important in sparking the next set of feuds. It is the flagship show after all, and everything should happen then.

We are on the road to WrestleMania now, every Monday night between now and April 1 should be like the night before the show.

Nothing less will suffice. 

A Villainous or Weak General Manager

My name is John Laurinaitis and I am the executive vice-president of talent relations and the interim RAW general manager.

Hearing that phrase one more time will... @&/%$?* !!!

The General Manager concept.

It has played out its usefulness, and often, we cannot get behind the character because it is either too villainous or too soft towards the Superstars and Divas. Having them appear on television week after week and interfering takes the fun out of things.

You just know they will screw an angle up or cost someone a title. Like Vickie did for Mickie James and what Johnny Ace may do to CM Punk on Jan. 29. It is not a surprise anymore, we expect shady business.

Back when we had the anonymous GM business, I simply changed the channel as nothing good usually came out of that computer. Funny how they never finished up that story. It just went from bad to worse with Laurinaitis.

I guess matches can't happen by themselves, right? Still, it's same old, same old with the whole GM stuff.

The Main Events Are Lackluster and Predictable

I don't know about you all, but having the WWE, World Heavyweight and United States Champions in the same match would be big news to me.

For some reason, the 19th of December main event didn't draw in as much ratings as expected. It may be because for too long, we have seen matches like this end up either, way too cute (Faces destroy all opposition) or with some cheating involved which ruins everything.

Take non-title matches for example. They are so predictable. The champion loses the match about 90 percent of the time, which in turn leads to a title match at the pay-per-view. There barely was any build-up to that feud, no reason and once the title match is over then everyone moves on like nothing happened.

WWE doesn't take risks anymore and elongate programs between characters. 

The bright side of things is that the roster is unified for the foreseeable future which opens doors to a lot more possibilities.

***A side note: Champion vs. Champion matches are and should be a big deal. They are champions after all and an encounter of the such in the main event should be advertised a week before to get us all excited.

John Cena Is Still on RAW

I fully expected John Cena to cross over to Smackdown last April or The Miz, WWE championship in hand.

I was wrong.

Since Vince McMahon obsesses about ratings, he gets nervous, and when he gets nervous, the belt is put back on Captain America.

Status quo anybody?

When did Monday Night RAW and WWE for that matter become synonymous with stale? Life is about taking risks and trusting the right people to do a good job.

Miz wasn't a bad champion; he was just booked weak. Mark Henry was a great champion, and he was booked poorly.

Stop pushing mega-stars like John Cena down our throats and put your faith in others. Give us time to let it all sink in and believe.

Not for nothing the company acknowledged the fact people cheer "Cena Sucks" louder and louder.

We are sick of him. We are tired of him being a transitional champion, and we are tired of watching him compete in the main event when the WWE Champion isn't.

Monday Night RAW Is a Landmark

We should all be concerned as members of the WWE Universe.

Monday Night RAW is one of the longest-running shows on television and must get out of that rut it is in.

WrestleMania is only a few months away, so I expect things to get really exciting in preparation for the show of shows. But what about all the other months of the year? Why should it get less interesting in the months of summer or right before the holidays?

If McMahon believes 2012 is the last year before the end, then I definitely expect non-stop action until December. But let's get real here, no one is going anywhere so please listen up to your fans, sir.

This landmark television program will have its 1,000th episode broadcast on July 23, 2012. They should spare no expense.

I sure as hell wouldn't.