WWE Needs Major Angle on Star-Studded Raw in Dallas to Stabilize Ratings

WWE's ratings are so abysmal, the '90s have to be referenced to put them in context. On top of that, F4WOnline.com (h/t WrestlingInc.com) reported John Cena is preparing to take time off.

Forget a slump, it's panic time in Stamford.

As part of Brock Lesnar's Go To Hell Tour, WWE is promoting a star-studded Raw on October 19 to feature Lesnar, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair and The Undertaker.

In WWE, desperate times call for The Attitude Era to bail them out. With the NFL dominating Monday nights, and hipper shows outperforming WWE in key demographics, the October 19 Raw needs to be just as newsworthy as its lineup. This lifeline of legends won't be coming a moment too soon.

This can't just be any Raw, this has to be night-after-WrestleMania good.

This is a show taking place in Dallas, home of WrestleMania 32. That, in and of itself, is a gentle WrestleMania tease. If that episode comes and goes without a major WrestleMania tease, WWE will miss a golden opportunity to re-energize its lethargic product. Rumors of a possible Lesnar-Austin main event at WrestleMania is receiving so much buzz, Austin addressed them himself (NSFW).

WWE needs to capitalize on that buzz, even if there are no internal plans for the match to take place. An angle that ends with Austin delivering the Stone Cold Stunner to Lesnar, or even Paul Heyman, will get fans talking, while adding life to ratings. WWE cannot simply book a lighthearted legends show.

Now's not the time for a novelty episode of Old School Raw.

Raw is losing in the ratings. Badly. The scary thing is the NFL is the least of their concerns. ShowBuzzDaily.com (h/t WrestlingInc.com) reported that Raw sunk to fifth, behind Monday Night Football, SportsCenter, Love and Hip Hop and Black Ink Crew, in the 18-49 demographic.

The announced appearance of so many big names on Raw will, at the very least, pique fan interest. Now it's time to execute.

In fact, if nothing comes out of a loaded Raw with so many WrestleMania implications, fans just might assume WWE has nothing special planned yet. This would be horrible timing for such a sentiment, since WWE.com announced WrestleMania tickets go on sale less than weeks later on November 6.

With an enticing angle still fresh in the minds of fans, selling out a 100,000-seat arena won't be as daunting of a task.

It's never too early to build up to a WrestleMania match. The first time The Rock and John Cena clashed at WrestleMania 28, the match was announced a full year in advance.

The long-term booking paid off, as WrestleMania 28 became the most purchased WWE pay-per-view of all time according to The Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t WrestlingInc.com). 

For the sake of ticket sales, WWE Network subscriptions (Lesnar will appear on Austin's live podcast on the network immediately following Raw), and of course ratings, WWE has no choice but to treat their Hall of Fame guest stars like full-fledged main eventers.

Alfred Konuwa is a featured columnist and on-air host for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter@ThisIsNasty and subscribe to his weekly wrestling podcast.