WWE Raw Must Use Gauntlet Match Success to Further Shake Up Tired Formula

WWE Raw took a blowtorch to its standard format Monday in Phoenix, and it was a sight to behold.

The average episode of Raw begins with a long talking segment that sets up the main event. A number of short matches follow. A longer bout anchors the show. After several brief in-ring clashes and promos, the final contest kicks off as the clock nears 10 p.m. ET.

The routine often gets old. It sometimes feels like the writers are filling in the same template every week.

But on Monday on the last Raw before Elimination Chamber 2018, WWE ripped its usual script in half.

A gauntlet match featuring the seven Superstars set to compete in the men's Elimination Chamber started things off. Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins clashed for a long stretch until The Kingslayer finally rolled up his fellow Shield member to move on. Rollins went on to wrestle close to an hour before Elias eliminated him.

All in all, the gauntlet match lasted nearly two hours.

One never sees a contest take up two-thirds of the show. Raw doesn't lean on the in-ring side of things as heavily as it did there. And rather than start off slowly with a longwinded speech or two, the red brand offered a Reigns vs. Rollins showdown that would have been right at home on a pay-per-view.

One match housed multiple stories.

Rollins fought on long after his legs grew wobbly, beating both Reigns and John Cena in the same night. Elias took advantage of a weary Rollins just as a fresher Miz beat out a tired Finn Balor. Braun Strowman joined the fray last and devoured a fleeing Miz.

With that, Monday's Raw offered something new, something fresh, an energizing deviation from the expected.

Critics came away impressed. Kyle Fowle of RealSport101.com wrote, "The scope and structure of the match is something to truly admire." Wrestle Zone executive editor Nick Hausman praised the gauntlet match as well:

WWE need not turn into a weekly gauntlet match exhibition, but there's a lesson to be learned here. Changing things up can create a massive amount of electricity.

Rather than produce a show that feels like someone printed out whatever emerged from the Raw script generator, WWE can experiment with its presentation, keeping the audience on its proverbial toes. 

An episode can center around a one-night tournament. One show could focus on the tag teams. The Miz could defend his Intercontinental Championship in an Iron Man match. 

WWE could borrow from Lucha Underground's playbook and dedicate an entire show to a single match as that promotion does with its Aztec Warfare bout.

Whatever the approach, Raw has to more frequently embrace the act of straying from the routine. Creativity creates a certain type of magic. We saw that on display Monday as the fans ate up Rollins' gutsy performance and the longest match in the show's history.

Raw too often feels like a slog in part because of its repetitive, predictable nature. It's hard to blame fans who inconsistently tune in. 

There are too many possible avenues to take each week to keep going down the same one. Raw is best when it is bold, when it feels like anything is possible when one flips the show on. That's the feeling that Reigns, Rollins and everyone else generated in Phoenix.

And the sooner WWE can do so again, the better.

The red brand's writers should start brainstorming the next innovative approach to Raw now. The gauntlet match must be an inspiration for what's ahead.