9. A month’s worth of Raw in one sitting!
Today known as ‘The Impact Method’.
Some fans today feel that sitting through three hours of Raw per week can be a bit of a drag, especially when so much just comes off as directionless filler. If you think that’s bad, imagine an entire diet of WrestleCrap gimmicks in an even-more endless parade.
After In Your House filled in the gaps of WWE’s pay-per-view calendar in 1995, WWE actually undertook a schedule that would see them tape up to four episodes of Raw in a single night, to air in the four weeks between pay-per-views. Granted, they were four one-hour episodes, so that’s a little easier to digest. Still, by that fourth hour, you could practically see security guards walking the first four rows with smelling salts and cattle prods to keep the audiences “jaunty”.
10. Pillman nearly put a bullet into Raw
Credit: WWE.com
The sight of Brian Pillman pointing a gun at a turf-invading Steve Austin was truly unbelievable. Conversely, the idea that Monday Night Raw was nearly thrown off the air for running an angle that depicted implied gun violence was much more believable.
“Pillman’s got a gun” was unabashedly a publicity stunt from a WWE that was number two in wrestling TV ratings, a stunt that nearly left a self-inflicted mortal wound. Wayne Becker, USA Network’s Vice President of Sports, called for Raw’s cancellation. However, all McMahon would receive was a very stern lecture from network CEO Kay Koplovitz concerning Raw’s darker direction. Since the blood-soaked, sex-laden, obscenity-filled Attitude Era was right around the corner, it was clear that McMahon took her numerous concerns to heart.
11. The Royal Rumble match….for free?!
Credit: WWE,.com
As the Monday Night Wars ramped up, WWE was finding it more compelling to give away marquee happenings on their shows, in order to better compete with Nitro. After all, countering a Flair/Sting match of pay-per-view caliber with Aldo Montoya vs. TL Hopper was practically ratings euthanasia.
One of WWE’s attempts at marketing excess was to air the 1997 Royal Rumble match for free on Raw, which WWE advertised that they would do on the February 3, 1997 broadcast (two weeks following the pay-per-view). Executives at USA Network suggested the idea as a surefire ratings grabber, and McMahon went along with the idea, but there was a problem: the pay-per-view companies didn’t like the idea of WWE giving that match away for nothing. The so-called “Royal Rumble Raw” was reduced to just showing clips of the match instead.
6 years ago by Wrestle Talk
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