THE RAW REVIEW

This week’s RAW, right from the start, demonstrated the value of deviation.

One of the most consistent and entirely accurate constructive criticisms leveled at WWE’s three-hour broadcast is that the show adheres to its formula at the expense of offering unpredictable, exciting content for its regular viewers. This is a good constructive criticism that comes from respectable minds and respectful fans - not just from an angry internet contingent who behaves like an unruly, spoiled child. The people who offer this criticism are sympathetic to the difficulties of creating a massive “Sports Entertainment” spectacle like Monday Night Raw; they simply want the show to be as watchable as possible.

THE RAW REVIEW

For the first time in quite some time, I watched RAW in the way the WWE wants me to watch it.

After a weekend dedicated to recording and editing two podcasts, a prototypical 9-5 American Office Monday, and an accumulation of sleep debt that’s in default, a cartoonish, insane, comical, absurd, and completely illogical athletic extravaganza was exactly what I needed.

One follower Tweeted me in agreement that they’d “had about enough reality for today”.

WOW - EP14 - A PECULIAR CASE OF WRESTLEMANIA

THE PODCASTTim KailMarch 30, 2015wrestlemania, wrestlemania 31, roman reigns, brock lesnar, seth rollins cashes in money in the bank, seth rollins is the new wwe world heavyweight champion, professional wrestling, triple h, sting

THE RAW REVIEW

RAW REVIEWSTim KailMarch 17, 2015the raw review, monday night raw, professional wrestling, wwe network, sting, #rawdesmoines, mick foley, triple h, brock lesnar, paul heyman, john cena, tee shirts, nxt

THE RAW REVIEW

RAW REVIEWSTim KailMarch 3, 2015monday night raw, wrestlemania, roman reigns, vince mcmahon, promo, professional wrestling, sports entertainment, triple h, sting, the undertaker, brock lesnar, seth rollins, jon stewart, wwe, wwe network, daniel bryan

THE RAW REVIEW

The February 16th, 2015 episode of Monday Night Raw is the best episode of the WWE’s flagship show that I’ve seen since The Attitude Era.

Now I haven’t seen every episode in the past fourteen years and nothing overtly historic or game-changing appeared to happen last night (depending on how you viewed the show). But I cannot remember the last time in over a decade I haven't, at some point, mentally tuned out of RAW or rolled my eyes or groaned or sighed or been eternally frustrated with the direction of the company by the end of the night. There have been great episodes, to be sure, but few and far between have emanated from a sincere, professional wrestling perspective in quite some time (a perspective that has existed exclusively on NXT).

THE RAW REVIEW

Two weeks in a row I’ve been somewhat stumped as to what to write about in The Raw Review. Last week, after several false starts and actual drafts, I created what was, for me, a less than satisfactory nitpick of the WWE’s ongoing booking woes.

I very much want to write about the symbolism and themes of various WWE scenes and matches, but when the performances are subpar, when the booking and the creative and the script looms like a dark, inescapable cloud over the proceedings, it’s hard to get to the goods and even harder to write about the goods.

THE RAW REVIEW

One. Two. Three.

Happiness.

For a brief, beautiful moment, I experienced genuine happiness at the end of Monday Night Raw.

My viewing of RAW last week was slightly similar.

The Writings