Run With It
Posted on July 17th, 2008 by Matt B
NEWS: |PWI| This weeks episode of RAW (07.14.08) featured CM Punk vs Kane. This segment, not including the portion after 11PM, scored a 3.59 in the ratings. This was the highest rating of the entire show. Other segments featuring HBK, Cena and JBL did not score as high as some may expect.
I’m thrilled that CM Punk vs Kane got the highest ratings because it tells me fans want something new on. If they wanted HBK, Cena and JBL and Jericho then fans would have watched them, but they didn’t. Though I believe Punk is an undeserving champion, I have to give WWE credit for changing it up and giving us something different and exciting. RAW is completely different now since the draft and it’s made for a better show. Cena is loosely in the main event scene, Kane has been catapulted into a major storyline and Punk is the World Champion. Who would have guessed this a few weeks back?
Ratings are something WWE listens to so I hope they take this as a good sign. A sign that says fans want change, new feuds and new ideas.
Keep going with this WWE because it’s working out. And when you slip up, you can count on me to berate you from an unjustified point of view.
9 Comments to “Run With It”
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See that the crap i’m talking about, it takes them to see it in the money before they even see how craptacular their current storylines are. The Kane/C.M. Punk line was random and it worked because its just something not expected, they pulled off the show of respect for each other in the lead up to the match which is in part why people watched it, because it wasn’t some asshat (Cena) going on about this thing or another I was the champion will be the champion again, they are putting too much on a select set of guys and by throwing in C.M. Punk the way they did and quite possibly shifting Kane in the mix like they did made things go from stagnation to even just a mild flow, keep the talent rotating, they seriously need to stop with this brand exclusivity shit. What are they going to do when people stop watching all together cause all the angles have been covered? They should just go back to a free floating forum where everyone can switch between shows and the champions can every once in a while, hell unite the titles again for a year or for a couple months. Make it interesting.
Agreed, it’s sad that money & PPV buyrates have such an influence on creative decisions. I think about this a lot as a matter of fact. But let me ask you this…why should WWE stop pushing Cena when everyone in the arena is cheering for him, buying his merchandise and hanging on every one of his words?
I guess I’m playing devil’s advocate, but I think it’s a legitimate point because WWE hears an arena full of people cheering Cena so why stop pushing him?
Maybe the fans who are anti-Cena (or maybe anti-too much Cena) are the minority of fans? If that’s true than I’m in that minority.
Or they could be using their sound guys to edit out the boo’s for cena, they’ve done it before waaaay back in the 90’s. Cena’s better off as a run around guy not a champion, because they do the same shit with him each time he becomes a champion and makes things seriously predictable when he is. So keep him out of it for a while give it a year/6 months you know? Then give him gold again with a twist or something… They keep giving the title to the same group of guys like I was saying and it makes ratings sink because thats just a handful of the potential roster they have to actually get gold. I’m not saying I don’t like Cena but playing the Cena-card constantly gets old, its like playing a video game against someone who does the same move over and over again to beat you you just want to start cracking skulls.
@Spook Yep. We’ve been getting the same main event for a few years now. One thing still confuses me to this day: Why do the fans still cheer? If they cheer then WWE takes that as a good sign.
The ones that cheer are just little kids or their parents most likely. Or chicks that need some. But atleast they’re learning, even if it is slowly.
Yea and unfortunately the majority of the fans in the arena are little kids. BUt you’re right, WWE does know that. HHH even said it himself. He insulted Cena’s fan base on RAW by saying they’re PPV match would be past their bedtime.
It seems like WWE only changes things up when ratings dip. But no matter what the ratings are, the people in the arena still cheer. And then WWE changes it up and ratings go up. But a few months later we’re back to where we started. It’s like an endless cycle.
Anyway, enough complaining by me. I think the past few RAWs have been excellent. WWE is really playing up this post-draft lottery period where no one is in charge of RAW. It’s been a constant a theme on RAW and WWE has actually stuck to it. Every RAW has gotten more and more out of control and I’m glad WWE is being consistent since they seldom are.
Well in all hopes Shane-o-mac or Steph will pop in for a little stint, I know they are part of the family but having them back in the show would probably help ratings more than hurt, especially Shane. He’s a crazy SOB when it came to wrestling so atleast until they get someone in on the manager position thats decent and the only one I can picture doing it is either Heyman (which is highly doubtful) or everyone’s “favorite” guy Bischof….
I would much rather see Shane too. He’s the man. Stephanie is wayy pregnant so I doubt we’ll see her. I still remember when Undertaker chokeslammed Shane off the top turnbuckle and through the announce table (at some PPV).
Heyman is highly doubtul like you said, but he would be my perfect choice. What would be really cool is Stephanie & Shane appoint Heyman as the manager of RAW to restore order after weeks of trouble. And then Heyman comes in and the exact opposite happens. He runs RAW like ECW with plenty of run-ins, backstage brawls and weapons casuing the show to go deeper into turmoil until Vince’s return.
That right there would be probably the best outcome of the storyline to me. I really would like to see that because even though Heyman is an asshat when it comes to his character its well worth it because atleast then we know were getting out cable bill’s worth out of it.