Ever since Wrestlemania 32, Monday Night Raw has seen a serious rise in quality. This welcome surge has been a breath of fresh air, with great matches and new talent on display. However, the biggest, most refreshing change has come right at the top.
Ok, let’s get this out of the way right off the bat. Shane McMahon running Raw makes zero sense and completely undermines the stipulation that was set and built up for his match with The Undertaker at Wrestlemania.
With that said, if ignoring that lapse in continuity means we get a long overdue break from the tired concept of the heel authority figure, then logic be damned. The amount of time and focus Triple H, Vince McMahon and (especially) Stephanie McMahon have had over recent storylines has been a detriment to the show for quite a while now. Their presence has been all encompassing and has stunted the momentum of numerous superstars in the process, all in the name of “what’s best for business.”
And notably, their absence has already shown dividends.
Consider the current conflict between Roman Reigns and AJ Styles. In the buildup towards their upcoming title match at Payback, they have been the ones pushing the story forward. They have been cutting the promos. They have been allowed to carry the angle at the top of the card without constant meddling from biased outside forces. The talent: front and center as it should be.
Let’s go back for a bit to where this fascination with tyrannical figureheads began to take hold in the WWE. The Attitude Era was a huge boom to the product and dead center was the conflict between Stone Cold Steve Austin and the chairman of the WWE, one Vince McMahon. This was a direct response to WCW’s success with the nWo (and its own bad guy boss, Eric Bischoff.)
It felt fresh and rabid fans packed arenas in droves to see the latest chapter in what is widely considered one of the greatest feuds in the history of pro wrestling.
But it’s been almost 20 years since this went down, and since then the formula has been copied and pasted ad-nauseam in hopes of recapturing that level of interest. It has grown tired and, frankly, frustrating to have to sit through an overpowered authority figure with an agenda constantly undermining the superstars with very little comeuppance.
Which brings the focus to Stephanie and the other ways the climate has changed in the WWE. This is a PG product, and that means the days of Male superstars laying their hands on Female talents are done (which is totally fine and appropriate.) But what this also means is that unless it’s been an occasional slap from Brie Bella or Vickie Guerrero throwing her in slop, Stephanie has basically been allowed to run roughshod over the WWE with no consequence. It has gone on for so long, it’s lost any sense or meaning.
I mean, does anyone even remember why The Authority was so opposed to having Roman Reigns as champ?
Think back a little further than the Attitude Era to the days of The New Generation or even further to the age of Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage and The Ultimate Warrior. Aside from the occasional appearance from a Jack Tunney or a Gorilla Monsoon, the conflicts and storylines were driven by the superstars. That was where the spotlight shone. And what did we get as a result?
Personalities such as The Million Dollar Man, The Undertaker and The Heenan Family being the primary antagonists. We got greats such as Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels allowed to come into their own with little resistance. Think of the current roster of WWE superstars. You mean to tell me Dolph Ziggler couldn’t have come out of Survivor Series 2014 as a top tier babyface if The Authority hadn’t smothered his momentum?
You think Kevin Owens couldn’t have been a savagely over heel in the program with Reigns leading into Mania if the spot were not already occupied? Dean Ambrose? Bray Wyatt? All secondary during a formative time in their careers where they should be given every opportunity to show they can carry the company.
Instead, their time on Raw has been repeatedly negated to give way to one of The Authority’s four or five weekly segments. For the long term health of the WWE, that has desperately needed to change. Now we are getting a taste of how beneficial that change can be.
Look, I’m not naive. I know this shift with Shane on top is likely temporary, and may very well be over by the time you’re reading this.
But all I can tell you is that this past week on Raw, the entire night (and a good chunk of Payback) was set up by a brief Shane McMahon appearance at the top of the show and the in-ring superstars took it from there. What we got as a result was a night that gave us some quality matches and allowed the roster to carry segments on their shoulders.
In other words, a damn fine wrestling program.
That’s what’s best for business.
