The Raw Renaissance?

Monday Night Raw is the flagship of WWE. Nothing is more important. SmackDown, house shows, WWE Network events, monthly events, all of it takes a backseat to Raw. That's how important it is, and how important it's always been.

So if fans know that, how does WWE not know it?

Fans are made to believe that the company knows it. Raw's importance is emphasized nearly every week by the commentary team, who remind everyone of the program's history. The stats regarding how many are watching versus other networks and other sporting events have been given many times in the past. Raw is presented as the place to be if you're a wrestling fan, and if you don't see it, you'll miss something.

But everyone knows that's not true anymore.

Every week, it's the McMahon show. That much is to be expected, mostly because it's their company and they can do whatever they want with it. The world has sat back and watched the drama surrounding Vince's family every week for the past 20 years, no one really expects any of that to change now.

But everyone also knows that it's the McMahons versus the locker room and that storyline has been absolutely beaten to death.

A heel authority figure has to be in power. This is WWE's prime directive, its foundation for every storyline on every show, every week. The company is convinced this is how things should be run, and as a result no one can get over unless they buck The Authority.

But The Authority always wins, so no one can get over.

The characters are mediocre at best and most of the time, are less than memorable. It's not as though the guys aren't putting in the effort, it's that they're getting no support and very little opportunity. The New Day got over in spite of being thrown into a ridiculous gimmick that never should have been pitched in the first place.

They found a way to make it work, but WWE also needs a team to headline the tag division. Had Kofi, Big E and Xavier Woods been singles stars working similar gimmicks, they would've gone nowhere fast.

Bray Wyatt is a monster babyface Superstar in the making, and could elevate as high as the number two spot under a heel Roman Reigns as champion. But instead of giving Bray any solid direction with a meaningful payoff, WWE books him against Brock Lesnar in a can't win match.

Dean Ambrose should be the top guy right now; he has a simmering support of fans that want to see him go red hot, a support that could explode to Daniel Bryan levels at any moment. But every time he opens his mouth, he falls short of greatness. Whether it's an interruption from Triple H, or an ill-advised lack of direction on where he should go, Ambrose keeps stopping where he should be excelling.

Even with that being the case, Ambrose is one of only three main guys that have been created in the past four years, with Reigns and Seth Rollins rounding out the trio. Of every NXT talent that's been called up, of every star that's come in from outside the company, The Shield are the only ones that have seen a birth, followed by a natural and logical growth.

But none of them are John Cena or Brock Lesnar. They are the top two guys, everyone else is second place and lower.

This is not your daddy's Monday Night Raw. This is not the program that fans knew and loved, the one that was must-see TV every week. This used to be an event, an event that fans would gather together and watch, like a pay-per-view. Raw commanded attention because if fans missed it, then it was a very big deal.

"Anything can happen in WWE" came from Raw. Unexpected twists, heel turns, face turns, suprise appearances, edge-of-your-seat action, each and every time it hit the air; that's what Raw used to be. Raw was not watched out of routine; it was watched because it could not be missed.

Now? Not so much.

But there is hope in the form of NXT. There's hope in the form of AJ Styles, Sami Zayn, and the imminent debut of The Bullet Club. There's excitement surrounding WrestleMania, and a real hope among many fans that a change is coming. There are too many holes to be filled, too many weaknesses that have been exposed due to injury, for the company to not realize a change is needed.

However for a true renaissance to happen on Raw, that feeling of spontaneity must return. Fans must believe that truly anything can happen, that Monday nights are the place to be, and that the program will deliver like it used to.

This time of year always brings this feeling back, this notion that things must change. Mania can be the catalyst for change, it can be the spark on April 3 that will ignite Raw on April 4. Evolution must take place on Raw, it must happen at some point or the problems will continue.

Shane McMahon's comeback is a tease, a way for the company to troll its audience with empty promises of change. Many fans are buying into the storyline, believing every word of it because they want to see it happen.

Whether it will actually lead to something substantial is anyone's guess. The timing seems to be good and the mood seems to be right for something big to happen, but fans have been reeled in before with no payoff.

Raw must be reinvented, without discarding the elements that once made it great. The company revolves around it and real change will only come if WWE rediscovers what made it the groundbreaking show it once was.

Different faces, new directions, renewed sense of purpose; all of these things will guarantee that Raw will once again become the program that fans know it can be.

Fans know it. How does WWE not know?

Want more of The Raw Renaissance? Check out Tom's brand new podcast episode of the same name! Tom Clark's Main Event is available for download, check it out here!