RAW went Underground on Monday night in their bid to improve ratings as Shane McMahon returned to the promotion. The 50-year-old showed off the brand new Raw Underground, which infused wrestling and bare-knuckle fighting, with athletes competing in a ring with no ropes. Ratings have been down on Raw in recent weeks, with Wrestling Inc […]
RAW went Underground on Monday night in their bid to improve ratings as Shane McMahon returned to the promotion.
The 50-year-old showed off the brand new Raw Underground, which infused wrestling and bare-knuckle fighting, with athletes competing in a ring with no ropes.
Welcome to #RawUnderground!
— WWE (@WWE) August 4, 2020@shanemcmahon is changing the game on Monday nights!#WWERaw pic.twitter.com/kkTSns0t2i
Ratings have been down on Raw in recent weeks, with Wrestling Inc revealing that the July 27 show averaged just 1.617 million viewers – the second-lowest in their history.
The third hour of that show was watched by just 1.463 million viewers – the worst ever figures for that particular block.
And in their quest to draw supporters back in, Raw introduced the new Underground concept, with fighters battling in a poorly lit environment with no set rules.
Former NFL star Babatunde Aiyegbusi debuted as Dabba-Kato, while Viking Raiders star Erik and Dolph Ziggler also showcased their talents.
Fans were baffled by the new concept, as one tweeted: “This is the worst s*** you guys have ever done and that’s saying something.”
Another said: “WWE has completely lost all concept of what the fans want.
“They’re too big to completely go under, but 2020 should be their wake up call. This is embarrassing.”
A third added: “Dear WWE, if I wanted to see staged underground fighting with cinematic cut scenes, I’d watch Fight Club.”
Prior to filming on Monday, Ringside News have stated that WWE were in ‘chaos’ as they claimed it was the ‘the most unprepared’ they have been going into television in years.
Sources told the news outlet that filming the main event had been a ‘total s*** show’, with writers under pressure from Vince McMahon to deliver something new.
