Raw Returned to the Attitude Era – For A Night

Enzo Amore has been pushing the boundaries of PG since his WWE debut, but tonight saw the Certified G in a segment that would’ve made the Attitude Era proud, filled as it was with sex and violence.

It began with Big Cass and Enzo overhearing an argument between Rusev and Lana. Enzo rises to the lady’s defense, Rusev blows up, Lana tells off her husband. One thing leads to another, and bada boom, Enzo’s the realest guy with an invitation to Lana’s hotel room.

The segments kept running through the night. Cass tried to talk Enzo out of the encounter. Ric Flair lent the Certified G a limo. Rusev tried to track down Lana, and challenged Cass to a match.

When Cass hit the ring? Yeah, you know where this is going. No Rusev. A panicking Cass tries to call Enzo, but no answer. He’s already at the hotel, despite having some entirely reasonable second thoughts. But, well, Lana’s looking very attractive in a tiny satin robe, and next thing you know Enzo’s down to his certified G-string.

That’s when Rusev pops in, and wrecks Enzo and the hotel room in beating exactly as brutal as we were expecting.

While some fans will certainly be disappointed we didn’t see a bit more of Lana tonight, there’s no denying that this segment pushed the boundaries of the PG rating far further than we’ve seen in a long time. Raw’s been pushing a bit more edge these past few weeks, and while it’s doubtful we’ll ever truly see a return to the Attitude Era, the increased grit has certainly added to the show.

That Attitude Era nostalgia is rooted in a lot of things that simply wouldn’t work in WWE today, but it’s good to see the company taking chances with some edgier stories.