VIDEO: Shane McMahon Presents Raw Underground

It’s certainly different. Wrestling is a sport where it is all about the presentation. Yes everything is predetermined, but the athleticism is very real. The trick is to make the fans care about what they are seeing and make it real enough that you have their interest. That is easier said than done, but WWE seems to have an idea of something else to pull the trick off.

WWE has not been doing so well in the ratings or television audience as of late. It has been one bad loss after another for them and things do not seem to be getting any better. Something needs to be done to make things better and the best idea might be to try something completely different. That was the case this week, though in a way that you probably did not expect.

This week on Monday Night Raw, Shane McMahon returned and introduced Raw Underground, a shoot fighting style segment. Multiple fights were shown, including ones involving Dolph Ziggler and Erik of the Viking Raiders, in a ring with no ropes and surrounded by fans on the floor while women danced on a stage above the ring. At the end of the show, the Hurt Business came in and beat everyone up, with McMahon approving of their actions.

This was certainly different. Check out the first teaser:

Opinion: Well it’s different, though I’m not sure if that is the best thing in this case. At the end of the day, there is a reason that wrestling fans watch a wrestling show. While this is still grappling and combat, it doesn’t seem to have much to do with the traditional pro wrestling. That might not be the most thrilling thing in the world, but WWE has a tendency to try and do something other than wrestling when they can. Maybe it can work, but it is certainly a different way to start.

What did you think of the concept? Where is it going? Let us know in the comments below.

Thomas Hall has been a wrestling fan for over thirty years and has seen over 50,000 wrestling matches. He has also been a wrestling reviewer since 2009 with over 5,000 full shows covered. You can find his work at kbwrestlingreviews.com, or check out his- Amazon author page with 30 wrestling books. Get the latest and greatest in professional wrestling news by signing up for our daily email newsletter. Just look below for “GET EXCLUSIVE UPDATES” to sign up. Thank you for reading!