The Origins of Monday Night Raw
 

Whoever came up with this idea was a genius. I'm curious if anybody knows the history of how the concept came up. Also, I was young and don't remember too well, but what was the flagship show prior to Raw?

Q&A section my ass.

What do you mean "concept"? The concept of a primetime show? Holding it every week at the Manhattan Center? Either way I'm sure it was Vince's.

As far as before RAW, I believe that Superstars was the WWE's flagship weekly show, and SNME, though that was not weekly. I think SNME was bi-monthly or so, when SNL didn't do a show.

Superstars was the flgaship show, but Prime Time Wrestling was probably the closest thing to RAW. Not real sure though...

I dont think Raw was as genius as it was a natural step. Wrestlemania and mainstreaming of wrestling was more genius, after that putting it in a regular primetime cable time slot was an obvious step.

The next obvious step was internet, then huge DVD compilations, now their own on-demand service/TV channel.

I wonder what's next? Seriously? They've broken into everything they can with wrestling (not talking movies, etc here, just the actual wrestling). IS there a next step? Or have the reached the media plateau?

Currently, they're at the media plateau really. They've got video games, toys, internet, movies, apparel and for a while even a times square restarunt and store. What else can you do now? a las vegas casino or resort?
Its a product and you merchandise the product, just like something like Star Wars or the Simpsons which has been used in every medium.

So no, I don't think there is another step because theres no steps left to be taken in media until there are new mediums of media introduced to society (ie Internet in the 90s, and recently dvd and ondemand). Until then, there isn't much more they can do to grow as a company other than focusing on the core product itself and trying to improve and it and increase its fans while mainting it.

honestly, I challenge someone to find another medium they could go into...

-television
-movies
-live event tours
-dvd
-internet
-on demand
-mobile cell phone
-books
-magazines
-toys
-video games
-board games
-clothing
-trading cards
-times square location

Music, I know they already have (Smackdown records)but it wasn't on your list. :shifty:

They could get Benoit to become a chiropractor. And Kane could go back to being Isaac Yankem.

They should bring Prime Time Wrestling back. Get JBL to host, and a load of mid-carders along with Estrada to sit round the table and bitch at each other for an hour.

Hard pornography.

Starring Mickie James and Victoria....

Grope-A-Vision :shifty:

Wasn't Monday Night RAW originally Tuesday Night Primetime? Then, IIRC, they switched over to Monday nights and went into an arena instead of a closed warehouse or wherever it was they were that looked cheap as hell.

There was also the Sunday morning show "Superstars".

I think they debuted it in the hammerstein ballroom

Manhattan Center, which is in the same building as the Hammerstein.