For years and years (and years), fans have been clamoring for this moment. Well, those prayers have been answered. Starting on the 18th, WWE's Monday Night Raw will be rated TV-14. The much-maligned PG era of sports entertainment has come to an end. My question is, so what? I hate to sound misanthropic, especially on a day when so many others are celebrating, but what does this change, aside from an arbitrary watermark? Inferior booking is still inferior booking. Coarse language and skimpy clothing cannot (and will not) improve three hours of bloated television.
I'll give you an example. Fuck! Shit! Piss! Does this paragraph have greater value due to its inclusion of toilet words? Yes. Wait, I mean, no. No, it doesn't. I'm wondering how this will impact the women's division. Diva segments had become so childish and sophomoric, it took a theoretically organic "revolution" to stem the tide. Then again, I'm not sure that anything was reduced or modified. Several superstars have quietly undergone breast augmentation surgery. Plus, you've got the whole "hush money" scandal. What rating would WWE be given behind the cameras? I don't see there being too many TV-Y7 episodes of Vinnie Mac's Long Lunch.
The Attitude Era is propped up by near-revisionists. It was unquestionably stacked with outstanding pro-wrestling, but do you know what else was outstanding? The roster, the timing, the simple storylines...we can't reverse the clock. Jesus, I sound like I'm preaching the apocalypse. I need to pepper this column with positivity. Raw...won't get worse. That's all I can muster. You'll often hear me say that I prefer AEW, and I do, but it's not because Jade Cargill loves to call herself a bitch. It's just a better show. Ironically, Smackdown was a TV-PG product during the exalted stretch of time where Paul Heyman was in charge of creative.
Okay, I'm done griping. Here is Terri Runnels in a bikini.
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