RAW Wrestling Brief History
Raw Wrestling ( WWE RAW ) is a sports entertainment program for World Wrestling Entertainment, now displaying on the USA Network. The RAW trademark is also the brand WWE performers and employees are allotted to. SmackDown and ECW are other WWE programs and brands.
On January 11, 1993, RAW broadcast on USA Network for the first time in America. For the next seven years it remained with USA Network till it was moved to TNN or Spike Television in 2k. The show moved back to USA Network in 2005 and continues airing on Monday nights, making it a Monday night habit since 1993. Its long history and target pay-per-views, makes RAW the flagship program for WWE.
Wars on Monday Night
1995 saw the launch of Monday Nitro, a new weekly live wrestling show on TNT from World Championship Wrestling. On Sep eleven, 1995, RAW and Nitro squared off for the first time. With taped shows, RAW faced some challenges contesting with a weekly live show. Eric Bischoff, WCW VP recognized the benefit of a live broadcast as he would give away results of RAW’s taped shows on several occasions. The Net was also a source of information and results for fans, causing RAW ratings to decline.
WWE, which was then World Wrestling Federation (WWF), started airing live every fortnight till Sep 1999. Ratings and pay-per-view sales grew and finally justified airing a live show weekly.
The start of the ratings battle in 1995 to mid-1996 saw RAW and Nitro exchanging victories over the other. In mid-1996, WCW came out with major victories, with the NOW angle as a significant factor, as Monday Nitro enjoyed an eighty-four-week ratings winning run, ending only on April 13, 1998.
Putting a stop to the Wars
September 25, 2000 saw RAW moving to TNN (later known as Spike TV) from USA network. However, the decline in WCW’s cash forced Time Warner to sell the company to WWF in 2001. Nitro’s final episode aired on March 26, 2001. Vince McMahon kicked off the show with a statement on his recent acquisition of WCW and a simulcast on RAW and TNN concluded the telecast with Vince’s son Shane appearing on Nitro to explain that it was he who actually owned WCW thereby paving the way for WWF’s “Invasion” tagline.
RAW Wrestling’s War name and logo were retired due to people’s sensitivity for the word “War” after the 9/11 attacks.
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