Much has been made this week over the creative direction in WWE as the ratings continue to sink to new lows. Seth Rollins opened WWE Raw with a "shoot" promo where he took aim at General Manager-Elect Baron Corbin for how he was leading Raw, saying the show has "sucked" under Corbin's guidance.
The promo may have gotten fans on social media talking, but it didn't lead to an increase in audience as the show hit an all-time viewership low. Former WWE writer and current IMPACT Wrestling creative team member Jimmy Jacobs defended the WWE writers, saying it's hard to write three hours of television every week. Rollins agreed with the sentiment in a follow-up tweet.
Appearing on the Ross Report with Jim Ross, Bully Ray offered his criticism of Raw and why things aren't working.
"One of the things that I have a hard time with -- this is not just for WWE, this is any company -- since we're talking about Raw, what I'm not a huge fan of is...we open the book at 8 o'clock and then we close the book at 11," said Ray. "Why can't we have episodic television where you have to tune in next week to see what happens? I guess it has to do with attention spans. Everybody's attention spans are so short that they're going to give you the best three hours they possibly can, get in, get out, and get to the next show. I like storytelling and character development."
Ray continued, noting that SmackDown produces good television every week, although their viewership numbers recently hit a 2018 low.
"On a positive note, they are doing the opposite on SmackDown. I'm more invested in the characters, the story, and the actual wrestling," he said. "I have The Bar, Usos, and New Day, three teams with tremendous chemistry duking it out. Becky Lynch and Charlotte are doing probably the best work in the company right now. Despite the fact that it's the better show, it's still labeled as the B-Show."
Jim Ross suggested that the writing teams be shook up, with some SmackDown writers moving to Raw and vice versa. Ray explained that, while it's a good idea in theory, ultimately it doesn't matter because everyone knows that Vince McMahon has the final say on everything.
"If you do shake things up creatively, at the end of the process, you still have the same final filter. And that's Vince. He'll be the first one to tell you that the buck stops with him," Ray stated. "Am I to believe he's at SmackDown but his hands are off the product? We know that's not true. He has his hands on everything. At the end of the day, this billionaire dollar company is still a mom-and-pop fruit stand. It's a family business and they have their hands all over it."
McMahon reportedly changed the Dec. 3 episode of Raw to have "happier endings" following the death of wrestling fan and former President George H.W. Bush.
Bully Ray will be competing this Friday in an I Quit match against Flip Gordon as part of ROH Final Battle.
