5 Reasons why WWE is making drastic changes to Monday Night RAW

WWE RAW's ratings have been steadily dipping over the last few years. There are a number of factors behind why this has happened, including the show being extended to 3 hours, but we won't get into those in details.

Instead, in this article, we'll look at WWE's attempts to 'shake up' Monday Night RAW over the last weeks and months and look at the possible reason behind why they're finally making these changes, despite ratings been in a downward spiral for ages.

The 'shake up' started after it was announced by Vince McMahon that the McMahon family would personally take control of both RAW and SD following the disastrous tenure of Baron Corbin as acting General Manager of the red brand.

The changes started at a glacial pace and it took weeks for the first announced NXT stars to make their debuts. On last night's episode of WWE RAW we got the pleasant surprise of seeing 4 of NXT top stars appearing on RAW and it now looks like WWE are finally making serious changes.

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#5 Upcoming deal with FOX

Vince McMahon

WWE's upcoming deal with FOX but that doesn't mean that RAW's ratings won't matter. RAW has always been and still is perceived as the flagship show with more top stars on it than SmackDown. RAW always gets higher average ratings.

However, with SmackDown heading to FOX later this year, just sending some big-name stars over to SmackDown won't be enough to increase ratings on the blue brand. WWE will also need to build momentum on Monday Night RAW.

If the flagship show isn't great, some fans may not even watch SmackDown later in the week. Of course, I'm talking about the more casual fans and probably not those of you reading this article.

#4 The show has been way too formulaic for the last few months

The McMahons

Since about August last year, RAW has been dull more often than it's not. The show is formulaic to the point of predictability. Almost every RAW in the last year has started with a promo. That just a thing now. We also know that there will be a lull in the middle of the match as the feed cuts to a commercial.

According to a report that came out last night, WWE told their writers to try new things on RAW and that's exactly what we need. We need that feeling of "anything can happen" once again in WWE programming.

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#3 To create new stars

Gargano and Ciampa made their RAW debuts

According to rumours, there is some amount of unrest backstage. This is mainly because of the fact that WWE has a huge roster and a number of Superstars aren't getting the amount of television time that they want. With names like Dean Ambrose set to leave, WWE is doing the right thing by featuring some of the best talents from NXT on the main roster.

This is the time to create new stars and therefore, WWE featured 4 of the top guys in WWE NXT on last night's episode of RAW.

#2 The road to WrestleMania

WrestleMania 35

The road to WrestleMania is here and it looks like excitement isn't on the same level as most years. The fact that there are two PPVs between the Rumble and Mania can't help because the storylines don't have too long to build up.

However, by making changes to RAW, WWE can bring more unpredictability and excitement to the product at the most pivotal time of the year. There is no doubt that WrestleMania will be a great show but that doesn't mean WWE shouldn't do their utmost to have the best buildup to it as possible.

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#1 The rise of All Elite Wrestling

The rise of AEW will worry WWE

The biggest factor in WWE making changes has to be the announcement of All Elite Wrestling. AEW has made waves even before their first show by signing the likes of Chris Jericho, Cody, Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks. All In 2s tickets sold out in the blink of an eye.

The excitement for AEW is real and palpable and WWE knows this. They know that when AEW launch their weekly television show, WWE needs to be in the best position possible.