5 Times WWE Changed The Format Of Its Most Well Known Shows

What will the legacy of Raw Underground ultimately be? Kinda hard to forecast a few weeks into its lifespan, but opinions are already varied - half see it as WWE doing something temporary to halt their declining viewership (before eventually reverting back to "business as usual"), while others are at least happy to see WWE break from the norm and think outside the box for a change.

Those who find WWE to be obscenely stale may be surprised to know that, throughout its history, the organization has revamped many of its television properties, changing formats to something totally unrecognizable from their long-standing form. When you're tasked with producing weekly shows year in and year out, adapting to changing times, tastes, and trends is key, especially if you're aiming to keep your audience totals above a certain threshold.

While Raw Underground might wind up being a short-term attraction and little more, it's hardly the first time WWE has made a drastic change to the time-tested formula of one of its shows. Here are a few other examples.

What will the legacy of Raw Underground ultimately be? Kinda hard to forecast a few weeks into its lifespan, but opinions are already varied - half see it as WWE doing something temporary to halt their declining viewership (before eventually reverting back to "business as usual"), while others are at least happy to see WWE break from the norm and think outside the box for a change.

Those who find WWE to be obscenely stale may be surprised to know that, throughout its history, the organization has revamped many of its television properties, changing formats to something totally unrecognizable from their long-standing form. When you're tasked with producing weekly shows year in and year out, adapting to changing times, tastes, and trends is key, especially if you're aiming to keep your audience totals above a certain threshold.

While Raw Underground might wind up being a short-term attraction and little more, it's hardly the first time WWE has made a drastic change to the time-tested formula of one of its shows. Here are a few other examples.

5. Prime Time Wrestling

In its most desirable form between 1986 and 1991, Raw's predecessor featured two hours of (generally) mid-card wrestling and star squashes, while hosts Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan provided legendary banter in bumper segments in between the action.

While quaint and remembered fondly today, the WWF decided to change Prime Time's format in 1991 - twice, actually. It initially morphed into a talk/variety show (a la Tuesday Night Titans), before later turning into a panel/discussion show, with Vince McMahon as moderator.

4. Mid-90s Raw

In its first few years of existence, Raw (as a one hour show) had a pretty simple formula: one "feature" match between established names, and a whole lot of jobber squashes. Then WCW Nitro hit the airwaves in 1995, and their ambitious programming made Raw look palaeolithic.

Gradually, Raw began phasing out the jobbers (though it's not like the midcard of the day was loaded with PPV-quality names). That was just the first step toward evolving, as more adult themes, and a two-hour time slot, aided Raw's change into more desirable form.

4. Mid-90s Raw

In its first few years of existence, Raw (as a one hour show) had a pretty simple formula: one "feature" match between established names, and a whole lot of jobber squashes. Then WCW Nitro hit the airwaves in 1995, and their ambitious programming made Raw look palaeolithic.

Gradually, Raw began phasing out the jobbers (though it's not like the midcard of the day was loaded with PPV-quality names). That was just the first step toward evolving, as more adult themes, and a two-hour time slot, aided Raw's change into more desirable form.

3. WWF Superstars

For over a decade, Superstars was the WWF's A-show, a weekend hub where big matches were announced, major angles advanced, and stars debuted. As cable began leaving syndication in its dust, Raw surpassed Superstars, re-establishing Superstars firmly as the B-show.

In 1996, Superstars moved to the USA Network on Sunday mornings, where it maintained its long-running format until the following March. That's when Superstars became a run-of-the-mill recap show, and remained so until the end of its run in 2001, to make way for other programs.

2. NXT

Unless watching guys run around holding beer kegs, or listening to Vickie Guerrero and Alicia Fox provide awkward in-match coaching, is your bag, then you must agree that NXT upgrading its format was definitely for the better. Not that keg running doesn't have its charm.

What was once a dopey game/reality show meant to introduce developmental hopefuls to a larger audience was eventually replaced by ROH (Ring of Hunter), and became the preferred choice of WWE fans who'd grown tired of the bad booking habits displayed on Raw.

1. Fairly Recent Raws

It used to be that WWE would try to hook you on Raw's opening segment, building to an important match at the end of the night. When Raw moved to three hours, that kind of sell-job proved harder, as sitting through that long a show could be torturous and trying.

For a time in the last couple years, Raw flipped the way they staggered the show, putting all the meat in the first two hours, while filling hour three with throwaway bouts and incessant recaps. That less-watched third hour had long been a drain on Raw's total numbers anyway.