Another problem with Raw

While I can't say that I'm disappointed that the Donald Trump angle was ended so quickly, I will admit that I'm surprised. It seems strange to me that they'd exert so much effort publicity wise -- as well as financially, evident by offering a refund to everybody in attendance -- in order to bring in an audience, only to cut short the reason why they had originally tuned in. On top of that, Donald Trump had JUST raddled off a laundry list of ideas that could sound alluring to new and casual fans. And, at the very least, something different for long-time viewers. But by the end of the segment (and the show as a whole), there was that tired and familiar feeling of "same old, same old."

And along those lines, something struck me as John Cena made his entrance, now wearing bright green wrist bands instead of the blue he had been sporting for the past few months. It helped me come to realize why Raw seems so much blander than Smackdown. If you take look at the guys at the top of Raw's roster, you have John Cena, Triple H, Randy Orton, The Big Show, and Batista. Aside from Cena, each and every one of them wears black trunks. And while Orton and Batista may occasionally switch up the color of their trim, the physical appearance of these five Superstars very rarely changes. From their uniform to their "street clothes" to their facial hair to their haircut, they look practically exactly the same week in and week out (as always, Shawn Michaels is the exception to the snore fest). I know that everybody wants to be the bad ass tough guy in black, but it really sets a dreary tone for the show.

Actually, it reminds me of an interview in a recent edition of WWE Magazine, where one of the production guys noted that all of the ringside furniture (chairs, tables, mats, barriers, etc) were changed to black when they went to HD, to really accentuate the bright colors of the ring ropes. That same logic SHOULD apply to the Superstars as well. Our eyes should instinctively jump to them, not the ring ropes.

Conversely, over on Smackdown, you've got guys like Edge and Chris Jericho, who throw in a pair of red tights/trunks every now and again. Then you've got supremely colorful Superstars like Rey Mysterio and Jeff Hardy, along with CM Punk who has a nice variety of tights. I know it's a minor thing that few other people would notice, but it really helps avoid that feeling of "same old, same old." I cannot tell you how bored I've become with Kane just because of the fact that he hasn't done a single thing to change his appearance since November 2003.

It's a pretty simple way to give the show a desperately needed fresh feeling.