WWE RAW

I know it's cliche now to poke fun at "professional" wrestling. It's contrived, choreographed, and phony as hell in some respects, but you know what? That's exactly why I love it!!!! How can you not get goosebumps when one of your heroes is being pummeled in the ring and then down the ramp comes another superstar ready to lay the smacks down on their roodey-poo, candy . . . well you know the rest. Anyway, "redneck soap-opera," "poison for the mind," "phony sports," etc. Call it what you will but it's still pure sports entertainment and it never pretends to be anything more. Besides, the superstars on there are some of the most athletic people alive today.

Watching WWF wrestling is just pure fun. People look at wrestling in the wrong context. They act like it's wrong that it's all fake and the matches are staged. Well I say who cares it's entertainment, television shows are all fake too. You don't watch wrestling for the sports degree of it. WWF has the best characters. WWF has great characters like Stone Cold, The Rock, Cactus Jack, Kane, The Undertaker, The Big Show and others.

This has got to be the best tasteless pleasure ever. Just look at the different elements Vinne Mac has brought together, Soap Opera, Heavy Metal, B-Movie acting, and an amazingly high level of stunt work. The whole Austin-Undertaker conflict (era 1998) was the best stuff in any media in its time bar none. For those who still doubt rent "The Three Faces of Foley", Hell in the Cell was unreal.

Raw is War has become the most successful wrestling program ever!, and it is mainly thanks to weekly appearances from Steve Williams who is Stone Cold Steve Austin, Mark Calloway who plays the lord of darkness the Undertaker, Degeneration-X which consists of only X-Pac and Road Dogg Jessy James, and the latest Dead man, and my personal favorite "Kane".

WWF had turned from a sporting attraction into a Drama/Sport, and I like it, it gets better and better every week, it`s a shame that "Bret Hitman Hart" left but I liked him as a good guy better.

So I give it 9 out of 10.

Back on March 10th 1997, WWF Monday Night Raw became Raw Is War figuratively and literally.

I believe 1997 was one of the best years for the WWF (now WWE). There were really heated feuds throughout such as The Hart Foundation VS Steve Austin, The Undertaker VS everyone, Triple H VS Mankind and so many others. Raw is War aired during the battle with rival promotion WCW (now defunct). There were PPV caliber matches throughout Raw Is War and there were some fantastic moments. 1998 was a great year too as WWF owner Vince McMahon became an authoritarian figure who feuded with the anti authority Stone Cold Steve Austin. The Rock was also coming into prominence as a wrestler as was Triple H. There were many other great moments such as the appearance of Mike Tyson, D-X 'invading' WCW, the Owen Hart tribute show and the episode from the 26th March 2001 where Shane McMahon betrayed his father Vince and brought WCW.

Raw Is War became simply Raw after a few years and is still a relatively entertaining program. However, the Raw Is War years really were WAR and worth tracking down on tape if possible.