RAW - Wrestling at its RAWest!

To the worshippers of muscle power, RAW! needs just a mention to let adrenalin fill the veins; the WWE RAW! is thus regarded as the program setting the insanity quotient since January 11, 1993, turning the USA Network a meaty phenomenon for one hour every Monday Night.

It began as the WWF Monday Night RAW on January 11, 1993 and televised professional wrestling found a new definition that moved from the traditional tapings of wrestling shows to taped matches featuring studio voiceovers; the aligned and angled camera shots entertained the live audience to raw wrestling as well. WWE RAW can thus be defined in three words only - Unexpected, Exciting and Attitude; the media gave the necessary twist and Uncut, Uncooked, Uncensored was what that got the public recognition.

The RAW story has its roots in the Grand Ballroom at Manhattan Center Studios. This small, NYC theater aired live wrestling events every week; the shows turned out to be major successes, the hyper-chemistry between an intimate venue and raw action being the chief cause. But financial restraints barred the smooth flow; WWE RAW thus changed its course and started featuring live and taped shows every alternate weeks. RAW, at that point of time, was still gimmick-heavy.

What changed the WWF RAW to WWE RAW is its 700th episode; October 23, 2006, the show was held in Chicago and earned it the epithet. But little do we know about the innuendo that remains hidden in the name; things get as RAW as live sex that was planned to be aired on January 9, 2006, between The Edge and Lita. It was, however, spoilt by Ric Flair and John Cena, but nevertheless it boosted the WWE ratings by 16%.

RAW is somewhat incomplete without the themes. WWE RAW themes, so far, have been complete auditory pleasures to the equally raw audience, but nothing perhaps beats the RAW theme played for the three-hour RAW Family Reunion; the date was October 9, 2006 and WWE RAW adopted the new logo and a new RAW theme to celebrate the season premiere featuring wrestlers from both SmackDown! and ECW. The former RAW theme - Union Underground’s Across the Nation was replaced with Papa Roach’s "...To Be Loved"; but if you are to switch on your TV and find only RAW and RAWZONE being broadcasted, don’t feel disheartened - the references to war (the reverse of RAW) were dropped after the 9/11.