WWE is currently treating television like a chore

So, the lineup for Monday night dropped and my soul essentially checked out for the count. We are four days away from Backlash, which is meant to be the big follow-up to the post-Mania reset. Instead of burning the house down, we get a roadmap that feels like an administrative meeting. Nobody tunes into Raw to watch a spreadsheet come to life, yet here we are.

The headline act involves Bron Breakker going up against Ricochet in what the production team is calling a showcase. We know exactly how this goes. Bron destroys the ring ropes, hits a spear that sounds like a car crash, and gets the win in under eight minutes. It is a formula that feels recycled from 2024. Ricochet works his soul into a frenzy to make the guy look like a star, but he loses his own momentum in the process.

The booking of the women's division feels stagnant

Looking at the mid-card, the reported tag match features Lyra Valkyria and Iyo Sky teaming up to face the makeshift duo of Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark. I like all four women individually, but this reeks of lazy booking. Matches like this are usually designed to kill time between commercial breaks and show off a few sequence spots that look cool for a frantic Twitter highlight reel.

We need stakes, not just filler because the printer ran out of ink. Why are they fighting? There is no story thread connecting these four that justifies a main roster encounter. It feels like the writers just grabbed names out of a hat and threw a "Tag Team Match" label on it to keep the clocks moving toward the three-hour mark. Maybe it works if they keep it under the 15 minute mark—anything longer and the crowd is going to start doing the wave.

Seth Rollins is back, but the direction is murky

The backstage notes leak mentions another promo segment for Seth Rollins. He is clearly the anchor of the brand right now, but watching him circle the drain without a proper challenger for the upcoming premium live event is frustrating. He is arguably the best promo guy in the industry, yet throwing him out there just to acknowledge the crowd without a clear opponent for Sunday is a waste of his prime years.

Compare this to the current vibe in AEW where the title scene is actually shifting, as Darby Allin is the AEW World Champion and the entire roster feels like it is on high alert. Over on Raw, you get the distinct impression that management thinks we are all just here to see the logos on the screen. It is reminiscent of the mid-2010s where raw talent was suppressed by a lack of vision. History shows us what happens when you treat the audience like they won't notice the lack of effort.

Why the lack of surprise is the biggest tragedy

The fact that every beat of this show leaked is a symptom of a larger rot. In the modern era, you cannot stop the internet from getting the goods, but you can build a show that makes the spoilers feel irrelevant. Imagine a world where the match ended in a clean finish that actually shifted the power dynamic. Instead, we have a card that looks identical to a random episode from November.

I remember when the roster used to hold back, keeping the best spots for the big shows. Now, they are burning potential blow-offs on shows where the viewership is arguably plummeting because of pre-taped spoilers. This specific strategy is a massive mistake. If you want us to pay for the monthly special, stop showing us the rehearsal of the opener on a Monday night.

I want to be hyped for Backlash. I really do. I want to see a main event that creates a 5 star experience, but that requires a build that doesn't feel like a filler episode of a long-running sitcom. If the company continues down this path of predictable, safe, and uninspired television, they are going to find themselves losing the conversation to the competition. Grab a drink, settle in, but do not expect your mind to be blown on this particular Monday.