The Monday night malaise is setting back in
If you spent three hours of your Monday night watching the July 13th episode of RAW from Dallas, I am sorry. We walked into the American Airlines Center expecting something resembling a coherent television product, but instead, we got a scattershot mess that felt like an experimental episode of a dying show. It is rare to see a three-hour window of professional wrestling feel this long, yet here we are.
The pacing was disjointed, the booking lacked any shred of narrative forward motion, and the crowd—usually the lifeblood of these shows—seemed ready to catch an early Uber out of downtown multiple times. We need to go through the wreckage and figure out why this felt like a massive step back, even if there were a few flickerings of potential buried under the rubble.
The hated: Living in the past and lazy booking
The most egregious sin was the return of the Big Cass hype video. Watching that air in 2026 was a surreal, depressing exercise in nostalgia baiting. We have all seen this movie before, and none of us are clamoring for a sequel. The crowd noise was a mix of mild curiosity and genuine bewilderment that this is where the creative team decided to spend their energy.
Then we have to address the desperate state of the card. Reports regarding the recent addition of a massive six-man tag to Summerslam highlight a fundamental philosophy error. Instead of building six distinct characters into meaningful singles feuds, the company just threw a bunch of guys into a pot and hit blend to hide the fact that nobody has a real story. It is the wrestling equivalent of a bachelor making a meal out of whatever is left in the back of the fridge.
My final gripe involves the constant reliance on interference to end main event segments. We are in the middle of a hot summer season, yet the finishes are as stagnant as a puddle in August. A clean win would do wonders for anyone on the roster, but management seems terrified of letting anyone actually establish momentum without someone else running in through the crowd.
The loved: flashes of brilliance in the dark
Despite the sludge, the in-ring work still managed to rescue the show from being an absolute disaster. The technical precision displayed during the mid-card segments provided the only real dopamine hit for die-hard wrestling fans. When the wrestlers are allowed to just work—without the burden of a convoluted, soap opera script—they are still the best athletes on the planet.
We also have to give a nod to the lighting and production upgrades which were actually gorgeous this week. It feels like a small thing, but the shift in presentation made the arena look like a modern stadium rather than a dimly lit warehouse. It is a minor detail, but it makes the premium live events feel like a legitimate sporting spectacle when it is actually executed correctly.
Lastly, the mid-match shifts in character intensity reminded me of the golden era of storytelling where you did not need a hype video, just a look in the eyes. I watched a performance in the second hour that felt like something out of a classic nineties feud—no gimmicks, just two guys trying to break each other. If they can lean into that energy and stop padding out cards with nonsense, they might actually have something worth watching before the year is out.
The verdict: Stop overthinking the product
This episode served as a clear reminder that spectacle is not a substitute for substance. You can have all the high-definition cameras and pyro you want in Dallas, but if the story isn't there, the audience is going to sense it immediately. We are sitting at a critical juncture where the creative team has to decide if they are making television for investors or for the people in the seats. Right now, it leans way too far toward the former.
Going forward, I would love to see them drop the bloated tag matches and focus on clear, distinct character arcs. It is not rocket science. Give me a reason to care about who wins and loses beyond just the fact that it is next on the schedule. If they keep relying on the tactics we saw on July 13th, the only thing they are going to fill in the future is the exit sign, just like I warned when Big Cass appeared on screen.
Professional wrestling is at its best when it feels dangerous and unpredictable. Right now, RAW feels like a boardroom meeting that was accidentally broadcast over satellite. There is still time to right the ship before September, but the window is getting smaller every single week. Fix the booking, cut the filler, and let the wrestlers do what they do best.
