Factions & fight clubs on Vince's creatively sinking ship, Raw: Wrestling Observer Live 

First rule of Raw Underground Fight Club is do not watch Raw Underground Fight Club

The ship sank about 15 years ago. Anyone still watching is a ghost, they just don't know it yet..it's like The Others.

"Bro, I swear bro all that fake fighting before this was fake bro. But this fake fighting is for real I'm telling you bro"

"It wasn't the ninjas" he says plainly. What on earth even is Raw right now.

5:59 - "They're throwing everything at the Wall." ITS THE WALL BROTHER!!

Aleister Black: I waited months in a dark room for a knock at my door. Riddle: Bro, how they gonna have a Bloodsport without the Bro

"Earlier today we caught this" "ITS DARK OUT" 😭😭😭😭

This show felt like a vince russo idea I swear

Vince said it around the invasion of 2001 I think that "I created this and by god I will kill it myself". Sounds and looks about right 19 years later

Raw Underground is like someone backstage is ashamed of pro wrestling (Vince) so they want to make it "cooler" (in their mind). Dancing girls, Fight Club vibe, 'this fighting is real, not like that fake fighting on the rest of Raw' (except it looked just as fake), Shane yammering on about how "stiff" the hits were, some dipshit director mistaking quick cuts for being visually dynamic or exciting....it was absolute crap, complete shit. Why don't they just try booking a good pro wrestling show? Why don't they stop scripting the wrestlers to death and give them more freedom to express themselves in their promos and in ring style? Why not try that shit instead of turning Raw into the physical manifestation of a pathetic mid-life crisis?

The older Vince gets, the more inane these shows become. There’s a parallel.

So the new faction is gonna go from using Molotov cocktails and burning things down, to using wrestling moves in a ring and we’re supposed to care?

I’m terrified that this “New faction” is going to end up being the main roster introduction of the Undisputed Era.

Vince: "I have it! Let's create an all african american heel faction!" Writer: "S-Sir... that might be in bad taste...you know...for the current situation..." Vince: "You might be right pal... then let's book a stable of heel white protestors throwing molotovs around and creating chaos!" Writer: "...y-yeah...yeah that's...that's definetely better..." Vince: "And than...I have it! I've seen this new movie about underground clubs where people beat each other up! Let's have one of those on RAW!" Writer: " Sir...you mean Fight Club?" Vince: "What? Nah that's a stupid name...we'll call it...'RAW UNDERGROUND!'" Writer: "oh so like...Lucha Underground?" Vince: "Underground what?" Writer: "...so we might need someone to introduce this concept? Like someone with experience in real fighting?" Vince: "Great idea! I have the guy!" Writer: "Matt Ri-..." Vince: "SHANE MCMAHON! That will put asses in seats! I'm a genius!" Writer: "...you sure are sir..."

Dark Order is invading WWE . You heard it here first .

i cant wait for the documentary years from now on the fall of WWE. all the wrestlers recounting living through vince's fever dream

Charly Caruso is actually awesome. WWE just scripts her like an idiot. She hosts First Take on ESPN sometimes and is way better than the regular host Molly

I think the "why is/why are" question/rant was beautiful, such flow to it.

They had to have been writing the script DURING the show

Who's pat buck?

WWE Death Spiral Sponsored by Vince's Yes Men

Last night, Vince didn't give us Monday Night Raw. He gave us "Raw 'n Shop Mania". And Jesus wept.

They hit the iceberg after WM XXX. Vince is demented. Remember when Al Davis ran the Raiders into the ground? Yeah they still haven’t recovered. The effects of Bad leadership carry over for a long time. This company is doomed.

I thought I was the only one who noticed the fact that they said “earlier today” and it was night. I thought “they can’t possibly think we’re that stupid”

The person that pushed the boxes over is the same person that threw the pie at Kevin Owens

Just imagine if the nWo would have sent a Tweet before invading. lol As far as the rest, I don't hate this Fight Club concept but it should not be on RAW.

I love it!!! Let Vince and Bruce continue to expose their garbage creative skills!!!

Strange way to debut Undisputed Era on Raw but its Vince so it makes sense.

"Why can't Tom Phillips act?" lmao

He say the only way he will step down is if he's dead and we've got the next 20 years of him

Imagine debuting an anarchist terrorist group *after* releasing everyone in Sanity.

"When you do something to death, when you ride something to death, that’s literally what happens. When that animal can’t go anymore, and it falls out on the trail, and you can feel the tension in its eyes, and it’s fluttered breaths of panic, and it knows it’s going to die, and it wants to die. You don’t just leave it. Because you love it. You pull from the hip, you roll your fingers on the steel of the chamber, you pull the hammer back, you do not anticipate the recoil, and you blow it away." -Cody (Rhodes) Except here, Vince is letting WWE die a very extended, painful, torturous death.

I think Vince books this show, the same way South Park thinks family guy writes its jokes

This is worse than WCW 2000. No WWE fan should talk about AEW in a negative light when you're supporting this crap.

I’ve heard people say “this is Nitro levels of bad” for years and it definitely hasn’t been full on because Nitro was horrible.... but Raw finally tipped over into full on Nitro mode on Monday. I travelled to the Royal Rumble from the UK in 2017 and while it wasn’t a perfect show it was still watchable and I had a great time and just three years later it’s legit unwatchable. Deeply saddened at the state of affairs in WWE, hope they turn it around.

Part of me wonders if it’s partially Vince trying to get back at Eric Young after his interview. The entire “faction that causes chaos” is basically what Sanity was meant to be packaged as. I wouldn’t put it past Vince to try and get the gimmick over to try and prove some point.

No they hit the iceberg well before 2018, it’s just that the band was still playing at that point

Bryan is bringing out his old TNA rants style videos. While his blood pressure may suffer my entertainment value doesn't.

How come Vinny wasn't on this episode?... Usually, I hear him break down what happened in WWE & TNA with Bryan Alvarez & not somebody else.

8:16 Bryan perfectly sums up RAW Underground, sparring us bothering to watch it: "Fake fighting on a fake fighting show but *THIS* fake fighting is supposed to be *REAL* !"

We go from Rey loosing an eye & Stroman being drown to worrying about boxes getting tipped over backstage being a serious thing.

Can't wait to read "The Death of WWE" from you in a few years.

I think one problem with this new "Raw Underground" for me is that there was no introduction or story to build up to it. It was just thrown in our faces all of the sudden. This was NOT a nice surprise Vince! I know they are just throwing ideas at the wall, but this?!?! Really?!?! Why?!?!

They should have called “The Hurt Business”, “BLM”. Benjamin Lashley MVP

Maybe the Smackdown hacker hired some goons to take his rampage a little further... 😂

Turned on WWE programming last night. Summerslam reruns. Stone Cold v Undertaker, Macho Man v Ultimate Warrior, and Bret Hart v British Bulldog. Most enjoyable hour of WWE programming I’ve watched in over a decade.

2 things that would easily boost ratings would be more Vince promos and Scott Steiner on commentary

Vince has lost his marbles

Me: "Who writes this sh**?!?" Also me: "Oh yeah..." *sighs*

Last week, Sasha vs Asuka were barely a part of the 3rd hr. Their match ended at like 9:05. Why do ppl ignore this?

"Fake fighting on a fake fighting show, but this fake fighting is supposed to be real" lol

They find ways to make DQ finishes every week, this week was 2 people who are not part of the match,brawled OUTSIDE the ring, didn't interfere or attacked the other 2 competitors INSIDE the ring and somehow a DQ was called, yep Vince has lost it

Cue the Maestro. It's the Russo era WCW 2.0. Those who refuse to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

How do you spell WWE? D-E-A-D. RIP WWE. You will not be missed.

They lit the power generator on fire , yet the camera recording them remained on. Vince is trying so hard to get that Emmy award.

Sad part is it isn't a sinking ship: they just had their most successful quarter ever and have fat tv contracts until 2024.

Bryan's rants during the pandemic all have been the stuff of legend. 💯👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👍🏾🔥

I’m confused....people say they want new things and when they give em to you you say that naw man stick with the old stuff. Wrestling fans confuse me

But man, when this new faction busts out the thumbtacks, Bryan is gonna fuckin stroke himself for an hour straight on his podcast

What a awful Raw. 😂

I half-expect that they actually don't have the members of this new faction is yet, like the Hacker. They'll figure it out later, or abandon the storyline entirely. We'll see.

"Omg a box fell over! Go cover it!" Wtf dude lol thank god MVP said what we were all thinking

If Retribution is supposed to be a heel anti-fascist group wouldn't that mean WWE's faces are fascist?

Keep this same energy for Wednesday when Eric F'n bischoff trots out on AEW

Vince is such good friends with 45, it's like he's giving him ideas now. Or their thought processes are just so predictably similar.

When does Monday night Raw's Ratings Fall Below AEW Dynamite Episode 1's Recorded Ratings?

Would make no sense with what they were doing on NXT, but it wouldn't surprise me if the faction is Undisputed Era.

How the hell RAW got a 1.7 is beyond my train of thought. They're so damn desperate that it's starting to become pathetic at this point. I almost feel sorry for them...ALMOST. I didn't even watch the show last night and I knew it was going to be garbage. I wish they broke a 1.56 this week just so they could prove us right.

Are we just ignoring that MVP, Bobby & Sheldon are called The Hurt Business now

It's time for an another rant! 💪😎

I’m so excited to hear Jim Cornette’s reaction to the whole episode.

The underground kinda reminded me of the notorious Urban Wrestling Federation that you guys reviewed once!

The Fight Club movie came out in 1999 , which is 21 years ago. Isn't it a little late to be ripping off that movie ? Plus we have ninjas in the WWE. Ninjas were popular in film back in the mid 80s . Do ya see a pattern here ? Creative ideas based on subjects from the 80s during the Hulkamania era and 90s of the attitude era. Vince and Bruce are sticking to what got them to the dance but haven't noticed the music has changed and the dance is totally different.

Ladies and gentlemen, we are witnessing the death of RAW.

No, not putting Sasha over in 2016 when she had entire arenas in her hands was when WWE hit the iceberg.

Pat Buck? Is he part of the Young Bucks? (You'll have to pardon me, I haven't watched RAW in a couple of years.)

I'll take the Raw Underground fake MMA stuff over the usual Cirque Du Soleil shit. At least Raw Underground was trying to make the guys look tough for once.

I'd like to know why the bell went in the Sasha Bank match.

How was raw up from last week? I really enjoyed the ko/riott squad stuff, but other than that...

Am I the only one concerned with the hacker gimmick build up from smackdown suddenly disappearing or is that just me?

I didn’t think it was political. I just thought Pritchard had finally gotten around to watching Fight Club and thought it was some hilariously good sh!t.

This episode of Wrestling Observer Live was an instant classic.

A total fail on all counts as evidenced by the ratings. Yeah. They gained 100,000 versus last week but hour by hour the third hour sank like it has in recent weeks. Also continued weak in 18-49 demo. Vince and Bruce threw stuff at the wall and all they did was leave stains on the wall.

That pre hell in a cell rant is still relevant almost a year later

“...IT’S DARK OUT!!!”

But how did you like Raw Underground? That was good shit! It was gritty! And Dunn cut to new camera angles 300 times in 3 minutes. There was strippers..... STRIPPERS!!!!! This is the turning point for WWF!

What are they on about! I love Talkinshopamania Night 2

They Sunk OFFICIALLY....When They Went PG

We are at final plunge for the sinking ship. Though the lights are still on (the fact they still have money), the ship is taking its final plunge down below

Yet ratings were up....

Vince, if you're reading this, bring back the Dungeon of Doom!

WCW 2000 is a fun re-watch for the trainwreck and disaster that it was. It was ironically fun television. Anyone going to re-watch a WWE show from the last 5 years? There's not gonna be any retro WWE reviews in 2035 re-living this era.

Funny that Bryan said Dec 2018 was when they hit the iceberg because that was the last time I watched Raw. I've been listening to Observer and Wrestletalk ever since for a rundown of the disaster. This Monday was the beginning of the end I'm afraid.

Bro....how are you gonna complain about fake fighting when talking about Pro wrestling? Raw Underground is suppose to be their version of gritty in the wrestling world. When you bring real world logic into it it ruins it for you. Not saying criticism isn’t required but when you’re overly bias and nitpick every single thing it not only ruins it for yourself but skews others opinions. If you’re gonna nitpick everything why not nitpick that mostly all AEW matches are spot fests and have no actual wrestling?

I hope the new faction's name isn't Chaos. New Japan would probably want to have a word with them on that since one of New Japan's top factions is named Chaos.

I keep thinking about all the times Bryan has said "Listen, if you think this is as bad as WCW in 2000, you haven't been watching WCW." And now, finally, the day has come: Bryan feels this is as bad as WCW.

What was it in late 2018 that made WWE hit the iceberg?

Everytime I even consider tuning back in and watching WWE outside of NXT. I just see a video like this go up every week from Bryan and it just lets me know "hey self! you were right not to watch this week either!"

LMAO lowkey gonna watch if Vince has the balls to actually call the group antifa with all the anarchist flags and shit talking about guillotining Jeff Bezos 😂😂😂

Did they ever reveal the hacker or they just drop that/Vince forgot ?