During the opening segment of tonight’s RAW (above), The McMahons and Triple H all made it clear that changes were on the way to WWE.
New faces, new match ups and a united front were promised for both the RAW and Smackdown Live brands in the coming months.
Excerpt courtesy of Mike Tedesco’s live RAW recap:
Mr. McMahon is here to “shake things up.” McMahon says he doesn’t want to hear any boos, so the crowd boos. McMahon says everyone wants to know what’s going on with Monday Night RAW. He’s asked that question of himself. Tonight, we’ll find out. Monday Night RAW has been on the air for 25 years. One of the reasons they’re on so long is they change with the times. Despite one man’s brilliance, creativity, and vision… he can’t do it all by himself anymore. McMahon says he could do it without the crowd.
Stephanie says they’re out here tonight because they haven’t been doing a very good job lately. They haven’t been listening to their audiences. They’ve let middleman managers suffocate their roster and not entertain the fans, but that’s over. Triple H says the days of absentee management are over. The four of them will be taking back Monday Night RAW. Shane says that goes for Smackdown Live as well. They’re all personally responsible to ensure everyone has the best possible experience. Stephanie says they’ll empower the superstars and the fans. Triple H says they’ll give the fans what they want. They’re giving them something new and fresh. In the coming weeks and months, they’ll be seeing new faces, new superstars, and new match-ups. As of now, the crowd is The Authority.