WWE Raw Filling SNL’s Void

Shaq and The Nature BoyWe all know that SNL has become a great platform for celebrities and sports figures to take on whenever they have something to promote or want to heighten their media exposure. But what about the downtime, when SNL isn’t filming new episodes?

Vince McMahon has stepped up to the plate to fill that void. He began a few weeks ago with Donald Trump, by “selling” the show to him. Of course, he immediately “bought” it back (for twice the cost – you can’t beat Trump when it comes to money).

He later declared that Trump had made some contractual changes to the way Raw is run, by mandating celebrity guest hosts every week. So far, Seth Green and ZZ Top have taken the helm, to much success.

It was announced earlier this week that Shaq will host next Monday. Perhaps Carlito will exact some revenge on the big man from a chair shot delivered to him while Shaq was a member of the Heat. Or maybe they’ll just do their best to forget it ever happened, as it was most definitely one of the weakest chair shots ever given.

Within the past hour or so, WWE broke the news on twitter (@WWEUniverse) that Jeremy Piven, who plays asshole agent with a heart Ari Gold on Entourage, will be hosting the week after Shaq. Things just keep getting better…

Ratings are up and people are enjoying the shows. Even WWE stock is up compared to where it stood in May. WWE stock prices have historically fallen in the post-Wrestlemania downtime of the summer season. All is well in the world of professional wrestling. Vince triumphs again.

Joshua Schlag

For most of the last 30+ years of my life, I've been watching WWE. As a kid, Monday Night Raw hooked me from the start. From Bret Hart and Razor Ramon, to Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock, to CM Punk and Daniel Bryan.. I've witnessed the ups and downs and I'm proud to have enjoyed pro wrestling through the years.

Though I now watch in a much different fashion than I did when I was a kid (finding out Vince McMahon was the owner and Jack Tunney no more than a figurehead was like finding out Santa Claus did not exist), I feel like I have a much greater appreciation for the hard work pro wrestlers do and the things they sacrifice to entertain us.

It's still real to me, dammit!

1 Comment

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  1. 1
    Razor

    If anything, the guest host concept has taken a show that was flat-out boring post-Backlash, and given it its mojo back. The main event scene desperately needs to be freshened up and the midcard has no direction whatsoever, but the show at least feels fun again.

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