>>8269841It was a matter of contrast and expectations related to what people had been used for decades. You have to realize that, for example, the comedy segments went from snitsky punting a baby to santino having tea parties in the ring. It became even more child friendly than chikara, which is quite something. But it also felt very inconsequential, as if you were watching a cartoon show with an episodic format, and there weren't a whole lot of stakes to the matches, save for a few shining examples like the punk/hardy feud. The characters had little to no reasonable development because they didn't need to, because kids aren't going to notice that stuff. Another major point is that the crowds sounded absolutely awful during this period. So, so dull and lifeless. It came across as a "boxed-in", "bottled" product as opposed to living up to the show's name and being Raw.
And you know what? I can appreciate it a little more now in retrospect. It still is mostly bad from a booking and overall direction standpoint, but the shows, especially the c-shows, feel very laid-back and breezy. I have come to love watching 2010 episodes of NXT and Superstars. The talent had a lot more leeway with a desire to prove something to whoever was watching, and because they were recorded before the main shows, you had fresher crowds. Commentary was funnier too, and there were more opportunities for truly strange things to happen. Some notable standouts would be Scott Stanford, William Regal vs Goldust on Superstars, and NXT Season 2 as a whole.
