I just watched this PPV for the first time.
Wow.
The crowd. The swerves. I almost forgot how exciting wrestling used to be.
It's genuinely confusing how modern WWE storylines and TV show philosophies can differ so much from what worked in the past. I understand the corporate shackles involved, but I believe it would be relatively easy to write a better Raw than the current writers.
I assume Vince McMahon, in his old age, has become subconsciously preoccupied with fine-tuning a framework for his successors to work within after he dies, preserving his legacy with a rigidity and formulaic empty template for the current product. Vince probably knows his kids aren't on his level hence he's making the WWE idiot-proof; it'll run itself after he dies.
Hopefully Shane gains full control of SDL and hires Russo, Lane, and whoever else to make a point of difference. The wrestling industry has so much potential to captivate the masses. Bash at the Beach 2000 is a reminder of its potential.