8 Great WWE Raw matches - Attitude Era and beyond

Monday Night Raw has been the top cable wrestling show for many years.Since sometime during the Monday Night War, WWEs Raw product has been arguably the top televised wrestling show in the business.Because of the sheer longevity of the program the longest-running weekly episodic program in television history, as were often told, leaves tons of quality footage to sort through.As such, naming the best matches in the shows history would be incredibly difficult and up for interpretation. That said, here are five matches from the last couple decades that have given us plenty to talk about

#1 Undertaker-Kane Casket Match

A casket match is a fitting stipulation for Undertaker and Kane.

Before Undertaker and Kane joined forces as the Brothers of Destruction, they were mortal enemies despite being half-brothers.This led to many memorable confrontations.

Perhaps none were more noteworthy than a casket match in October of 1998. The match ended in a no-contest, but not before the brothers battled toward, around and even inside the oversized casket.

Since then, the match has become something of a signature for the two men, and beating one of them in such a match is a badge of honor for other wrestlers.

#2 Mankind wins the title

Mankind’s title win was a victory for more than just Mick Foley.

Of all the moments during the famed Monday Night War, perhaps none is as infamous as Mankind’s WWF title victory over The Rock on Jan. 4, 1999.

At the time, Raw was taped, but WCW’s Nitro was live, and WCW announcer Tony Schiavone used it to the defunct promotion’s advantage to spoil Mankind’s win.

Well, the plan backfired, and viewers turned to Raw to watch the still-popular Mick Foley win gold. That set the tone that WWE programming was must-see television where anything could happen, and eventually WCW went out of business

#3 Triple H-Shawn Michaels

Best friends were occasionally mortal enemies as Shawn Michaels and Triple H battled in the ring.

Shawn Michaels and Triple H are usually best friends in WWE’s storyline, but that hasn't always been the case. In December of 2003, the D-generation X co-founders squared off for Triple H’s title belt.

The match had everything, including the legendary Ric Flair at ringside, who even got himself involved. Even though Michaels, the clear fan favorite, seemed to have the match won, Triple H retained in the end on a controversial double pin called by Eric Bischoff.

#4 John Cena-Cesaro

Cesaro was one of many solid competitors to answer John Cena’s U.S Open Challenge.

Raw had gotten pretty stale early in 2015, but then John Cena won the U.S. Title from Rusev at Wrestlemania 32 and helped change all that.

His open challenge for the belt drew great matches from a variety of superstars and gave a heightened excitement to the program each week.

That concept reached its peak in July, when Cesaro answered the call and put on a hellacious match with Cena. Both men wowed the crowd in a Cena victory, and that match was part of what launched Cesaro’s recent popularity, including the famous “Cesaro Section."

#5 Fatal Fourway

Roman Reigns defeated Kevin Owens, Alberto Del Rio and Dolph Ziggler to become the No. 1 contender for the world heavyweight title.

A list like this could go one for a while, but a spot ought to be held for a match that showed what the future could bring. And that's the Fatal Four-way just a few weeks back.

The match was the culmination of a No. 1 contender’s tournament that began earlier in the night, and it pitted Roman Reigns, Dolph Ziggler, Kevin Owens and Alberto Del Rio against each other in an instant classic.

When Reigns and Owens set their sights on each other for the match’s final phase, the crowd was electric in what felt like a pay-per-view atmosphere

#6 Jericho-HHH

Chris Jericho beat Triple H for the championship but had to return the belt later.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the talent of the WWF roster was so deep that the company’s top belt changed hands much more frequently than it does today. On April 17, 2000, it changed owners twice.

Chris Jericho managed to get a championship match early in the show and knocked off champion Triple H to win the belt. Unfortunately, The Game took issue with the decision of referee Earl Hebner and made Jericho return the belt later, but the match was great nonetheless.

#7 Undertaker-Jeff Hardy Ladder Match

The Undertaker and Jeff Hardy have both been known to inflict damage on themselves and others.

Even though the Undertaker and Jeff Hardy employ very different styles, it's their similarities that made a ladder match in 2002 so special.

Hardy, a high flyer, and The Phenom, an overpowering striker, met with the undisputed title on the line. Throughout the match, the men displayed their willingness to both inflict pain on an opponent while also risking their own safety for the sake of the performance.

The end result was a classic matchup, which the Undertaker won, that made both men look great

#8 John Cena-Shawn Michaels

Shawn Michaels had to get the band ready for Sweet Chin Music twice to knock off John Cena.

Heading into a Fatal Fourway match at Backlash 2007 that would also include Randy Orton and Edge, Shawn Michaels and John Cena met in a non-title match on Raw. The lack of stakes didn’t hurt the quality of the match, though.

Each man threw a variety of signature and finishing moves at his opponent, and there were predictably multiple false finishes between these two incredible big-match performers. In the end, a second Sweet Chin Music was the key to victory for Michaels.