10 greatest Raw moments in history

Monday Night RAW’s 25th anniversary is right around the corner. Big legends are rumored to make an appearance, and there are a lot of magical moments one can expect. A quarter of a century worth of crazy moments have been made with Raw.

Now, it’s time to take a look back at some of the greatest moments in the history of WWE’s flagship show. These are purely my opinion. If you feel there is a moment that should’ve been included in this list, then please voice your opinion in the comment section below.

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#10 Chris Jericho debuts

Weeks before Jericho could debut, WWE were playing a series of countdown videos themed ‘Countdown to The Millennium’. On August 9th 1999, during one of The Rock’s promos, the countdown began, and Jericho’s name was revealed on the titantron to a vibrant Chicago crowd. The ‘Ayatollah’ was finally in WWE.

HIs debut was breathtaking and his expressions at ‘The Great One’s’ usual beats couldn’t undermine him. This is easily one of the greatest moments in Raw history because it was the debut of one of the greatest of all-time.

#9 Hell freezes over

Once the war between WCW and WWE was finally over, a few WCW contracts were picked up and they found work in WWE. But fans never thought that they would see Eric Bischoff in WWE one day, because Vince and Bischoff hated each other.

When it was time to reveal a new Raw GM, and Vince McMahon announced Eric Bischoff’s name, it again highlighted who just won the war. The whole arena erupted and no one could believe what they were witnessing.

#8 Nexus debuts

When NXT first started in 2010, it was a reality show where rookies would team up with pros and compete in contests. It didn’t really captivate the fans. The winner of the first season was Wade Barrett.

Following his win, Barrett and the rest of the rookies showed up on Raw during the main event match between John Cena and CM Punk, all wearing matching arm bands with an “N” on them. They would go on to ambush everyone in sight as they tore up the WWE ring. They even attacked the announcers and cameramen. The fans couldn’t believe what they were witnessing, and this gave rise to one of the best Raw moments.

#7 Wedding crashers

On November 29, 1999 edition of RAW, Test was about to tie the knot with Stephanie McMahon. But, as we all know now, all on-screen marriages in WWE end in catastrophe. Triple H interrupted the marriage, and showed a clip of Triple H and a drugged Stephanie McMahon in a Las Vegas drive-through. The two of them had seemingly gotten hitched the previous night before.

This segment marked the start of an on-screen (and real life) relationship that completely transformed the WWE as we know it, which is why the moment makes it onto the list.

#6 Seth Rollins turns on his brothers

The Shield were one of the most dominant factions in WWE. ‘The Hounds of Justice’ demolished everyone who got in their path, and they spent a year in Triple H’s back pocket before breaking away after WrestleMania 30.

Just when The Shield were looking stronger than ever, ‘The Architect’ destroyed his own creation by turning on his brothers in heartbreaking fashion. Rollins mercilessly attacked Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns multiple times before 'buying in' and ultimately becoming ‘The Man’ in WWE.

Many believe that it was too soon to sever ties within the group as they were still fresh as bonafide headliners. But, this also gave way to three of the biggest superstars in WWE today.

#5 The Undertaker and Triple H silently set the stage

Taker’s RAW return had been promoted for weeks. Finally, when his music hit, the crowd erupted. Undertaker was back, but before ‘The Deadman’ could even utter a word, Triple H’s music hit, and the roof was blown off the arena.

As both of these legends stood in the ring staring at each other, you could feel the tension in the air. They both slowly turned and looked at the WrestleMania sign before Taker did his famous 'cut-throat' gesture.

What was even more magical about this moment was that these two men were able to create an epic moment in history without even saying a single word. They proved that you don’t need words to make a great segment.

#4 Austin's beer bath

This is still remembered as one of the most iconic moments in WWE history. This took place on an episode of RAW in 1998 during The Rock’s segment. At that time, The Rock was known as ‘The Corporate Champion’. Stone Cold Steve Austin’s stock was rising and he was one of the hottest stars in the company.

Both these two men were scheduled to meet at WrestleMania 15. Just one week before WrestleMania, Austin drove down to the ring in a beer truck almost taking down the titantron. He then began to spray everyone in sight with beer. It was so shocking and hilarious all at once. My personal favorite part was when Vince McMahon was feigning swimming strokes in a pool of beer. Moments like these are why the Rattlesnake is still loved by wrestling fans to this day.

#3 Baddest men on the planet

Everyone was curious to see how WWE would use Mike Tyson, following his appearance at the Royal Rumble 24 hours prior to Raw. As Tyson took centre stage in the ring, Austin’s music hit driving the crowd into a frenzy as the 'toughest S.O.B.' on the roster made his way down to the ring.

Austin ended up flipping off Mike Tyson which would spark a visceral brawl between the two men, infuriating Vince McMahon. This gave international sports outlets their money shots as a pro wrestler could spark out one of the most dangerous heavyweights in boxing history.

#2 CM Punk’s pipe bomb

This moment in the “modern era” can be regarded as one of the greatest moments in recent memory, that has gotten fans talking till today. It was also CM Punk’s breakout moment with the company.

‘The Straight Edge' superstar’s contract was up with the company and he was frustrated with the direction the company was headed. So he sat, cross legged, at the entrance of the ramp and voice his displeasure with the company. He even broke the fourth wall and mentioned his friend Colt Cabana. This was probably kayfabe, but it felt very real and ended up leaving fans confused, thinking that Punk went rogue.

Punk reminded fans of a modern day Steve Austin who wasn’t afraid to go against the authority to get what he wanted. Punk truly became ‘The Voice of The Voiceless’ after this segment.

#1 A win for all Mankind

This was probably the moment that WWE won the Monday Night Wars. WCW were ahead of WWE in the ratings fro quite some time. On one of their episodes in 1999, WCW commentator Tony Schiavone announced to fans the taped results of Monday Night Raw in advance, thus spoiling Raw's main event.

The results were so shocking that many fans switched channels to watch Raw. The main event was a title match between Mankind and The Rock. Vince McMahon did everything he could to prevent Mankind from winning the match.

When Austin’s music hit, he was greeted with one of the loudest pops in history. The Texas Rattlesnake hit The Rock with a steel chair gifting a memorable win to Mankind.

Monday Night Raw went on to defeat WCW Nitro in the ratings war, and this was the beginning of the end for WCW.