5 Weirdest WWE RAW matches you may not remember

The WWE Universe has witnessed its fair share of quirk on Monday night RAW matches. Over the 27 years, there have been countless gimmicks and stipulations that shocked the fans around the world. Botched up storylines, whacky impersonations, breaking kayfabe, as well as mass walkouts – RAW has seen it all.

Fans remember most of these epic fallouts, no matter how madcap and surreal they were. But some of them were so eccentric that the WWE Universe either tried hard to forget or simply did not bother to remember. Here are the 5 weirdest WWE RAW matches that you might need a brush-up on.

#5 Kevin Nash vs. Chris Jericho – WWE RAW August 18, 2003

Hair vs. hair matches played out some of the wackiest stipulations on WWE television. Rey Mysterio vs. CM Punk, Vince McMahon vs. Donald Trump, Kurt Angle vs. Big Show, and most recently Sonya Deville cutting Mandy Rose’s trademark golden locks are some of the most memorable. The 2003 RAW match between Y2J and Big Sexy is one that the WWE Universe does not like to remember much, especially because how the fans never got what they were promised – a bald head for the loser.

Chris Jericho challenged Kevin Nash for a hair vs. hair match during their feud back in 2003. But soon he tried to get out of the match and Nash this time stepped it up, threatening to shave Jericho’s head all the way if he backed away. Bottom line – someone was getting bald on Monday night. Sly and underhanded tactics helped Y2J win the match after all, and he wasted no time in snatching the clippers from the barber. But Nash got away with only a quick trim instead of a shaved head as Jericho chopped off chunks of his blonde locks away. The WWE Universe was left confused as Nash sat there in the ring like a kid with a summer haircut he never wanted.

Nash remained decidedly unshaved for the remaining 6 days of his WWE run. Turned out, the hair cutting on WWE television was an excuse for his short-hair look as the Russian on 2004 film, The Punisher based on Marvel Comics. All things considered, it could have been worse.

#4 Divas Battle Royale –WWE RAW August 1, 2011

Michael Cole called it when he said the August 2011 Divas Battle Royale could be “a train wreck”. Gail Kim spent a better part of 2011 feuding with Melina, because of the latter’s claim that Kim was a “horrible friend”. On August 1, she participated in the WWE Battle Royale to determine the No. 1 contender for the next Divas Championship.

Within the first couple of minutes of the match, Kim uneventfully eliminated herself by just rolling out of the ring, making it one of the weirdest exits as well as last appearances on WWE television. But was it a planned twist in the tale? Certainly not.

She later openly admitted on various interviews that she was completely frustrated with WWE’s demands and decided to break kayfabe and end things with the company. WWE had asked her to get eliminated in the first minute of the match. Kim clearly did not like the idea and took matters in her own hand by eliminating herself.

#3 John Cena vs. Michael Cole – WWE RAW June 4, 2012

John Cena squirting BBQ sauce on Michael Cole

Almost no one thought a RAW main event match between John Cena and Michael Cole was actually a good idea except WWE. The announcer and commentator turned heel for the first time in his WWE career in 2010, with a never-seen-before arrogance and cockiness in his mannerism. He interfered in a TLC match costing Jerry Lawler, his former partner, a win against The Miz. He turned against several other wrestlers, including Jim Ross and CM Punk.

WWE tried to give his heel turn a new and (hopefully) hilarious twist by putting him in a RAW match against John Cena in June 2012. But fans thought it perhaps went a bit too far and ended up being predictably more appalling than funny. Cole tried to escape in the end, but Cena dragged him back to the ring before stripping him, slapping him, and trapping him in a headlock.

Cole was forced to apologize for his behavior, especially to Lawler and Ross. The revenge was completed by dumping bottles of JR’s BBQ sauce on Cole and hitting with an Attitude Adjustment. It is safe to say fans do not remember the match fondly, as it was not only unnecessarily cringe but also nuked the fridge for the possibility of Cole being accepted as a significant on-screen character.

#2 The Undertaker vs. Kane: Second Inferno Match – WWE RAW February 22, 1999

Everyone might remember the iconic original inferno match as one of the most dangerous face-offs on WWE television, but the second one often gets a rather stepchild-ish treatment. The participants were same on both occasions, but the stakes were unexpectedly higher in the second one. Based on the two half-brother’s past with fire, the heated feud landed them in a ring engulfed in flames. The Undertaker won the first match at Unforgiven setting The Big Red Monster’s arms on fire.

Nearly a year later, the two were set up for an impromptu rematch by Vince McMahon himself in an attempt to fulfill a personal vendetta against The Deadman.

The bout occurred when the controversial bad blood between McMahon’s WWE Corporation and The Undertaker’s Ministry of Darkness was raging at its peak. The plan was to take Kane’s fury and use it to demolish The Undertaker, and Vince was present at the ringside to witness it happen. Much to his disappointment and to WWE fans’ joy, the plan did not work. Despite having a head start, Kane could not save his foot from being set ablaze and losing once again to his arch-nemesis.

#1 Triple H: The Walkout – WWE RAW October 11, 2011

The WWE Universe witnessed something on October 10, 2011, Monday night RAW that they had not seen ever before, or ever since as a matter of fact. In the wake of ‘Reality Era’ rising, WWE saw a mass walkout of wrestlers and staff, citing unsafe working environment, leaving fans dumbfounded. Social media exploded for the following week as everyone speculated what was going to happen next, how was Triple H going to run the SuperShow with as few as five wrestlers remaining?

As the world tuned in for the next RAW event, Triple H came out to for his opening promo more determined to deliver than ever. Entertaining promos from John Cena, Sheamus, and CM Punk followed, which put the fans in writhing anticipation – maybe this could really be something great. But it fell flat as Vince McMahon made a return, fired Triple H, and replaced him with John Laurinaitis as the interim GM of Raw.

The WWE Universe would have probably lapped up a long Cena vs. Sheamus match, officiated by Triple H himself and commentated by CM Punk. But it remained a could-have-been as WWE passed up on the opportunity of turning the storyline into a true Reality Era event and killed it before it could even begin. This match – which was not really a match – might just be one of the strangest turns WWE television has broadcasted.

Edited by Anirban Banerjee