9 Significant moments that led to WWE becoming the global phenomenon in sports entertainment

The Montreal Screwjob made Vince McMahon the biggest heel in professional wrestling history!
The Montreal Screwjob made Vince McMahon the biggest heel in professional wrestling history!

#7 Uncooked and Uncensored

The first episode of Monday Night Raw featured The Undertaker!
The first episode of Monday Night Raw featured The Undertaker!

January 11, 1993, marked the debut episode of Monday Night RAW, a prime-time wrestling show that set the standard for other wrestling television to follow. Aired on the USA network, the very first RAW match was Yokozuna squashing Koko B Ware, and ended with the fascinating battle between Undertaker and Damian Demento.

As the years went by, the programme would evolve to feature more competitive matches, and the changing trends of the WWF could be seen vividly through their flagship programme.

Meet John Cena's dad HERE


#6 The Birth of Saturday Night's Main Event

The Main Event featured prominent names such as Andre, Hogan, and Roddy Piper.
The Main Event featured prominent names such as Andre, Hogan, and Roddy Piper.

Before WWF acquired their huge television schedule, TV spots weren't so easy to come by. As Vince McMahon evolved and shaped the wrestling business, making it hip and cool, people began to see wrestling as a viable commodity.

MTV - itself a revolutionary product for the music industry - began working with the WWF, airing specials such as War to Settle the Score, and Brawl to End it All. Featuring popular music talents - notably Cyndi Lauper who managed Wendi Richter and featured wrestlers in her music clips, it produced an era known as the Rock N Wrestling Connection.

This got the attention of NBC President Dick Ebersol, who made a mistake with the XFL, but certainly got it right with Saturday Night's Main Event.

Saturday Night's Main Event was the first big television programme for the Federation, paving the way for future shows such as RAW and Smackdown. SNME was shown every few months and was more of a TV special, featuring competitive matches and plenty of hype for upcoming big events. The SNME that WWE aired a few years ago was a shell of its former self. The Main Event featured many memorable moments, including the cult favorite amongst old school fans, Uncle Elmer's wedding.

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Edited by Kingshuk Kusari
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